Gebel Katrina,located in the Saint Catherine Protectorate of South Sinai(Egypt),is a biologically rich area with diverse plant communities shaped by factors such as elevation,slope,soil type,and precipitation.This stu...Gebel Katrina,located in the Saint Catherine Protectorate of South Sinai(Egypt),is a biologically rich area with diverse plant communities shaped by factors such as elevation,slope,soil type,and precipitation.This study was designed to examine the vegetation structure,update the occurrence of endemic taxa,and investigate the impact of environmental conditions and landform types on plant disruption in the region.The primary objective of this study was to analyze the behavior and distribution of the most common species across major environmental gradients.Between 2022 and 2024,49 stands were randomly collected within the study area characterized by relatively uniform vegetation and physiography and represent as much as possible the four major landform types(terraces,slopes,ridges,and gorges).The selected stands were distributed as follows:terraces(12 stands),slopes(9 stands),ridges(9 stands),and gorges(19 stands).For the analysis of the biological spectrum,a growth-form system with four categories was utilized:trees(T),shrubs(S),perennial herbs(PH),and annual herbs(A).Soil analyses were conducted for composite samples from the 49 stands.For each recorded species,nativity,species diversity measurements,endemism,and IUCN conservation status were depicted.Multivariate analysis techniques were used to assess the classification of the 49 stands in various landforms,and ordination with soil variables were applied using different software.A total of 137 taxa were recorded from Gebel Katrina area belonging to 39 families(1 Pteridaceae,1 Ephedraceae,and 37 Angiospermae),of which 16 were endemics,which indicates the mountain's significance as a biodiversity hotspot.Of these endemic taxa,nine were classified as Endangered(EN)and four as Least Concern(LC),together accounting for over 80%of the endemic flora.The largest angiosperm families with the highest numbers of species included Asteraceae,Lamiaceae,Poaceae,Brassicaceae,Caryophyllaceae and Fabaceae.These six families constituted more than 30%of the recorded flora.Shrubs and perennial herbs were the predominant growth forms,collectively comprising over 70%of the total flora.Native taxa comprised the dominant component of the recorded flora,accounting for 80 species(58.4%of the total).In contrast,non-native taxa were limited to two annual grasses.Analysis of IUCN Red List proportions revealed a predominance of EN taxa,accounting for 52 taxa(37.9%),followed by Least Concern(LC)taxa with 36 taxa(26.3%).Together,these two categories constituted over 60%of the total assessed flora.Hierarchical cluster analysis of a presence/absence data matrix(49 stands×91 species after removal of species with occurrences<5%),using the Sørensen(Bray-Curtis)method,identified eight distinct vegetation clusters.Each cluster is characterized by one or more dominant species,distinguished by their highest percentage of occurrence(f)within their respective group.Apart from soil reaction(pH)and diversity indices(species richness and Shannon’s index),ANOVA test showed high significant differences in most of the measured environmental variables among the obtained cluster groups(A-H).Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA)showed direct correlations between the 7 examined environmental variables and plant species composition in Gebel Katrina.The eight cluster groups were separated along axes 1 and 2 of the diagram.The species-environment correlations were high for the three axes explaining 63.0%of the cumulative variance.The stands of groups(E)and(G)were correlated with coarse sand,stands of group(B)were highly correlated with electric conductivity(EC),and stands of group(F)were correlated with elevation.The endemic flora of Gebel Katrina faces multiple anthropogenic and environmental threats.Overgrazing by livestock,excessive harvesting of plants for fuelwood and traditional medicinal uses,and habitat degradation due to land-use changes have led to significant depletion of vegetation cover and biodiversity loss.展开更多
Numerical experiments were conducted using the finite volume community ocean model(FVCOM) to study the impact of the initial density stratification on simulated currents over the Louisiana shelf during Hurricane Katri...Numerical experiments were conducted using the finite volume community ocean model(FVCOM) to study the impact of the initial density stratification on simulated currents over the Louisiana shelf during Hurricane Katrina. Model results for two simulation scenarios, including an initially stratified shelf and an initially non-stratified shelf, were examined. Comparison of two simulations for two-dimensional(2D) currents,the time series of current speed, and variations of cross-shore currents across different sections showed that the smallest differences between simulated currents for these two scenarios occurred over highly mixed regions within 1 radius of maximum wind(RMW) under the hurricane.For areas farther from the mixed zone, differences increased, reaching the maximum values off Terrebonne Bay. These large discrepancies correspond to significant differences between calculated vertical eddy viscosities for the two scenarios. The differences were addressed based on the contradictory behavior of turbulence in a stratified fluid, as compared to a non-stratified fluid. Incorporation of this behavior in the MellorYamada turbulent closure model established a Richardson number-based stability function that was used for estimation of the vertical eddy viscosity from the turbulent energy and macroscale. The results of this study demonstrate the necessity for inclusion of shelf stratification when circulation modeling is conducted using three-dimensional(3D) baroclinic models. To achieve high-accuracy currents, the parameters associated with the turbulence closures should be calibrated with field measurements of currents at different depths.展开更多
