Age and Structural Relations of Granites, Stony Creek Area, Connecticut

Guidebook for field trips in Connecticut and adjacent areas of New York and Rhode Island: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 77th annual meeting, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, October 4-6, 1985: Trip A

Policy options to streamline the carbon market for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions

The majority of emissions of nitrous oxide – a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) – are from agricultural sources, particularly nitrogen fertilizer applications. A growing focus on these emission sources has led to the development in the United States of GHG offset protocols that could enable payment to farmers for reducing fertilizer use or implementing other nitrogen management strategies. Despite the development of several protocols, the current regional scope is narrow, adoption by farmers is low, and policy implementation of protocols has a significant time lag. Here we utilize existing research and policy structures to propose an ‘umbrella’ approach for nitrogen management GHG emissions protocols that has the potential to streamline the policy implementation and acceptance of such protocols. We suggest that the umbrella protocol could set forth standard definitions common across multiple protocol options, and then modules could be further developed as scientific evidence advances. Modules could be developed for specific crops, regions, and practices. We identify a policy process that could facilitate this development in concert with emerging scientific research and conclude by acknowledging potential benefits and limitations of the approach. Key policy insights Agricultural greenhouse gas market options are growing, but are still underutilized Streamlining protocol development through an umbrella process could enable quicker development of protocols across new crops, regions, and practices Effective protocol development must not compromise best available science and should follow a rigorous pathway to ensure appropriate implementation

Benchmarking impact of nitrogen inputs on grain yield and environmental performance of producer fields in the western US Corn Belt

Benchmarking crop yields against nitrogen (N) input levels can help provide opportunities to improve N ferti-lizer efficiency and reduce N losses on maize in the US Corn Belt by identifying fields most likely to benefit from improved N management practices. Here, we evaluated a large producer database that includes field-level data on yield and applied N inputs from 9280 irrigated and rainfed fields over a 7-year period (2009–2015) in Nebraska (USA). A spatial framework, based on technology extrapolation domains, was used to cluster each field into spatial units with similar climate and soil type that represent 1.3 million ha of US farm land sown annually with maize. Three metrics were employed to evaluate agronomic and environmental performance: partial factor productivity for N inputs (PFPN, ratio between yield and N inputs), N balance (difference between N inputs and grain N removal), and yield-scaled N balance (ratio between N balance and yield). Nitrogen inputs included N from fertilizer and N contained in applied irrigation water. Average yield and N inputs were 40 and 44% higher in irrigated versus rainfed fields. The N balance was ca. 2-fold greater in irrigated versus rainfed fields (81 versus 41 kg N ha−1). Of the total number of field-years, 58% (irrigated) and 15% (rainfed) had N balance ≥ 75 kg N ha−1, which was considered a threshold to identify fields with potentially large N losses. Very large (\u3e 150 kg N ha−1) and negative N balance estimates were not apparent when analysis was based on field averages using a minimum of three years\u27 data instead of individual field-years. Nitrogen balance was smaller for maize crops following soybean compared to continuous maize. Despite the larger N balance (on an area basis), irrigated fields exhibited smaller yield-scaled N balance relative to rainfed fields. The approach proposed here can readily be adopted to benchmark current use of N fertilizer for other cereal-based crop systems, inform policy, and identify opportunities for improvement in N management

Benchmarking impact of nitrogen inputs on grain yield and environmental performance of producer fields in the western US Corn Belt

