WorldWideScience

Sample records for nauru

  1. Nauru Island Isotope (delta 18O, delta 13C) Data for 1891 to 1995

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Nauru coral stable isotope timeseries. (166E, 0.5S, 14m bottom depth). Coral stable isotope analyses on untreated, low-speed drilled samples. Precision is +/- 0.05...

  2. Simulation Of Seawater Intrusion With 2D And 3D Models: Nauru Island Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghassemi, F.; Jakeman, A. J.; Jacobson, G.; Howard, K. W. F.

    1996-03-01

    With the advent of large computing capacities during the past few decades, sophisticated models have been developed for the simulation of seawater intrusion in coastal and island aquifers. Currently, several models are commercially available for the simulation of this problem. This paper describes the mathematical basis and application of the SUTRA and HST3D models to simulate seawater intrusion in Nauru Island, in the central Pacific Ocean. A comparison of the performance and limitations of these two models in simulating a real problem indicates that three-dimensional simulation of seawater intrusion with the HST3D model has the major advantage of being able to specify natural boundary conditions as well as pumping stresses. However, HST3D requires a small grid size and short time steps in order to maintain numerical stability and accuracy. These requirements lead to solution of a large set of linear equations that requires the availability of powerful computing facilities in terms of memory and computing speed. Combined results of the two simulation models indicate a safe pumping rate of 400 m3/d for the aquifer on Nauru Island, where additional fresh water is presently needed for the rehabilitation of mined-out land.

  3. Prevalence and risk factors of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in Nauru

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Li

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background No comprehensive assessment of diabetes prevalence in Nauru has been conducted since an extreme prevalence was documented more than two decades ago. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose. Methods A nationwide survey in 2004 of people aged 15- 64 years (n = 1592. Fasting plasma glucose levels were used to defined diabetes (≥7.0 mmol/l or 126 mg/dl and prediabetes (6.1-6.9 mmol/l or 110-125 mg/dl. Results The sex-standardized prevalence of diabetes was 13.0% (95% CI: 10.6, 15.4 in men, 14.4% (11.9, 16.9 in women, and 13.7% (12.0, 15.4 combined. The sex-standardized prevalence of prediabetes was 6.4% (4.6, 8.2 for men, 5.5% (3.9, 7.2 for women, and 6.0% (4.8, 7.3 combined. The prevalence of diabetes for individuals 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54 and 55-64 years was 4.5%, 7.6%, 24.1%, 32.9%, and 42.7%, respectively. The prevalence of prediabetes for the same age categories was 4.2%, 8.8%, 5.9%, 6.6%, 7.1%, respectively. Multivariable, multinomial logit modeling found risk factors for prediabetes were high cholesterol levels (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.66, 2.47 and elevated waist circumference (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08, and for diabetes were age in years (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.07, cholesterol levels (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.58, 2.14 and waist circumference (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07. Conclusions Diabetes remains a major public health problem in Nauru, affecting one out of every ten people. While the prevalence of diabetes has declined, its burden has persisted among the old but also extended towards the younger age groups.

  4. The text of the Agreement of 13 April 1984 between Nauru and the Agency for the application of safeguards in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-09-01

    The document contains two parts. The first part stipulates the agreement of NAURU to accept safeguards on all source or special fissionable material in all peaceful nuclear activities within its territory, under its jurisdiction or carried out under its control anywhere, for the exclusive purpose of verifying that such material is not diverted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The second part specifies the procedures to be applied in the implementation of the safeguards provisions of Part I

  5. Submarine Flood Basalt Eruptions and Flows of Ontong Java Plateau, Nauru Basin and East Mariana Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, P. J.; Trowbridge, S. R.; Zhang, J.; Johnson, A. L.

    2016-12-01

    The preservation of fresh basalt glasses from the submarine Cretaceous Ontong Java Plateau (OJP), Earth's largest LIP, has allowed correlation of precise lava compositions over 100s of km, as well as determination of eruption depths using dissolved H2O and CO2 contents. Low dissolved H2O in glasses shows that H2O in the mantle source is low [1,2], suggesting mantle temperatures are high. Very high dissolved Cl indicates that magmas interacted extensively with brines. The near total absence of vesicles in OJP glasses contrasts sharply with MORB, and suggests that OJP lavas were saturated or undersaturated with CO2 when they were emplaced, in contrast to MORB that are often oversaturated. The lavas likely remained liquid for a longer period of time so that they degassed to equilibrium levels of dissolved CO2 andlost all bubbles. Very precise major and trace element analyses of glasses, uncomplicated by crystals or alteration, show how lavas within and between widely-spaced drill holes could be related. For example, glasses from Sites 1185B and 1186A, which are about 200 km apart, are compositionally identical within precise limits and must have erupted from the same well-mixed magma chamber. They erupted at about the same depth, but 1186A has a corrected basement depth that is >700m deeper. With a slope of 0.3°, this suggests a flow distance >130km. The eruption depths for glasses from East Mariana and Nauru Basins are similar to those of 1185B and 1186A on OJP, even though their reconstructed basement depths are about 2000 m deeper. It suggests that the plateau lavas flowed into the basins. Similarly, eruption depths in Hole 807C are 3040m for Kwaimbaita lavas but are 1110m [1,2] for Singgalo lavas that directly overlie them. It is unlikely that plateau uplift and subsidence accounts for the observed eruption depths. All of these observations are best explained by very large-volume eruptions whose lavas traveled for long distances, up to 100s of km, into deeper

  6. South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty; Tratado Sobre La Zona Desnuclearizada Del Pacifico Sur

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1986-02-15

    On 6 August 1985 the South Pacific Forum, a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific (Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa), endorsed the text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and opened it for signature [Spanish] El 6 de agosto de 1985 el Foro del Pacifico Sur, organo compuesto por los paises independientes y autonomos del Pacifico Sur (Australia, Fiji, Islas Cook, Islas Salomon, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Nueva Zelandia, Papua Nueva Guinea, Samoa Occidental, Tonga, Tuvalu, y Vanuatu), aprobo el texto del Tratado sobre la Zona Desnuclearizada del Pacifico-Sur y lo abrio a la firma.

  7. Cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic differences in the prevalence of leisure-time and occupational physical activity, and active commuting in six Asia-Pacific countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauman, Adrian; Ma, Guansheng; Cuevas, Frances; Omar, Zainal; Waqanivalu, Temo; Phongsavan, Philayrath; Keke, Kieren; Bhushan, Anjana

    2011-01-01

    This study describes physical activity patterns and their association with socioeconomic factors in six countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and examines whether physical activity associations with socioeconomic status follow similar patterns across the six countries. Population-wide representative surveys of non-communicable disease risk factors and socioeconomic factors conducted in Australia, China, Fiji, Malaysia, Nauru and the Philippines between 2002 and 2006 were used. Survey respondents aged 18-64 years who provided information on their socioeconomic status (age, education, income, area of residence) and physical activity level in three domains (leisure-time, occupation, commuting) were included in the study (Australia N=15,786; China N=142,693; Fiji N=6763; Malaysia N=2572; Nauru N=2085; Philippines N=3307). Leisure-time physical activity increased with age in China, showed inverse associations for Fiji and Nauru men, and there were no age relationships in other countries. Individuals in China, Fiji and Malaysia living in urban areas, with higher educational attainment and affluence were physically active during leisure time but less active at work and during commuting compared to those in rural areas, with lower educational attainment and lower income. There is a link between types of physical activity participation and socioeconomic factors in developing countries. Associations with socioeconomic indicators are likely to reflect economic growth. The findings strongly support the need for a comparable non-communicable risk factors surveillance system in developing countries.

