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Future changes to the organic carbon and carbonate pumps are likely to affect ocean ecosystem dynamics and the biogeochemical climate. Here, biological dependencies on the Rain and Redfield ratios on pCO2 are implemented in a coupled Biogeochemistry-Ocean Model, the CSIRO-Mk3L, to establish extreme-case carbonate saturation vulnerability to model parameterisation at year 2500 using IPCC Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Surface carbonate saturation is relatively insensitive to the combined effects of variable Rain and Redfield ratios (an anomaly of less than 10% of the corresponding change in the control configuration by year 2500), but the global zonally-averaged ocean interior anomaly due to these feedbacks is up to 130% by 2500. A non-linear interaction between organic and carbonate pumps is found in export production, where higher rates of photosynthesis enhance calcification by raising surface alkalinity. This non-linear effect has a negligible influence on surface carbonate saturation but does significantly influence ocean interior carbonate saturation fields (an anomaly of up to 45% in 2500). The strongest linear and non-linear sensitivity to combined feedbacks occurs in low-latitude remineralisation zones below regions of enhanced biological production, where dissolved inorganic carbon rapidly accumulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how multimodal interfaces make it easier for people with sensory impairments to interact with mobile terminals such as PDAs and 3rd generation mobile phones (3G/UMTS). We have developed a flexible speech centric composite multimodal interface to a map-based information service on a mobile terminal. This user interface has proven useful for different types of disabilities, from persons with muscular atrophy combined with some minor speaking problems to a severe dyslectic and an aphasic. Some of the test persons did not manage to use the ordinary public information service, neither on the web (text only) nor by calling a manual operator phone (speech only). But they fairly easily employed our multimodal interface by pointing at the map on the touch screen while uttering short commands or phrases. Although this is a limited qualitative evaluation it indicates that development of speech centric multimodal interfaces to information services is a step in the right direction for achieving the goal of design for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine biological carbon pump (BCP) stores carbon in the ocean interior, isolating it from exchange with the atmosphere and thereby coregulating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). As the BCP commonly is equated with the flux of organic material to the ocean interior, termed "export flux," a change in export flux is perceived to directly impact atmospheric CO 2 , and thus climate. Here, we recap how this perception contrasts with current understanding of the BCP, emphasizing the lack of a direct relationship between global export flux and atmospheric CO 2 . We argue for the use of the storage of carbon of biological origin in the ocean interior as a diagnostic that directly relates to atmospheric CO 2 , as a way forward to quantify the changes in the BCP in a changing climate. The diagnostic is conveniently applicable to both climate model data and increasingly available observational data. It can explain a seemingly paradoxical response under anthropogenic climate change: Despite a decrease in export flux, the BCP intensifies due to a longer reemergence time of biogenically stored carbon back to the ocean surface and thereby provides a negative feedback to increasing atmospheric CO 2 . This feedback is notably small compared with anthropogenic CO 2 emissions and other carbon-climate feedbacks. In this Opinion paper, we advocate for a comprehensive view of the BCP's impact on atmospheric CO 2 , providing a prerequisite for assessing the effectiveness of marine CO 2 removal approaches that target marine biology., (© 2024 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Plastic pollution can both chemically and physically impede marine biota. But it can also provide novel substrates for colonization, and its leachate might stimulate phytoplankton growth. Plastic contains carbon, which is released into the environment upon breakdown. All of these mechanisms have been proposed to contribute global impacts on open ocean carbon cycling and climate from ubiquitous plastic pollution. Laboratory studies produce compelling data showing both stimulation and inhibition of primary producers and disruption of predatory lifecycles at individual scale, but global carbon cycle impacts remain mostly unquantified. Preliminary modelling estimates ecosystem alterations and direct carbon release due to plastic pollution will remain vastly less disruptive to global carbon cycling than the direct damage wrought by fossil fuel carbon emissions. But when considered by mass, carbon in the form of bulky, persistent plastic particles may be disproportionally more influential on biogeochemical cycling than carbon as a gas in the atmosphere or as a dissolved component of seawater. Thus, future research should pay particular attention to the optical and other physical effects of marine plastic pollution on Earth system and ecological function, and resulting impacts on oxygen and nutrient cycling. Improved understanding of the breakdown of plastics in the marine environment should also be considered high-priority, as any potential perturbation of biological carbon cycling by plastic pollution is climate-relevant on centennial timescales and longer., (© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology.)

