Carbon and water fluxes from ponderosa pine forests disturbed by wildfire and thinning

Disturbances alter ecosystem carbon dynamics, often by reducing carbon uptake and stocks. We compared the impact of two types of disturbances that represent the most likely future conditions of currently dense ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States: (1) high-intensity fire and (2) thinning, designed to reduce fire intensity. High- severity fire had a larger impact on ecosystem carbon uptake and storage than thinning. Total ecosystem carbon was 42% lower at the intensely burned site, 10 years after burning, than at the undisturbed site. Eddy covariance measurements over two years showed that the burned site was a net annual source of carbon to the atmosphere whereas the undisturbed site was a sink. Net primary production (NPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and water use efficiency were lower at the burned site than at the undisturbed site. In contrast, thinning decreased total ecosystem carbon by 18%, and changed the site from a carbon sink to a source in the first post- treatment year. Thinning also decreased ET, reduced the limitation of drought on carbon uptake during summer, and did not change water use efficiency. Both disturbances reduced ecosystem carbon uptake by decreasing gross primary production (55% by burning, 30% by thinning) more than total ecosystem respiration (TER; 33–47% by burning, 18% by thinning), and increased the contribution of soil carbon dioxide efflux to TER. The relationship between TER and temperature was not affected by either disturbance. Efforts to accurately estimate regional carbon budgets should consider impacts on carbon dynamics of both large disturbances, such as high-intensity fire, and the partial disturbance of thinning that is often used to prevent intense burning. Our results show that thinned forests of ponderosa pine in the southwestern United States are a desirable alternative to intensively burned forests to maintain carbon stocks and primary production

Anthropology, Brokerage and Collaboration in the development of a Tongan Public Psychiatry: Local Lessons for Global Mental Health

The Global Mental Health (GMH) movement has revitalised questions of the translatability of psychiatric concepts and the challenges of community engagement in countries where knowledge of the biomedical basis for psychiatric diagnosis is limited or challenged by local cultural codes. In Tonga, the local psychiatrist Dr Puloka has successfully established a publicly accessible psychiatry that has raised admission rates for serious mental illness and addressed some of the stigma attached to diagnosis. On the basis of historical analysis and ethnographic fieldwork with healers, doctors and patients since 1998, this article offers an ethnographic contextualization of the development and reception of three key interventions during the 1990s inspired by traditional healing and reliant on the translation of psychiatric terms and diagnosis. Dr Puloka’s use of medical anthropological and transcultural psychiatry research informed a community engaged brokerage between the implications of psychiatric nosologies and local needs. As such it reveals deficiencies in current polarised positions on the GMH project and offers suggestions to address current challenges of the Global Mental Health movement

Сравнительная оценка основных характеристик натриевых и светодиодных тепличных облучателей

The authors showed that traditional sodium greenhouse irradiators are being replaced by more efficient LED ones. (Research purpose) To conduct a comparative assessment of the main characteristics of sodium and LED greenhouse irradiators with an equal photosynthetic photon flux. (Materials and methods) The authors collected a database of 79 sodium irradiators (34 irradiators with electronic ballasts and 45 – with electromagnetic) and 118 – LED. A comparative assessment was carried out in two stages. At the first stage mathematical models of the power, mass, area and cost of irradiation facilities dependence on the photosynthetic photon flux generated by them were obtained. At the second stage the system of equations of sodium and LED greenhouse irradiators for each characteristic were solved. (Results and discussion) The consumed active power of LED irradiators is on average 33 percent less compared to sodium. The area of LED illuminators is 2.5 times larger than sodium irradiators with electronic ballast and 44 percent more than sodium irradiators with electromagnetic ballast. The LED irradiators mass is 3.5 times more than sodium with electronic ballast and 20 percent more than sodium with electromagnetic ballast. The cost of LED illuminators is 3.5 and 4.3 times higher. (Conclusions) LED irradiators are more energy efficient compared to sodium ones. However, due to the high cost, their implementation requires a feasibility study, including additional evaluation criteria: service life, operating costs, electricity price and others.Показали, что на смену традиционным натриевым тепличным облучателям приходят более эффективные светодиодные. (Цель исследования) Провести сравнительную оценку основных характеристик натриевых и светодиодных тепличных облучателей при равном фотосинтетическом фотонном потоке. (Материалы и методы) Собрали базу данных о 79 натриевых облучателях (34 облучателя с электронной пускорегулирующей аппаратурой и 45 – с электромагнитной) и 118 – светодиодных. Сравнительную оценку провели в два этапа. На первом этапе получили математические модели зависимости мощности, массы, площади и стоимости облучательных установок от генерируемого ими фотосинтетического фотонного потока. На втором этапе решили системы уравнений натриевых и светодиодных тепличных облучателей по каждой характеристике. (Результаты и обсуждение) Потребляемая активная мощность светодиодных облучателей по сравнению с натриевыми в среднем на 33 процента меньше. Площадь светодиодных облучателей в 2,5 раза больше, чем натриевых с электронным балластом, и на 44 процента больше, чем натриевых облучателей с электромагнитным балластом. Масса светодиодных облучателей в 3,5 раза больше, чем натриевых с электронным балластом, и на 20 процентов больше, чем натриевых с электромагнитным балластом. Стоимость светодиодных облучателей дороже, соответственно в 3,5 и 4,3 раза. (Выводы) Светодиодные облучатели более энергоэффективны по сравнению с натриевыми. Однако из-за высокой стоимости их внедрение требует технико-экономического обоснования, включающего дополнительные критерии оценки: срок службы, эксплуатационные затраты, цена электроэнергии и другие