  8. IDRA 2016 Call for Applications Word doc_EN

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Carole Labrie

    2016-05-18

    May 18, 2016 ... Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Maldives, Mauritania, Monserrat, Papua New Guinea, Small. Island States [including Comoros, Mauritius, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Timor-Leste and. Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands,.

  9. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Overvad, Kim

    2017-01-01

    than 30% in girls in Nauru, the Cook Islands, and Palau; and boys in the Cook Islands, Nauru, Palau, Niue, and American Samoa in 2016. Prevalence of obesity was about 20% or more in several countries in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Middle East and north Africa, the Caribbean, and the USA. In 2016, 75......BACKGROUND: Underweight, overweight, and obesity in childhood and adolescence are associated with adverse health consequences throughout the life-course. Our aim was to estimate worldwide trends in mean body-mass index (BMI) and a comprehensive set of BMI categories that cover underweight...... to obesity in children and adolescents, and to compare trends with those of adults. METHODS: We pooled 2416 population-based studies with measurements of height and weight on 128·9 million participants aged 5 years and older, including 31·5 million aged 5-19 years. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model...

  10. Recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia two years later: unicum or trendsetting?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hille, C.

    2010-01-01

    The article discusses the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the Russia Federation following an armed conflict with Georgia. The two countries have also been recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru. The United Nations (UN) Security Council, in its resolutions, emphasized that its

  11. 8 CFR 212.1 - Documentary requirements for nonimmigrants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... special humanitarian concern; and (iv) Poses no threat to the welfare, safety or security of the United States, its territories, or commonwealths. Any potential threats to the welfare, safety, or security of...) of this section: Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea...

  12. Facilitating ‘reasonable hope’ with refugees and asylum seekers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greg Turner

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The loss of hope over time has led to despair and a mental health crisis for refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. The use of the principle of ‘reasonable hope’, however, can support their mental health and well-being.  

  13. Supporting Families: A Nurturing Teacher Education Strategy in Nauru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Terence; Serow, Penelope; Taylor, Neil; Angell, Emily; Tarrant, Jodana; Burnett, Greg; Smardon, Dianne

    2017-01-01

    There has been little recent documentation concerning Pacific family support for family members locally involved in university study in their Pacific home country and how such responses affect both parties. Some studies dealing with family support for student family members, including Pacific families residing in the USA, have been published. A…

  14. South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-02-01

    The full text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty with its Annexes endorsed on 6 August 1985 by the South Pacific Forum (a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific, namely Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Nive, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa) is presented

  15. South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-02-01

    On 6 August 1985 the South Pacific Forum, a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific (Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa), endorsed the text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and opened it for signature [es

  16. South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-02-01

    On 6 August 1985 the South Pacific Forum, a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific (Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa), endorsed the text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and opened it for signature [ru

  17. 20. märts kuni 20. aprill : Kes meie elu mõjutavad? / Allan Espenberg

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Espenberg, Allan

    2003-01-01

    Bosnia ja Hertsegoviina: kolmeliikmelise Presidentuuri serblasest liikmeks valiti Borislav Paravac; Eesti: president Arnold Rüütel nimetas ametisse Juhan Partsi juhitava valitsuse; Iraak: USA erukindral Jay Garner sai Iraagi üleminekuvalitsuse juhiks; Kesk-Aafrika Vabariik: pärast riigipööret kuulutas end uueks presidendiks Francois Bozize; Malawi: II asepresidendiks nimetati Chakufwa Chihana; Nauru: presidendi surma järel nimetati tema kohusetäitjaks Derog Gioura; Soome: uueks peaministriks sai Anneli Jäätteenmäki

  18. Current mapping of obesity

    OpenAIRE

    Carmen Pérez Rodrigo

    2013-01-01

    Obesity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. The worldwide prevalence of obesity has almost doubled between 1980 and 2008. In some regions, such as Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Americas, more than 50% of women are overweight. Tonga, Nauru and the Cook Islands show the highest prevalence of obesity worldwide, above 60% in men and in women. China and the United States are the countries that experienced ...

  19. Obesity emergence in the Pacific islands: why understanding colonial history and social change is important.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLennan, Amy K; Ulijaszek, Stanley J

    2015-06-01

    Between 1980 and 2008, two Pacific island nations - Nauru and the Cook Islands - experienced the fastest rates of increasing BMI in the world. Rates were over four times higher than the mean global BMI increase. The aim of the present paper is to examine why these populations have been so prone to obesity increases in recent times. Three explanatory frames that apply to both countries are presented: (i) geographic isolation and genetic predisposition; (ii) small population and low food production capacity; and (iii) social change under colonial influence. These are compared with social changes documented by anthropologists during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Nauru and the Cook Islands. While islands are isolated, islanders are interconnected. Similarly, islands are small, but land use is socially determined. While obesity affects individuals, islanders are interdependent. New social values, which were rapidly propagated through institutions such as the colonial system of education and the cash economy, are today reflected in all aspects of islander life, including diet. Such historical social changes may predispose societies to obesity. Colonial processes may have put in place the conditions for subsequent rapidly escalating obesity. Of the three frameworks discussed, social change under colonial influence is not immutable to further change in the future and could take place rapidly. In theorising obesity emergence in the Pacific islands, there is a need to incorporate the idea of obesity being a product of interdependence and interconnectedness, rather than independence and individual choice.

  20. Ocean power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dembicki, E.

    1982-01-01

    In the fall of 1980 on the shores of the Hawaiian Islands, a floating laboratory of the United States was successfully introduced for testing a heat exchanger and pipes for collecting cold water of the OTES with power of 1 MW. The first American OTES N=10-40 MW should start operation in 1985. By the year 2000, ..sigma..N of the U.S. OTES should reach 10 GW. The Japanese OTES N=10-25 MW should start up in 1989. The experimental OTES N=100 KW has been in operation since October 1981 on the Nauru Island. An OTES of 2 MW is under construction. The concern Empain-Schneider is involved in planning the OTES of closed cycle in France, and the concern CGE is planning the OTES of open cycle.

  1. Evaluation and Improvement of Cloud and Convective Parameterizations from Analyses of ARM Observations and Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Del Genio, Anthony D. [NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies (GISS), New York, NY (United States)

    2016-03-11

    Over this period the PI and his performed a broad range of data analysis, model evaluation, and model improvement studies using ARM data. These included cloud regimes in the TWP and their evolution over the MJO; M-PACE IOP SCM-CRM intercomparisons; simulations of convective updraft strength and depth during TWP-ICE; evaluation of convective entrainment parameterizations using TWP-ICE simulations; evaluation of GISS GCM cloud behavior vs. long-term SGP cloud statistics; classification of aerosol semi-direct effects on cloud cover; depolarization lidar constraints on cloud phase; preferred states of the winter Arctic atmosphere, surface, and sub-surface; sensitivity of convection to tropospheric humidity; constraints on the parameterization of mesoscale organization from TWP-ICE WRF simulations; updraft and downdraft properties in TWP-ICE simulated convection; insights from long-term ARM records at Manus and Nauru.

