Toward a Generalizable Framework of Disturbance Ecology Through Crowdsourced Science

© 2021 Graham, Averill, Bond-Lamberty, Knelman, Krause, Peralta, Shade, Smith, Cheng, Fanin, Freund, Garcia, Gibbons, Van Goethem, Guebila, Kemppinen, Nowicki, Pausas, Reed, Rocca, Sengupta, Sihi, Simonin, Słowiński, Spawn, Sutherland, Tonkin, Wisnoski, Zipper and Contributor Consortium.Disturbances fundamentally alter ecosystem functions, yet predicting their impacts remains a key scientific challenge. While the study of disturbances is ubiquitous across many ecological disciplines, there is no agreed-upon, cross-disciplinary foundation for discussing or quantifying the complexity of disturbances, and no consistent terminology or methodologies exist. This inconsistency presents an increasingly urgent challenge due to accelerating global change and the threat of interacting disturbances that can destabilize ecosystem responses. By harvesting the expertise of an interdisciplinary cohort of contributors spanning 42 institutions across 15 countries, we identified an essential limitation in disturbance ecology: the word ‘disturbance’ is used interchangeably to refer to both the events that cause, and the consequences of, ecological change, despite fundamental distinctions between the two meanings. In response, we developed a generalizable framework of ecosystem disturbances, providing a well-defined lexicon for understanding disturbances across perspectives and scales. The framework results from ideas that resonate across multiple scientific disciplines and provides a baseline standard to compare disturbances across fields. This framework can be supplemented by discipline-specific variables to provide maximum benefit to both inter- and intra-disciplinary research. To support future syntheses and meta-analyses of disturbance research, we also encourage researchers to be explicit in how they define disturbance drivers and impacts, and we recommend minimum reporting standards that are applicable regardless of scale. Finally, we discuss the primary factors we considered when developing a baseline framework and propose four future directions to advance our interdisciplinary understanding of disturbances and their social-ecological impacts: integrating across ecological scales, understanding disturbance interactions, establishing baselines and trajectories, and developing process-based models and ecological forecasting initiatives. Our experience through this process motivates us to encourage the wider scientific community to continue to explore new approaches for leveraging Open Science principles in generating creative and multidisciplinary ideas.This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), as part of Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Program’s Scientific Focus Area (SFA) at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for DOE by Battelle under contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830

Changes in Health Perceptions after Exposure to Human Suffering: Using Discrete Emotions to Understand Underlying Processes

Background: The aim of this study was to examine whether exposure to human suffering is associated with negative changes in perceptions about personal health. We further examined the relation of possible health perception changes, to changes in five discrete emotions (i.e., fear, guilt, hostility/anger, and joviality), as a guide to understand the processes underlying health perception changes, provided that each emotion conveys information regarding triggering conditions. Methodology/Findings: An experimental group (N = 47) was exposed to images of human affliction, whereas a control group (N = 47) was exposed to relaxing images. Participants in the experimental group reported more health anxiety and health value, as well as lower health-related optimism and internal health locus of control, in comparison to participants exposed to relaxing images. They also reported more fear, guilt, hostility and sadness, as well as less joviality. Changes in each health perception were related to changes in particular emotions. Conclusion: These findings imply that health perceptions are shaped in a constant dialogue with the representations about the broader world. Furthermore, it seems that the core of health perception changes lies in the acceptance that personal well-being is subject to several potential threats, as well as that people cannot fully control many of the factors the determine their own well-being

The influence of driver’s mood on car following and glance behaviour: Using cognitive load as an intervention

Driving safety relies on a driver’s ability to maintain their attentional focus and that mood is one of the factors which influences this ability. This driving simulator study used mind wandering theory to understand the changes in car following behaviour and driver glance patterns when affected by neutral, happy, sad and angry moods during car following. Two types of cognitive load were used to investigate ways of disengaging drivers from the mind wandering state. The moods were induced via music and mental imagery and assessed via self-reports and physiological measures. The results show that mood valence and arousal have different effects on driving safety, with negative moods resulting in the most dangerous driving, regardless of arousal. The cognitive load, in some cases, disengaged drivers from mood-related mind wandering. However, more detailed research is needed to understand the amount of load necessary for this disengagement in different moods. The importance of using driving-related measures together with glance patterns in mood research was highlighted to overcome ambiguities resulting from conclusions based on single measurements

Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential

Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system 1. Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests 2–5 are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced 6 and satellite-derived approaches 2,7,8 to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands. Despite regional variation, the predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at a global scale, with only a 12% difference between the ground-sourced and satellite-derived estimates. At present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, with a total deficit of 226 Gt (model range = 151–363 Gt) in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 Gt C) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% (87 Gt C) of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented. Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, our results support the idea 2,3,9 that the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of diverse forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets

Self-Reported Wisdom and Happiness: An Empirical Investigation

Possible tensions between wisdom and happiness have been extensively debated in philosophy. Some regard wisdom as the 'supreme part of happiness', whereas other think that a more accurate and wiser view on reality might reduce happiness. Analyzing a Dutch internet survey of 7037 respondents, we discovered that wisdom and happiness were modestly positively related. Wisdom, measured with the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS), explained 9.2% of the variation in hedonic happiness. The correlation with the reflective dimension of wisdom was the strongest. In addition, wisdom was more important for happiness among adults with only an elementary education. Our results suggest that happiness and wisdom do not conflict

Comparing the thermal decomposition kinetics of cane and beet sucrose to examine thermal behavior differences

Sucrose from cane and beet sources is greater than 99.8% pure. However, sucrose from both sources displays different thermal behavior. In their DSC thermal profiles, cane sucrose displays a small endothermic peak (small peak) before the main endothermic peak (large peak), which is not present in beet. The presence of the small peak results in a lower onset temperature for thermal decomposition in cane sucrose, compared to beet. To compare the thermal behavior of these sucrose sources, the kinetic parameters for the thermal decomposition of crystalline cane and beet sucrose were determined herein. Since sucrose thermal decomposition is a complicated process, causing the formation of decomposition products, loss of crystalline structure, and, at sufficiently high temperatures, these events can overlap with true melting, a variety of kinetic methods were used to characterize the thermal behavior of the system. Initially, a nonisothermal kinetic method was used to obtain the kinetic parameters for cane and beet sucrose thermal decomposition. Commercial beet sucrose (US beet) exhibited a higher activation energy (Ea) than either analytical grade (Sigma cane) or commercial cane sucrose (US cane), which displayed similar Ea values. The higher Ea for US beet suggested that thermal decomposition is inhibited in beet sucrose, compared to cane. The nonisothermal method was also used to explore the effect of lot-to-lot variation on the kinetic parameters of Sigma cane to fully characterize the thermal behavior of the material. While there were differences in the thermal behavior parameters for each lot, the kinetic parameters for the small peak were similar for all lots, suggesting that lot-to-lot variation does not lead to differences in the kinetic parameters. Although there were not differences in the small peak kinetic parameters, the use of several lots does provide a better predictor of the variability that can occur when different lots of sucrose are used in a product. Next, isothermal experiments were performed to assess the accuracy of the kinetic parameters obtained from nonisothermal experiments. To compare these experimental conditions, the predicted rate constant (k) and half-life (t1/2) values determined from nonisothermal experiments were compared to those obtained from isothermal experiments at 130°C. Based on the results of the isothermal experiments, the nonisothermal kinetic parameters overestimate k for cane-sourced sucrose, and underestimate k for beet sucrose. To further explore the differences between nonisothermal and isothermal methods, the Ea for sucrose thermal decomposition was determined using the isothermal isoconversional kinetic method, which allows for the Ea to be determined as a function of the extent of the reaction (α). Additionally, the use of isothermal methods allows for the kinetic parameters to be determined without the interference of the overlap of true melting. Under isothermal conditions, US cane displayed the largest Ea value at 2% α, while the Ea values displayed by Sigma cane and US beet at 2% α were similar. Additionally, all sucrose sources exhibited a decrease in Ea as the extent of the reaction increased, suggesting autocatalytic behavior. The larger Ea displayed by US cane compared to the other sucrose sources may be due to the lower purity of US cane or due to the α at which these values were compared, as all sources have similar Ea at 50% conversion. Once the kinetic parameters had been determined using established kinetic methods, novel methods to extract the kinetic parameters using data from the reversing heat capacity (RevCp) signal from quasi-isothermal (QI) and nonisothermal MDSC experiments were examined. For QI-MDSC experiments, the Ea values determined for all sucrose sources from t1/2 values matched those determined using the isothermal isoconversional method at 50% α. The agreement of the Ea values indicates that the t1/2 from the QI-MDSC RevCp signal can be used to model the kinetic parameters of a reaction where loss of crystalline structure occurs with thermal decomposition. In comparison, the Ea values determined using the nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signal were not equivalent to those obtained from the MDSC total heat flow signal over the same range of heating rates. The difference in these values appears to be caused by the onset temperature of the MDSC RevCp signal occurring at a higher temperature than that of the total heat flow signal, suggesting that the obtained kinetic parameters are for a higher extent of the reaction than the values from the total heat flow signal. Although the nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signal does not provide equivalent kinetic parameters to the total heat flow signal, both the QI and nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signals can be used to explore the mechanism of the reaction. Based on the shape of the RevCp signal it is possible to determine if the entire event is kinetic (step change) or thermodynamic (peak). If the reaction displays some thermodynamic behavior (peak in the RevCp signal), the contribution of the thermodynamic event to the total heat flow signal can be semi-quantified based on the ratio of the RevCp and total heat flow peak enthalpies at a given heating rate. Finally, the impact of the kinetics of sucrose thermal decomposition on the thermal behavior of melt quenched amorphous sucrose was examined by determining the heating rate dependence of the glass transition temperature. The Tg of sucrose was lowest at low heating rates (0.5 and 1°C/min), increase with increasing heating rate to a heating rate of 17.5°C/min, then decrease as the heating rate continued to increase. The decrease at high heating rates is due to the higher final temperatures required for complete loss of crystalline structure. In addition to examining the heating rate dependence of sucrose, modified forms of the Gordon-Taylor equation for ternary and quaternary systems were applied to determine if they could predict the T¬g of melt quenched amorphous sucrose. None of the modified forms of the Gordon-Taylor equation accurately described the experimentally determined Tg at all of the examined heating rates, which may be due to the complicated nature of melt quenched amorphous sucrose. Overall, this research provides a detailed understanding of the kinetics of crystalline cane and beet sucrose thermal decomposition, which are important when considering the thermal processing of sucrose in food products

