Efficient plot-based floristic assessment of tropical forests

The tropical flora remains chronically understudied and the lack of floristic understanding hampers ecological research and its application for large-scale conservation planning. Given scarce resources and the scale of the challenge there is a need to maximize the efficiency of both sampling strategies and sampling units, yet there is little information on the relative efficiency of different approaches to floristic assessment in tropical forests. This paper is the first attempt to address this gap. We repeatedly sampled forests in two regions of Amazonia using the two most widely used plot-based protocols of floristic sampling, and compared their performance in terms of the quantity of floristic knowledge and ecological insight gained scaled to the field effort required. Specifically, the methods are assessed first in terms of the number of person-days required to complete each sample (‘effort’), secondly by the total gain in the quantity of floristic information that each unit of effort provides (‘crude inventory efficiency’), and thirdly in terms of the floristic information gained as a proportion of the target species pool (‘proportional inventory efficiency’). Finally, we compare the methods in terms of their efficiency in identifying different ecological patterns within the data (‘ecological efficiency’) while controlling for effort. There are large and consistent differences in the performance of the two methods. The disparity is maintained even after accounting for regional and site-level variation in forest species richness, tree density and the number of field assistants. We interpret our results in the context of selecting the appropriate method for particular research purposes

Formation of a cultivated spodosol in east-central Finland

The processes involved in Spodosol (Podzol) formation are still being debated. The pedogenic processes in a Spodosol, 10,700 years-old, at Sotkamo that has been cultivated for about 50 years were studied by characterizing the morphology and analyzing the major chemical properties, texture and mineralogy. Before cultivation, organic acids produced by decomposition of organic matter from pine litter in O and A horizons had weathered primary minerals in A and E horizons releasing Al and Fe. Percolating waters moved the organo-metallic complexes from A and E horizons to Bhsm and Bs horizons where the complexes coated and bridged sand grains eventually forming cemented ortstein. Because of the high biotite content of the parent material, the index of accumulation of Fe and Al in the Bhsm horizon (Al + 0.5 Fe = 4.1%) was the highest reported in Spodosols of Finland. The data support the theory of downward movement of Al and Fe as organo-metallic complexes with formation of some ferrihydrite but little or no formation of imogolite type materials. Little, if any, podzolization has likely occurred since the initiation of cultivation because, after agricultural liming and consequent increase of pH in the Ap horizon, organic compounds are likely to chelate Ca and Mg rather than Al and Fe.;Karkeille hietamaille syntyneet podsolit ovat Suomen kehittyneimpiä maannoksia. Niitä tutkimalla saadaan uutta tietoa tämän koko pohjoisella havumetsävyöhykkeelläyleisen maannostyypin kehittymiseen johtaneista prosesseista, joista edelleenkin vallitsee erilaisia käsityksiä. Tämän tutkimuksen kohteena oli Sotkamossa karkealla hietamaalla oleva noin 50 vuotta viljelty maa, joka on ollut kuivillaan noin 10 700 vuotta. Muokkauskerroksen alapuolella oli huuhtoutumiskerros (valkomaa), joka sisälsi lähes pelkkää kvartsihiekkaa. Sen alapuolella oli noin 10 cm paksu rautapalsi eli iskostunut horisontti, johon ylempää orgaanisina kompleksiyhdisteinä huuhtoutuneet rauta ja alumiini ovat saostuneet. Mikroskoopilla voidaan nähdä, miten nämä saostuneet ainesosat peittävät kvartsihiekan jyväset ja sitovat ne yhteen. Tässä horisontissa oli erittäin runsaasti heikosti kiteytynyttä rautaoksidia, joka on uutettavissa ammoniumoksalaattiliuoksella, kun taas valkomaassa tällaista rautaa oli erittäin vähän. Rikastumiskerroksen alumiinista valtaosa oli pyrofosfaattiin uuttuvassa, oletettavasti orgaanisen aineksen sitomassa muodossa, mikä viittaa aineiden kulkeutuneen tähän horisonttiin nimenomaan kelaatteina eikä epäorgaanisina kolloideina. Syvä kyntö on nostanut valkomaata ja kappaleita rikastumiskerroksen iskostumasta myös muokkauskerrokseen. Rikastumiskerroksen alapuolella kvartsihiekkajyvästen pinnoilla ei ollut paljonkaan rautasaostumia, mutta mikroskoopilla näkyi runsaasti rapautumatonta biotiittia. Rikastumiskerroksen rauta lienee suureksi osaksi peräisin juuri biotiitista, joka on kokonaisuudessaan rapautunut pintamaasta. Vähemmän biotiittia sisältäviin maihin ei todennäköisesti kehity näin vahvaa rikastumiskerrosta maan pienemmän rautapitoisuuden takia. Podsoloituminen on luultavasti pysähtynyt sen jälkeen, kun maa on otettu viljelyyn ja sen pintaosien pH on kalkituksen seurauksena noussut