  2. Nasopharyngeal Pneumococcal Colonization among Children after Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoochehr Karami

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available World Health Organization has recommended all countries to introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV in routine immunization schedule, especially those countries with higher rate of mortality in children. However, Islamic Republic of Iran and more than 50 other countries including Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Chad, China, Comoros, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Montenegro, Nauru, Poland, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovenia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Vanuatu, and Viet Namhave not introduced PCV till April 2016.

  3. Ground Truth Collections at the MTI Core Sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garrett, A.J.

    2001-01-01

    The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) selected 13 sites across the continental US and one site in the western Pacific to serve as the primary or core site for collection of ground truth data for validation of MTI science algorithms. Imagery and ground truth data from several of these sites are presented in this paper. These sites are the Comanche Peak, Pilgrim and Turkey Point power plants, Ivanpah playas, Crater Lake, Stennis Space Center and the Tropical Western Pacific ARM site on the island of Nauru. Ground truth data includes water temperatures (bulk and skin), radiometric data, meteorological data and plant operating data. The organizations that manage these sites assist SRTC with its ground truth data collections and also give the MTI project a variety of ground truth measurements that they make for their own purposes. Collectively, the ground truth data from the 14 core sites constitute a comprehensive database for science algorithm validation

  4. Dispersal of adult black marlin (Istiompax indica) from a Great Barrier Reef spawning aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domeier, Michael L; Speare, Peter

    2012-01-01

    The black marlin (Istiompax indica) is one of the largest bony fishes in the world with females capable of reaching a mass of over 700 kg. This highly migratory predator occurs in the tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and is the target of regional recreational and commercial fisheries. Through the sampling of ichthyoplankton and ovaries we provide evidence that the relatively high seasonal abundance of black marlin off the Great Barrier Reef is, in fact, a spawning aggregation. Furthermore, through the tracking of individual black marlin via satellite popup tags, we document the dispersal of adult black marlin away from the spawning aggregation, thereby identifying the catchment area for this spawning stock. Although tag shedding is an issue when studying billfish, we tentatively identify the catchment area for this stock of black marlin to extend throughout the Coral Sea, including the waters of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu and Nauru.

  5. Dispersal of adult black marlin (Istiompax indica from a Great Barrier Reef spawning aggregation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael L Domeier

    Full Text Available The black marlin (Istiompax indica is one of the largest bony fishes in the world with females capable of reaching a mass of over 700 kg. This highly migratory predator occurs in the tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and is the target of regional recreational and commercial fisheries. Through the sampling of ichthyoplankton and ovaries we provide evidence that the relatively high seasonal abundance of black marlin off the Great Barrier Reef is, in fact, a spawning aggregation. Furthermore, through the tracking of individual black marlin via satellite popup tags, we document the dispersal of adult black marlin away from the spawning aggregation, thereby identifying the catchment area for this spawning stock. Although tag shedding is an issue when studying billfish, we tentatively identify the catchment area for this stock of black marlin to extend throughout the Coral Sea, including the waters of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu and Nauru.

  6. A Climatology of Surface Cloud Radiative Effects at the ARM Tropical Western Pacific Sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McFarlane, Sally A.; Long, Charles N.; Flaherty, Julia E.

    2013-04-01

    Cloud radiative effects on surface downwelling fluxes are investigated using long-term datasets from the three Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites in the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) region. The Nauru and Darwin sites show significant variability in sky cover, downwelling radiative fluxes, and surface cloud radiative effect (CRE) due to El Niño and the Australian monsoon, respectively, while the Manus site shows little intra-seasonal or interannual variability. Cloud radar measurement of cloud base and top heights are used to define cloud types so that the effect of cloud type on the surface CRE can be examined. Clouds with low bases contribute 71-75% of the surface shortwave (SW) CRE and 66-74% of the surface longwave (LW) CRE at the three TWP sites, while clouds with mid-level bases contribute 8-9% of the SW CRE and 12-14% of the LW CRE, and clouds with high bases contribute 16-19% of the SW CRE and 15-21% of the LW CRE.

  7. Sedimentary structure and tectonic setting of the abyssal basins adjoining the southeast part of the Ontong Java Plateau, western Pacific Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, S.; Masato, N.; Miura, S.; Suetsugu, D.

    2017-12-01

    Ontong Java Plateau(OJP) in the western Pacific Ocean is one of the largest oceanic plateau in the world. Radioactive ages of drilling samples indicate that the most part of the OJP was emplaced about 122 Ma (Mahoney et al., 1993). Taylor (2006) proposed that the OJP formed as a single large volcanic province together with the Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus. OJP is surrounding by East Mariana, Pigafetta, Nauru, Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins. The East Mariana and Pigafetta basins were formed at the Pacific-Izanagi ridge and the Nauru basin was formed at Pacific-Phoenix ridges (Nakanishi et al., 1992). The tectonic history of the Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins is still unknown because of lack of magnetic anomaly lineations. Tectonic setting during the OJP formation is thus a matter of controversy. To expose the tectonic setting of the Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins, we conducted the Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) survey in the basins during the research cruise by R/V Mirai of JAMSTEC in 2014. We present our preliminary results of the MCS survey in the Stewart basin(SB) and Ellice Basin(EB). After the regular data processing, we compared the seismic facies of MCS profile with DSDP Site 288 and ODP Site 1184 to assign ages to seismic reflectors. Our processing exposed several remarkable structures in the basins. The graben structures deformed only the igneous basement in the northwestern and northeastern and southwestern margins of the SB. This suggests the graben structures were formed before sedimentary layer deposited. Taylor (2006) proposed that the basin was formed by the NW-SE rifting during the separation of OJP and Manihiki Plateau around 120 Ma. Neal (1997) proposed that the NE-SW rifting formed the basin around 80 Ma. Our study supports the rifting model proposed by Neal et al. (1997) because the displacement of graben in northeastern and southwestern margins of the SB is larger than that in northwestern of the SB. We found several igneous diapirs in the

  8. Monitoring and eradication of exotic fruit flies in the Asia-Pacific region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allwood, Allan; Vueti, Ema Tora

    2003-01-01

    Fruit flies (family Tephritidae) are very mobile and are capable of breaching quarantine barriers, resulting in authorities and horticultural industries having to conduct expensive eradication programs. During the last two decades, with improved air travel and large increases in traveller numbers, the numbers of incursions and outbreaks of exotic pest fruit flies, especially in the Pacific region, have increased, particularly those species belonging to the dorsalis complex. Quarantine surveillance or early warning systems for recording exotic fruit flies include border inspections, passenger profiling, detection trapping, host surveys, and emergency response capacity. Having these systems fully operational improves the prospects of recording new incursions or outbreaks before they have time to expand, but it is still essential to have the capacity to undertake an eradication response as quickly as possible. Eradication programs using protein bait application technique, male annihilation technique, and, in some cases, sterile insect technique have been recently used in Mauritius, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, Nauru, Cook Islands, and French Polynesia against a range of fruit fly species. (author)

  9. Feasibility survey of the introduction of new energy/renewable energy in Pacific island countries. Agreed record. Regional Energy Meeting (REM 2000)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-09-20

