Developing silvicultural protocols for longleaf pine (\u3ci\u3ePinus\u3c/i\u3e\u3ci\u3epalustris\u3c/i\u3e) restoration in loblolly pine (\u3ci\u3eP.\u3c/i\u3e \u3ci\u3e taeda \u3c/i\u3e) stands

Throughout the southeastern United States, upland pine sites that were once dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) have been converted to faster growing species such as loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). This study was designed to determine optimal silvicultural techniques for restoring longleaf pine in existing loblolly pine stands while retaining canopy trees and enhancing desirable characteristics of the ground layer vegetation. We applied seven harvesting treatments to six loblolly pine stands at Fort Benning, GA, with treatments including four that created uniform canopy distribution (Control: uncut, with basal area \u3e 14 m2/ha; MedBA: residual basal area of ~ 9 m2/ha; LowBA: residual basal area of ~ 5 m2/ha; and Clearcut: complete canopy removal) and three that used group selection to create gaps of different sizes (SG: small-gap, ~ 0.12 ha; MG: medium-gap, ~ 0.25 ha; and LG: large-gap, ~ 0.50 ha). Additional cultural treatments were applied in a split-plot design, including an untreated control (NT), herbicide control of woody and herbaceous vegetation (H), and the herbicide treatment plus fertilizer (H+F). We monitored artificially regenerated longleaf pine seedling mortality and growth, measured the response of ground layer vegetation, and quantified resource availability over the first three growing seasons after harvesting. Longleaf pine seedling mortality was highest in the first growing season, but by the end of three growing seasons mortality averaged 55%. Mortality was highest on Clearcut plots and increased from the forest edge to the gap interior in gap plots, demonstrating a facilitation effect of canopy trees on seedling survival in the first year after planting. Canopy trees showed a competition effect on seedling root collar diameter and the percentage of trees in height growth, with the highest growth rates on Clearcut plots and very little growth over three years on Control plots. Average seedling root collar diameter in gap plots did not differ from that in Clearcut plots, although seedling size increased from the forest edge to the gap interior. The H and H+F treatments did not affect cumulative mortality or seedling size after two or three growing seasons. Canopy manipulation strongly affected light availability at the forest floor, with a negative exponential relationship between canopy density and canopy light transmittance and increasing light availability from the canopy edge to the gap center in each gap. Light transmittance was higher on the northern half of gaps than on the southern half of gaps, and average light transmittance increased with gap size. Soil moisture at 6 cm in the soil did not differ among canopy treatments or by within-gap position, but soil moisture at 60 and 100 cm in the soil profile was greater within canopy openings than beneath the canopy. Total soil nitrogen was highest north of gap center in LG plots, but there were no effects of within-gap position on foliar nitrogen of longleaf pine seedlings. Our results suggest that light is the most limiting resource for longleaf pine seedlings but that competition for below-ground resources, which is temporally more variable, also affects seedling response. The ground layer was dominated by herbaceous vegetation in each growing season, and the study treatments did not affect the relative dominance of functional groups. In the uniform plots, vegetation cover increased following canopy removal, with the lowest cover of vegetation on Control plots and the highest cover on Clearcut and LowBA plots in each growing season. Similar patterns were observed for woody vegetation, but cover of herbaceous vegetation was not significantly different among canopy treatments in the third growing season. Harvesting released woody stems into the midstory, with higher stem densities in Clearcut and LowBA plots than in MedBA and Control plots. The herbicide treatments reduced woody stems in the second growing season, but the effect was not significant after three years. Species richness did not differ among the study treatments, and patterns of species composition were most strongly affected by site-specific factors. At a local scale, species composition shifted to early successional species following harvesting. To reduce the development of a woody midstory and retain canopy trees for other ecological services, we recommend using single-tree selection to thin stands to a residual basal area between 5 and 8 m2/ha. Additionally, small gaps (0.1 ha) may be used to distribute local patches of longleaf pine regeneration throughout existing loblolly pine stands. In stands with high densities of woody stems, herbicides can be used to target hardwoods to improve the structure of the ground layer vegetation. Ultimately, frequent fire will be necessary to maintain the desired ecosystem structure over the long time periods

