Exploring the relationship between plural values of nature, human well‐being, and conservation and development intervention: Why it matters and how to do it?

Globally, land and seascapes across the bioculturally diverse tropics are in transition. Impacted by the demands of distant consumers, the processes of global environmental change and numerous interventions seeking climate, conservation and development goals, these transitions have the potential to impact the relationships and plurality of values held between people and place. This paper is a Synthesis of seven empirical studies within the Special Feature (SF): ‘What is lost in transition? Capturing the impacts of conservation and development interventions on relational values and human wellbeing in the tropics’. Through two Open Forum workshops, and critical review, contributing authors explored emergent properties across the papers of the SF. Six core themes were identified and are subsumed within broad categories of: (i) the problem of reconciling scale and complexity, (ii) key challenges to be overcome for more plural understanding of social dimensions of landscape change and (iii) ways forward: the potential of an environmental justice framework, and a practical overview of methods available to do so. The Synthesis interprets disparate fields and complex academic work on relational values, human well-being and de-colonial approaches in impact appraisal. It offers a practical and actionable catalogue of methods for plural valuation in the field, and reflects on their combinations, strengths and weaknesses. The research contribution is policy relevant because it builds the case for why a more plural approach in intervention design and evaluation is essential for achieving more just and sustainable futures, and highlights some of the key actions points deemed necessary to achieve such a transition to conventional practice

Exploration for Results: Moura Coal Mine

Moura Coal Mine operates 3 draglines, 2 excavators, and 2 highwall mining systems producing 6.5 million tons per annum for 3 products from 7 different seams and operates a commercial seam gas recovery operation - with active mining spread over 40 kilometers of strike length and dips up to 20-degrees. To minimize the impact of geological-geotechnical problems, the exploration program has to be thorough and comprehensive since the data may be used for several different types of operations. For open cut mining, strength data is obtained on overburden and floor strata for low wall stability design. Strength information of the overburden strata and fracture data are used in the design of pre-split and overburden shots and highwall stability analysis. Successful highwall mining requires geotechnical data for analysis for roof, pillar and floor stability analysis. Once mining commences the feedback on the response of strata to mining is hazy; adequate information is required to lessen the possibility of unpleasant surprises. The impact of seam gas content on highwall mining production is analyzed using routine seam gas sampling. Samples of coal seams are obtained routinely for seam gas data for the seam gas operation and highwall mining

Coal Bumps in an Eastern Kentucky USA Longwall Coal Mine 1989 to 1997

Coal mines in southern West Virginia, south-western Virginia and eastern Kentucky have experienced coal bumps at least since 1933. Most of the bumps have occurred due to high cover, strong roof and floor strata and stress concentrations due to the mining sequence. A longwall mine in eastern Kentucky first experienced coal bumps on the tailgate side of the longwall face in 1989. The bumps continued until 1996. The bumps were the result of: • thick overburden up to 670m. • strong roof and floor (strata strengths up to 177 MPa UCS and elasticity modulus up to 33.1 MPa • previous over-mining in places • sandstone channels Not all characteristics occurred simultaneously. The bumps produced seismic events recorded up to 4.3 (Richter scale magnitude), and damaged pillars that were up to 45 by 46 m in size. During the eight years that the bumps occurred, a large quantity of data was obtained in an effort to develop methods to predict an event, and reduce or eliminate the bumps. • In-situ strength properties of floor, coal and roof strata • Lab testing of floor, coal and roof samples • Monitoring gate road pillar response with stress metres, extensometers and convergence stations • Shield leg response • Monitoring in an effort to determine precursors was conducted using a digital microseismic monitoring system. • Back calculation of gate road pillar strength A number of different remedies were trialled in an effort to eliminate or decrease the severity of the bumps. • The gate road longwall design was varied • Pillar size and shape • 3 and 4 entry gate road designs • water infusion in longwall panels, • hydraulic induced face bumps, • disruption of the roof strata A yield-abutment-yield pillar design was the most effective method in reducing the affect of bumps by moving the events onto the abutment pillars, but the bumps were never eliminated and adequate precursors and advanced warnings were never achieved

