Influence of Silvicultural Treatment, Site Characteristics, and Land Use History on Native and Nonnative Forest Understory Plant Composition on the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Maine

This study investigates forest understory plant diversity and composition in managed and unmanaged stands within the context of a long-term silvicultural experiment in the Acadian Forest of Maine. I examined the effects of silvicultural intensity and past land use on understory plant species diversity and composition. Silvicultural treatments include three variants of the selection system, three variants of the shelterwood system, modified and fixed diameter-limit cutting, and an unregulated harvest. Two types of unmanaged stands were studied: a continuously forested natural area and secondary forest stands on old fields. Chapter 1 presents analysis of understory plant diversity and composition in managed and unmanaged stands; patterns were examined in relation to site history, current management or use, and environmental factors such as overstory composition, basal area, canopy openness, and soil drainage. A total of 234 species were found in 317 plots. The old field stands had a richer and more diverse understory than all other treatments. In continuously forested managed and unmanaged treatments, understory species richness and diversity generally declined with decreasing silvicultural intensity. Stands without an agricultural history were more similar in understory composition than old field stands. Differences in diversity and composition of understory plants appear to be related to canopy composition and forest floor disturbance. Old field stands were characterized by an overstory dominated by hardwoods and had greater mineral soil cover, while all other treatments were conifer-dominated and had greater basal area and more softwood litter cover. Softwood basal area was the best predictor of understory species diversity and richness in the continuously forested areas of the PEF. All continuously forested stands, including those treated with silviculture, were composed of native forest plant species typical of the Acadian Forest, though plots in the natural area and unregulated harvest treatment included a few normative invasive plant seedlings. The understory composition of the old fields contained 13 normative species, nine normative invasive species, and a greater component of early successional ruderals than the continuously forested stands. While silvicultural treatments are associated with understory plant compositional changes, these differences are slight in comparison to the effects of an agricultural past. Continued monitoring of the understory vegetation is needed to understand the short- and long-term responses of understory plant populations to silvicultural treatment. In Chapter 2, I further explore the pattern of normative invasive plant abundance and distribution on the PEF. Multivariate ordination of data from the old field stands revealed positive associations between invasive plants and exposed mineral soil and percent hardwood basal area. Spearman correlation analysis indicated the percent cover of invasive plants was negatively correlated with distance from a roadside, hardwood litter cover, and organic horizon thickness. Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) was the most frequent invasive species in the old field stands, and its distribution was not correlated with any of the observed environmental variables. An investigation of invasive plant occurrences in the silvicultural experiment area of the PEF assessed invasive plant encroachment. Meander surveys revealed that invasive plants were infrequent and were most often found close to woods roads and trails. Frangula alnus was the most frequent invasive plant in the silvicultural experiment area. The majority of invasive plant occurrences were in two locations: one replicate of the unregulated harvest and the natural area. These two areas are in close proximity to large invasive seed sources, and both areas have a greater degree of recreational or silvicultural disturbance, which is associated with invasive plant presence. Monitoring of the normative invasive plants will yield needed information about their patterns of establishment in a conifer-dominated Acadian Forest. The prevalence of invasive species in the old fields warrants immediate action to prevent their spread into the managed areas of the PEF. An invasive species management plan should be implemented to protect the integrity of the long-term experiment and biodiversity at the PEF. A successful and cost-effective control strategy can only occur if applied while invasive plant populations are still small and sparse

Orientalism redeployed : art as cultural self-critique and self-representation

This paper looks at special exhibitions and galleries holdings of "Western" Orientalist art of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This was art produced for the "West" in the early stages of its imperialist interest in the Middle East and our project focuses on the conditions under which this art emerged. Taking as our theoretical context the legacy of Edward W. Said’s study, Orientalism, we initially focussed our attention upon nationally legitimated UK museums’ presentation of cultural objects produced in the Middle East to a ‘Western’ audience (see Bryce and Carnegie 2013). Drawing on, for example, recent exhibitions in the UK (Bellini and the East. National Gallery 2006, The Lure of the East: British Orientalist painting. Tate Britain. 2008), and the USA (The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme, Getty) our study now explores the recent reappraisal of this body of art in western galleries as means of self-critique amidst "post 9/11" discourses. We additionally, examine the recent interest in, acquisition of, and display of Orientalist art in Turkish and Middle Eastern collections as a powerful statement of agency and a means to observe the self through the gaze of the Western "other." Our research question is, to what extent are these twin deployments of this problematic genre of art part of a wider, potentially unifying discursive formation