Writing in this issue of Global Change Biology, Shiye Zhao and co-authors report a microplastic soup extending thousands of meters below the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. This discovery contributes two pieces to the missing plastic puzzle- (1) nets have been under-sampling the smallest microplastic size fraction, which is actually not missing when using high-volume filtration, and (2) small microplastics in particular find their way below the surface. But their results also contribute several new questions, because some of what they found is quite surprising. This article is a Research Article on Zhao et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16089., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Diatoms account for up to 40% of marine primary production 1,2 and require silicic acid to grow and build their opal shell 3 . On the physiological and ecological level, diatoms are thought to be resistant to, or even benefit from, ocean acidification 4-6 . Yet, global-scale responses and implications for biogeochemical cycles in the future ocean remain largely unknown. Here we conducted five in situ mesocosm experiments with natural plankton communities in different biomes and find that ocean acidification increases the elemental ratio of silicon (Si) to nitrogen (N) of sinking biogenic matter by 17 ± 6 per cent under [Formula: see text] conditions projected for the year 2100. This shift in Si:N seems to be caused by slower chemical dissolution of silica at decreasing seawater pH. We test this finding with global sediment trap data, which confirm a widespread influence of pH on Si:N in the oceanic water column. Earth system model simulations show that a future pH-driven decrease in silica dissolution of sinking material reduces the availability of silicic acid in the surface ocean, triggering a global decline of diatoms by 13-26 per cent due to ocean acidification by the year 2200. This outcome contrasts sharply with the conclusions of previous experimental studies, thereby illustrating how our current understanding of biological impacts of ocean change can be considerably altered at the global scale through unexpected feedback mechanisms in the Earth system., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The dearth of information on the pain experience of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) calls for a more comprehensive understanding of pain in this population. The Non-Communicating Adults Pain Checklist (NCAPC) is an 18-item behavioral scale that was recently found to be reliable, valid, sensitive and clinically feasible to assess pain levels in adults with IDD. The aim of the present article is to propose and examine a pain model for adults with IDD. The procedure involved videotaping 228 participants (mean age: 38.7 years) before and during an influenza vaccination. The pain model was constructed using previously collected data, by means of confirmatory factor analysis of the sum scores, using the half split procedure. The model was tested on a randomized group of participants (N=89) for generalization. The constructed model seems to reflect two categories of pain responses: a basic response consisting of physiological measures and body reaction, and an advanced response consisting of vocal and emotional reactions, as well as facial and protective expressions. The model presented excellent Goodness of Fit Index (0.99) and an acceptable RMSEA value (0.061). We conclude that the current article presents a first-of-its-kind model of pain behavior in adults with IDD., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

From 2009 to 2010, an experiment was conducted to increase response rates among African American mothers in the Wisconsin Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). Sample members were randomly assigned to groups that received a prepaid, cash incentive of $5 (n = 219); a coupon for diapers valued at $6 (n = 210); or no incentive (n = 209). Incentives were included with the questionnaire, which was mailed to respondents. We examined the effects of the incentives on several outcomes, including response rates, cost effectiveness, survey response distributions, and item nonresponse. Response rates were significantly higher for the cash group than for the coupon (42.5 vs. 32.4%, P < .05) or no incentive group (42.5 vs. 30.1%, P < .01); the coupon and no incentive groups performed similarly. While absolute costs were the highest for the cash group, the cost per completed survey was the lowest. The incentives had limited effects on response distributions for specific survey questions. Although respondents completing the survey by mail in the cash and coupon groups exhibited a trend toward being less likely to have missing data, the effect was not significant. Compared to a coupon or no incentive, a small cash incentive significantly improved response rates and was cost effective among African American respondents in Wisconsin PRAMS. Incentives had only limited effects, however, on survey response distributions, and no significant effects on item nonresponse.

