Above- and belowground carbon stocks and effects of enrichment planting in a tropical secondary lowland dipterocarp rainforest

The intact tropical rainforests are rapidly being degraded and subsequently converted to other land uses, with associated greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. It is imperative that the effects of such conversions and large-scale restoration efforts on forest structure and ecosystem services are understood to effectively be able to counteract the negative consequences of deforestation and forest degradation. Assisted regeneration by line planting is one such restoration method that have been used in degraded forests. Here I studied a chronosequence of 0-19 years since planting in a secondary lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo which was selectively logged in the 1970s and subsequently burned at varying intensity in the El Niño fires 1983-1984 resulting in forests that are in arrested in early stages of succession. The primary focus of this study was the assessment of above- and belowground carbon in total, in different carbon pools and by functional species group (dipterocarps, fruit trees, pioneers and other commercial) in a secondary rainforest, as well as assessing the potential influence of assisted regeneration through enrichment line planting on these carbon pools as well as on tree diversity. I found no significant relationship in total carbon, carbon in different pools or carbon in different functional species groups and time since planting. Also, there was no significant difference in tree diversity or species diversity between treated and untreated control plots. Combining all 12 (60 x 60 m) plots, the mean total carbon stock (± SE) was estimated to 231.4 ± 11.2 Mg C ha-1. This includes aboveground carbon pools: tree aboveground carbon (TAGC: 44.0%, 101.7 ± 8.5 Mg C ha-1), woody debris (3.4%, 7.9 ± 1.5 Mg C ha-1), standing dead wood (2.0%, 4.5 ± 1.0 Mg C ha-1), fine ground litter (FGL: 0.8%, 2.0 ± 0.1 Mg C ha-1), lianas (0.6%, 1.4 ± 0.4 Mg C ha-1) and belowground: soil organic carbon (SOC: 36.2%, 83.8 ± 8.2 Mg C ha-1), tree belowground carbon (TBGC: 9.3%, 21.6 ± 2.1 Mg C ha-1), fine & coarse roots (3.6%, 8.4 ± 2.1 Mg C ha-1). When testing for correlations of effects over time since treatment by linear regression analyses, the applied treatment was not found to significantly improve carbon storage in total, by carbon pools or by functional species groups (p > 0.05), nor was it found to improve overall tree diversity or species richness (p > 0.05). However, between the treated and untreated control plots, there was a 10% (~20 Mg C ha-1) increase in total carbon storage, which indicates that the treatment might still have a positive effect on carbon sequestration. Therefore, I performed a power analyses, which indicated that to significantly detect a such an effect (with a power of 0.8), I would have needed 5.5 times the number of plots. Additionally, soil edaphic factors (e.g. nutrients and texture) appeared to influence aboveground forest structure, both in terms of carbon storage and stem density, and may be contributing factors to why no clear positive effect of restoration was detected. For the twin goals of climate change mitigation and biodiversity retention, further study should be devoted to understanding the effects of restoration methods on secondary tropical rainforests and to what extent edaphic factors may influence aboveground forest structure

Calculating the pp-canonical basis of Hecke algebras

We describe an algorithm for computing the $p$-canonical basis of the Hecke algebra, or one of its antispherical modules. The algorithm does not operate in the Hecke category directly, but rather uses a faithful embedding of the Hecke category inside a semisimple category to build a "model" for indecomposable objects and bases of their morphism spaces. Inside this semisimple category, objects are sequences of Coxeter group elements, and morphisms are (sparse) matrices over a fraction field, making it quite amenable to computations. This strategy works for the full Hecke category over any base field, but in the antispherical case we must instead work over $\mathbb{Z}_{(p)}$ and use an idempotent lifting argument to deduce the result for a field of characteristic $p > 0$. We also describe a less sophisticated algorithm which is much more suited to the case of finite groups. We provide complete implementations of both algorithms in the MAGMA computer algebra system.Comment: 21 page

Monoterpenoids and Their Synthetic Derivatives as Leads for New Insect-Control Agents

Monoterpenoids are natural substances which are found in many higher plant species. These plant secondary metabolites are generally considered as self-defense tactics against the plants\u27 enemies. Our study was aimed at the anticipation of improved biological activities through the synthesis of derivatives of the natural monoterpenoids. We have also developed a systematic bioassay system to evaluate the spectrum of toxicities of the monoterpenoids. The results show that the monoterpenoids, either natural or synthetic, have a relatively wide spectrum of activity against agricultural and public health insect pests. Derivatization, especially, to the acyl derivatives of the monoterpenoids, has significantly improved the acute, fumigant, larvicidal and ovicidal activities against the above insects. The ether derivatives also showed enhanced insecticidal activity. When mosquito larvae were treated with the monoterpenoids at sublethal dosages, insect growth and development activity was observed. The enhanced biological activity of the synthetic derivatives of monoterpenoids indicates that optimal chemical structures for insecticides can be possibly elucidated through the study of structure-activity relationships