Opioid use Treatment via Telemedicine: Treatment Options for Rural Maine

The ongoing opioid crisis has overwhelmed the traditional opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment resources across America. The treatment resources in rural communities have been especially hard hit as geographic and financial barriers limit service capacity. Telemedicine, or medicine delivered via remote means, has been proposed as a potential solution to the lack of conventional opioid treatment resources in rural Maine. Current legalities in the US prohibit telemedicine being used to prescribe opioid agonist drugs, and insurance reimbursement for telemedicine remains a major barrier. This qualitative content analysis looks at the existing research on telemedicine\u27s treatment efficacy for use with OUD as well as the logistical strengths and challenges inherent in the implementation of telemedicine for rural communities. Peer reviewed academic journal articles from the past five years were selected based on their inclusion of content directly related to remotely delivered OUD treatment. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in the existing use of telemedicine for OUD treatment delivery. These findings expose the limited data available on telemedicine as an independent OUD treatment modality, but also highlight the strengths of using telemedicine in support of traditional care

Issues Related to the Emergence of the Information Superhighway and California Societal Changes, IISTPS Report 96-4

The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies (IISTPS) at San José State University (SJSU) conducted this project to review the continuing development of the Internet and the Information Superhighway. Emphasis was placed on an examination of the impact on commuting and working patterns in California, and an analysis of how public transportation agencies, including Caltrans, might take advantage of the new communications technologies. The document reviews the technology underlying the current Internet “structure” and examines anticipated developments. It is important to note that much of the research for this limited-scope project was conducted during 1995, and the topic is so rapidly evolving that some information is almost automatically “dated.” The report also examines how transportation agencies are basically similar in structure and function to other business entities, and how they can continue to utilize the emerging technologies to improve internal and external communications. As part of a detailed discussion of specific transportation agency functions, it is noted that the concept of a “Roundtable Forum,” growing out of developments in Concurrent Engineering, can provide an opportunity for representatives from multiple jurisdictions to utilize the Internet for more coordinated decision-making. The report also included an extensive analysis of demographic trends in California in recent years, such as commute and recreational activities, and identifies how the emerging technologies may impact future changes

The Close Binary Fraction of Dwarf M Stars

We describe a search for close spectroscopic dwarf M star binaries using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to address the question of the rate of occurrence of multiplicity in M dwarfs. We use a template-fitting technique to measure radial velocities from 145,888 individual spectra obtained for a magnitude-limited sample of 39,543 M dwarfs. Typically, the three or four spectra observed for each star are separated in time by less than four hours, but for ~17% of the stars, the individual observations span more than two days. In these cases we are sensitive to large-amplitude radial velocity variations on timescales comparable to the separation between the observations. We use a control sample of objects having observations taken within a four-hour period to make an empirical estimate of the underlying radial velocity error distribution and simulate our detection efficiency for a wide range of binary star systems. We find the frequency of binaries among the dwarf M stars with a < 0.4 AU to be 3%-4%. Comparison with other samples of binary stars demonstrates that the close binary fraction, like the total binary fraction, is an increasing function of primary mass

Biosignal-driven Art: Beyond biofeedback

Biosignal monitoring in interactive arts, although present for over forty years, remains a relatively little known field of research within the artistic community as compared to other sensing technologies. Since the early 1960s, an ever-increasing number of artists have collaborated with neuroscientists, physicians and electrical engineers, in order to devise means that allow for the acquisition of the minuscule electrical potentials generated by the human body. This has enabled direct manifestations of human physiology to be incorporated into interactive artworks. This paper presents an introduction to this field of artistic practice and scientific research that uses human physiology as its main element. A brief introduction to the main concepts and history of biosignal-driven art is followed by a review of various artworks and scientific enquiry developed by the authors. This aims at giving a complete overview of the various strategies developed for biosignal-driven interactive art

The Emotion in Motion Experiment: Using an Interactive Installation as a Means for Understanding Emotional Response to Music

n order to further understand our emotional reaction to music, a museum-based installation was designed to collect physiological and self-report data from people listening to music. This demo will describe the technical implementation of this installation as a tool for collecting large samples of data in public spaces. The Emotion in Motion terminal is built upon a standard desktop computer running Max/MSP and using sensors that measure physiological indicators of emotion that are connected to an Arduino. The terminal has been installed in museums and galleries in Europe and the USA, helping create the largest database of physiology and self-report data while listening to music

Socio-psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people's engagement in pollinator conservation