Because of the magnitude of women's health issues within the larger context of public health and healthcare systems, this paper was written to help define the current status of women's health in Wisconsin. Utilizing critical women's health areas identified by the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, 16 specific measures of women's health were chosen for this analysis. The most recent data available for each measure were collected with Wisconsin data being compared to national averages as well as to Healthy People 2010: Objectives for Improving Health targets. Wisconsin women fare better than national averages in nine of the selected health measures; however, there are still many improvements to be made in order to meet Healthy People 2010 targets. The areas where the most improvements are needed include binge drinking, tobacco use, diabetes, and stroke mortality. Other significant findings include the lack of uniformly collected data in the areas of domestic violence, osteoporosis, and mental illness.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify disparities in maternal smoking between Wisconsin and United States women and to determine differences that explain the higher percentage of pregnant women who smoke in Wisconsin compared to the United States., Methods: 1997 Wisconsin and US birth certificate data were compared and stratified by age, education, and race/ethnicity. The relative risks (the risk of Wisconsin women smoking during pregnancy compared to US women smoking during pregnancy) were calculated by direct standardization to the 1997 US distribution for these characteristics., Results: In 1997, 17.9% of Wisconsin women smoked during pregnancy, compared with 13.2% nationally (relative risk [RR] = 1.4; Wisconsin women were 40% more likely to smoke than US women). Age and education adjusted RRs among Wisconsin women aged 20 and older were 2.3 (American Indian), 2.8 (Hispanic), and 2.2 (non-Hispanic black), while the RR was 1.2 for non-Hispanic white mothers. Among women 20 and older, the crude RR for Wisconsin was 1.5; adjusting for age, education, and race/ethnicity only slightly decreased the RR to 1.4., Conclusions: The percentage of women who smoke during pregnancy in Wisconsin continues to be above the national rate and the Healthy People 2000 goal of 10% or less. Disparities with the US average are particularly great for minority women in Wisconsin. Adjusting for age, education and ethnicity does not explain Wisconsin's higher prenatal smoking rate.

Purpose: Smoking during pregnancy can be harmful to the fetus. This paper examines trends in smoking during pregnancy in the United States and Wisconsin from 1990-1996. In addition, percentage change in smoking prevalence during pregnancy by selected maternal characteristics and in all Wisconsin counties is compared for the periods 1990-1992 and 1994-1996., Methods: Data from the National Center for Health Statistics and Wisconsin resident birth certificates were compared to examine overall smoking trends for pregnant women from 1990-1996. For Wisconsin, 3-year averages (1990-1992 and 1994-1996) were calculated to provided more stable estimates. The percentage change in smoking prevalence was examined by selected maternal characteristics, such as age, marital status, race, prenatal care and education, and by county of residence., Results: Smoking rates for pregnant women in the United States have gradually decreased, from 18.4% in 1990 to 13.6% in 1996. From 1990 to 1996, maternal smoking in Wisconsin declined from 22.9% to 18.2% (significant at P < .001). In Wisconsin, smoking rates during pregnancy were higher in both 1990-1992 and 1994-1996 among women who were younger, unmarried, American Indian, or African American; received late or no prenatal care and did not graduate from high school. Out of 72 Wisconsin counties, 63 showed a decrease in smoking rates for pregnant women., Conclusions: Smoking prevalence during pregnancy in Wisconsin is above the Healthy People 2000 and Wisconsin Public Health Agenda for the Year 2000 goals of less than 10% of women smoking during pregnancy. Public health must continue its initiative to encourage healthy life styles for pregnant women.

Infant mortality is a powerful indicator for assessing the health of a population, and the extent to which society invests in its children. This paper examines infant mortality trends in the United States and Wisconsin among the African American and white populations from 1980 to 1998. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics and Wisconsin Birth and Infant Death Reports were used to examine overall infant mortality trends from 1980 to 1998 for African American and white infants. The overall infant mortality rate in Wisconsin decreased steadily from 10.3 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 1980 to 7.2 in 1998. White infant mortality followed this trend, declining from 9.6 in 1980 to 5.6 in 1998. African American infant mortality has remained about the same since 1980 at 18 infant deaths per 1000 live births, even though the overall percentage of African American live births in Wisconsin increased from 6% in 1980 to 10% in 1998. The ratio of African American to white infant mortality rates in Wisconsin increased from 2 to 1 in 1980 to 3.2 to 1 in 1998. While the Wisconsin African American infant mortality rate remained even since 1980, the US rate declined from 22.2 in 1980 to 14.1 in 1998. The Wisconsin African American rate in 1998, 17.9, surpassed the national rate. The use of 5-year running averages to smooth out year-to-year fluctuations showed statistically significant declines in Wisconsin white infant mortality rates and no change in Wisconsin African American infant mortality rates. These trends show the importance for Wisconsin to sustain its current efforts to reduce black infant mortality. At the same time, Wisconsin-based research efforts to determine strategies and factors that work should continue and influence the future design of systems, programs, and policies to eliminate the disparity.