Learning from Escaped Prescribed Fire Reviews Workshop Discussion Summary

This Joint Fire Science funded project seeks to understand individual and organizational learning from prescribed fire operations, particularly how existing review processes do or might promote capture and transfer of lessons from prescribed fire escapes. We seek to understand what aspects of current reviews (processes, venues/formats, timing, and distribution techniques) are most effective in promoting organizational learning

Factors affecting post-fire crown regeneration in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) trees

Cork oak (Quercus suber) forests are acknowledged for their biodiversity and economic (mainly cork production) values. WildWres are one of the main threats contributing to cork oak decline in the Mediterranean Basin, and one major question that managers face after Wre in cork oak stands is whether the burned trees should be coppiced or not. This decision can be based on the degree of expected crown regeneration assessed immediately after Wre. In this study we carried out a post-Wre assessment of the degree of crown recovery in 858 trees being exploited for cork production in southern Portugal, 1.5 years after a wildWre. Using logistic regression, we modelled good or poor crown recovery probability as a function of tree and stand variables. The main variables inXuencing the likelihood of good or poor crown regeneration were bark thickness, charring height, aspect and tree diameter. We also developed management models, including simpler but easier to measure variables, which had a lower predictive power but can be used to help managers to identify, immediately after Wre, trees that will likely show good crown regeneration, and trees that will likely die or show poor regeneration (and thus, potential candidates for trunk coppicin

Effects of intraoperative hypothermia on neuropsychological outcomes after intracranial aneurysm surgery

Objective Subarachnoid hemorrhage and surgical obliteration of ruptured intracranial aneurysms are frequently associated with neurological and neuropsychological abnormalities. We reported that intraoperative cooling did not improve neurological outcome in good-grade surgical subarachnoid hemorrhage patients, as assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale score or other neurological and functional measures (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Rankin Disability Scale, Barthel Activities of Daily Living). We now report the results of neuropsychological testing in these patients. Methods A total of 1,001 patients who bled ≤14 days before surgery were randomly assigned to intraoperative hypothermia (t = 33°C) or normothermia (37°C). Outcome was assessed approximately 3 months after surgery. Patients underwent the Benton Visual Retention, Controlled Oral Word Association, Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure, Grooved Pegboard, and the Trail Making tests. T -scores for each test were calculated from normative data. T -scores were averaged to calculate a Composite Score. A test result (or the Composite Score) was considered “impaired” if the T -score was two or more standard deviations below the norm. A Mini-Mental State Examination was also performed. Results Neurological outcome data were available in 1,000 patients. Sixty-one patients died. Of the 939 survivors, 873 completed 3 or more tests (exclusive of the Mini-Mental State Examination). Patients with poor neurological outcomes were less likely to complete testing; only 3.9% of Good Outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score = 1) patients were untested, compared with 38.6% of patients with Glasgow Outcome Scale scores of 3 and 4. There were no prerandomization demographic differences between the two treatment groups. For hypothermic patients, 16.8% were impaired from their Composite Score versus 20.0% of patients in the normothermic group ( p = 0.317). For patients in the hypothermic group, 54.5% were impaired on at least one test, compared with 55.5% of patients in the normothermic group ( p = 0.865). Similar results were seen in patients with baseline WFNS scores = I. Mini-Mental State Examination scores in the hypothermic and normothermic groups were 27.4 ± 3.8 and 26.8 ± 4.5, respectively. Interpretation This is the largest prospective evaluation of neuropsychological function after subarachnoid hemorrhage to date. Testing was completed in a high fraction of patients, demonstrating the feasibility of such testing in a large trial. However, the frequent inability to complete testing in poor-outcome patients suggests that testing may be best used to refine outcome assessments in good-grade patients. Many patients showed impairment on at least one test, with global impairment present in 17 to 20% of patients (18–21% of survivors). This was true even among the patients with the best preoperative condition (WFNS = 1). There was no difference in the incidence of impairment between hypothermic and normothermic groups. Ann Neurol 2006;60:518–527Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55889/1/21018_ftp.pd

Modélisation de la qualité des stations et de la croissance individuelle des arbres dans des peuplements purs et mélangés de Pinus brutia dans le nord-est de la Grèce

International audienc

I gråzonen mellan journalistik och underhållning : Podcast-fenomenet Serial och förmågan att trollbinda en publik

Denna uppsats berör den populära podcasten Serial och den kritik som har riktats mot serien av flertalet journalister både i Sverige och utomlands. Uppsatsen ställer sig frågan vad det är med Serials berättargrepp som har utlöst denna upprördhet inom delar av journalistkåren, bland annat gällande reportern Sarah Koenigs framträdande roll i serien, och undersöker hur serien förhåller sig till den traditionella nyhetsjournalistikens grundprinciper. Uppsatsen drar även paralleller till den litterära journalistiken eftersom delar av kritiken mot Serial påminner om den kritik som riktades mot genren då den slog igenom på 60-talet. Studien av Serial, som bygger på en narrativ analys av materialet, har fokuserats kring hur reportern Sarah Koenigs berättande är utformat. Detta eftersom syftet med uppsatsen är att identifiera huruvida det finns belägg för kritiken som serien tagit emot, och som främst är riktad mot Sarah Koenigs berättargrepp. Utifrån de fynd som görs i analysen dras slutsatsen att det går att identifiera problematiska inslag i serien, framförallt gällande bristen på motiv, men att Serial inte nödvändigtvis behöver dömas ut som ett journalistiskt misslyckande. Istället argumenterar uppsatsen för att Serial snarare bör betraktas som en stapplande stilbildare inom det ännu unga och oreglerade podcast-formatet.

Predicting Mortality and Scorch Height from Prescribed Burning for Ponderosa Pine in Northern Idaho

Planning the use of prescribed fire in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) communities often requires an estimate of tree mortality. A logistic regression model was developed to estimate survival of fire-injured ponderosa pine from prescribed burning. Scorch height and diameter at breast height estimate the probability of survival. Once a ponderosa pine exceeds 45 cm in diameter, it has a high probability of survival for the range of intensities within this study. Since the model is based on scorch height, Van Wagner's (1973) scorch height predictive equations were tested using data collected from 21 experimental fall fires. The range of data includes fire line intensities from 16 to 860 Kcal/sec/m, ambient air temperatures from 13 to 29?C, and average scorch heights from 1 to 17 m. Van Wagner's second equation, where scorch height is a function of fire line intensity and ambient air temperature, should be used to predict scorch height. Regression coefficients should be developed for different tree species. The regression coefficient for ponderosa pine developed in this study is lower than the average value of other tree species. Fire line intensity and ambient air temperature account for only 68% of the variability in scorch height for ponderosa pine in this study. Large fuels or heavy duff loadings that provide ventilation and heat for extended periods of time may help further explain the variability

Using Escaped Prescribed Fire Reviews to Improve Organizational Learning

The US wildland fire community has been interested in cultivating organizational learning to improve safety and overall performance for a number of years. A key focus has been on understanding the difference between culpability (to be guilty) and accountability (to explain) and on re-orienting review processes towards building a collective account of (as opposed to finding individual blame for) unwanted outcomes. A variety of innovative methodologies have been developed, yet until this project, there has been no systematic reflection to determine whether or how any of the existing review processes might be assisting organizational learning. Through a series of five workshops with members of the US interagency prescribed fire community, we sought to assess how the various review processes, products, and the atmosphere within which these are conducted may be contributing to or inhibiting achievement of organizational learning. This final report briefly describes the project activities and methods, presents key findings and management implications, and provides links and references to more in-depth description of project findings