Phenology-adjusted stress severity index to assess genotypic responses to terminal drought in field grown potato

Potato is a drought susceptible, often rain-fed crop suffering strongly from even short periods of soil water deficit. With global environmental conditions changing, potato clones resistant to variable water supply are needed and identifying them is a major task. Many indices assessing potato tolerance to water deficit have been proposed, albeit none of them takes into account the severity of the stress or the sensitivity of the developmental stage during which the stress occurs. As a result, data obtained on genotypes in one location or season are normally not useful in another location or in a different season. We have developed an index evaluating yield response of potato to water deficit based on the soil tension the genotype was subjected to for the duration of the stress modified by the development stage of the genotype. The sum of the daily values was combined in a stress severity index (SSI). In total thirteen genotypes differing in duration and sensitivity to drought were subjected to four levels of deficit irrigation on two soil types at different development stages over two years. Early drought (early tuber filling) reduced yields up to 95% whereas late drought (late tuber bulking) reduced yields significantly less. SSI depended on the genotypic phenological development and on the soil tension values and ranges between 25 and 3500. The index differentiated genotypic responses well across treatments and soil types, even with these relatively advanced development stages, up to a value of 1000. Beyond 1000, yields were generally reduced by more than 60% and a differentiation between genotypes was not possible anymore. SSI constitutes a method that renders site, location, year, season, and soil type effects comparable for responses of potato clones to soil water deficit. Combining this measure of stress severity with other proposed indices may improve upon their current weaknesses in finding or identifying the underlying traits of drought tolerance in potato

Suitability of the stress severity index combined with remote-sensing data as a tool to evaluate drought resistance traits in potato

Potato is a drought susceptible crop and even short drought spells reduce tuber yields notably. In an earlier study we developed a stress severity index (SSI) based on the development stage of a genotype at the onset of drought and the soil water deficit based on soil water tension. Here, we test the suitability of the SSI combined with remotely sensed data as a screening tool to select drought-tolerant potato geno-types. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the photochemical reflec-tance index (PRI) were obtained from reflectance measurements and thermography. Temperature data from the thermography allow using the difference between leaf and air temperature (∆T) to estimate the transpirational cooling of the leaves. Via clus-ter analysis including SSI, tuber yield reduction under drought, NDVI, PRI and ther-mography, three groups were distinguished: 1. SSI 2000 described by small changes of NDVI, PRI and temperature deficit. For SSI < 1000, ∆T, PRI and NDVI showed to be good indicators of genotypic performance under drought. Potential strategies for drought resistance in potato detectable through remote sens-ing are discussed

Emergency Department Crowding and Time to Antibiotic Administration in Febrile Infants

Introduction: Early antibiotic administration is recommended in newborns presenting with febrile illness to emergency departments (ED) to avert the sequelae of serious bacterial infection. Although ED crowding has been associated with delays in antibiotic administration in a dedicated pediatric ED, the majority of children that receive emergency medical care in the U.S. present to EDs that treat both adult and pediatric emergencies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between time to antibiotic administration in febrile newborns and crowding in a general ED serving both an adult and pediatric population.Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 159 newborns presenting to a general ED between 2005 and 2011 and analyzed the association between time to antibiotic administration and ED occupancy rate at the time of, prior to, and following infant presentation to the ED.Results: We observed delayed and variable time to antibiotic administration and found no association between time to antibiotic administration and occupancy rate prior to, at the time of, or following infant presentation (P > 0.05). ED time to antibiotic administration was not associated with hospital length of stay, and there was no inpatient mortality.Conclusion: Delayed and highly variable time to antibiotic treatment in febrile newborns was common but unrelated to ED crowding in the general ED study site. Guidelines for time to antibiotic administration in this population may reduce variability in ED practice patterns. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(5):518-524.