    The Regional Energy Meeting (REM 2000) was held in Tarawa, Kiribati, from September 20 to September 26, 2000. This meeting was sponsored by the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission. Countries present in the meeting were the Cook Islands, Micronesia, the Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Japan. In the meeting, a draft Regional Energy Logical Framework Matrix was recognized, and it was advised that the plan should be achieved by June 2001 by cooperation of CROP-EWG (the Committee of the Regional Organizations of the Pacific Working Group). In the meeting, the report on hydrogen fuel and solar energy power generation was presented by CROP-EWG. For the hydrogen fuel and solar energy power generation, efforts have been made, but they are still in a stage of the laboratory level. There is arising a feeling of unrest because the commercial exhibition is being made only in the Pacific region. To advise the order of priority in the energy field, CROP-EWG started the investigation into activities/plans of regional energy organizations. (NEDO)

  10. Foetal death in utero: detection on 99Tc-labelled leucocytoscintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MsGennisken, M.R.; Salehi, N.; Jenkins, B.; Better, N.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: We present the case of a 26-year-old female from Nauru who presented with recent intermittent fever and vague abdominal pain, which had persisted despite antibiotics. Past history included aplastic anaemia and neutropenia. Ultrasound was not helpful and a labelled white blood cell scan was then organised. The patient''s white blood cells were labelled with 99 mTc tin colloid by the standard in vitro technique and whole body imaging as well as SPECT imaging of the abdomen was performed at five hours on a Siemen''s triple-headed camera. The study demonstrated increased white cell concentration on the right side of the pelvis anteriorly. Subsequent computed tomographic correlation suggested the uterus and right ovary as a potential source of infection. A gynaecological opinion was sought, and dilatation and curettage performed. This revealed infected foetal products. Following the curette and intravenous antibiotics, the patient''s health improved. The patient had denied pregnancy prior to the study. In retrospect, she confirmed irregular menstrual blood loss and weight gain over several months

  11. Foetal death in utero: detection on {sup 99}Tc-labelled leucocytoscintigraphy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MsGennisken, M.R.; Salehi, N.; Jenkins, B.; Better, N. [Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, (Australia). Department of Nuclear Medicine

    1998-03-01

    Full text: We present the case of a 26-year-old female from Nauru who presented with recent intermittent fever and vague abdominal pain, which had persisted despite antibiotics. Past history included aplastic anaemia and neutropenia. Ultrasound was not helpful and a labelled white blood cell scan was then organised. The patient``s white blood cells were labelled with {sup 99}mTc tin colloid by the standard in vitro technique and whole body imaging as well as SPECT imaging of the abdomen was performed at five hours on a Siemen``s triple-headed camera. The study demonstrated increased white cell concentration on the right side of the pelvis anteriorly. Subsequent computed tomographic correlation suggested the uterus and right ovary as a potential source of infection. A gynaecological opinion was sought, and dilatation and curettage performed. This revealed infected foetal products. Following the curette and intravenous antibiotics, the patient``s health improved. The patient had denied pregnancy prior to the study. In retrospect, she confirmed irregular menstrual blood loss and weight gain over several months.

  12. Ocean thermal energy: concept and resources, history and perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nihous, Gerard

    2015-10-01

    Two articles address the possibility of exploiting a higher than 20 degrees temperature difference between ocean surfaces and 1 km deep waters to produce electricity. The first article describes the operation principle in closed cycle and briefly presents the open cycle approach. The global energetic assessment is discussed. The author analyses available thermal resources in relationship with the main ocean streams. He outlines that the design of an ocean thermal energy project requires the acquisition and knowledge of a lot of data, modelling and simulations. In the second article, the author notices that past experiments highlighted the difficulties of implementation of the concept. He notably evokes works performed by Georges Claude during the 1920's, projects elaborated at the end of the 20. century, the realisation of a mini OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) station in Hawaii, the OTEC-1 project, a Japanese project in Nauru, the test of a suspended cold water duct, the net power producing experiment in the USA. Perspectives and costs are finally briefly discussed, and recent and promising projects briefly evoked (notably that by DCNS and Akuo Energy in Martinique)

  13. Obesity, Chronic Disease, and Economic Growth: A Case for “Big Picture” Prevention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garry Egger

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The discovery of a form of chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation (“metaflammation” linked with obesity, but also associated with several lifestyle-related behaviours not necessarily causing obesity, suggests a re-consideration of obesity as a direct cause of chronic disease and a search for the main drivers—or cause of causes. Factors contributing to this are considered here within an environmental context, leading to the conclusion that humans have an immune reaction to aspects of the modern techno-industrial environment, to which they have not fully adapted. It is suggested that economic growth—beyond a point—leads to increases in chronic diseases and climate change and that obesity is a signal of these problems. This is supported by data from Sweden over 200 years, as well as “natural” experiments in disrupted economies like Cuba and Nauru, which have shown a positive health effect with economic downturns. The effect is reflected both in human health and environmental problems such as climate change, thus pointing to the need for greater cross-disciplinary communication and a concept shift in thinking on prevention if economic growth is to continue to benefit human health and well-being.

  14. Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey on use of reproducible energy in Oceania and on feasibility of future introduction; Oseania ni okeru saisei kano energy riyo jokyo to kongo no kanosei chosa hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    Survey was conducted on the actual state and the potentiality of reusable energy (RE) in the South Pacific nations. The countries to be surveyed were Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Nauru. The subject RE are photovoltaic power (PV), solar heat, wind force, biomass, hydraulic power and geotherm. The survey items were as follows; RE policy and promotion programs, technical level of makers, RE supply areas and population for independent/linking type electric power systems, population of non-electrification areas, meteorological data, foreign investment policy, feasibility for introduction if RE not yet introduced, and potential of promotion if RE already introduced. Propositions are as follows. Australia and New Zealand, having a comparatively large population and a stable government, are the two most important markets for RE technologies. The South Pacific nations have a markedly small population, providing a limited market for RE systems. Papua New Guinea, being a country possessing natural gas resources, has a chance of developing photovoltaic and fossil energy hybrid systems. The Fiji shows possibility for hydraulic, wind force and biomass power generation. (NEDO)

  15. Obesity, chronic disease, and economic growth: a case for "big picture" prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egger, Garry

    2011-01-01

    The discovery of a form of chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation ("metaflammation") linked with obesity, but also associated with several lifestyle-related behaviours not necessarily causing obesity, suggests a re-consideration of obesity as a direct cause of chronic disease and a search for the main drivers-or cause of causes. Factors contributing to this are considered here within an environmental context, leading to the conclusion that humans have an immune reaction to aspects of the modern techno-industrial environment, to which they have not fully adapted. It is suggested that economic growth-beyond a point-leads to increases in chronic diseases and climate change and that obesity is a signal of these problems. This is supported by data from Sweden over 200 years, as well as "natural" experiments in disrupted economies like Cuba and Nauru, which have shown a positive health effect with economic downturns. The effect is reflected both in human health and environmental problems such as climate change, thus pointing to the need for greater cross-disciplinary communication and a concept shift in thinking on prevention if economic growth is to continue to benefit human health and well-being.

