Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States

The ongoing debate about costs and benefits of wood-pellet based bioenergy production in the southeastern United States (SE USA) requires an understanding of the science and context influencing market decisions associated with its sustainability. Production of pellets has garnered much attention as US exports have grown from negligible amounts in the early 2000s to 4.6 million metric tonnes in 2015. Currently, 98% of these pellet exports are shipped to Europe to displace coal in power plants. We ask, ‘How is the production of wood pellets in the SE USA affecting forest systems and the ecosystem services they provide?’ To address this question, we review current forest conditions and the status of the wood products industry, how pellet production affects ecosystem services and biodiversity, and what methods are in place to monitor changes and protect vulnerable systems. Scientific studies provide evidence that wood pellets in the SE USA are a fraction of total forestry operations and can be produced while maintaining or improving forest ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are protected by the requirement to utilize loggers trained to apply scientifically based best management practices in planning and implementing harvest for the export market. Bioenergy markets supplement incomes to private rural landholders and provide an incentive for forest management practices that simultaneously benefit water quality and wildlife and reduce risk of fire and insect outbreaks. Bioenergy also increases the value of forest land to landowners, thereby decreasing likelihood of conversion to nonforest uses. Monitoring and evaluation are essential to verify that regulations and good practices are achieving goals and to enable timely responses if problems arise. Conducting rigorous research to understand how conditions change in response to management choices requires baseline data, monitoring, and appropriate reference scenarios. Long-term monitoring data on forest conditions should be publicly accessible and utilized to inform adaptive management

Антикризисное управление

Учебно-методический комплекс (УМК) по учебной дисциплине «Ан-тикризисное управление» создан в соответствии с требованиями Положения об учебно-методическом комплексе на уровне высшего образования, утвер-жденного постановлением Министерства образования Республики Беларусь от 26.07.2011 № 167, предназначен для реализации содержания образова-тельной программы для обучающихся первой ступени высшего образования для студентов специальности 1-26 02-02 «Менеджмент». Содержание разделов УМК соответствует образовательному стандарту высшего образования данной специальности. Главная цель УМК – оказание методической помощи магистрантам в освоении и систематизации учебного материала в процессе обучения и под-готовки к аттестации по дисциплине «Антикризисное управление». УМК включает: 1. Теоретический раздел (конспект лекций, аннотированный перечень основных учебных и научно-практических изданий). 2. Практический раздел (тематика практических занятий по дисци-плине в соответствии с учебным планом и учебной программой). 3. Контроль работы обучающихся (материалы для текущей аттестации, позволяющие определить соответствие учебной деятельности обучающихся требованиям образовательного стандарта высшего образования и учебно-программной документации, в т.ч. вопросы для подготовки к зачету). 4. Вспомогательный раздел (содержание учебного материала учебной дисциплины; методические рекомендации по организации самостоятельной работы магистрантов; информационно-аналитические материалы: список ре-комендуемой литературы, перечень электронных ресурсов и их адреса; при-мерный перечень тем для написания рефератов). Работа с УМК должна включать на первом этапе ознакомление с со-держанием учебного материала учебной дисциплины, посредством которого можно получить информацию о тематике лекций и практических занятий, перечнях рассматриваемых вопросов и рекомендуемой для их изучения ли-тературы. Для подготовки к практическим занятиям необходимо использо-вать материалы, представленные в Теоретическом и Практическом разделах. В основу структуры программы легла учебная программа «Антикри-зисное управление» Белорусского государственного университета для выс-ших учебных заведений по специальности Э.01.03.00 «Экономика и управле-ния на предприятии» (регистрационный № ТД-182/баз.)