Benchmarking crop yields against nitrogen (N) input levels can help provide opportunities to improve N ferti-lizer efficiency and reduce N losses on maize in the US Corn Belt by identifying fields most likely to benefit from improved N management practices. Here, we evaluated a large producer database that includes field-level data on yield and applied N inputs from 9280 irrigated and rainfed fields over a 7-year period (2009–2015) in Nebraska (USA). A spatial framework, based on technology extrapolation domains, was used to cluster each field into spatial units with similar climate and soil type that represent 1.3 million ha of US farm land sown annually with maize. Three metrics were employed to evaluate agronomic and environmental performance: partial factor productivity for N inputs (PFPN, ratio between yield and N inputs), N balance (difference between N inputs and grain N removal), and yield-scaled N balance (ratio between N balance and yield). Nitrogen inputs included N from fertilizer and N contained in applied irrigation water. Average yield and N inputs were 40 and 44% higher in irrigated versus rainfed fields. The N balance was ca. 2-fold greater in irrigated versus rainfed fields (81 versus 41 kg N ha−1). Of the total number of field-years, 58% (irrigated) and 15% (rainfed) had N balance ≥ 75 kg N ha−1, which was considered a threshold to identify fields with potentially large N losses. Very large (\u3e 150 kg N ha−1) and negative N balance estimates were not apparent when analysis was based on field averages using a minimum of three years\u27 data instead of individual field-years. Nitrogen balance was smaller for maize crops following soybean compared to continuous maize. Despite the larger N balance (on an area basis), irrigated fields exhibited smaller yield-scaled N balance relative to rainfed fields. The approach proposed here can readily be adopted to benchmark current use of N fertilizer for other cereal-based crop systems, inform policy, and identify opportunities for improvement in N management

Improving ecosystem health in highly altered river basins: a generalized framework and its application to the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin

Continued large-scale public investment in declining ecosystems depends on demonstrations of “success”. While the public conception of “success” often focuses on restoration to a pre-disturbance condition, the scientific community is more likely to measure success in terms of improved ecosystem health. Using a combination of literature review, workshops and expert solicitation we propose a generalized framework to improve ecosystem health in highly altered river basins by reducing ecosystem stressors, enhancing ecosystem processes and increasing ecosystem resilience. We illustrate the use of this framework in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) of the central United States (U.S.), by (i) identifying key stressors related to human activities, and (ii) creating a conceptual ecosystem model relating those stressors to effects on ecosystem structure and processes. As a result of our analysis, we identify a set of landscape-level indicators of ecosystem health, emphasizing leading indicators of stressor removal (e.g., reduced anthropogenic nutrient inputs), increased ecosystem function (e.g., increased water storage in the landscape) and increased resilience (e.g., changes in the percentage of perennial vegetative cover). We suggest that by including these indicators, along with lagging indicators such as direct measurements of water quality, stakeholders will be better able to assess the effectiveness of management actions. For example, if both leading and lagging indicators show improvement over time, then management actions are on track to attain desired ecosystem condition. If, however, leading indicators are not improving or even declining, then fundamental challenges to ecosystem health remain to be addressed and failure to address these will ultimately lead to declines in lagging indicators such as water quality. Although our model and indicators are specific to the MARB, we believe that the generalized framework and the process of model and indicator development will be valuable in an array of altered river basins

Alcohol screening and brief interventions for adults and young people in health and community-based settings: a qualitative systematic literature review

Abstract Background Systematic reviews of alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBI) highlight the challenges of implementation in healthcare and community-based settings. Fewer reviews have explored this through examination of qualitative literature and fewer still focus on interventions with younger people. Methods This review aims to examine qualitative literature on the facilitators and barriers to implementation of ASBI both for adults and young people in healthcare and community-based settings. Searches using electronic data bases (Medline on Ovid SP, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, and EMBASE), Google Scholar and citation searching were conducted, before analysis. Results From a total of 239 papers searched and screened, 15 were included in the final review; these were selected based on richness of content and relevance to the review question. Implementation of ASBI is facilitated by increasing knowledge and skills with ongoing follow-up support, and clarity of the intervention. Barriers to implementation include attitudes towards alcohol use, lack of structural and organisational support, unclear role definition as to responsibility in addressing alcohol use, fears of damaging professional/ patient relationships, and competition with other pressing healthcare needs. Conclusions There remain significant barriers to implementation of ASBI among health and community-based professionals. Improving the way health service institutions respond to and co-ordinate alcohol services, including who is most appropriate to address alcohol use, would assist in better implementation of ASBI. Finally, a dearth of qualitative studies looking at alcohol intervention and implementation among young people was noted and suggests a need for further qualitative research