  16. Sugar-sweetened beverages in Pacific Island countries and territories: problems and solutions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snowdon, W

    2014-03-01

    Non-communicable diseases are a major problem in the Pacific Islands, with poor diets an important contributing factor. Available data suggests high levels of intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) across the region, and particularly in adolescents. Due to concerns about the risks to health of high intakes, efforts have been made across the region to reduce the intake of SSBs. French Polynesia, Nauru, Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji have implemented sales or excise taxes on SSBs to increase the price to the consumer. Many countries in the region have adopted school food policies which intend to limit or ban access to SSBs in schools. Guam also adopted legislation to ensure that healthier foods and beverages were available in all vending machines in schools. Efforts to control advertising and sponsorship of SSBs have been limited to-date in the region, although some school food policies do restrict advertising and sponsorship in schools, school grounds and school vehicles. Efforts around education and awareness raising have shown mixed success in terms of changing behaviour. Greater attention is needed to evaluate the impact of these measures to ensure that actions are effective, and to increase the evidence regionally of the most effective approaches to tackle SSBs.

  17. Diabetes epidemic in the Asia Pacific region: has hemoglobin A1C finally earned its place as a diagnostic tool?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Bagley

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Two-third of the world's population lives in the Asia Pacific region where prevalence of diabetes has reached epidemic proportion. With China and India being the most populous nations on the globe, it is believed that over 150 million diabetes reside in the region with more than 95% being of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. Furthermore, other Pacific islands in the region have high rates of T2DM including Tonga, Fiji, French Polynesia, and Nauru. The latter has the highest prevalence of T2DM per population in the world. Over the past two decades, in Australia and New Zealand, the prevalence of T2DM has more than doubled, mainly amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Maori peoples respectively. With the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the Asia Pacific region coupled with the limited number of resources, use of a reliable and effective mode of diagnosis for T2DM is warranted. Yet to date, only New Zealand has adopted the American Diabetes Association recommendation of using hemoglobin A1C in the diagnosis of the disease. The aim of this review is to discuss the clinical usefulness of hemoglobin A1C and highlight its diagnostic role in the Asia Pacific region where T2DM is increasingly encountered.

  18. REGULATION OF AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND NATIONAL SECURITY: LESSONS FROM THREE CASE STUDIES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faunce, Thomas; McKenna, Michael; Rayner, Johanna; Hawes, Jazmin

    2016-03-01

    In recent times, Australia's national security concerns have had controversial impacts on regulation of Australian medical practitioners in areas related to immigration detention. This column explores three recent case studies relevant to this issue. The first involves the enactment of the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (Cth), which has a significant impact on the regulation of medical professionals who work with people in immigration detention. The second involves the decision of the High Court of Australia in Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1 that an amendment to Australian federal legislation justified sending children back to immigration detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. This legislation was previously heavily criticised by the Australian Human Rights Commissioner. The third concerns the deregistration of Tareq Kamleh, an Australian doctor of German-Palestinian heritage who came to public attention on ANZAC Day 2015 with his appearance online in a propaganda video for the Islamic State terrorist organisation al-Dawla al-Islamyia fil Iraq wa'al Sham, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh. Australia's professional regulatory system should presumptively respect professional virtues, such as loyalty to the relief of individual patient suffering, when dealing with doctors (whether in Australia or ISIS-occupied Syria) working under regimes whose principles appear inconsistent with those of ethics and human rights.

  19. Better or worse? The role of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in sustainable development. Case studies of remote atoll communities in Kiribati

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mala, Kirti; Schlaepfer, August; Pryor, Trevor [School of Electrical, Energy and Process Engineering, Murdoch University, Murdoch 6150 (Australia)

    2009-02-15

    The Republic of Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, is a Micronesian (One of the three groups of islands in the Pacific. The eight territories that make up Micronesia are Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Territory of Guam and Territory of Wake Island. The other two groups of islands in the Pacific are Melanesia and Polynesia) country in the Pacific. The energy sources utilised in Kiribati include petroleum products, biomass, solar energy and wind power. Solar energy was introduced in Kiribati in the early 1980s (Wade H. Survey of RESCO projects - prepared for OPRET, Fiji Department of Energy, 2003; p. 36). Currently, it makes a very insignificant (less than 1%) contribution to the total annual primary energy supply (South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) - Pacific Regional Energy Assessment (PREA) 2004. Kiribati national report, Vol. 5, 2005). Solar energy in Kiribati is used mostly in the form of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies for the provision of lighting and electricity. This study examines the role of PV technologies in the sustainable development process in Kiribati, with particular reference to remote atoll communities. Initial results from on-site surveys carried out are reported in this paper. These surveys have sought to identify the reasons why people use or do not use PV systems. (author)

  20. Portable Radiation Package (PRP) Instrument Handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reynolds, R Michael [Remote Measurements and Research Company, Seattle, WA (United States)

    2017-08-03

    The Portable Radiation Package (PRP) was developed to provide basic radiation information in locations such as ships at sea where proper exposure is remote and difficult, the platform is in motion, and azimuth alignment is not fixed. Development of the PRP began at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in the mid-1990s and versions of it were deployed on ships in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Nauru-99 project. The PRP was deployed on ships in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sensor Intercomparison for Marine Biological and Interdisciplinary Ocean Studies (SIMBIOS) program. Over the years the measurements have remained the same while the post-processing data analysis, especially for the FRSR, has evolved. This document describes the next-generation Portable Radiation Package (PRP2) that was developed for the DOE ARM Facility, under contract no. 9F-31462 from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The PRP2 has the same scientific principles that were well validated in prior studies, but has upgraded electronic hardware. The PRP2 approach is completely modular, both in hardware and software. Each sensor input is treated as a separate serial stream into the data collection computer. In this way the operator has complete access to each component of the system for purposes of error checking, calibration, and maintenance. The resulting system is more reliable, easier to install in complex situations, and more amenable to upgrade.

  1. Quantifying Diurnal Cloud Radiative Effects by Cloud Type in the Tropical Western Pacific

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burleyson, Casey D.; Long, Charles N.; Comstock, Jennifer M.

    2015-06-01

    Cloud radiative effects are examined using long-term datasets collected at the three Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facilities in the tropical western Pacific. We quantify the surface radiation budget, cloud populations, and cloud radiative effects by partitioning the data by cloud type, time of day, and as a function of large scale modes of variability such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase and wet/dry seasons at Darwin. The novel facet of our analysis is that we break aggregate cloud radiative effects down by cloud type across the diurnal cycle. The Nauru cloud populations and subsequently the surface radiation budget are strongly impacted by ENSO variability whereas the cloud populations over Manus only shift slightly in response to changes in ENSO phase. The Darwin site exhibits large seasonal monsoon related variations. We show that while deeper convective clouds have a strong conditional influence on the radiation reaching the surface, their limited frequency reduces their aggregate radiative impact. The largest source of shortwave cloud radiative effects at all three sites comes from low clouds. We use the observations to demonstrate that potential model biases in the amplitude of the diurnal cycle and mean cloud frequency would lead to larger errors in the surface energy budget compared to biases in the timing of the diurnal cycle of cloud frequency. Our results provide solid benchmarks to evaluate model simulations of cloud radiative effects in the tropics.