Rewriting the History of the Native Mounted Police in Queensland

The Archaeology of the Native Mounted Police in Queensland project, jointly led by Nulungu research fellow Dr Lynley Wallis, is a long-overdue exploration into the nature of frontier invasion. Several of our team members have worked in Queensland for many decades and, in every Aboriginal community in which we’ve worked, stories are told about the ‘killing times’ or the ‘war’, as community members call the period when the Native Mounted Police (NMP, also referred to as the ‘Native Police’) were operating. Many community members have asked us over the years to record their stories about the massacres that took place, or have shown us places associated with the police camps or the massacre sites, and often told us that they would like to know more about what happened. These requests eventually led to the archaeologists on this project coming together, talking with key Aboriginal people and communities, and developing a research project to address their interests — the project described in this paper is the result.https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/nulungu_insights/1000/thumbnail.jp

Striving for Resilience in Virginia\u27s Transportation Sector

To help address the need for increased resiliency in the Commonwealth’s transportation sector, and in furtherance of the goals set forth in the VDOT [Virginia Department of Transportation] Resilience Plan, this white paper highlights green infrastructure and natural and nature-based features as ways to increase resilience for transportation infrastructure and mitigating impacts from climate change. Additionally, this paper describes potential methods of incorporating resilient best practices with respect to Virginia’s transportation infrastructure and planning decisions. This abstract has been taken from the paper\u27s Section I, Background

The development of professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses

Aims The aim of this study was to explore the current role of general practice nurses and the scope of nursing practice to inform the development of national professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses. Background Increasing numbers of nurses have been employed in Australian general practice to meet the growing demand for primary care services. This has brought significant changes to the nursing role. Competency standards for nurses working in general practice were first developed in Australia in 2005, but limited attention has been placed on articulating the contemporary scope of practice for nurses in this setting. Design Concurrent mixed methods design. Methods Data collection was conducted during 2013-2014 and involved two online surveys of Registered and Enrolled Nurses currently working in general practice, a series of 14 focus groups across Australia and a series of consultations with key experts. Findings Data collection enabled the development of 22 Practice Standards separated into four domains: (i) Professional Practice; (ii) Nursing Care; (iii) General Practice Environment and (iv) Collaborative Practice. To differentiate the variations in enacting these Standards, performance indicators for the Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse Advanced Practice are provided under each Standard. Conclusion The development of national professional practice standards for nurses working in Australian general practice will support ongoing workforce development. These Standards are also an important means of articulating the role and scope of the nurses\u27 practice for both consumers and other health professionals, as well as being a guide for curriculum development and measurement of performance

The characterization, management, and future considerations for ErbB-family TKI-associated diarrhea.

PurposeDiarrhea is recognized as a common adverse event associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), with those targeting the ErbB family of receptors being associated with the highest rate of diarrhea.MethodsThis paper reviews data on the incidence, timing, and duration of diarrhea associated with US Food and Drug Administration-approved ErbB family-targeted TKIs from the published literature, and sets forth recommendations for management.ResultsIn the absence of anti-diarrheal prophylaxis the incidence of any-grade diarrhea varies and typically occurs early during the course of treatment. Although it is difficult to determine if the incidence and severity of diarrhea is related to inhibition of a particular kinase target because of the multi-targeted and overlapping activity of many agents, evidence suggests that second-generation TKIs with broader target profiles (i.e., afatinib, lapatinib, neratinib) result in a higher incidence of diarrhea compared with highly specific first- (erlotinib, gefitinib) or third- (osimertinib) generation agents. The mechanisms responsible for TKI-associated diarrhea are not fully understood and are likely multi-factorial, involving dysregulated ion transport, inflammation, and mucosal injury. Management strategies have been developed-and continue to be refined-to prevent and reduce the severity and duration of TKI-associated diarrhea. For agents associated with more significant symptoms, anti-diarrheal prophylaxis reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhea, and ongoing studies are evaluating specific strategies to further reduce incidence and duration of TKI-associated diarrhea.ConclusionsContinued investigations into risk factors and pharmacogenomic markers for diarrhea may further improve management of this common toxicity

Specific Cognitive/Behavioral Domains Predict Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Severe Dementia

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have high prevalence in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD), with nearly 100% of individuals experiencing some type of symptom over the course of dementia (Tschanz et al, 2011). The occurrence of NPS is highly variable and fluctuates in severity (Tschanz et al., 2016). Their occurrence differs by type of dementia and increases over time (Kazui et al., 2016). Although risk factors for NPS in ADRD have been studied (e.g., Steinberg et al., 2014; Treiber et al, 2008), greater understanding of the nature of NPS and their triggers is needed to inform care management strategies (Gauthier et al., 2010). While much research has examined NPS in mild-to-moderate dementia, fewer studies have examined NPS in severe dementia. We investigated the cognitive correlates of NPS in patients with severe dementia in a community-based sample, examining whether impairments in specific cognitive or behavioral domains were more predictive of specific NPS. We hypothesized that poorer cognitive abilities would be associated with more severe NPS (e.g., agitation) and higher cognitive scores with affective symptoms in severe dementia. Methods: Eighty-nine (27%) out of 328 total participants of a longitudinal study of dementia progression (the Cache County Dementia Progression Study) met criteria for severe dementia: Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score of ≤10 or Clinical Dementia Rating of 3 (severe). Forty-eight (54%) of these individuals completed the Severe Cognitive Impairment Profile (SCIP), which assessed the following domains: Comportment, Attention, Language, Memory, Motor, Conceptualization, Arithmetic, and Visuospatial abilities. NPS were assessed by caregiver report using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The NPI assesses delusions, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, irritability, apathy, agitation/aggression, judgement, aberrant motor behaviors, euphoria, sleep and appetite. Demographic information, overall health, place of residence (private home, assisted living facility and nursing home), and dementia duration were also assessed. NPI severity scores (intensity x frequency) were summed across domains to yield a total NPI score (Total NPI-12) and domain clusters of psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), affective symptoms (depression, anxiety, and irritability), apathy, and agitation/aggression were examined. Bivariate correlations between SCIP domain scores and Total NPI-12 and the domain clusters were examined. SCIP domain scores that were significantly correlated with NPI scores in bivariate analyses were entered into multiple regression models. Covariates tested included the age at which severe dementia criteria was met, the duration of dementia from age of onset, gender, place of residence, overall health and years of education. Results: Mean (SD) age and education were 86.23 (6.12) and 13.13 (3.13), respectively. Total NPI-12 scores showed significant correlations with the SCIP sub scores of comportment ( r = -0.36, p = 0.017) and memory (r = - 0.31, p = 0.047). Apathy significantly correlated with comportment (r = -0.38, p = 0.010) while agitation/aggression correlated with conceptualization (r = -0.41, p = 0.007), language (r = -0.36, p = 0.017), memory (r = -0.48, p = 0.001), and visuospatial ability (r = -0.31, p = 0.045). In multiple regression models (with inclusion of significant covariates), total NPI-12 scores were significantly associated with comportment (β = -1.32, SE = 0.56, p = 0.02); apathy was significantly associated with comportment (β = -0.01, SE = 0.02, p = 0.003); and agitation/aggression was significantly associated with memory (β = -0.43, SE = 0.12, p = 0.001). NPI affective and psychotic scores were not associated with any SCIP domains. Conclusion: In this sample of individuals with severe dementia, we found several cognitive or behavioral domains were associated with NPS. Poorer abilities in Comportment, which consisted of responses to social questions (e.g., greetings) were associated with more severe apathy, and poorer abilities in conceptualization, language, memory and visuospatial skills were associated with more severe agitation/aggression. With the latter, multiple regression models found only memory scores to independently predict agitation/aggression, reflecting moderate correlation between cognitive domains. Our results suggest that poor cognitive abilities may increase vulnerability to NPS, possibly as a result of impaired comprehension of activities and events in the environment. Cognitive testing may be useful to identify those at greatest risk for NPS. Furthermore, environmental manipulations that aim to decrease the complexity and therefore degree of stimulation for persons with dementia to a level more appropriate to their level of cognitive function may help reduce the occurrence of NPS in severe dementia