Forest Carbon Sequestration under the U.S. Biofuel Energy Policies

This paper analyzes impacts of the U.S. biofuel energy policies on the carbon sequestration by forest products, which is expressed as Harvested Wood Products (HWP) Contribution under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Estimation for HWP Contribution is based on tracking carbon stock stored in wood and paper products in use and in solid-waste disposal sites (SWDS) from domestic consumption, harvests, imports, and exports. For this analysis, we hypothesize four alternative scenarios using the existing and pending U.S. energy policies by requirements for the share of biofuel to total energy consumption, and solve partial equilibrium for the U.S. timber market by 2030 for each scenario. The U.S. Forest Products Module (USFPM), created by USDA Forest Service Lab, operating within the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) is utilized for projecting productions, supplies, and trade quantities for the U.S. timber market equilibrium. Based on those timber market components, we estimate scenario-specific HWP Contributions under the Production, the Stock Change, and the Atmospheric Approach suggested by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories using WOODCARB II created by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and modified by USDA Forest Service Lab. Lastly, we compare estimated results across alternative scenarios. Results show that HWP Contributions for the baseline scenario in 2009 for all approaches are estimated higher than estimates reported by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2011, (e.g., 22.64 Tg C/ year vs 14.80 Tg C/ year under the Production Approach), which is due to the economic recovery, especially in housing construction, assumed in USFPM/GFPM. Projected HWP Contribution estimates show that the Stock Change Approach, which used to provide the highest estimates before 2009, estimate HWP Contribution lowest after 2009 due to the declining annual net imports. Though fuel wood consumption is projected to be expanded as an alternative scenario requires higher wood fuel share to total energy consumption, the overall impacts on the expansion in other timber products are very modest across scenarios in USFPM/GFPM. Those negligible impacts lead to small differences of HWP Contribution estimates under all approaches across alternative scenarios. This is explained by the points that increasing logging residues are more crucial for expansion in fuel wood projections rather than the expansion of forest sector itself, and that the current HWP Contribution does not include carbon held in fuel wood products by its definition.Forest Products, Carbon Sequestration, Biofuel Policies, HWP Contribution, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Validity, reliability and support for implementation of independence-scaled procedural assessment in laparoscopic surgery

Background There is no widely used method to evaluate procedure-specific laparoscopic skills. The first aim of this study was to develop a procedure-based assessment method. The second aim was to compare its validity, reliability and feasibility with currently available global rating scales (GRSs). Methods An independence-scaled procedural assessment was created by linking the procedural key steps of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy to an independence scale. Subtitled and blinded videos of a novice, an intermediate and an almost competent trainee, were evaluated with GRSs (OSATS and GOALS) and the independence-scaled procedural assessment by seven surgeons, three senior trainees and six scrub nurses. Participants received a short introduction to the GRSs and independence-scaled procedural assessment before assessment. The validity was estimated with the Friedman and Wilcoxon test and the reliability with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). A questionnaire was used to evaluate user opinion. Results Independence-scaled procedural assessment and GRS scores improved significantly with surgical experience (OSATS p = 0.001, GOALS p <0.001, independence-scaled procedural assessment p <0.001). The ICCs of the OSATS, GOALS and independence-scaled procedural assessment were 0.78, 0.74 and 0.84, respectively, among surgeons. The ICCs increased when the ratings of scrub nurses were added to those of the surgeons. The independence-scaled procedural assessment was not considered more of an administrative burden than the GRSs (p = 0.692). Discussion/conclusion A procedural assessment created by combining procedural key steps to an independence scale is a valid, reliable and acceptable assessment instrument in surgery. In contrast to the GRSs, the reliability of the independence-scaled procedural assessment exceeded the threshold of 0.8, indicating that it can also be used for summative assessment. It furthermore seems that scrub nurses can assess the operative competence of surgical trainees

Effect of periodontal dressing on nonâ surgical periodontal treatment outcomes: a systematic review

BackgroundPeriodontal dressing has been advocated and showed some positive outcomes for placing over the surgical site after periodontal surgery. However, little is known about its effect on nonâ surgical therapy.PurposeThe aim of this review was to assess the clinical effect of periodontal dressing when used after nonâ surgical therapy.Material and methodsTwo examiners performed an electronic search in several databases for relevant articles published in English up to November 2013. Selected studies were randomized human clinical trials (prospective or retrospective trials) with the clear aim of investigating the effect of periodontal dressing placement upon periodontal nonâ surgical mechanical therapy. Data were extracted from the included articles for analysis.ResultsThree randomized clinical trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria and thus were included in the data analysis. Statistical analysis could not be carried out due to the lack of clear data of the included studies. However, descriptive analysis showed its effectiveness in improving clinical parameters such as gain of clinical attachment level and reduction of probing pocket depth.ConclusionPlacement of periodontal dressing right after nonâ surgical mechanical therapy can be beneficial in improving overall shortâ term clinical outcomes, although more controlled studies are still needed to validate this finding.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/122435/1/idh12130.pd