  2. Processed foods available in the Pacific Islands

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background There is an increasing reliance on processed foods globally, yet food composition tables include minimal information on their nutrient content. The Pacific Islands share common trade links and are heavily reliant on imported foods. The objective was to develop a dataset for the Pacific Islands on nutrient composition of processed foods sold and their sources. Methods Information on the food labels, including country of origin, nutrient content and promotional claims were recorded into a standardised dataset. Data were cleaned, converted to per 100 g data as needed and then checked for anomalies and recording errors. Setting: Five representative countries were selected for data collection, based on their trading patterns: Fiji, Guam, Nauru, New Caledonia, and Samoa. Data were collected in the capitals, in larger stores which import their own foods. Subjects: Processed foods in stores. Results The data from 6041 foods and drinks were recorded. Fifty four countries of origin were identified, with the main provider of food for each Pacific Island country being that with which it was most strongly linked politically. Nutrient data were not provided for 6% of the foods, imported from various countries. Inaccurate labels were found on 132 products. Over one-quarter of the foods included some nutrient or health-related claims. Conclusions The globalisation of the food supply is having considerable impacts on diets in the Pacific Islands. While nutrient labels can be informative for consumers looking for healthier options, difficulties still exist with poor labelling and interpretation can be challenging. PMID:24160249

  3. Mortality and cause-of-death reporting and analysis systems in seven pacific island countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carter Karen L

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mortality statistics are essential for population health assessment. Despite limitations in data availability, Pacific Island Countries are considered to be in epidemiological transition, with non-communicable diseases increasingly contributing to premature adult mortality. To address rapidly changing health profiles, countries would require mortality statistics from routine death registration given their relatively small population sizes. Methods This paper uses a standard analytical framework to examine death registration systems in Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Results In all countries, legislation on death registration exists but does not necessarily reflect current practices. Health departments carry the bulk of responsibility for civil registration functions. Medical cause-of-death certificates are completed for at least hospital deaths in all countries. Overall, significantly more information is available than perceived or used. Use is primarily limited by poor understanding, lack of coordination, limited analytical skills, and insufficient technical resources. Conclusion Across the region, both registration and statistics systems need strengthening to improve the availability, completeness, and quality of data. Close interaction between health staff and local communities provides a good foundation for further improvements in death reporting. System strengthening activities must include a focus on clear assignment of responsibility, provision of appropriate authority to perform assigned tasks, and fostering ownership of processes and data to ensure sustained improvements. These human elements need to be embedded in a culture of data sharing and use. Lessons from this multi-country exercise would be applicable in other regions afflicted with similar issues of availability and quality of vital statistics.

  4. Observing Convective Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holloway, Christopher E.; Wing, Allison A.; Bony, Sandrine; Muller, Caroline; Masunaga, Hirohiko; L'Ecuyer, Tristan S.; Turner, David D.; Zuidema, Paquita

    2017-11-01

    Convective self-aggregation, the spontaneous organization of initially scattered convection into isolated convective clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing, was first recognized and studied in idealized numerical simulations. While there is a rich history of observational work on convective clustering and organization, there have been only a few studies that have analyzed observations to look specifically for processes related to self-aggregation in models. Here we review observational work in both of these categories and motivate the need for more of this work. We acknowledge that self-aggregation may appear to be far-removed from observed convective organization in terms of time scales, initial conditions, initiation processes, and mean state extremes, but we argue that these differences vary greatly across the diverse range of model simulations in the literature and that these comparisons are already offering important insights into real tropical phenomena. Some preliminary new findings are presented, including results showing that a self-aggregation simulation with square geometry has too broad distribution of humidity and is too dry in the driest regions when compared with radiosonde records from Nauru, while an elongated channel simulation has realistic representations of atmospheric humidity and its variability. We discuss recent work increasing our understanding of how organized convection and climate change may interact, and how model discrepancies related to this question are prompting interest in observational comparisons. We also propose possible future directions for observational work related to convective aggregation, including novel satellite approaches and a ground-based observational network.

  5. Interview: Mr. Stephen Chee, team leader, UNFPA country support team (CST) for the South Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-09-01

    The UNFPA country support team (CST) for the South Pacific is the action-arm at the regional level of the new Technical Support Services arrangement introduced by the agency. Operational since April 1993, the CST currently covers the following Pacific island countries or territories: the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The CST office is located in Suva, Fiji, with the main goal of strengthening national capacity and building self-reliance in the countries of the region. The office in Suva is currently staffed by six highly qualified advisors with extensive experience in the population and related fields; two more advisors are expected to join the Team in early 1994. The Team is well equipped to provide countries and territories of the region with a wide range of technical support services ranging from ad hoc technical advisory services to the conceptualization and development of comprehensive population policies and programs. Services are offered in the areas of basic data collection, processing, and research in population dynamics; population policy formulation, evaluation, and implementation; family planning and maternal-child health; information, education, and communication; women in population and development; and population program management. The team also plays an advocacy role in mainstreaming population concerns into the programs and activities of international, regional, and national organizations. The team leader responds to questions about population problems experienced by the countries served, the scope of UNFPA assistance to country governments in the subregion, the importance of population information in the subregion, and how Asia-Pacific POPIN may help the team and countries served.

  6. Assessment of MTI Water Temperature Retrievals with Ground Truth from the Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station Cooling Lake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurzeja, R.J.

    2002-01-01

    Surface water temperatures calculated from Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) brightness temperatures and the robust retrieval algorithm, developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), are compared with ground truth measurements at the Squaw Creek reservoir at the Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station near Granbury Texas. Temperatures calculated for thirty-four images covering the period May 2000 to March 2002 are compared with water temperatures measured at 10 instrumented buoy locations supplied by the Savannah River Technology Center. The data set was used to examine the effect of image quality on temperature retrieval as well as to document any bias between the sensor chip arrays (SCA's). A portion of the data set was used to evaluate the influence of proximity to shoreline on the water temperature retrievals. This study found errors in daytime water temperature retrievals of 1.8 C for SCA 2 and 4.0 C for SCA 1. The errors in nighttime water temperature retrievals were 3.8 C for SCA 1. Water temperature retrievals for nighttime appear to be related to image quality with the largest positive bias for the highest quality images and the largest negative bias for the lowest quality images. The daytime data show no apparent relationship between water temperature retrieval error and image quality. The average temperature retrieval error near open water buoys was less than corresponding values for the near-shore buoys. After subtraction of the estimated error in the ground truth data, the water temperature retrieval error was 1.2 C for the open-water buoys compared to 1.8 C for the near-shore buoys. The open-water error is comparable to that found at Nauru

  7. Species distribution models of tropical deep-sea snappers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Céline Gomez

    Full Text Available Deep-sea fisheries provide an important source of protein to Pacific Island countries and territories that are highly dependent on fish for food security. However, spatial management of these deep-sea habitats is hindered by insufficient data. We developed species distribution models using spatially limited presence data for the main harvested species in the Western Central Pacific Ocean. We used bathymetric and water temperature data to develop presence-only species distribution models for the commercially exploited deep-sea snappers Etelis Cuvier 1828, Pristipomoides Valenciennes 1830, and Aphareus Cuvier 1830. We evaluated the performance of four different algorithms (CTA, GLM, MARS, and MAXENT within the BIOMOD framework to obtain an ensemble of predicted distributions. We projected these predictions across the Western Central Pacific Ocean to produce maps of potential deep-sea snapper distributions in 32 countries and territories. Depth was consistently the best predictor of presence for all species groups across all models. Bathymetric slope was consistently the poorest predictor. Temperature at depth was a good predictor of presence for GLM only. Model precision was highest for MAXENT and CTA. There were strong regional patterns in predicted distribution of suitable habitat, with the largest areas of suitable habitat (> 35% of the Exclusive Economic Zone predicted in seven South Pacific countries and territories (Fiji, Matthew & Hunter, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis & Futuna. Predicted habitat also varied among species, with the proportion of predicted habitat highest for Aphareus and lowest for Etelis. Despite data paucity, the relationship between deep-sea snapper presence and their environments was sufficiently strong to predict their distribution across a large area of the Pacific Ocean. Our results therefore provide a strong baseline for designing monitoring programs that balance resource exploitation and