Cost Analysis of a Novel Method for Ecological Compensation-A Study of the Translocation of Dead Wood

Translocation of dead wood is a novel method for ecological compensation and restoration that could, potentially, provide a new important tool for biodiversity conservation. With this method, substrates that normally have long delivery times are instantly created in a compensation area, and ideally many of the associated dead wood dwelling organisms are translocated together with the substrates. However, to a large extent, there is a lack of knowledge about the cost efficiency of different methods of ecological compensation. Therefore, the costs for different parts of a translocation process and its dependency on some influencing factors were studied. The observed cost was 465 SEK per translocated log for the actual compensation measure, with an additional 349 SEK/log for work to enable evaluation of the translocation's ecological results. Based on time studies, models were developed to predict required work time and costs for different transportation distances and load sizes. Those models indicated that short extraction and insertion distances for logs should be prioritized over road transportation distances to minimize costs. They also highlighted a trade-off between costs and time until a given ecological value is reached in the compensation area. The methodology used can contribute to more cost-efficient operations and, by doing so, increase the use of ecological compensation and the benefits from a given input

Accounting Hall of Fame 2000 induction: Joel S. Demski

For the induction of Joel S. Demski there were: Remarks by Professor Charles T. Horngren, Standford University, Hall of Fame member; Citation prepared by Daniel L. Jensen, The Ohio State University, read by Charles T. Horngren; Response by Joel S. Demski, University of Florida

Relação da criptosporidiose à dor abdominal e diarréia nos índios Maias

Demonstration of cryptosporidiosis in Mayan Indians living around Lake Atitlan provided an opportunity to correlate infection with abdominal pain and/or diarrhea in different age groups of children. 94 subjects experiencing abdominal pain and/or diarrhea, between the ages of 2 and 13 were studied in towns around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, over a two-year period. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in the feces of 29% of children who presented with abdominal pain and 21% with diarrhea. Of the 60 infected subjects, 45% were experiencing abdominal pain and 33% diarrhea, 22% had abdominal pain and diarrhea. Both abdominal pain and diarrhea were significantly higher in children under 10 years of age and were most prevalent in the 6-9 year old age group but the correlation of symptoms to infection was not significantly different as the ages of the children increased. The high frequency of abdominal pain and/or diarrhea with infection in children was consistent with cryptosporidiosis, a disease considered as one of several common intestinal infections that produce these symptoms.Demonstração da criptosporidiose entre índios Maias que vivem ao redor do lago Atitlan deu oportunidade de correlacionar a infecção com dor abdominal e/ou diarréia em crianças de diferentes grupos etários. 94 indivíduos com dor abdominal e/ou diarréia, entre as idades de 2 e 13 anos foram estudados em cidades ao redor do lago Atitlan, Guatemala, durante período de 2 anos. Oocistos de Cryptosporidium foram encontrados nas fezes de 29% das crianças que apresentaram dor abdominal e 21% daquelas com diarréia. Dos 60 infectados, 45% apresentavam dor abdominal e 33% diarréia, 22% tinham dor abdominal e diarréia. Ambos, dor abdominal e diarréia foram significativamente mais elevados em crianças abaixo de 10 anos e mais prevalentes no grupo de 6-9 anos de idade mas a correlação de sintomas à infecção não foi significativamente diferente quando as idades das crianças aumentava. A alta frequência de dor abdominal e/ou diarréia com infecção nas crianças foi compatível com criptosporidiose, doença considerada como uma das muitas infecções intestinais comuns que produzem este sintoma

Radio Frequency Plasma Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTs) for Structural Applications

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are more thermally and chemically compatible with metal- and ceramic-matrix composites than carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The lack of an abundant supply of defect-free, high-aspect-ratio BNNTs has hindered development as reinforcing agents in structural materials. Recent activities at the National Research Council - Canada (NRC-C) and the University of California - Berkeley (UC-B) have resulted in bulk synthesis of few-walled, small diameter BNNTs. Both processes employ induction plasma technology to create boron vapor and highly reactive nitrogen species at temperatures in excess of 8000 K. Subsequent recombination under controlled cooling conditions results in the formation of BNNTs at a rate of 20 g/hr and 35 g/hr, respectively. The end product tends to consist of tangled masses of fibril-, sheet-, and cotton candy-like materials, which accumulate within the processing equipment. The radio frequency plasma spray (RFPS) facility at NASA Langley (LaRC), developed for metallic materials deposition, has been re-tooled for in-situ synthesis of BNNTs. The NRC-C and UC-B facilities comprise a 60 kW RF torch, a reactor with a stove pipe geometry, and a filtration system. In contrast, the LaRC facility has a 100 kW torch mounted atop an expansive reaction chamber coupled with a cyclone separator. The intent is to take advantage of both the extra power and the equipment configuration to simultaneously produce and gather BNNTs in a macroscopic form amenable to structural material applications