Antibacterial Bioactive Compound From The Fungus Drechslera Halodes (Drechsler) Subram. & Jain Isolated From Soil of Basrah, Iraq

The fungus Drechslera halodes was isolated from soil samples of Basrah, Iraq, and examined for its ability to produce antimicrobial bioactive compounds after being cultured in two types of liquid media for a production of secondary metabolites. The fungal culture filtrate and mycelia extracts were tested against two strains of bacteria E. coli and S. aureus using a disc diffusion method. The fungal filtrate exhibited a growth inhibition against both bacteria E. coli and S. aureus with inhibition zones of 25 mm and 30 mm diam., respectively. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the purified compound was examined and revealed that 50 ug/ml was against E. coli and 25 ug/ml for S. aureus. Toxicity of the fungal extract using human blood indicating that no toxic effect was detected. The fungal extract revealed three separated compounds by using thin layer chromatography (TLC). Solubility, melting points and functional chemical groups were also determined. A bioactive compound was isolated, purified and identified by using Gas Chromatography (GC-mass) and Infra Red (IR). The bioactive compound is identified as 6-allyl-5,6-dihydro-5-hydroxypyran-2-one, with a molecular weight of 154 kd and the chemical formula is C8H10O3 which belongs to aromatic esterase group

Issue brief : equity in the IMCHA initiative : findings from the mid-term evaluation of the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) initiative

The analysis combines document review, online surveys, in-depth interviews with donor representatives, fieldwork in Africa and Canada, and focus group discussions with stakeholders. Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) projects emphasize incorporating health equity considerations. The report and findings of the evaluation underline scope for more deliberate incorporation of an equity lens in IMCHA projects; data indicates some confusion around the concepts of equity and gender equity. It would be useful to further the grantees’ understanding of inequities, and develop their capacity to identify social, racial, economic, or age-related barriers as well as geographic ones

Issue brief : working with decision-makers : findings from the mid-term evaluation of the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) initiative

Involving decision-makers from the beginning of research projects is the most conducive model for project implementation processes. Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) incorporates decision-makers as co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs) from the design stage and throughout the project. Collaboration with the decisionmaker co-PIs was generally viewed as a success by the research team. However, a main challenge for collaborations with decision-maker co-PIs was their frequent turnover, especially if they were already working in a position of influence, such as at the national level