  8. Adolescent fertility and family planning in East Asia and the Pacific: a review of DHS reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gray Natalie

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Adolescent pregnancy has significant health and socio-economic consequences for women, their families and communities. Efforts to prevent too-early pregnancy rely on accurate information about adolescents' knowledge, behaviours and access to family planning, however available data are limited in some settings. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS reports are recognised as providing nationally representative data that are accessible to policymakers and programmers. This paper reviews DHS reports for low and lower middle income countries in East Asia and the Pacific to determine what information regarding adolescent fertility and family planning is available, and summarises key findings. Methods The most recent DHS reports were sought for the 33 low and lower middle income countries in the East Asia and Pacific region as defined by UNICEF and World Bank. Age-disaggregated data for all indicators relevant to fertility and current use, knowledge and access to family planning information and services were sought to identify accessible information. Reported data were analysed using an Excel database to determine outcomes for adolescents and compare with adult women. Results DHS reports were available for eleven countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vietnam. Twenty seven of 40 relevant DHS indicators reported outcomes for adolescent women aged 15-19 years. There were limited data for unmarried adolescents. A significant proportion of women commence sexual activity and childbearing during adolescence in the context of low contraceptive prevalence and high unmet need for contraception. Adolescent women have lower use of contraception, poorer knowledge of family planning and less access to information and services than adult women. Conclusion DHS reports provide useful and accessible data, however, they are limited by the failure to report

  9. Reply to: Terry, J. and Goff, J. comment on “Late Cenozoic sea level and the rise of modern rimmed atolls” by Toomey et al. (2016), Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 4 51: 73–83.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toomey, Michael; Ashton, Andrew; Raymo, Maureen E.; Perron, J. Taylor

    2017-01-01

    We appreciate Terry and Goff's thoughtful comment in response to our proposed atoll development model. Flank collapse of reef-built slopes likely does affect plan-form atoll morphology in some locations and potentially poses a tsunami hazard to low-lying Pacific islands (Terry and Goff, 2013). However, given the often rapid rates of lagoon infill (> 1 mm/yr; Montaggioni, 2005), such failure events would likely need to be frequent and widespread in order to leave a morphologic imprint on modern western Pacific atoll lagoon depths. Few atoll flank collapse features have been dated but many of the arcuate bight-like structures (ABLS) identified could be inherited from scars incised into the initial volcanic edifice (e.g. Terry and Goff, 2013 and refs. therein) — submarine mass wasting has been extensively documented on young hotspot islands (e.g. Hawaiian Islands: Moore et al., 1989; Reunion: Oehler et al., 2008). Atolls in the Marshall Islands, where our main study site Enewetak Atoll is located, are likely ~ 50–100 million years old (Larson et al., 1995) and dating of adjacent deep-water turbidite aprons in the Nauru Basin (DSDP Site 462; Schlanger and Silva, 1986) suggests that large atoll flank collapse events have been relatively infrequent there since the mid-Miocene (wasting events, will be essential for exploring the plan-form and 3D shapes of atolls. To our knowledge, no quantitative model of long-term atoll development has explicitly linked lagoon restriction/sedimentation to episodic flank collapse events (e.g. Montaggioni et al., 2015; Paterson et al., 2006; Quinn, 1991; Warrlich et al., 2002). Testing Terry and Goff's proposed conceptual model for how rim failure processes affect atoll morphology in a numerical context will require deep drilling along arcuate bight-like structures, as well as adjacent, unaffected, rim and lagoon areas, in order quantify how often failures occur and how quickly the rim/lagoon is rebuilt afterwards. The model we present

  10. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-16

    central and Andean Latin America for girls. By contrast, the rise in BMI has accelerated in east and south Asia for both sexes, and southeast Asia for boys. Global age-standardised prevalence of obesity increased from 0·7% (0·4-1·2) in 1975 to 5·6% (4·8-6·5) in 2016 in girls, and from 0·9% (0·5-1·3) in 1975 to 7·8% (6·7-9·1) in 2016 in boys; the prevalence of moderate and severe underweight decreased from 9·2% (6·0-12·9) in 1975 to 8·4% (6·8-10·1) in 2016 in girls and from 14·8% (10·4-19·5) in 1975 to 12·4% (10·3-14·5) in 2016 in boys. Prevalence of moderate and severe underweight was highest in India, at 22·7% (16·7-29·6) among girls and 30·7% (23·5-38·0) among boys. Prevalence of obesity was more than 30% in girls in Nauru, the Cook Islands, and Palau; and boys in the Cook Islands, Nauru, Palau, Niue, and American Samoa in 2016. Prevalence of obesity was about 20% or more in several countries in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Middle East and north Africa, the Caribbean, and the USA. In 2016, 75 (44-117) million girls and 117 (70-178) million boys worldwide were moderately or severely underweight. In the same year, 50 (24-89) million girls and 74 (39-125) million boys worldwide were obese. The rising trends in children's and adolescents' BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, albeit at high levels, but have accelerated in parts of Asia, with trends no longer correlated with those of adults. Wellcome Trust, AstraZeneca Young Health Programme. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  11. Regional approach to the management of fruit flies in the Pacific Island countries and territories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allwood, Allan

    2000-01-01

    Of the 4,500 species of fruit flies (family Tephritidae) world-wide, over 350 species occur in the Pacific region. Of these, at least 25 species are regarded as being of major economic importance to fruit and vegetable production and to international trade within the region. Recognition of the economic importance of fruit flies to horticultural production and trade increased markedly in the 1980s due to the imposition of restrictions on the use of ethylene dibromide (EDB) fumigation by trading partners. This treatment was the mainstay of quarantine treatments for fresh fruits and vegetables susceptible to fruit fly infestations and destined for markets in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Canada. Small, but economically significant, markets for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Pacific rim countries disappeared because alternative quarantine treatments for EDB fumigation were not available. Countries, such as Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, looked for modern technologies to overcome these constraints to export. As well as quarantine treatment technologies, procedures new to the Pacific Island countries, such as quality assurance systems and quarantine pathways, had to be included into the production and marketing chains. Quarantine surveillance, particularly for exotic fruit flies, became a prerequisite for trade in fresh fruits and vegetables. The emphasis on fruit flies also regionally increased because of the increasing number of incursions of exotic fruit flies into the region over the past 10-12 years. Outbreaks of exotic fruit flies in the Solomon Islands (1984-85), Nauru (1984-85), Northern Australia (1995 and 1998), New Zealand (1996), French Polynesia (1995-96), and Palau (1995-96) demonstrated the vulnerability of the Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) to these incursions. To address the increased threat of introduction of exotic fruit flies through increased tourism and regional travellers, a regional approach to the management

  12. Health Impacts of Climate Change in Pacific Island Countries: A Regional Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIver, Lachlan; Kim, Rokho; Woodward, Alistair; Hales, Simon; Spickett, Jeffery; Katscherian, Dianne; Hashizume, Masahiro; Honda, Yasushi; Kim, Ho; Iddings, Steven; Naicker, Jyotishma; Bambrick, Hilary; McMichael, Anthony J; Ebi, Kristie L