Upstream Solutions to Downstream Problems: Investing in Rural Natural Infrastructure for Water Quality Improvement and Flood Risk Mitigation

Communities across the globe are experiencing degraded water quality as well as inland flooding, and these problems are anticipated to worsen with climate change. We review the evidence that implementing natural infrastructure in upstream agricultural landscapes could improve water quality and reduce flood risk for downstream communities. Based on our analysis, we identify a suite of natural infrastructure measures that provide the greatest benefits, and which could be prioritized for investment by downstream communities and regional leadership, with an emphasis on systems that minimize loss of productive agricultural land. Our results suggest that the restoration of wetlands and floodplains are likely to provide the greatest benefits for both water quality improvement and flood risk reduction

An Approach for Prioritizing Natural Infrastructure Practices to Mitigate Flood and Nitrate Risks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin

Risks from flooding and poor water quality are evident at a range of spatial scales and climate change will exacerbate these risks in the future. Natural infrastructure (NI), consisting of structural or perennial vegetation, measures that provide multiple ecosystem benefits have the potential to reduce flood and water quality risks. In this study, we intersected watershed-scale risks to flooding and nitrate export in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) of the central U.S. with potential locations of seven NI practices (row crop conversion, water, and sediment control basins, depressional wetlands, nitrate-removal wetlands, riparian buffers, and floodplain levees and row crop change) to prioritize where NI can be most effective for combined risk reduction at watershed scales. Spatial data from a variety of publicly-available databases were analyzed at a 10 m grid cell to locate NI practices using a geographic information system (GIS). NI practices were presented at the regional basin scale and local Iowa-Cedar watershed in eastern Iowa to show individual practice locations. A prioritization scheme was developed to show the optimal watersheds for deploying NI practices to minimize flooding and water quality risks in the MARB. Among the 84 HUC4 basins in the MARB, 28 are located in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers basins. The Wabash and Iowa-Cedar basins (HUCs 0512 and 0708, respectively) within these basins were found to rank among the uppermost quintile for nearly all practices evaluated, indicating widespread opportunities for NI implementation. Study results are a launching point from which to improve the connections between watershed scale risks and the potential use of NI practices to reduce these risks

Person-centred rhetoric in chronic care: A review of health policies

Baldwin, AE ORCiD: 0000-0002-6325-4142; Byrne, AJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-8679-8310; Harvey, CL ORCiD: 0000-0001-9016-8840; Willis, EM ORCiD: 0000-0001-7576-971XPurpose: The purpose of the paper is to explore how the national, state and organisational health policies in Australia support the implementation of person-centred care in managing chronic care conditions. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative content analysis was performed regarding the national, state and organisational Queensland Health policies using Elo and Kyngas' (2008) framework. Findings: Although the person-centred care as an approach is well articulated in health policies, there is still no definitive measure or approach to embedding it into operational services. Complex funding structures and competing priorities of the governments and the health organisations carry the risk that person-centred care as an approach gets lost in translation. Three themes emerged: the patient versus the government; health care delivery versus the political agenda; and health care organisational processes versus the patient. Research limitations/implications: Given that person-centred care is the recommended approach for responding to chronic health conditions, further empirical research is required to evaluate how programs designed to deliver person-centred care achieve that objective in practice. Practical implications: This research highlights the complex environment in which the person-centred approach is implemented. Short-term programmes created specifically to focus on person-centred care require the right organisational infrastructure, support and direction. This review demonstrates the need for alignment of policies related to chronic disease management at the broader organisational level. Originality/value: Given the introduction of the nurse navigator program to take up a person-centred care approach, the review of the recent policies was undertaken to understand how they support this initiative. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited