DISTRIBUTION, PRESENCE, ECOLOGY, AND HARVEST DYNAMICS OF THE CHAGA FUNGUS (INONOTUS OBLIQUUS) IN THE WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST

Inonotus obliquus is a fungal infection of birch trees that produces a large sterile conk, known colloquially as Chaga. When dried, Chaga has medicinal value as an anti-mutagen and for gastro-peptic relief. With the growth of the natural remedies market over the last decade, Chaga has increasingly become the target of harvest in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). Forest managers of the WMNF have asked USFS Forest Health Protection staff whether special use permitting for Chaga as a Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) should be allowed. However, it is difficult to make management recommendations or best management practices for harvesting Chaga because the abundance and ecology of the Chaga resource in the WMNF is currently unknown. This project sought to quantify the Chaga resource in the WMNF and determine incidence of Chaga by tree species, habitat type, and other variables. Two surveys were conducted in the 2017 and 2018 field seasons, with a total of 66 sites and 2,611 birch trees sampled across the WMNF. These surveys found positive correlations between Chaga presence and birch tree age, diameter at breast height, and site elevation. Chaga was also disproportionately associated with yellow birch. Chaga frequency in WMNF birch trees was low: only 2% of trees sampled had a visible Chaga conk. However, Chaga was present in 56% of stands surveyed. In addition, Chaga infections were seen to cluster together in four separate areas surveyed. There was no clear correlation between Chaga presence and either stand-level species composition or annual basal area increment. Additional damages to infected trees only associated with Chaga presence insofar as said damages resulted from Chaga presence. In summation, Chaga, while comparatively rare, is widely distributed across the WMNF and tends to prefer older, large-diameter yellow birches at higher elevations as hosts. These results will ultimately be used to craft a series of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Chaga harvest with a better understanding of the fungus’ preferred habitat and potential for cultivation

Topics in Graph Theory: Extremal Intersecting Systems, Perfect Graphs, and Bireflexive Graphs

In this thesis we investigate three different aspects of graph theory. Firstly, we consider interesecting systems of independent sets in graphs, and the extension of the classical theorem of Erdos, Ko and Rado to graphs. Our main results are a proof of an Erdos-Ko-Rado type theorem for a class of trees, and a class of trees which form counterexamples to a conjecture of Hurlberg and Kamat, in such a way that extends the previous counterexamples given by Baber. Secondly, we investigate perfect graphs - specifically, edge modification aspects of perfect graphs and their subclasses. We give some alternative characterisations of perfect graphs in terms of edge modification, as well as considering the possible connection of the critically perfect graphs - previously studied by Wagler - to the Strong Perfect Graph Theorem. We prove that the situation where critically perfect graphs arise has no analogue in seven different subclasses of perfect graphs (e.g. chordal, comparability graphs), and consider the connectivity of a bipartite reconfiguration-type graph associated to each of these subclasses. Thirdly, we consider a graph theoretic structure called a bireflexive graph where every vertex is both adjacent and nonadjacent to itself, and use this to characterise modular decompositions as the surjective homomorphisms of these structures. We examine some analogues of some graph theoretic notions and define a “dual” version of the reconstruction conjecture

Epilepsy treatment priorities: answering the questions that matter

Objective To identify research priorities that have been answered, six years after being identified as important to people with epilepsy and epilepsy professionals. Background The DUETs database collates key unanswered questions identified by patients and professionals. In 2011, 398 questions were created using focus group methodologies. We wanted to know whether published research has since answered these important questions. Design The top 20 ranked questions for both patients and clinicians were studied. The PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for published papers and NICE, SIGN and ILAE guidance for authoritative statements. The number of papers targeted at answering these research priorities was recorded

A review on performance of energy piles and effects on surrounding ground

Thermo-active ground structures represent low-energy and sustainable technology which is a clear priority for many countries. Heat transfer between such structures and the surrounding soil is understood to play an important role both in the overall thermal performance of buildings and in the evolution of stresses in structural elements and the surrounding soil. This paper presents an overview of recent research efforts and developments in relation to energy piles. General aspects on the performance of energy piles and their impact on the surrounding ground are presented based on previous field, laboratory and numerical investigations as well as existing case studies. Based on the current knowledge, further research opportunities are identified and highlighted

Social capital and geographical variation in the incidence of COVID-19: an ecological study

BACKGROUND: The new behavioural norms needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are likely scaffolded by social capital. Research on social capital and COVID-19 has yielded mixed results, with some studies finding it to be protective while others identifying it as a risk factor. We examined the association between social capital and COVID-19 at a finer spatial scale than previous research, and examined changes in the relationship over the course of the pandemic. METHODS: Routine COVID-19 surveillance data from Wales were linked to estimates of social capital at a small area level. Generalised linear mixed effects models predicting COVID-19 case rates across areas using social capital estimates and possible confounding variables were fitted to the data. A moving window version of the analysis explored whether this relationship varied across time. RESULTS: Areas with higher levels of social capital had lower rates of COVID-19 (rate ratio for trust=0.94, 95% CI 0.92 to 0.96; rate ratio for belonging=0.94, 95% CI 0.92 to 0.96). These associations were strongest during periods of lockdown, with evidence that social capital was less protective, and potentially even a risk factor, during periods when restrictions were eased. Trust, but not belonging, remained protective after adjusting for deprivation, population density, ethnicity and proportion population aged over 65 years. CONCLUSIONS: Social capital is an important public health resource, which should be considered in future pandemic preparedness. Its importance may be greatest during times when social activity is most restricted

Pregled načina rada energetskih pilota i utjecaja na okolno tlo

Thermo-active ground structures represent low-energy and sustainable technology which is a clear priority for many countries. Heat transfer between such structures and the surrounding soil is understood to play an important role both in the overall thermal performance of buildings and in the evolution of stresses in structural elements and the surrounding soil. This paper presents an overview of recent research efforts and developments in relation to energy piles. General aspects on the performance of energy piles and their impact on the surrounding ground are presented based on previous field, laboratory and numerical investigations as well as existing case studies. Based on the current knowledge, further research opportunities are identified and highlighted.Termički aktivne podzemne konstrukcije predstavljaju nisko-energetsku i održivu tehnologiju čija je primjena prioritet za mnoge države. Izmjena topline između podzemnih konstrukcija i okolnog tla ima važnu ulogu u ukupnoj energetskoj učinkovitosti zgrada te doprinosi naprezanjima u konstruktivnim elementima i okolnom tlu. U ovom je radu prikazan pregled nedavnih terenskih, laboratorijskih i numeričkih znanstvenih istraživanja te izvedenih projekata i dobivenih saznanja na području energetskih pilota gdje su prikazani glavni aspekti energetskih pilota i utjecaji njihova rada na okolno tlo. Na temelju navedenih spoznaja, u ovom se radu navode smjernice za buduća istraživanja u ovom području