Human-forest relationhip as a creator of the cultural sustainability

The Human-Forest Relationship in Creating Sustainable Forest Culture The forest is part of Finnish culture, and forest-related culture is forest culture. In a broader sense, forest culture is interaction between man and the forest as it was in the past and as it will be in the future. Forest culture, i.e. the concepts and practices concerning forest nature, also manifests individual forest relationships. This interactive relationship between man and the forest – the forest relationship – plays a significant role in cultural sustainability of the forest. The interaction and adaptability of forest relationships and forest culture is the key to cultural sustainability of the forest. Cultural sustainability of the forest involves the recognition and unbiased assessment of different forest-related values, attitudes and power relationships as well as forest-related cultural practices – i.e. different forest relationships – and their inclusion in local forest-related decision-making. Participation is therefore a key feature of cultural sustainability of the forest – the opportunity to have “one's own forest relationship” on an equal footing with “the forest relationships of others” – along with an open and unbiased attitude towards different alternatives and conflicting, even opposing, views. In the debate about values related to forests, the values of different communities, organisations and ordinary citizens meet and may clash. Disagreement creates tensions and may escalate into disputes and conflicts in which there are attempts to try to influence power relations in different ways. In terms of cultural sustainability of the forest, it makes a difference whether these situations are perceived as "forest wars" or as natural and necessary, even desirable, ways of developing forest relationships in a democratic society. At their best, debates formulate and define what Finnish forests should be like, what they are used for and what meanings are attached to them. In the context of cultural sustainability of the forest, the diversity of forest relationships is thus seen as an asset and a resilience that enhances the ability of communities and society as a whole to anticipate and respond to changes in forests. Sustainable forest culture is an on-going assessment of what cultural traits are thought to follow the principles of sustainable development and to support the changes in forest culture towards sustainability. In a sustainable forest culture, forest relationships contribute to cross-generational sustainability, which is the main, perhaps the only, way to address current environmental challenges. A sustainable forest culture also gives different generations an equal opportunity to cherish, use and enjoy the immaterial and material benefits of forests.Peer reviewe

Determining Objective Parameters to Assess Gait Quality in Franches-Montagnes Horses for Ground Coverage and Over-Tracking - Part 1: At Walk

Ground coverage and over-tracking are two gait quality traits describing the forward movement of the front respectively the hind limbs in relation to stride length and over-tracking distance. To investigate the complex interplay of different movement patterns in ground coverage and over-tracking, limb and body kinematics of 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) stallions were measured with 3D optical motion capture (OMC) on a treadmill during an incremental speed test at the walk (1.4-2.0 m/s). The significance and amount of explained variance of kinematic parameters on stride length and over-tracking distance were estimated using linear mixed-effect models, with speed and horse as random effects. Two separate models were tested: a full model with all parameters measurable by OMC, and a reduced model with a subset of parameters also measurable with inertial measurement units (IMUs). The kinematic parameters were correlated to the subjective scores from six breeding experts to interpret their external validity. The parameter for ground coverage at the walk, explaining most of the variance in stride length, were the maximal forelimb retraction angle (11%) measured with OMC, and the range of pelvis pitch (10%) if measuring with IMUs. The latter was also the most relevant for quantifying over-tracking, explaining 24% to 33% of the variance in the over-tracking distance. The scores from most breeding experts were significantly correlated (r ≥ |0.41|) with the fore- and hind limb protraction angles, which reflect the textual definition of ground coverage and over-tracking. Both gait quality traits can be objectively quantified using either OMC or IMUs

Scoping report : research on SME development in least developed countries

Small and medium enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship development are highly context-dependent. The culture of entrepreneurship differs among countries; institutional structure and the wider environment for business development is diverse across nations. This project examines the state of research on SME and entrepreneurship in the least developed countries (LDCs), combined with case studies in four LDCs in Africa and Asia. By looking at publications per year it becomes evident how few publications focus on entrepreneurship and SME development in LDCs. Having better baseline data on current status and sex disaggregated data could help identify areas needing attention, and assist in tracking development

Report and research funding launch webinar

This brief presentation focuses on research that examines and contrasts how four countries emphasize development on three fronts: 1) Promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general 2) Bolstering information and communication technologies as a part of their SME development 3) Stimulating women’s entrepreneurship. Results include providing information on accelerators in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, donors, and challenges for inclusive development. Appropriate financing and financing mechanisms are seen as a bottleneck to women’s advancement

Cultivating small and medium-sized firms : entrepreneurship development, gender, and technology in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Senegal

The project examined policies to promote small and medium enterprises (SME) development in general in four case study countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Senegal, in addition to analysing their emphasis on promoting women entrepreneurs and technology-based firms. The report summarises main government policies that have promoted development on three fronts: entrepreneurship; gender; technology. It details efforts by governments, donors/multilaterals, and other public and private sector organisations in each country to build entrepreneurship ecosystems. The report argues that all of the study countries have expended effort to build entrepreneurship ecosystems, which other least developed countries (LDCs) can learn from