A natural disaster leading to accumulation of environmental contaminants may have substantial effects on the male reproductive system. Our aim was to compare and assess semen parameters in a normospermic population re...A natural disaster leading to accumulation of environmental contaminants may have substantial effects on the male reproductive system. Our aim was to compare and assess semen parameters in a normospermic population residing in the Southern Louisiana, USA area pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina. We retrospectively evaluated semen analyses data （n = 3452） of 1855 patients who attended the Tulane University Andrology/Fertility Clinic between 1999 and 2013. The study inclusion criteria were men whose semen analyses showed -〉 1.5 ml volume; _〉15 million ml1 sperm concentration; _〉39 million total sperm count; _〉40% motility; 〉30% morphology, with an abstinence interval of 2-7 days. After the inclusion criteria applied to the population, 367 normospermic patients were included in the study. Descriptive statistics and group-based analyses were performed to interpret the differences between the pre-Katrina （Group 1, 1999-2005） and the post-Katrina （Group 2, 2006-2013） populations. There were significant differences in motility, morphology, number of white blood cell, immature germ cell count, pH and presence of sperm agglutination, but surprisingly there were no significant differences in sperm count between the two populations. This long-term comparative analysis further documents that a major natural disaster with its accompanied environmental issues can influence certain semen oarameters （e.g.. motility and morphology） and, bv extension, fertility potential of the population of such areas.展开更多
Rates of heavy drinking, tobacco use and illicit substance use peak among college students between 18 and 25 years of age. Attitudes, personal characteristics, and behaviors that are called protective factors could pl...Rates of heavy drinking, tobacco use and illicit substance use peak among college students between 18 and 25 years of age. Attitudes, personal characteristics, and behaviors that are called protective factors could play a role in reducing college students’ use of alcohol and drugs. We studied the relationships between selected protective factors and alcohol consumption in college students from a public commuter university in New Orleans, Louisiana pre-and post-Hurricane Katrina utilizing the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS) Long Form. We applied Hirschi’s social control theory to examine the relationships between drinking and the identified protective factors. Three research questions with null and alternative hypotheses were tested to explore the impact of Hurricane Katrina on protective factors and drinking utilizing linear/ logistic and multivariate regression models to test the hypotheses. We found that post-Katrina students were on average about 1.5 years older and drank approximately 1.5 more drinks per week than pre-Katrina students. Both pre and post Katrina age, gender, and race/ethnicity were significantly related to drinking among these groups of college students such that older students, women, and non-Whites tended to have reduced odds of drinking. There were no statistically significant relationships between individual protective factors or any group of protective factors and drinking after controlling for age, gender, and race/ethnicity indicating that these 3 individual characteristics that cannot be altered were stronger predictors of drinking than any other factors we tested.展开更多
Hurricane Katrina was a devastating event to New Orleans. There was a mandatory evacuation of the city during which victims in affected areas were not allowed to return for months. Many residents were unable to return...Hurricane Katrina was a devastating event to New Orleans. There was a mandatory evacuation of the city during which victims in affected areas were not allowed to return for months. Many residents were unable to return to their previous residence due to the destruction of their home or change in ownership. In its aftermath, a phenomenon of displaced residents becoming psychotic and returning to their pre-Katrina homes that they no longer owned became apartment. While the clinical ramifications of these behaviors remain unclear, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy monitoring of psychotic patients for similar behaviors may be warranted. We present two such cases of this phenomenon, colloquially called “Post-Katrina Syndrome” by psychiatrists in the New Orleans area.展开更多
Hurricane or Cyclone is an extreme environment and climate event that has both long-term and short-term impact,and produces environmental emergency displacement.This study has focused on two devastating cyclone disast...Hurricane or Cyclone is an extreme environment and climate event that has both long-term and short-term impact,and produces environmental emergency displacement.This study has focused on two devastating cyclone disaster events in the 21st century:Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in the USA and Cyclone Sidr in 2007 in Bangladesh.By using secondary-based research and comparative case study technique,this study focuses on different considerations of governmental policy approaches and responses such as encouraging displacement through resettlement or relocation planning,providing resilience-oriented practices or in-situ adaptation practices;discouraging migration by providing soft policies such as rapid response and distribution plan,insurance,tax policies,incentives etc.in Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Sidr.By highlighting the above considerations,this study found that developing policy at national level as well as strategic and operational measures at state/local level,integrating rights,resilience and relocation issues with existing relevant policies and programs and active community-based preparedness programs can reduce human displacement from hurricane or cyclone disaster.展开更多