Pollinator movement activity influences genetic diversity and differentiation of spatially isolated populations of clonal forest herbs

In agricultural landscapes, forest herbs live in small, spatially isolated forest patches. For their long-term survival, their populations depend on animals as genetic linkers that provide pollen- or seed-mediated gene flow among different forest patches. However, whether insect pollinators serve as genetic linkers among spatially isolated forest herb populations in agricultural landscapes remains to be shown. Here, we used population genetic methods to analyze: (A) the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of populations of two common, slow-colonizing temperate forest herb species [Polygonatum multiflorum (L.) All. and Anemone nemorosa L.] in spatially isolated populations within three agricultural landscapes in Germany and Sweden and (B) the movement activity of their most relevant associated pollinator species, i.e., the bumblebee Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1,763) and the hoverfly Melanostoma scalare (Fabricus, 1,794), respectively, which differ in their mobility. We tested whether the indicated pollinator movement activity affected the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of the forest herb populations. Bumblebee movement indicators that solely indicated movement activity between the forest patches affected both genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of the associated forest herb P. multiflorum in a way that can be explained by pollen-mediated gene flow among the forest herb populations. In contrast, movement indicators reflecting the total movement activity at a forest patch (including within-forest patch movement activity) showed unexpected effects for both plant-pollinator pairs that might be explained by accelerated genetic drift due to enhanced sexual reproduction. Our integrated approach revealed that bumblebees serve as genetic linkers of associated forest herb populations, even if they are more than 2 km apart from each other. No such evidence was found for the forest associated hoverfly species which showed significant genetic differentiation among forest patches itself. Our approach also indicated that a higher within-forest patch movement activity of both pollinator species might enhance sexual recruitment and thus diminishes the temporal buffer that clonal growth provides against habitat fragmentation effects

Procedure-based assessment for laparoscopic cholecystectomy can replace global rating scales

Introduction Global rating scales (GRSs) such as the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Surgery (GOALS) are assessment methods for surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to establish construct validity of Procedure-Based Assessment (PBA) and to compare PBA with GRSs for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and methods OSATS and GOALS GRSs were compared with PBA in their ability to discriminate between levels of performance between trainees who can perform the procedure independently and those who cannot. Three groups were formed based on the number of procedures performed by the trainee: novice (1-10), intermediate (11-20) and experienced (>20). Differences between groups were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results Increasing experience correlated significantly with higher GRSs and PBA scores (all p < .001). Scores of novice and intermediate groups overlapped substantially on the OSATS (p = .1) and GOALS (p = .1), while the PBA discriminated between these groups (p = .03). The median score in the experienced group was higher with less dispersion for PBA (97.2[85.3-100]) compared to OSATS (82.1[60.7-100]) and GOALS (80[60-100]). Conclusion For assessing skill level or the capability of performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy independently, PBA has a higher discriminative ability compared to the GRSs

Final Design of the Production SSR1 Cryomodule for PIP-II Project at Fermilab

This contribution reports the design of the production Single Spoke Resonator Type 1 Cryomodule (SSR1 CM) for the PIP-II project at Fermilab. The innovative design is based on a structure, the strongback, which supports the coldmass from the bottom, stays at room temperature during operations, and can slide longitudinally with respect to the vacuum vessel. The Fermilab style cryomodule developed for the prototype Single Spoke Resonator Type 1 (pSSR1), the prototype High Beta 650 MHz (pHB650), and preproduction Single Spoke Resonator Type 2 (ppSSR2) cryomodules is the baseline of the present design. The focus of this contribution is on the results of calculations and finite element analyses performed to optimize the critical components of the cryomodule: vacuum vessel, strongback, thermal shield, and magnetic shield.Comment: 21st Intl Conf Radio Frequency Superconductivity (SRF 2023). arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2209.0128

Benthic assemblages are more predictable than fish assemblages at an island scale