Comparing the thermal decomposition kinetics of cane and beet sucrose to examine thermal behavior differences

Sucrose from cane and beet sources is greater than 99.8% pure. However, sucrose from both sources displays different thermal behavior. In their DSC thermal profiles, cane sucrose displays a small endothermic peak (small peak) before the main endothermic peak (large peak), which is not present in beet. The presence of the small peak results in a lower onset temperature for thermal decomposition in cane sucrose, compared to beet. To compare the thermal behavior of these sucrose sources, the kinetic parameters for the thermal decomposition of crystalline cane and beet sucrose were determined herein. Since sucrose thermal decomposition is a complicated process, causing the formation of decomposition products, loss of crystalline structure, and, at sufficiently high temperatures, these events can overlap with true melting, a variety of kinetic methods were used to characterize the thermal behavior of the system. Initially, a nonisothermal kinetic method was used to obtain the kinetic parameters for cane and beet sucrose thermal decomposition. Commercial beet sucrose (US beet) exhibited a higher activation energy (Ea) than either analytical grade (Sigma cane) or commercial cane sucrose (US cane), which displayed similar Ea values. The higher Ea for US beet suggested that thermal decomposition is inhibited in beet sucrose, compared to cane. The nonisothermal method was also used to explore the effect of lot-to-lot variation on the kinetic parameters of Sigma cane to fully characterize the thermal behavior of the material. While there were differences in the thermal behavior parameters for each lot, the kinetic parameters for the small peak were similar for all lots, suggesting that lot-to-lot variation does not lead to differences in the kinetic parameters. Although there were not differences in the small peak kinetic parameters, the use of several lots does provide a better predictor of the variability that can occur when different lots of sucrose are used in a product. Next, isothermal experiments were performed to assess the accuracy of the kinetic parameters obtained from nonisothermal experiments. To compare these experimental conditions, the predicted rate constant (k) and half-life (t1/2) values determined from nonisothermal experiments were compared to those obtained from isothermal experiments at 130°C. Based on the results of the isothermal experiments, the nonisothermal kinetic parameters overestimate k for cane-sourced sucrose, and underestimate k for beet sucrose. To further explore the differences between nonisothermal and isothermal methods, the Ea for sucrose thermal decomposition was determined using the isothermal isoconversional kinetic method, which allows for the Ea to be determined as a function of the extent of the reaction (α). Additionally, the use of isothermal methods allows for the kinetic parameters to be determined without the interference of the overlap of true melting. Under isothermal conditions, US cane displayed the largest Ea value at 2% α, while the Ea values displayed by Sigma cane and US beet at 2% α were similar. Additionally, all sucrose sources exhibited a decrease in Ea as the extent of the reaction increased, suggesting autocatalytic behavior. The larger Ea displayed by US cane compared to the other sucrose sources may be due to the lower purity of US cane or due to the α at which these values were compared, as all sources have similar Ea at 50% conversion. Once the kinetic parameters had been determined using established kinetic methods, novel methods to extract the kinetic parameters using data from the reversing heat capacity (RevCp) signal from quasi-isothermal (QI) and nonisothermal MDSC experiments were examined. For QI-MDSC experiments, the Ea values determined for all sucrose sources from t1/2 values matched those determined using the isothermal isoconversional method at 50% α. The agreement of the Ea values indicates that the t1/2 from the QI-MDSC RevCp signal can be used to model the kinetic parameters of a reaction where loss of crystalline structure occurs with thermal decomposition. In comparison, the Ea