1. Nature conservation often depends on the behaviour of individuals, which can bedriven by socio-psychological factors such as a person's attitude, knowledge andidentity. Despite extensive ecological research about pollinator declines, there hasbeen almost no social research assessing the drivers of people's engagement inpollinator conservation.2. To address this gap, we used a large-scale, online questionnaire in the UnitedKingdom, broadly framed around the Theory of Planned Behaviour. We received atotal of 1,275 responses from a wide range of ages, incomes and education levels,despite a selection bias towards people with a pre-existing interest in pollinators.3. A range of socio-psychological factors predicted people's pollinator conservation actions and explained 45% of the variation. Respondents’ diversity of natureinteractions and perceived behavioural control (feeling able to help pollinators)were consistently important predictors of people's pollinator conservation actions, whilst the importance of other socio-psychological factors depended onthe particular action.4. Notably, knowledge was far less important overall than people's perceptions andother socio-psychological factors, highlighting a knowledge-action gap. Furtherunexplained variation in people's behaviour could partly be due by structural andcontextual factors, particularly regarding social norms around tidiness.5. From a practical perspective, our findings reveal three main insights. First, several simple, low-cost pollinator conservation actions (reduced mowing, leavingareas unmown and creating patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees)are currently under-utilised so should be priorities for pollinator conservationprogrammes.6. Second, strategies are needed to overcome reported practical barriers, for example by providing free resources (e.g. seeds of pollen- and nectar-rich plants) andcommunicating simple beneficial actions that can be carried out with limited time,space and money

AffecTech- an affect-aware interactive AV Artwork

New developments in real-time computing and body-worn sensor technology allow us to explore not just visible gestures using inertial sensors, but also invisible changes in an individual’s physiological state using bio-sensors (Kim & André 2008). This creates an opportunity for a more intimate interaction between the observer and technology-based art (Gonsalves 2008). We present a technical overview of the AffecTech system; a bio-signal based interactive audio- visual installation commissioned as part of the pre-ISEA symposium in November 2008. Observers were invited to sit on one of 2 sensor-enhanced chairs (Coghlan & Knapp 2008), which transmitted physiological data about the occupant to a central control system. This data was used to control and modulate interactive visuals, live video feeds and a surround sound score, with events and interactions dependent on the observers’ affective/emotional state and the disparity or similarity between the bio-signals of the chairs occupants. This technical overview is followed by an examination of the outcomes of the project, from both the artistic and technical viewpoints, with recommendations for modification in future implementations

Cultural Resource Survey of the U.S. Highway 67 Water Improvement Project, City of Presidio, Presidio County, Texas

The City of Presidio is proposing to upgrade their water distribution system, provide services to the Colonia of Las Pampas, north of Presidio, and improve the overall water system reliability to accommodate these additional demands. Following a review of the proposed undertaking, the Texas Historic Commission (THC) recommended that a cultural resource survey be performed (THC letter dated October 21, 2015). To meet its responsibilities under existing State and Federal statutes, the City contracted TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) of Austin to conduct the necessary cultural resource survey. Subsequently, TRC archeologists submitted a Texas Antiquities Permit Application to the THC, and Antiquities Permit #7722 was issued to archeologist Benjamin G. Bury, who served as Principal Investigator. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) consists of approximately 8.18 acres and includes the existing Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) ROW along U.S. 67 and two 0.02 acre parcels adjacent to the ROW that are currently privately owned, but will be acquired by TxDOT as new ROW easements prior to construction. The project will be funded by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC). Given the involvement of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) with the BECC, the USEPA is the lead federal agency for this effort. Fieldwork was conducted on July 26th and July 27th, 2016. The field effort consisted of a systematic pedestrian survey at 15 m (50 ft.) intervals across the APE. Cultural resources documented during the survey included one historic site (41PS1220) and three isolated core reduction flakes that were widely separated and not associated with any other cultural materials. Site 41PS1220 consists of mid-to late-20th century trash left from informal dumping along U.S. 67. The dumping ground has been graded smooth in the last 30 years. Consequently, site materials are in a secondary context. Given these disturbances, TRC recommends that site 41PS1220 is not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or qualified for nomination as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). Additionally, one previously recorded site (41PS346) recorded within the ROW in 1976 was not relocated during the investigation, and has likely been significantly redeposited during previous road maintenance activities. TRC recommends that the portion of site 41PS346 within the U.S. 67 ROW is not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP or qualified for nomination as a SAL. Therefore, TRC recommends the project proceed as planned