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Sandin, S. A., Alcantar, E., Clark, R., de Leon, R., Dilrosun, F., Edwards, C. B., Estep, A. J., Eynaud, Y., French, B. J., Fox, M. D., Grenda, D., Hamilton, S. L., Kramp, H., Marhaver, K. L., Miller, S. D., Roach, T. N. F., Seferina, G., Silveira, C. B., Smith, J. E., Zgliczynski, B. J., & Vermeij, M. J. A. Benthic assemblages are more predictable than fish assemblages at an island scale. Coral Reefs, 41, (2022.): 1031–1043, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02272-5.Decades of research have revealed relationships between the abundance of coral reef taxa and local conditions, especially at small scales. However, a rigorous test of covariation requires a robust dataset collected across wide environmental or experimental gradients. Here, we surveyed spatial variability in the densities of major coral reef functional groups at 122 sites along a 70 km expanse of the leeward, forereef habitat of Curaçao in the southern Caribbean. These data were used to test the degree to which spatial variability in community composition could be predicted based on assumed functional relationships and site-specific anthropogenic, physical, and ecological conditions. In general, models revealed less power to describe the spatial variability of fish biomass than cover of reef builders (R2 of best-fit models: 0.25 [fish] and 0.64 [reef builders]). The variability in total benthic cover of reef builders was best described by physical (wave exposure and reef relief) and ecological (turf algal height and coral recruit density) predictors. No metric of anthropogenic pressure was related to spatial variation in reef builder cover. In contrast, total fish biomass showed a consistent (albeit weak) association with anthropogenic predictors (fishing and diving pressure). As is typical of most environmental gradients, the spatial patterns of both fish biomass density and reef builder cover were spatially autocorrelated. Residuals from the best-fit model for fish biomass retained a signature of spatial autocorrelation while the best-fit model for reef builder cover removed spatial autocorrelation, thus reinforcing our finding that environmental predictors were better able to describe the spatial variability of reef builders than that of fish biomass. As we seek to understand spatial variability of coral reef communities at the scale of most management units (i.e., at kilometer- to island-scales), distinct and scale-dependent perspectives will be needed when considering different functional groups.This research and the larger efforts of Blue Halo Curacao were supported by funding from the Waitt Institute and with permissions from the Government of Curacao, Ministry of Health, Environment, and Nature. Field logistics were further supported by the Waitt Institute vessel crew, CARMABI Foundation, The Dive Shop Curacao, and Dive Charter Curacao

Sport coaches' experiences of athlete injury : the development and regulation of guilt

This study sought to examine coaches’ stories of guilt in the specific context of athlete injury. Using narrative interviews with a diverse group of ten coaches, guilt was found to be a commonly experienced emotion that the participants also sought to regulate. The coaches’ experiences of the embodiment and management of guilt is primarily, although not exclusively, interrogated using the mainstream psychological theorising of Kubany and Watson (2003). The article concludes by connecting the coaches’ experiences of guilt with critiques of the prevailing deontological approach used to define what it means to be a ‘good’ sport coach. Here we suggest that dominant perspectives in coach education may be instrumental in entrenching coaches’ experience of guilt

Sensitivity to habitat fragmentation across European landscapes in three temperate forest herbs

Context Evidence for effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the viability of temperate forest herb populations in agricultural landscapes is so far based on population genetic studies of single species in single landscapes. However, forest herbs differ in their life histories, and landscapes have different environments, structures and histories, making generalizations difficult. Objectives We compare the response of three slow-colonizing forest herbs to habitat loss and fragmentation and set this in relation to differences in life-history traits, in particular their mating system and associated pollinators. Methods We analysed the herbs' landscape-scale population genetic structure based on microsatellite markers from replicate forest fragments across seven European agricultural landscapes. Results All species responded to reductions in population size with a decrease in allelic richness and an increase in genetic differentiation among populations. Genetic differentiation also increased with enhanced spatial isolation. In addition, each species showed unique responses. Heterozygosity in the self-compatible Oxalis acetosella was reduced in smaller populations. The genetic diversity of Anemone nemorosa, whose main pollinators are less mobile, decreased with increasing spatial isolation, but not that of the bumblebee-pollinated Polygonatum multiflorum. Conclusions Our study indicates that habitat loss and fragmentation compromise the long-term viability of slow-colonizing forest herbs despite their ability to persist for many decades by clonal propagation. The distinct responses of the three species studied within the same landscapes confirm the need of multi-species approaches. The mobility of associated pollinators should be considered an important determinant of forest herbs' sensitivity to habitat loss and fragmentation