Prospective associations of four nutrient profiles with weigh gain, overweight and obesity risk

Background: Nutrient Profiling Systems (NPSs), including the UK Food Standards Agency NPS and its variants are used to classify foods according to their nutritional composition for nutrition policies. The prospective validity of these NPSs requires however further investigation. The study investigates the associations of the original Food Standards Agency (FSA)- NPS and three variants - the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC), the Health Star Rating (HSR) system NPS and the French NPS (HCSP-NPS) -, which are used as a basis for nutrition policies, with weight status. Methods: Dietary indices based on each of the four investigated NPSs applied at the food level were computed at the individual level to characterize the diet quality of 71,178 French individuals from the NutriNet-Sante´ cohort. Associations of these Dietary Indices (DIs) (as tertiles) with weight gain were assessed using multivariable mixed models, and with overweight and obesity risks using multivariable Cox models. Results: For the four NPSs, participants with a lower diet nutritional quality were more likely to have an increase in body mass index over time (median follow-up of 3.14 2.76 years, beta coefficients positive, all p 0.0001), and an increased risk of overweight (HRT3vs.T1=1.27 [1.17-1.37] for the HCSP-DI, followed by the original FSA-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.18 [1.09- 1.28], the NPSC-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.14 [1.06-1.24] and the HSR-DI, HRT3vs.T1=1.12 [1.04-1.21]). Whilst differences were small, the HCSP-DI appeared to show significantly greater association with risk of overweight compared to other NPS. Conclusions: Less healthy diets defined using the Food Standards AgencyNPS and related systems were all associated with weight gain and overweight risk. Demonstrating this association with health outcomes is an important indicator of one validity dimension of NPSs and supports their use in public policies for the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases

Prospective associations of the original Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system and three variants with weight gain, overweight and obesity risk: results from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort

Nutrient profiling systems (NPS) are used to classify foods according to their nutritional composition. However, investigating their prospective associations with health is key to their validation. The study investigated the associations of the original Food Standards Agency (FSA)-NPS and three variants (Food Standards Australia New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC), Health Star Rating NPS and the French High Council of Public Health NPS (HCSP-NPS)), with weight status. Individual dietary indices based on each NPS at the food level were computed to characterise the dietary quality of 71 403 French individuals from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Associations of these indices with weight gain were assessed using mixed models and with overweight and obesity risks using Cox models. Participants with a higher dietary index (reflecting lower diet nutritional quality) were more likely to have a significant increase in BMI over time (β-coefficients positive) and an increased risk of overweight (hazard ratio (HR) T3 v. T1 = 1·27 (95 % CI 1·17, 1·37)) for the HCSP-Dietary Index, followed by the original FSA-Dietary Index (HR T3 v. T1 = 1·18 (95 % CI 1·09, 1·28)), the NPSC-Dietary Index (HR T3 v. T1 = 1·14 (95 % CI 1·06, 1·24)) and the Health Star Rating-Dietary Index (HR T3 v. T1 = 1·12 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·21)). Whilst differences were small, the HCSP-Dietary Index appeared to show significantly greater association with overweight risk. Overall, these results show the validity of NPS derived from the FSA-NPS, supporting their use in public policies for chronic disease prevention

Obesity as a predictor of treatment-related toxicity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Abstract Obesity is associated with poor outcomes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). We explored whether severe treatment-related toxicity and treatment delays could explain this observation. This study included 1 443 children aged 2·0–17·9 years with ALL treated with the Nordic Society of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO) ALL2008 non-high-risk protocol. Prospective treatment-related toxicities registered every three-month interval were used. Patients were classified according to sex- and age-adjusted international childhood cut-off values, corresponding to adult body mass index: underweight, <17 kg/m²; healthy weight, 17 to <25 kg/m² overweight 25 to <30 kg/m²; and obese, ≥30 kg/m². Obese children had a higher incidence rate ratio (IRR) for severe toxic events {IRR: 1·55 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·07–2·50]}, liver and kidney failures, bleeding, abdominal complication, suspected unexpected severe adverse reactions and hyperlipidaemia compared with healthy-weight children. Obese children aged ≥10 years had increased IRRs for asparaginase-related toxicities compared with healthy-weight older children: thromboses [IRR 2·87 (95% CI 1·00–8·21)] and anaphylactic reactions [IRR 7·95 (95% CI 2·15–29·37)] as well as higher risk for truncation of asparaginase [IRR 3·54 (95% CI 1·67–7·50)]. The high prevalence of toxicity and a higher risk of truncation of asparaginase may play a role in the poor prognosis of obese children aged ≥10 years with ALL