A note on the Hybrid Soil Moisture Deficit Model v2.0

peer-reviewedThe Hybrid Soil Moisture Deficit (HSMD) model has been used for a wide range of applications, including modelling of grassland productivity and utilisation, assessment of agricultural management opportunities such as slurry spreading, predicting nutrient emissions to the environment and risks of pathogen transfer to water. In the decade since its publication, various ad hoc modifications have been developed and the recent publication of the Irish Soil Information System has facilitated improved assessment of the spatial soil moisture dynamics. In this short note, we formally present a new version of the model (HSMD2.0), which includes two new soil drainage classes, as well as an optional module to account for the topographic wetness index at any location. In addition, we present a new Indicative Soil Drainage Map for Ireland, based on the Irish Soil Classification system, developed as part of the Irish Soil Information System

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to muscular atrophy, progressive loss of muscle control, paralysis, and death. This is a review of the ALS Association web site. The site continues to provide ALS patients and caregivers with current resources for managing life with ALS, and it provides researchers and healthcare professionals with access to evidence-based information on the latest scholarship, and guidelines for the most effective therapies and treatments for ALS. The ALS Association website remains an authoritative resource for anyone seeking quality information about ALS

Remission vs low disease activity: function, quality of life and structural outcomes in the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Study and Network

Objectives To examine associations between function, quality of life and structural outcomes in patients achieving remission vs low disease activity in early RA. Methods Demographic, clinical and radiographic variables were collected at baseline and then annually from the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Study (ERAS) and Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Network (ERAN) inception cohorts in routine care from 1986 to 2012. Disease activity was categorized: mean DAS28 score between years 1 and 5: remission [mean remission DAS (mRDAS) <2.6] or low [mean low DAS (mLDAS) 2.6–3.2]; sustained low/remission DAS28 (sLDAS/sRDAS) at years 1 and 2; and sustained Boolean remission (sBR) at years 1 and 2. Changes in HAQ and Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire [SF-36; physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component score]) and total Sharp van der Heijde (SvdH) scores for each disease activity category were modelled using multi-level models. Covariates included year of onset, age, gender and DMARD use at first visit. Results Of 2701 patients, 562 (21%) were categorized mRDAS, 330 (12%) mLDAS, 279 (10%) sRDAS, 203 (7.5%) sLDAS and 93 (3%) sBR. Patients categorized as mRDAS had increasingly divergent improved HAQ, SF-36 PCS, MCS and total SvdH scores compared with mLDAS (P-values 0.001 to <0.0001, all time points). Patients categorized as sRDAS had better HAQ, SF-36 PCS and MCS scores (P-values 0.05 to <0.0001, all time points) and SvdH scores (P = 0.05, years 3–5) over sLDAS. sBR was associated with better HAQ, and SF-36 PCS and MCS scores over sLDAS (P-values 0.002 to <0.0001, all time points). Conclusion These findings from routine care support ACR/EULAR guidelines that remission is a preferable goal over low disease activity in early RA.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Pedotransfer functions for Irish soils – estimation of bulk density (ρb) per horizon type

This work was conducted as part of the Irish Soil Information System Project, managed by Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and co-funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ireland through their Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) Programme, as part of the National Development Plan 2007–2013.peer-reviewedSoil bulk density is a key property in defining soil characteristics. It describes the packing structure of the soil and is also essential for the measurement of soil carbon stock and nutrient assessment. In many older surveys this property was neglected and in many modern surveys this property is omitted due to cost both in laboratory and labour and in cases where the core method cannot be applied. To overcome these oversights pedotransfer functions are applied using other known soil properties to estimate bulk density. Pedotransfer functions have been derived from large international data sets across many studies, with their own inherent biases, many ignoring horizonation and depth variances. Initially pedotransfer functions from the literature were used to predict different horizon type bulk densities using local known bulk density data sets. Then the best performing of the pedotransfer functions were selected to recalibrate and then were validated again using the known data. The predicted co-efficient of determination was 0.5 or greater in 12 of the 17 horizon types studied. These new equations allowed gap filling where bulk density data were missing in part or whole soil profiles. This then allowed the development of an indicative soil bulk density map for Ireland at 0–30 and 30–50 cm horizon depths. In general the horizons with the largest known data sets had the best predictions, using the recalibrated and validated pedotransfer functions.Environmental Protection Agenc