    2016-11-01

    Between 2010 and 2012, the World Health Organization Division of Pacific Technical Support led a regional climate change and health vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning project, in collaboration with health sector partners, in 13 Pacific island countries-Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. We assessed the vulnerabilities of Pacific island countries to the health impacts of climate change and planned adaptation strategies to minimize such threats to health. This assessment involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. The former included descriptive epidemiology, time series analyses, Poisson regression, and spatial modeling of climate and climate-sensitive disease data, in the few instances where this was possible; the latter included wide stakeholder consultations, iterative consensus building, and expert opinion. Vulnerabilities were ranked using a "likelihood versus impact" matrix, and adaptation strategies were prioritized and planned accordingly. The highest-priority climate-sensitive health risks in Pacific island countries included trauma from extreme weather events, heat-related illnesses, compromised safety and security of water and food, vector-borne diseases, zoonoses, respiratory illnesses, psychosocial ill-health, non-communicable diseases, population pressures, and health system deficiencies. Adaptation strategies relating to these climate change and health risks could be clustered according to categories common to many countries in the Pacific region. Pacific island countries are among the most vulnerable in the world to the health impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is a function of their unique geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics combined with their exposure to changing weather patterns associated with climate change, the health risks entailed, and the limited capacity

  13. The History of the Pacific Superplume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, N.; Utsunomiya, A.; Maruyama, S.

    2001-12-01

    To understand the birth place and episodic activity of the Pacific superplume, we reconstructed the paleogeograhy of continents and oceanic plates from 1.0 Ga supercontinent Rodinia until now by adopting the most confident available data set to determine paleopositions of oceanic plateaus, seamounts, and oceanic arc, in addition to major continents, by using plate trajectory for the last 150Ma and for the farther back to 1.0Ga, by the paleomagnetic constraints tied with geologic connections. Our main focus is the frequency change of ancient activity of plume rocks that are now preserved in the accretionary complex around the circum-Pacific orogenic belts. Several conclusions are led through our reconstruction. (1) Cretaceous oceanic plateaus which present widespread in western Pacific (e.g., Manihiki Plateau, Shatsky Rise, Hess Rise, Mid-Pacific Mountain, Nauru Basin) are traced back and concentrated to the present active region of the Pacific superplume. This suggests that those were once formed a huge composite volcanoes as large as 4000 km x 2400 km across during the Cretaceous by superplume activity. These are equivalent to Australia or Tharsis bulge volcanic complex on Mars. The estimated thickness of oceanic crust ca. 30-40 km suggests that major parts may have been above sea-level during the Cretaceous time. The Cretaceous global warming may be related to this hyper-active superplume event which have carried mantle CO2 to the surface of 3.2 x 1021 g, assuming 0.3 wt% x 350 million km3 (magma volume) x 3.07 g/cm3 during 150-75 Ma. This CO2 output amount occupies as much as 37 wt% among the total output from mantle estimated by using erupted basaltic volume estimated by Larson (1991, Geology, 549-550) and present output rate of CO2. The similar episodic activity of Pacific superplume seems to have occurred at 750-700 Ma, 550-500Ma, 300-250Ma by considering the frequency of occurrences of greenstones in the accretionary complexes of the world. (2) Rodinia

  14. Liquidation sales: Land speculation and landscape change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazarus, E.

    2012-12-01

    Large-scale land-use transitions can occur with astonishing speed, and landscape stability can change with equal suddenness: for example, the catastrophic dustbowl that paralyzed the Midwestern US in the early 1930s came barely 40 years after the derby for homestead land in Oklahoma in 1889. Some human-landscape systems, like the large prehistoric settlements in the Brazilian Amazon, persisted for centuries without environmental collapse. Others quickly exhausted all of the environmental resources available, as occurred with phosphate mining on the Pacific Island of Nauru. Although abrupt shifts from resource plenty to resource scarcity are theoretically interesting for their complexity, the very real consequences of modern social and environmental boom-bust dynamics can catalyze humanitarian crises. Drawing on historical examples and investigative reporting of current events, I explore the hypothesis that land speculation drives rapid transitions in physical landscapes at large spatial scales. "Land grabs" is one of four core environmental justice and equality issues Oxfam International is targeting in its GROW campaign, citing evidence that foreign investors are buying up vast tracts of land in developing countries, and as a consequence exacerbating food scarcity and marginalization of poor families. Al Jazeera has reported extensively on land-rights disputes in Honduras and investment deals involving foreign ownership of large areas of agricultural land in New Zealand, India, Africa, and South America. Overlapping coverage has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC News, the Guardian, and other outlets. Although land itself is only one kind of natural resource, land rights typically determine access to other natural resources (e.g. water, timber, minerals, fossil fuels). Consideration of land speculation therefore includes speculative bubbles in natural-resource markets more broadly. There are categorical commonalities in agricultural

  15. A major 2.1 Ga event of mafic magmatism in west Africa: An Early stage of crustal accretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abouchami, Wafa; Boher, Muriel; Michard, Annie; Albarede, Francis

    1990-10-01

    environments. Back-arc or low-Ti continental flood basalts provide a marginally good agreement but still face some difficulties. Oceanic flood basalts similar to those which form oceanic plateaus (e.g. in the Nauru basin) and later accreted to continents as allochtonous terranes represent the most acceptable modern analogue of many Proterozoic basalts. It is suggested that deep plumes piercing young lithosphere can generate huge amounts of tholeiites in a short time. Birimian basalts, like many Early Proterozoic basalts, may also be viewed as recent equivalents of the Archean greenstone belts. The modern komatiite of Gorgona Island is suggested to fit this model of intraplate volcanism. Although the 2.1 Ga magmatic event in West Africa has gone virtually unnoticed in the literature, it extends over several thousand kilometers and compares with the distribution of mantle-derived magmatic activity in other major orogenic provinces (e.g. Superior). It shows that the growth rate of continents cannot be extrapolated from the data obtained solely from the best studied continents (North America, Europe, Australia). If such large crustal segments were overlooked, a spurious pattern of episodic activity of the mantle could arise.

  16. Book Reviews

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Redactie KITLV

    1994-01-01

    studies in social and cultural Anthropology, 1992, xiv + 322 pp., ill. - N.G. Schulte Nordholt, Ingo Wandelt, Der Weg zum Pancasila-Menschen (Die pancasila-Lehre unter dem P4-Beschlusz des Jahres 1978; Entwicklung und struktur der indonesischen staatslehre. Frankfurt am Main-Bern-New York-Paris: Peter Lang, Europäische Hochschulschriften, Reihe XXVII, Asiatische und Afrikaner Studien, 1989, 316 pp. - J.N.B. Tairas, Herman C. Kemp, Annotated bibliography of bibliographies on Indonesia. Leiden: KITLV press (Koninklijk Instituut voor taal-, land-en Volkenkunde, biographical series 17, 1990, xvii + 433 pp. - Brian Z. Tamanaha, Christopher Weeramantry, Nauru; Environmental damage under international trusteeship. Melbourne (etc.: Oxford University Press, 1992, xx+ 448 pp. - Wim F. Wertheim, Hersri Setiawan, Benedict R.O.’G. Anderson, Language and power; Exploring political cultures in Indonesia. Ithaca/London: Cornell University Press, 1930, 305 pp.