文摘Gebel Katrina,located in the Saint Catherine Protectorate of South Sinai(Egypt),is a biologically rich area with diverse plant communities shaped by factors such as elevation,slope,soil type,and precipitation.This study was designed to examine the vegetation structure,update the occurrence of endemic taxa,and investigate the impact of environmental conditions and landform types on plant disruption in the region.The primary objective of this study was to analyze the behavior and distribution of the most common species across major environmental gradients.Between 2022 and 2024,49 stands were randomly collected within the study area characterized by relatively uniform vegetation and physiography and represent as much as possible the four major landform types(terraces,slopes,ridges,and gorges).The selected stands were distributed as follows:terraces(12 stands),slopes(9 stands),ridges(9 stands),and gorges(19 stands).For the analysis of the biological spectrum,a growth-form system with four categories was utilized:trees(T),shrubs(S),perennial herbs(PH),and annual herbs(A).Soil analyses were conducted for composite samples from the 49 stands.For each recorded species,nativity,species diversity measurements,endemism,and IUCN conservation status were depicted.Multivariate analysis techniques were used to assess the classification of the 49 stands in various landforms,and ordination with soil variables were applied using different software.A total of 137 taxa were recorded from Gebel Katrina area belonging to 39 families(1 Pteridaceae,1 Ephedraceae,and 37 Angiospermae),of which 16 were endemics,which indicates the mountain's significance as a biodiversity hotspot.Of these endemic taxa,nine were classified as Endangered(EN)and four as Least Concern(LC),together accounting for over 80%of the endemic flora.The largest angiosperm families with the highest numbers of species included Asteraceae,Lamiaceae,Poaceae,Brassicaceae,Caryophyllaceae and Fabaceae.These six families constituted more than 30%of the recorded flora.Shrubs and perennial herbs were the predominant growth forms,collectively comprising over 70%of the total flora.Native taxa comprised the dominant component of the recorded flora,accounting for 80 species(58.4%of the total).In contrast,non-native taxa were limited to two annual grasses.Analysis of IUCN Red List proportions revealed a predominance of EN taxa,accounting for 52 taxa(37.9%),followed by Least Concern(LC)taxa with 36 taxa(26.3%).Together,these two categories constituted over 60%of the total assessed flora.Hierarchical cluster analysis of a presence/absence data matrix(49 stands×91 species after removal of species with occurrences<5%),using the Sørensen(Bray-Curtis)method,identified eight distinct vegetation clusters.Each cluster is characterized by one or more dominant species,distinguished by their highest percentage of occurrence(f)within their respective group.Apart from soil reaction(pH)and diversity indices(species richness and Shannon’s index),ANOVA test showed high significant differences in most of the measured environmental variables among the obtained cluster groups(A-H).Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA)showed direct correlations between the 7 examined environmental variables and plant species composition in Gebel Katrina.The eight cluster groups were separated along axes 1 and 2 of the diagram.The species-environment correlations were high for the three axes explaining 63.0%of the cumulative variance.The stands of groups(E)and(G)were correlated with coarse sand,stands of group(B)were highly correlated with electric conductivity(EC),and stands of group(F)were correlated with elevation.The endemic flora of Gebel Katrina faces multiple anthropogenic and environmental threats.Overgrazing by livestock,excessive harvesting of plants for fuelwood and traditional medicinal uses,and habitat degradation due to land-use changes have led to significant depletion of vegetation cover and biodiversity loss.
基金supported by grants from Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority(CPRA)the Stennis Space Center,the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation,the National Science Foundation(Grants No.OCE-0554674,DEB-0833225,OCE-1140268,and OCE-1140307)+2 种基金the Hypoxia Project of NOAA(Grant No.NA06NPS4780197)the Shanghai Universities First-Class Disciplines Projectthe Shanghai Ocean University International Center for Marine Studies
文摘Numerical experiments were conducted using the finite volume community ocean model(FVCOM) to study the impact of the initial density stratification on simulated currents over the Louisiana shelf during Hurricane Katrina. Model results for two simulation scenarios, including an initially stratified shelf and an initially non-stratified shelf, were examined. Comparison of two simulations for two-dimensional(2D) currents,the time series of current speed, and variations of cross-shore currents across different sections showed that the smallest differences between simulated currents for these two scenarios occurred over highly mixed regions within 1 radius of maximum wind(RMW) under the hurricane.For areas farther from the mixed zone, differences increased, reaching the maximum values off Terrebonne Bay. These large discrepancies correspond to significant differences between calculated vertical eddy viscosities for the two scenarios. The differences were addressed based on the contradictory behavior of turbulence in a stratified fluid, as compared to a non-stratified fluid. Incorporation of this behavior in the MellorYamada turbulent closure model established a Richardson number-based stability function that was used for estimation of the vertical eddy viscosity from the turbulent energy and macroscale. The results of this study demonstrate the necessity for inclusion of shelf stratification when circulation modeling is conducted using three-dimensional(3D) baroclinic models. To achieve high-accuracy currents, the parameters associated with the turbulence closures should be calibrated with field measurements of currents at different depths.