Ethnic discrimination prevalence and associations with health outcomes: data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of secondary school students in New Zealand

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reported ethnic discrimination is higher among indigenous and minority adult populations. There is a paucity of nationally representative prevalence studies of ethnic discrimination among adolescents. Experiencing ethnic discrimination has been associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. NZ has a diverse ethnic population. There are health inequalities among young people from Māori and Pacific ethnic groups.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>9107 randomly selected secondary school students participated in a nationally representative cross-sectional health and wellbeing survey conducted in 2007. The prevalence of ethnic discrimination by health professionals, by police, and ethnicity-related bullying were analysed. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between ethnic discrimination and six health/wellbeing outcomes: self-rated health status, depressive symptoms in the last 12 months, cigarette smoking, binge alcohol use, feeling safe in ones neighbourhood, and self-rated school achievement.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were significant ethnic differences in the prevalences of ethnic discrimination. Students who experienced ethnic discrimination were less likely to report excellent/very good/good self-rated general health (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.39, 0.65), feel safe in their neighbourhood (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.40, 0.58), and more likely to report an episode of binge drinking in the previous 4 weeks (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.45, 2.17). For all these outcomes the odds ratios for the group who were 'unsure' if they had experienced ethnic discrimination were similar to those of the 'yes' group.</p> <p>Ethnicity stratified associations between ethnic discrimination and the depression, cigarette smoking, and self-rated school achievement are reported. Within each ethnic group participants reporting ethnic discrimination were more likely to have adverse outcomes for these three variables. For all three outcomes the direction and size of the association between experience of ethnic discrimination and the outcome were similar across all ethnic groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ethnic discrimination is more commonly reported by Indigenous and minority group students. Both experiencing and being 'unsure' about experiencing ethnic discrimination are associated with a range of adverse health/wellbeing outcomes. Our findings highlight the progress yet to be made to ensure that rights to be free from ethnic discrimination are met for young people living in New Zealand.</p

Epithelial-immune cell interplay in primary Sjogren syndrome salivary gland pathogenesis

In primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS), the function of the salivary glands is often considerably reduced. Multiple innate immune pathways are likely dysregulated in the salivary gland epithelium in pSS, including the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway, the inflammasome and interferon signalling. The ductal cells of the salivary gland in pSS are characteristically surrounded by a CD4(+) T cell-rich and B cell-rich infiltrate, implying a degree of communication between epithelial cells and immune cells. B cell infiltrates within the ducts can initiate the development of lymphoepithelial lesions, including basal ductal cell hyperplasia. Vice versa, the epithelium provides chronic activation signals to the glandular B cell fraction. This continuous stimulation might ultimately drive the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. This Review discusses changes in the cells of the salivary gland epithelium in pSS (including acinar, ductal and progenitor cells), and the proposed interplay of these cells with environmental stimuli and the immune system. Current therapeutic options are insufficient to address both lymphocytic infiltration and salivary gland dysfunction. Successful rescue of salivary gland function in pSS will probably demand a multimodal therapeutic approach and an appreciation of the complicity of the salivary gland epithelium in the development of pSS. Salivary gland dysfunction is an important characteristic of primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS). In this Review, the authors discuss various epithelial abnormalities in pSS and the mechanisms by which epithelial cell-immune cell interactions contribute to disease development and progression

Assessing human diet and movement in the Tongan maritime chiefdom using isotopic analyses.

The rise of stratified societies fundamentally influences the interactions between status, movement, and food. Using isotopic analyses, we assess differences in diet and mobility of individuals excavated from two burial mounds located at the `Atele burial site on Tongatapu, the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga (c. 500 - 150 BP). The first burial mound (To-At-1) was classified by some archaeologists as a commoner's mound while the second burial mound (To-At-2) was possibly used for interment of the chiefly class. In this study, stable isotope analyses of diet (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S; n = 41) are used to asses paleodiet and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (n = 30) are analyzed to investigate individual mobility to test whether sex and social status affected these aspects of life. Our results show significant differences in diet between burial mounds and sexes. Those interred in To-At-2 displayed lower δ13C values, indicating they ate relatively more terrestrial plants (likely starchy vegetable staples) compared with To-At-1 individuals. Females displayed significantly lower δ15N values compared with males within the entire assemblage. No differences in δ34S values were observed between sexes or burial mound but it is possible that sea spray or volcanism may have affected these values. One individual displayed the strontium isotopic composition representative of a nonlocal immigrant (outside 2SD of the mean). This suggests the hegemonic control over interisland travel, may have prevented long-term access to the island by non-Tongans exemplifying the political and spiritual importance of the island of Tongatapu in the maritime chiefdom