Soil properties associated with vegetation patches in a pinus ponderosa bunchgrass mosaic.

Since Euro-American settlement, fire exclusion and other factors have dramatically altered interior western coniferous forests. Once open and parklike, present day structure in many southwestern Pinus ponderosa forests consists of dense stands of young, small-diameter trees, with small patches of larger, old trees, and relict open bunchgrass areas. Our objectives were to assess differences in soil properties associated with these different vegetation patches. We examined soil morphological characteristics, pH, organic C concentration, total N concentration C:N ratio, and phytolith concentration from profiles within 6 transects (18 soil pedons) crossing patches of dense stands of small-diameter trees, patchs of old-growth trees, and open grassy areas. Results indicate that old-growth plots had significantly lower A horizon pH and thicker 0 horizons than grass plots. In general, we found vegetation patches had statistically similar C and N concentrations and C:N ratios for A and B horizons; however, C in the A horizon was positively correlated with 0 horizon accumulation (r2 = 0.79). Greater accumulation of organic C in the A horizon of forested areas contrasts with commonly reported results from mesic, mid-continental prairie forest ecosystems but is typical for many arid semiarid, and humid savanna ecosystems. Phytolith concentration was similar among old-growth pine, dense younger pine, and open grassy plots; the lack of a spatial pattern in phytolith distribution could indicate that grass cover was more spatially continuous in the past. Additionally this interpretation is consistent with current theories regarding historical vegetation change in these forests

Interprofessional Collaboration and Health Sciences Libraries

UNC Health Affairs Collaborative: Mission - provide strategic leadership from multiple perspectives to improve individual and population health by way of effective and efficient innovation in education, scholarship and service. Goal - provide the infrastructure that will facilitate an opportunity for every student in health affairs at UNC to engage in an interprofessional experience from which they will emerge with appreciation and respect for thoughtful collaborative practice

Revised National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Pressure Injury Staging System: Revised Pressure Injury Staging System

Our understanding of pressure injury etiology and development has grown in recent years through research, clinical expertise, and global interdisciplinary expert collaboration. Therefore, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) has revised the definition and stages of pressure injury. The revision was undertaken to incorporate the current understanding of the etiology of pressure injuries, as well as to clarify the anatomical features present or absent in each stage of injury. An NPUAP-appointed Task Force reviewed the literature and created drafts of definitions, which were then reviewed by stakeholders and the public, including clinicians, educators, and researchers around the world. Using a consensus-building methodology, these revised definitions were the focus of a multidisciplinary consensus conference held in April 2016. As a result of stakeholder and public input, along with the consensus conference, important changes were made and incorporated into the new staging definitions. The revised staging system uses the term injury instead of ulcer and denotes stages using Arabic numerals rather than Roman numerals. The revised definition of a pressure injury now describes the injuries as usually occurring over a bony prominence or under a medical or other device. The revised definition of a Stage 2 pressure injury seeks to clarify the difference between moisture-associated skin damage and injury caused by pressure and/or shear. The term suspected has been removed from the Deep Tissue Pressure Injury diagnostic label. Each definition now describes the extent of tissue loss present and the anatomical features that may or may not be present in the stage of injury. These important revisions reflect the methodical and collaborative approach used to examine the available evidence and incorporate current interdisciplinary clinical expertise into better defining the important phenomenon of pressure injury etiology and development

Spectral aerosol extinction (SpEx): a new instrument for in situ ambient aerosol extinction measurements across the UV/visible wavelength range

We introduce a new instrument for the measurement of in situ ambient aerosol extinction over the 300– 700 nm wavelength range, the spectral aerosol extinction (SpEx) instrument. This measurement capability is envisioned to complement existing in situ instrumentation, allowing for simultaneous measurement of the evolution of aerosol optical, chemical, and physical characteristics in the ambient environment. In this work, a detailed description of the instrument is provided along with characterization tests performed in the laboratory. Measured spectra of NO2 and polystyrene latex spheres (PSLs) agreed well with theoretical calculations. Good agreement was also found with simultaneous aerosol extinction measurements at 450, 530, and 630 nm using CAPS PMex instruments in a series of 22 tests including nonabsorbing compounds, dusts, soot, and black and brown carbon analogs. SpEx measurements are expected to help identify the presence of ambient brown carbon due to its 300 nm lower wavelength limit compared to measurements limited to longer UV and visible wavelengths. Extinction spectra obtained with SpEx contain more information than can be conveyed by a simple power law fit (typically represented by Ångström exponents). Planned future improvements aim to lower detection limits and ruggedize the instrument for mobile operation