文摘A natural disaster leading to accumulation of environmental contaminants may have substantial effects on the male reproductive system. Our aim was to compare and assess semen parameters in a normospermic population residing in the Southern Louisiana, USA area pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina. We retrospectively evaluated semen analyses data （n = 3452） of 1855 patients who attended the Tulane University Andrology/Fertility Clinic between 1999 and 2013. The study inclusion criteria were men whose semen analyses showed -〉 1.5 ml volume; _〉15 million ml1 sperm concentration; _〉39 million total sperm count; _〉40% motility; 〉30% morphology, with an abstinence interval of 2-7 days. After the inclusion criteria applied to the population, 367 normospermic patients were included in the study. Descriptive statistics and group-based analyses were performed to interpret the differences between the pre-Katrina （Group 1, 1999-2005） and the post-Katrina （Group 2, 2006-2013） populations. There were significant differences in motility, morphology, number of white blood cell, immature germ cell count, pH and presence of sperm agglutination, but surprisingly there were no significant differences in sperm count between the two populations. This long-term comparative analysis further documents that a major natural disaster with its accompanied environmental issues can influence certain semen oarameters （e.g.. motility and morphology） and, bv extension, fertility potential of the population of such areas.
文摘Rates of heavy drinking, tobacco use and illicit substance use peak among college students between 18 and 25 years of age. Attitudes, personal characteristics, and behaviors that are called protective factors could play a role in reducing college students’ use of alcohol and drugs. We studied the relationships between selected protective factors and alcohol consumption in college students from a public commuter university in New Orleans, Louisiana pre-and post-Hurricane Katrina utilizing the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS) Long Form. We applied Hirschi’s social control theory to examine the relationships between drinking and the identified protective factors. Three research questions with null and alternative hypotheses were tested to explore the impact of Hurricane Katrina on protective factors and drinking utilizing linear/ logistic and multivariate regression models to test the hypotheses. We found that post-Katrina students were on average about 1.5 years older and drank approximately 1.5 more drinks per week than pre-Katrina students. Both pre and post Katrina age, gender, and race/ethnicity were significantly related to drinking among these groups of college students such that older students, women, and non-Whites tended to have reduced odds of drinking. There were no statistically significant relationships between individual protective factors or any group of protective factors and drinking after controlling for age, gender, and race/ethnicity indicating that these 3 individual characteristics that cannot be altered were stronger predictors of drinking than any other factors we tested.
文摘Hurricane Katrina was a devastating event to New Orleans. There was a mandatory evacuation of the city during which victims in affected areas were not allowed to return for months. Many residents were unable to return to their previous residence due to the destruction of their home or change in ownership. In its aftermath, a phenomenon of displaced residents becoming psychotic and returning to their pre-Katrina homes that they no longer owned became apartment. While the clinical ramifications of these behaviors remain unclear, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy monitoring of psychotic patients for similar behaviors may be warranted. We present two such cases of this phenomenon, colloquially called “Post-Katrina Syndrome” by psychiatrists in the New Orleans area.
文摘Hurricane or Cyclone is an extreme environment and climate event that has both long-term and short-term impact,and produces environmental emergency displacement.This study has focused on two devastating cyclone disaster events in the 21st century:Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in the USA and Cyclone Sidr in 2007 in Bangladesh.By using secondary-based research and comparative case study technique,this study focuses on different considerations of governmental policy approaches and responses such as encouraging displacement through resettlement or relocation planning,providing resilience-oriented practices or in-situ adaptation practices;discouraging migration by providing soft policies such as rapid response and distribution plan,insurance,tax policies,incentives etc.in Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Sidr.By highlighting the above considerations,this study found that developing policy at national level as well as strategic and operational measures at state/local level,integrating rights,resilience and relocation issues with existing relevant policies and programs and active community-based preparedness programs can reduce human displacement from hurricane or cyclone disaster.
