Examining the ecosystem service and social well-being contributions of beach grass (Ammophila breviligulata) and the implications for integrated coastal planning along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron, Canada

Beach grass (Ammophila breviligulata) is a key component in maintaining the stability of the prominent beach-dune ecosystems of the Lake Huron shoreline, with benefits to dependent species (e.g., piping plover) and those living along or visiting the shoreline (e.g., through the maintenance of public and private infrastructure for beach-front restaurants, cottages). The capacity of beach-dune ecosystems to respond favorably to climate change conditions also depend on the maintenance of intact beach grass populations. However, the human-environment interactions that determine how people perceive and respond to beach grass are poorly understood, despite the importance of beach grass to the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron (and throughout the Great Lakes basin). The goal of my research is to enhance opportunities for integrated coastal planning along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron by assessing the underlying drivers of change with regard to beach grass, and understanding how coastal resource users (e.g., property owners) perceive the benefits beach grasses provide (i.e., ecosystem services). The objectives of this research are: (1) examine how beach grass along the shoreline is changing and reasons for those changes from the perspective of property owners and shoreline visitors; (2) understand how perceptions of beach grass affect property owners and shoreline visitors’ behaviours and actions toward beach grass; (3) identify ecosystem services related to beach/dune grasses of value to property owners and visitors along the shoreline; (4) establish how beach grass changes are linked to the well-being (e.g., material, subjective and relational) from the perspective of property owners and shoreline visitors; and (5) generate insights to support and enhance current coastal planning efforts along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron. Several methods of data collection and analysis were used in this research, including a review of the literature, a structured survey that was completed online and on the phone by participants (n=123), and semi-structured interviews with key informants (n=4) (e.g., conservation authority and non-governmental organization representatives). The structured survey was limited to property owners and beach visitors of the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron and was designed to identify how people perceive and understand ecosystem services related to beach grass with which they are familiar, how they perceive and interact with beach grass and the implications for their own well-being (i.e., material, relational or subjective), and to gain insights on how to better manage beach grass along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron. The semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants offered additional context in terms of understanding beach grass changes and shoreline management issues reported in the survey data, initiatives in place to address these issues, and what types of management and conservation initiatives are needed to better address these issues and improve the social well-being of shoreline community members. Several key findings emerge from this research. First, human-caused drivers of change greatly impact regulating, supporting, and cultural beach grass ecosystem services which impact all dimensions of social well-being in both positive and negative manners. Second, human actions that support or hinder the conservation and protection of beach grass are primarily driven by the importance placed on regulating and cultural ecosystem services as well as their knowledge of them. Third, mitigative measures of convenience, education, targeting other values and social influence have been found to affect the knowledge and importance of beach grass ecosystem services, and thus impact social well-being. Shoreline community members, such as many of the survey respondents, play an important role in the conservation and management of beach grass along the Lake Huron shoreline, and therefore, are a driving force in the creation of their own well-being. The results of this research will serve to enhance coastal action planning by demonstrating how including impacts of beach grass change on social well-being (e.g., material or subjective benefits) and the drivers behind the human-environment of the shoreline can facilitate the improvement of the safety and well-being of the Lake Huron shoreline communities

CCN activation experiments with adipic acid: effect of particle phase and adipic acid coatings on soluble and insoluble particles

Slightly soluble atmospherically relevant organic compounds may influence particle CCN activity and therefore cloud formation. Adipic acid is a frequently employed surrogate for such slightly soluble organic materials. The 11 published experimental studies on the CCN activity of adipic acid particles are not consistent with each other nor do they, in most cases, agree with the Köhler theory. The CCN activity of adipic acid aerosol particles was studied over a significantly wider range of conditions than in any previous single study. The work spans the conditions of the previous studies and also provides alternate methods for producing "wet" (deliquesced solution droplets) and dry adipic acid particles without the need to produce them by atomization of aqueous solutions. The experiments suggest that the scatter in the previously published CCN measurements is most likely due to the difficulty of producing uncontaminated adipic acid particles by atomization of solutions and possibly also due to uncertainties in the calibration of the instruments. The CCN activation of the small (<i>d</i><sub><i>m</i></sub><150 nm) initially dry particles is subject to a deliquescence barrier, while for the larger particles the activation follows the Köhler curve. Wet adipic acid particles follow the Köhler curve over the full range of particle diameters studied. In addition, the effect of adipic acid coatings on the CCN activity of both soluble and insoluble particles has also been studied. When a water-soluble core is coated by adipic acid, the CCN-hindering effect of particle phase is eliminated. An adipic acid coating on hydrophobic soot yields a CCN active particle. If the soot particle is relatively small (<i>d</i><sub>core</sub>≤102 nm), the CCN activity of the coated particles approaches the deliquescence line of adipic acid, suggesting that the total size of the particle determines CCN activation and the soot core acts as a scaffold

Emotional labor and professional practice in sports medicine and science

The aim of the present study was to explore how sport medicine and science practitioners manage their emotions through emotional labor when engaging in professional practice in elite sport. To address the research aim a semi-structured interview design was adopted. Specifically, eighteen professional sport medicine and science staff provided interviews. The sample comprised sport and exercise psychologists (n = 6), strength and conditioning coaches (n = 5), physiotherapists (n = 5), one sports doctor and one generic sport scientist. Following a process of thematic analysis, the results were organized into the following overarching themes: (a) factors influencing emotional labor enactment, (b) emotional labor enactment and, (c) professional and personal outcomes. The findings provide a novel contribution to understanding the professional demands faced by practitioners, and are discussed in relation to the development of professional competencies and the welfare and performance of sport medics and scientists

Better Preparing Sports Psychologists for the Demands of Applied Practice: The Emotional Labor Training Gap

The aim of this manuscript was to investigate the emotional educational-training-practice gap in the professional formation of sport and exercise psychologists in the United Kingdom through the theoretical lens of emotional labor. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participant groups: master’s students (n = 5), trainee (n = 5), neophyte (n = 5) and experienced sport and exercise psychologists (n = 5). Adopting an interpretive epistemology, an abductive thematic analysis was conducted in relation to the participant groups recruited. Several overarching themes were identified in each participant group: (a) master’s students (emotional labor as theory, practice), (b) trainees (emotional labor to survive, a professional development tool), (c) neophytes (emotional labor as a new professional, self-care) and (d) experienced sport and exercise psychologists (emotional labor as a professional resource, lifelong learning). A synthesized list of applied recommendations to improve the professional formation of sport and exercise psychologists was developed based on the analysis. The themes extend sport and exercise psychology professional development literature and we make recommendations for educators, professional associations and regulatory bodies with regard to: (a) bridging the emotional labor and experiential gap when transitioning between development phases via collaborative and innovative educational provision; (b) supporting the development of skills relating to the enactment of emotional labor, and; (c) consider support mechanisms for student/trainee/neophyte safeguarding and welfare issues as a result of the emotion-laden transactions in professional practice. The implications for future pedagogy, andragogy and research are discussed

Extracorporeal Photopheresis versus Anticytokine Therapy as a Second-Line Treatment for Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD: A Multicenter Comparative Analysis

AbstractThe optimal therapy for steroid-refractory (SR) acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is undefined. We studied patients with SR aGVHD, comparing extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP; n = 57) and anticytokine therapy (n = 41). In multivariate analyses, ECP, adjusted for steroid dose (odds ratio, 3.42; P = .007), and grade >II aGVHD (odds ratio, 68; P < .001) were independent predictors of response. ECP therapy, adjusted for conditioning regimen intensity and steroid dose, was associated with superior survival (hazard ratio [HR], 4.6; P = .016) in patients with SR grade II aGVHD. Grade >II aGVHD at onset of salvage therapy (HR, 9.4; P < .001) and lack of response to therapy (HR, 3.09; P = .011) were associated with inferior survival. These findings require validation in a prospective randomized study

Acute graft versus host disease

Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurs after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant and is a reaction of donor immune cells against host tissues. Activated donor T cells damage host epithelial cells after an inflammatory cascade that begins with the preparative regimen. About 35%–50% of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients will develop acute GVHD. The exact risk is dependent on the stem cell source, age of the patient, conditioning, and GVHD prophylaxis used. Given the number of transplants performed, we can expect about 5500 patients/year to develop acute GVHD. Patients can have involvement of three organs: skin (rash/dermatitis), liver (hepatitis/jaundice), and gastrointestinal tract (abdominal pain/diarrhea). One or more organs may be involved. GVHD is a clinical diagnosis that may be supported with appropriate biopsies. The reason to pursue a tissue biopsy is to help differentiate from other diagnoses which may mimic GVHD, such as viral infection (hepatitis, colitis) or drug reaction (causing skin rash). Acute GVHD is staged and graded (grade 0-IV) by the number and extent of organ involvement. Patients with grade III/IV acute GVHD tend to have a poor outcome. Generally the patient is treated by optimizing their immunosuppression and adding methylprednisolone. About 50% of patients will have a solid response to methylprednisolone. If patients progress after 3 days or are not improved after 7 days, they will get salvage (second-line) immunosuppressive therapy for which there is currently no standard-of-care. Well-organized clinical trials are imperative to better define second-line therapies for this disease. Additional management issues are attention to wound infections in skin GVHD and fluid/nutrition management in gastrointestinal GVHD. About 50% of patients with acute GVHD will eventually have manifestations of chronic GVHD