Ponderosa pine forest reconstruction: Comparisons with historical data

Dendroecological forest reconstruction techniques are used to estimate presettlement structure of northern Arizona ponderosa pine forests. To test the accuracy of these techniques, we remeasured 10 of the oldest forest plots in Arizona, a subset of 51 historical plots established throughout the region from 1909 to 1913, and compared reconstruction outputs to historical data collected. Results of this analysis revealed several distinct sources of error: (1) After about 90 years, 94 percent of the recorded trees were relocated and remeasured, but approximately three trees/ha were missing in the field due to obliteration by fire or decay; (2) sizes of trees living in 1909 were overestimated by an average of 11.9 percent; (3) snag and log decomposition models tended to underestimate time since tree death by an undetermined amount; and (4) historical sizes of cut trees were difficult to estimate due to uncertainties concerning harvest dates. The aggregate effect of these errors was to overestimate the number of trees occurring in 1909-1913. Sensitivity analysis applied to decomposition equations showed variations in reconstructed sizes of snags and logs by +/- 7 percent and stand density estimates by 7 percent. Results suggest that these reconstruction techniques are robust but tend to overestimate tree size and forest density

Planning Bioinformatics Education and Information Services in an Academic Health Sciences Library

This article describes a planning process for the development of bioinformatics education and information services in an academic health sciences library. The project’s five goals were to:(1) understand the changing environment for information related to bioinformatics;(2) understand the information needs of faculty whose work involves bioinformatics; (3) explore potential service offerings; (4) anticipate factors influencing the implementation of new services; and (5) envision strategies for recruiting and training information professionals to fill these roles. The authors describe the library’s practice environment and review recent research on the information needs of biomedical researchers and clinicians. A variety of potential library-based services in relation to bioinformatics are enumerated, and the institutional, environmental, and personnel factors affecting the deployment of services are examined. Finally, the authors describe the educational and training context of the library, and explore potential roles for librarians and information professionals in the context of bioinformatics services

Changes in HPV prevalence following a national bivalent HPV vaccination programme in Scotland: a 7-year cross-sectional study

Background: On Sept 1, 2008, Scotland launched routine vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, targeted at 12–13-year-old girls, of whom 92·4% were fully vaccinated in 2008–09. In this study, we report on vaccine effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine in these vaccinated women who attended for routine cervical screening at age 20–21 years. Methods: In this 7-year cross-sectional study (covering birth cohorts 1988–1995), we sampled approximately 1000 samples per year from those attending cervical screening at age 20–21 years and tested each for HPV. By linkage to vaccination records we ascertained prevalence by birth cohort and vaccination status. Estimates of vaccine effectiveness for HPV types 16 and 18, HPV types 31, 33, and 45, other high-risk types, and any HPV were calculated using logistic regression. Findings: In total, 8584 samples were HPV genotyped. Prevalence of HPV types 16 and 18 reduced substantially from 30·0% (95% CI 26·9–33·1) in the 1988 cohort to 4·5% (3·5–5·7) in the 1995 cohort, giving a vaccine effectiveness of 89·1% (85·1–92·3) for those vaccinated at age 12–13 years. All cross-protective types showed significant vaccine effectiveness (HPV type 31, 93·8% [95% CI 83·8–98·5]; HPV type 33, 79·1% [64·2–89·0]; HPV type 45, 82·6% [61·5–93·9]). Unvaccinated individuals born in 1995 had a reduced odds of HPV types 16 and 18 infection compared with those born in 1988 (adjusted odds ratio 0·13 [95% CI 0·06–0·28]) and reduced odds of HPV types 31, 33, and 45 (odds ratio 0·45 [0·23–0·89]). Interpretation: Bivalent vaccination has led to a startling reduction in vaccine and cross-protective HPV types 7 years after vaccination. There is also evidence of herd protection against the vaccine-specific and cross-protective types in unvaccinated individuals born in 1995. These findings should be considered in cost-effectiveness models informing vaccine choice and models to shape the future of cervical screening programmes

Alumnae Association Bulletin of the School of Nursing, 1972

Alumnae Calendar The President\u27s Message Officers and Chairmen of Committees Financial Report Address by President Herbut School of Nursing Report School of Practical Nursing Report Report by Dr. Mary Louise Soentgen, M.D., F.A.A.P. Report of Patient Services Department Report of Staff Nurses\u27 Association Progress Report of Hospital Activities Scholarship Committee Report - Clerk-Typist Annual Luncheon - Head Table Social Events for 1971-1972 Missing Alumnae Members Jefferson Today Ways and Means Committee Report Constitution and By-Laws Report Sick and Welfare Committee Women\u27s Board Report Baccalaureate Degree Program Luncheon Pictures Resume of Minutes of Alumnae Association Meeting Class News Poem by Rosa Diseroad - 1923 Marriages Births - Hello World In Memoriam Notice