Functional Land Management: Bridging the Think-Do-Gap using a multi-stakeholder science policy interface

peer-reviewedFunctional Land Management (FLM) is proposed as an integrator for sustainability policies and assesses the functional capacity of the soil and land to deliver primary productivity, water purification and regulation, carbon cycling and storage, habitat for biodiversity and recycling of nutrients. This paper presents the catchment challenge as a method to bridge the gap between science, stakeholders and policy for the effective management of soils to deliver these functions. Two challenges were completed by a wide range of stakeholders focused around a physical catchment model—(1) to design an optimised catchment based on soil function targets, (2) identify gaps to implementation of the proposed design. In challenge 1, a high level of consensus between different stakeholders emerged on soil and management measures to be implemented to achieve soil function targets. Key gaps including knowledge, a mix of market and voluntary incentives and mandatory measures were identified in challenge 2.This work was in part conducted under the Soil Quality Assessment Research (SQUARE) Project, Reference No: 13S468 funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007–2013. This study was completed as part of the LANDMARK (LAND Management: Assessment, Research, Knowledge Base) project. LANDMARK has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 635201. This work has also received funding as part of the SoilCare project from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 677407

Data Curation and Management Competencies of New England Region Health Sciences and Science and Technology Librarians

Objective: To identify specific data curation and management competencies that would aid in the continued development of a data management curriculum and professional development supporting New England health sciences and science and technology librarians, and to gather data on the nature and progress of data services being provided by these librarians and those being demanded by their patrons. Methodology: Based on a content analysis of data services and e-science librarian job postings, selected library and information science schools¹ programs and curricula, and published case studies and related best practices, the team researched and developed questions for the survey. An assessment was created using SurveyMonkey. A small group of medical librarians tested the survey and offered feedback. The survey was revised and then disseminated to New England health sciences and science and technology librarians. After three weeks, the team collected and analyzed the results. Results and Conclusion: A quarter of respondents surveyed stated that they are already managing and curating data sets. This number has nearly doubled since the team\u27s 2009 assessment of New England health sciences and science and technology librarians engaged in e-science. Almost half of respondents will be providing these services in the future; almost three quarters of respondents stated their library has or is in the process of creating a data management policy. Their responses to the competencies suggest that the portal curriculum focus on technical resources that would develop librarians¹ competencies in data literacy, curation and management by teaching skills such as scripting and programming languages and metadata and interoperability standards, as well as skills necessary to administer an institutional data repository. The data also suggest that a curriculum provide resources that address the non-technical competencies necessary to develop a data management policy, understand intellectual property and scholarly communication related to data. This research is helping the University of Massachusetts Medical School Lamar Soutter Library and National Network of National Libraries of Medicine New England Region (NN/LM NER) to develop its E-Science Portal data management curriculum and in-person professional development programming for its regional librarians engaged in e-science activities. In addition, this assessment illuminates the many challenges that health sciences libraries in New England are facing trying to engage in e-science. Thus, an area for future investigation is the strategies that libraries are using to deal with these challenges and overcome these obstacles

Assessment of health sciences and science and technology librarian e-science educational needs to develop an e-science web portal for librarians

In the summer of 2009, the Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School applied for and was awarded funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NN/LM NER), to begin the construction of an e-science educational web portal specifically for librarians. The e-science web portal team\u27s first task was to assess the region\u27s health sciences and science and technology librarians and their e-science needs and learner preferences in order to help guide and inform the construction of the portal. The objectives of this assessment were threefold. The first was to establish that there was indeed a need for an e-science portal for librarians. The second was to examine what types of e-science and data services were being undertaken by these librarians and their libraries in New England. The third was to identify the background of the region\u27s health sciences and science and technology librarians as well as their educational needs and Web 2.0 tool preferences in order to develop the scope and transmission mechanism of online educational materials concerning e-science. Using feedback from librarian interviews from attendees of an e-science symposium and boot-camp, we researched and developed questions to survey learner needs. The results of the survey clearly show that a small, but significant number of New England libraries serving the health sciences are currently engaged in e-science activities within their institutions or with other institutions and that a larger group of health sciences and science and technology librarians see potential for e-science collaborations in the future. These results, from a sizeable representative sample of respondents, clearly establish that an e-science web portal specifically for librarians is both wanted and needed by New England\u27s library community. These results also show a regional demand for a portal centralizing e-science and data services tools and scientific content tutorials to serve patrons in basic as well as emerging information technology and data-intensive scientific disciplines. Moreover, the results present a community that is comfortable utilizing a variety of educational Web 2.0 tools for its self-guided learning and that is interested in future continuing education and professional development opportunities focusing on e-science