Search

A letter to the editor is presented in response the article "RETHINKING THE PAPER HELICOPTER: COMBINING STATISTICAL AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE" in a previous issue.

The article discusses the editor's experience of being associated with journal "The American Statistician." The editor has reviewed 120 new manuscript since July 1, 2005. A new section called "Interdisciplinary" has been added to the journal to bring good statistical science to a variety of disciplines and to bring good discipline-specific science to statisticians. Papers in this section might contain overviews of discipline-specific issues in need of statistical solutions. The journal has adopted an online manuscript management system since October 1, 2005.

In a recent issue of Water International, three authors discuss their views of the virtual water metaphor that is used to describe the water embedded in crops that are traded in international markets. The term 'virtual water' was created originally to gain the attention of public officials responsible for choosing policies that influence water use in arid regions. Over time, both the terminology and the scope of the virtual water metaphor have been extended beyond the original purpose. This paper supports the view that the virtual water metaphor is helpful in encouraging public officials to consider the scarcity value (opportunity cost) of water when designing policies that influence water use. The paper proposes, also, that the policy relevance of the virtual water metaphor is found primarily in its application to issues regarding the supply of agricultural products, rather than demand. The distinction between supply and demand issues and the potential value of the virtual water metaphor in policy discussions regarding supply are demonstrated using three examples of water allocation decisions, described within the framework of economic optimization. The examples include wheat production in Saudi Arabia and the production of sudangrass and ethanol in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater plays a critical role in arid West China where water is the limiting factor for development. This paper first describes groundwater characteristics in a region of four arid inland river watersheds and the problems associated with groundwater consumption. This region exhibits a unique alternating pattern of high mountains and depressions, which results in extensive interactions of surface water and groundwater. Then the authors propose six strategies to support adequate exploitation and use of groundwater in the region. These strategies are: 1) setting up a groundwater monitoring system; 2) forming a unified watershed authority, 3) protecting mountain ecology; 4) increasing the efficiency of groundwater usage; 5) protecting groundwater; and 6) supporting advanced research. The implementation of these strategies should be built upon the promotion of sustainable economic development and broad public support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various articles published within the issue, including one on statistician Samuel S. Wilks' contributions to statistics and another by W. Edwards Deming on Wilks award.

A response by the author is presented to a letter to the editor about his article "RETHINKING THE PAPER HELICOPTER: COMBINING STATISTICAL AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE" in a previous issue.

This article recalls and comments on the varied contributions, many of enduring value, made by Samuel Wilks to the theory and practice of statistics. Multivariate analysis, order statistics, and statistical inference have especially benefited from his research. His unflagging work on behalf of the profession as teacher, writer, editor, advisor, and committee member raised the visibility of the field of statistics and increased recognition of its wide relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A framework that integrates two data-driven techniques is proposed and developed to assess fecal coliform loadings in natural streams. A relationship between transport medium (streamflow) and non-conservative pollutant (fecal coliform) load is first developed using conventional regression technique. The spatial distribution of the fecal load over watersheds is then captured using artificial neural networks through a disaggregation scheme. Streamflow, as a surrogate for non-conservative fecal load, has been used in the disaggregation process. The framework is applied to an area that encompasses four USGS 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds in the southeastern region of Kentucky, USA. The study attempts to address two major issues: (i) assessment of relative pollutant loads from watersheds and (ii) evaluation into possible reduction in the number of monitoring stations to meet the budgetary constraints. Preliminary results indicate the potential of this approach in assessing the relative fecal loading contribution from different watersheds with the help of conservative hydrological parameters, especially in data-poor conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of papers related to cell communication and adhesion presented at the 2005 International Gap Junction Conference held in Whistler, British Columbia. They include "Exogenous Overexpression of Connexins Induces Premature Assembly of Connexons in the ER," "Binding of a Thioredoxin-Fold Protein to Connexin43 Correlates with Oligomerization State," "Cell Adhesion Proteins Facilitate Gap Junction Formation," "ZO-1 Regulates Connexin43 Gap Junction Patterning via Control of Channel Accretion," and "Novel Rab GAP-Like Protein, CIP8S, Interacts with Connexin43 and Induces Its Degradation."

The article presents abstracts of the papers related to gap junction presented at the Poster Sessions of the 2005 International Gap Junction Conference held in Whistler, British Columbia. They include "Functional Analysis of Connexins Associated with Epidermal Disease and Syndromes," "Fate of Gap Junction Plaques During Cell Migration," "Molecular Cloning and Functional Analysis of a Novel Gene KDN Encoding Cx43 Partner Protein," "Glucose Represses Connexin36 in Insulin-Secreting Cells," and "Regulation of Cx43 Gap-Junctional Hemichannels (GJH) by PKC-Mediated Phosphorylation."