Description: This paper discusses research on bike rack occupancy on the University of North Texas (UNT) campus. Abstract: The presence of bike parking facilities has been shown to play a role in improving bike ridership. People are more likely to commute by bike if there are secure and well-located bike racks available. Within the last 5 years, the University of North Texas has made a concerted effort to improve the availability of bike parking for cyclists to encourage cycling as a commute mode. However, the placement of racks around campus has been based on perceived needs rather than documented patterns. The goal of the author's project is to document the occupancy rate of bike racks across campus to identify areas that were underserved. The author also examined how rack installation practices affected the maximum capacity of the racks and occupancy rates. The author found that overall the campus had a sufficient number of racks. However, a few areas on campus were underserviced, while in other areas, the racks were not being utilized. These patterns of use were linked to the types of buildings the racks were associated with, as well as where racks were placed and installed. The findings will allow ...

Description: This presentation discusses dissolved lithium concentrations and the spatial distribution of suicide mortality rates in Texas counties, from 1980-1998. The results suggest that counties with lower dissolved lithium concentrations in their groundwater had significantly higher suicide mortality rates. Counties with higher populations of Whites had significantly higher suicide mortality rates, but counties with higher populations of Hispanics had significantly lower suicide mortality rates. Males had higher suicide mortality rates than females. Further research into the relationship between lithium concentrations and suicide is warranted.

Description: This paper discusses research on the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Texas in ages 25-49. Abstract: According to the CDC, 63% of all new HIV diagnoses and 69% of all new AIDS diagnoses in 2009 were among the 25-49 year age group. While previous studies have examined the relationship between HIV/AIDS and a variety of socio-economic variables, no work has been done looking at this specific age group that constitutes a majority of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the recent past. Specifically, the author examines the relationships between HIV/AIDS outcomes in Texas and unemployment, education, income, and race/ethnic groups using data aggregated at the county level. Significant correlations where found between HIV/AIDS and unemployment, education, and race/ethnic groups. No significant association was found between HIV/AIDS and income. For future public intervention efforts targeting ages 25-49, a combination of variables, including unemployment, education, and race/ethnicity should be taken into consideration, rather than using only information on income.

Description: This article discusses the evaluation of WEPP for runoff and sediment yield prediction on natural gas well sites. Abstract: Natural gas exploration and production requires land-disturbing construction activities that have the potential to accelerate soil loss due to land cover modifications, increased slopes, and flow concentration. In the U.S., nearly 30,000 new gas wells are drilled each year. Erosion modeling has been successfully used for decades to predict soil loss and conservation effects on agricultural fields, rangelands, and forests, although much less research has been conducted on the application of erosion models for disturbed construction site conditions. The objective of this research was to evaluate Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) runoff and sediment yield predictions relative to measured data from two natural gas well sites (referred to as GW1 and GW2) in north central Texas. Model parameters were adjusted from WEPP default parameters based on available literature and model observations. A low effective hydraulic conductivity value (0.75 mm h⁻¹) resulted in successful runoff predictions. Agreement between predicted and measured sediment yields was accomplished by increasing rill and interrill erodibility values and decreasing critical shear stress values from default values. WEPP performance was evaluated with the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), root mean ...

Description: This paper discusses research on gastric cancers in Texas. Abstract: Although in recent years the prevalence of gastric cancers such as stomach and esophageal have dwindled slightly due to changes in diet, gastric cancers remain the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Past studies have shown a positive relationship between gastric cancers and increased intake of nitrites and nitrates. This study examines the geography of gastric cancer mortality in Texas counties in relation to the median nitrate concentration of groundwater wells. In addition, the correlations of gastric cancer mortality and race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, rural-urban residence, and employment in agriculture and mining are also explored. Whereas no correlation was found between median nitrate concentration levels and gastric cancer mortality, significant correlations were found with percent Hispanic population, percent urban, and percent White population. The study shows that in Texas, the relationship between nitrates and gastric cancer may not be as significant a factor as reported elsewhere.