Mineral and Bioclimatic Factors Controlling Soil Black Carbon Sequestration Potential Along an Elevational Gradient

Black carbon (BC) is formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass. It has been suggested due to its ubiquitous nature in soils that BC may act as a significant sink in the global carbon cycle. BC has been widely studied in a variety of soil and sediment types but spodosols (acid forest soils) have been underrepresented in the literature. In the present study, spodosol soil samples were collected along an elevational gradient (~500 to 1,200 m) from three different mountains in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. Total soil carbon was first measured using the loss on ignition method as a proxy for total organic carbon (TOC) including BC. BC concentrations were then quantified and characterized using both the chemo-thermal oxidation method at 375 degrees Celsius (CTO-375) and Pyrolysis-GC-MS. Using these analyses, it was possible to quantify total BC in the studied soils in addition to the sources. Soil texture was also measured using particle size distributions obtained from the Malvern Particle Size Analyzer to determine if particle size played a role in the sequestration of black carbon in soils. Mineral species and concentrations were measured using x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) to determine relationships between mineral content and BC sequestration due to chemical bonding. The results indicate that the BC/TOC ratio is highest where TOC is lower irrespective of altitude. Only weak trends were observed when comparing BC concentrations to average particle size distributions. Bulk soil mineralogy was also found to be an ineffective means of analyzing mineral concentrations in relation to BC. Pyrolysis-GC-MS analysis detected the presence of PAH compounds confirming the presence of BC in the samples analyzed

Emissions Trading and the Economic Impact of the Paris Agreement on New Zealand

A new international climate change agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was concluded in Paris in December 2015. The Paris Agreement (PA) asserts that greenhouse gases (GHG) emission pathways should be consistent with holding the increase in global temperature below 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels. New Zealand (NZ) has committed to reduce emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the economic costs from the PA terms when the mitigation potential relies on pricing/not pricing agricultural emissions and linking/not linking the NZ Emissions Tradable Scheme (NZ ETS) to other markets of emissions permits in Australia, the European Union and the United States. Through a general equilibrium model we find that NZ is capable of meeting the PA terms; however, GDP decreases by 7% below the baseline by 2030 because of the stringency of the targets. Although pricing agriculture and linking the NZ ETS to other emissions markets mitigates losses, linking to the European Union ETS may not be desirable because of significant losses on competitiveness. Results also show that linking to Australia or the US emissions markets mitigates compliance costs because of lower prices on emissions permits.

Characteristics of Continuous EEG Programs in the Critical Care Setting

Introduction. The use of cEEG in the care of critically ill patients is increasing. A 2014 survey of neurophysiologists described cEEG practices (Gavvala et al, 2014), but further characterization has been lacking. This study explores the structure of cEEG programs in the adult critical care setting. Methods. We conducted 21 in-depth interviews from 13 institutions that use cEEG in the adult critical care setting and additionally surveyed 36 physicians to provide information about their institutions. The interview and survey questions addressed cEEG program structure and processes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Results. The interviewees and survey respondents reported the characteristics of their institutions, fellowship programs, and their own practices in reading cEEG. There was variability between institutions in terms of resources available and structure of the programs. Most interviewees and respondents reported use of the ACNS nomenclature for cEEG reporting but consistency of use was variable. The majority reported using quantitative EEG with variable application. The process of communication regarding cEEG varied, with some institutions utilizing a more defined structure of communication. Conclusion. Despite the growing demand for cEEG, program structure and practices varied between institutions. There remains a need for defining parameters for cEEG program structures between institutions with different characteristics. The lack of uniformity between programs must be considered given the widespread use of cEEG in clinical decision-making for critically ill patients. In order to ensure health equity and effective systems, there must be standardization across hospitals

Conductance studies of aqueous ionic liquids solutions [emim][BF4] and [bmim][BF4] at temperatures from 283.15 to 318.15 K.

We present for the first time the determination of molar conductances, Lambda, of ionic liquids solutions (ILs) such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [emim][BF4] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [bmim][BF4] as a function of temperature. The data was analyzed with Barthel's lcCM model to obtain ionic association constants, KA, limiting molar conductances, Lambda-o of these electrolytes. The examined ionic liquids are practically fully dissociated in water over the whole temperature range (283.15 to 318.15 K). From the temperature dependence of the limiting molar conductivities the Eyring's activation enthalpy of charge transport was determined. The Walden product values were also calculated

Students, Volunteering and Social Action in the UK: History and Policies

A brief history of over a century of student social action, and policy lessons drawn from historical and contemporary research. The report was produced to accompany the launch of A Social History of Student Volunteering: Britain and Beyond, 1880-1980. The report offers key findings and recommendations from both historical and contemporary research. First national support is a vital element and must be strong and sustainable. Second support for student social action should not be beholden to boom and bust. We need to hold a cross-sector review of how national support can be sustainable and reliable long into the future. Students must shape and lead their social action for this work to be both effective and popular amongst students in the long term. Third, students do their best work in the community when it is relevant to their academic skills and interests, following the service learning model in the US. Fourth, a desire to make a difference continues to be the primary motivation for student volunteers. Fifth, a plurality of routes into student volunteering and social action exists, depending on the culture and needs of individual institutions, and many students engage in activities without formal support from their institution

Strings at future singularities

We discuss the behaviour of strings propagating in spacetimes which allow future singularities of either a sudden future or a Big-Rip type. We show that in general the invariant string size remains finite at sudden future singularities while it grows to infinity at a Big-Rip. This claim is based on the discussion of both the tensile and null strings. In conclusion, strings may survive a sudden future singularity, but not a Big-Rip where they are infinitely stretched.Comment: REVTEX 4.0, 4 pages, no figures, references adde