values determined using the nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signal were not equivalent to those obtained from the MDSC total heat flow signal over the same range of heating rates. The difference in these values appears to be caused by the onset temperature of the MDSC RevCp signal occurring at a higher temperature than that of the total heat flow signal, suggesting that the obtained kinetic parameters are for a higher extent of the reaction than the values from the total heat flow signal. Although the nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signal does not provide equivalent kinetic parameters to the total heat flow signal, both the QI and nonisothermal MDSC RevCp signals can be used to explore the mechanism of the reaction. Based on the shape of the RevCp signal it is possible to determine if the entire event is kinetic (step change) or thermodynamic (peak). If the reaction displays some thermodynamic behavior (peak in the RevCp signal), the contribution of the thermodynamic event to the total heat flow signal can be semi-quantified based on the ratio of the RevCp and total heat flow peak enthalpies at a given heating rate. Finally, the impact of the kinetics of sucrose thermal decomposition on the thermal behavior of melt quenched amorphous sucrose was examined by determining the heating rate dependence of the glass transition temperature. The Tg of sucrose was lowest at low heating rates (0.5 and 1°C/min), increase with increasing heating rate to a heating rate of 17.5°C/min, then decrease as the heating rate continued to increase. The decrease at high heating rates is due to the higher final temperatures required for complete loss of crystalline structure. In addition to examining the heating rate dependence of sucrose, modified forms of the Gordon-Taylor equation for ternary and quaternary systems were applied to determine if they could predict the T¬g of melt quenched amorphous sucrose. None of the modified forms of the Gordon-Taylor equation accurately described the experimentally determined Tg at all of the examined heating rates, which may be due to the complicated nature of melt quenched amorphous sucrose. Overall, this research provides a detailed understanding of the kinetics of crystalline cane and beet sucrose thermal decomposition, which are important when considering the thermal processing of sucrose in food products.U of I OnlyAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD syste

Activation therapy for the treatment of inpatients with depression – protocol for a randomised control trial compared to treatment as usual

Abstract Background Inpatients with depression have a poor long term outcome with high rates of suicide, high levels of morbidity and frequent re-admission. Current treatment often relies on pharmacological intervention and focuses on observation to maintain safety. There is significant neurocognitive deficit which is linked to poor functional outcomes. As a consequence, there is a need for novel psychotherapeutic interventions that seek to address these concerns. Methods We combined cognitive activation and behavioural activation to create activation therapy (AT) for the treatment of inpatient depression and conducted a small open label study which demonstrated acceptability and feasibility. We propose a randomised controlled trial which will compare treatment as usual (TAU) with TAU plus activation therapy for adult inpatients with a major depressive episode. The behavioural activation component involves therapist guided re-engagement with previously or potentially rewarding activities. The cognitive activation aspect utilises computer based exercises which have been shown to improve cognitive function. Discussion The proposed randomised controlled trial will examine whether or not the addition of this therapy to TAU will result in a reduced re-hospitalisation rate at 12 weeks post discharge. Subjective change in activation and objectively measured change in activity levels will be rated, and the extent of change to neurocognition will be assessed. Trial registration Unique trial number: U1111–1190-9517. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) number: ACTRN12617000024347p