Lentinus edodes Colonization of Oak is Enhanced by Log Treatment With Methyl Bromide

Two or more years of outdoor incubation of inoculated oak logs are required before shiitake (Lentinus edodes [Berk.] Sing.) mushrooms appear; methods to accelerate the rate of oak sapwood colonization should reduce this incubation period. Observed increased mold growth of oak sapwood fumigated with methyl bromide (MB) prompted an experiment to determine whether such treatment would enhance oak colonization by L. edodes. Red and bur oak bolts ( 1 m long) were inoculated three weeks after felling. Half of the bolts were fumigated with MB ( 100 g per m3 of space beneath a plastic tarp) for three days, then vented for five days prior to inoculation. Bolts were incubated in a partly-shady location and sampled for fungus with an increment hammer one year after inoculation. L. edodes was recovered from 40% (31/ 78) of the plugs plated from untreated red oak, and from 92% (72/78) of those formerly fumigated with MB. Bur oak yielded 67% (24/ 36) from untreated and 94% (34/ 36) from fumigated bolts. These data indicate enhanced oak colonization by the shiitake fungus after MB fumigation

Direct Conversion of Waste Paper to Valued Foodstuff: Growth of the Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus) on Old Newspaper

Waste papers, such as newsprint not recycled for fiber recovery, may provide benefits such as production of valued mushrooms during their biological decomposition in low input simple technology systems. The edible gourmet mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus was grown on a newspaper substrate with small additions of spawn and wood chips. Prior sterilization of the paper was not required in successful outdoor incubation of inoculated bales. Heavy metal content of mushrooms from paper was similar to that found in commercial oyster mushrooms purchased at a local marke

Borate Rods as an On-Site Remedial Treatment for Control of Decay in Wood Decks

A conventional wood recreational deck constructed with spruce-pine-fir lumber was sampled for active growth of wood decay fungi before and 10 months after remedial preservation treatment with fused disodium octaborate rods (IMPEL®) at boric acid levels from 1.5-10 kg/m3. Extent of boron distribution was observed with a color indicator dye (curcumin) after 10 months exposure. Remedial treatment with the boron rods. was nearly 100% effective. Active decay cultures from treated material were found only in samples obtained from boards treated at the inhibition dosage level (1.5kg/m3) of boric acid. Suggested lethal dosages (\u3e3kg/m3) were effective in all cases as indicated by the failure to recover any decay fungi. In contrast, the numbers of active decay cultures from nontreated boards increased over the exposure period. Curcumin tests for diffusion indicated excellent distribution of boric acid in wood material where moisture contents exceeded 25% (ovendry weight basis)

Lichen Deterioration About a Coal-Fired Steam Electric Generating Plant

A survey of three common epiphytic species of foliose lichens was conducted about a coal-fired steam electric station in North-central Minnesota during the summer of 1977 to assess general lichen health on a gradient basis from a point-source of air pollution. Health, as judged by abnormal form and color, of nearly 3,500 lichen specimens was recorded in 35 vegetation survey plots from a total of 291 trees. Lichen discoloration and degeneration decreased with increased distance from the power plant, and little deterioration was observed beyond 3 miles. Within the plant vicinity, lichen damage was noted on tree boles facing the plant which were impacted with fly ash. Maximum damage of lichens followed the pattern of prevailing winds (NW-SE). Sulfur analysis of lichen thalli was not correlated with visible damage distribution tended to decrease at the most distant plots (30 mi. from source). Considering the sensitivity of foliose lichens to declining air quality (especially S02 pollution), pollution sources in the rural environment are bound to affect lichen communities, as this study indicates. More sophisticated lichen surveys coupled with future monitoring of pollution would be a valuable contribution to the general environmental impact assessment of coal-fired electrical energy production

Pilodyn Evaluation of Treated Waferboard in Field Exposure

Samples of preservative-treated aspen waferboard exposed outdoors for 30 months were compared using pin penetrations of the 6-Joule Pilodyn. These results correlated well with rankings of treatment performance based on more laborious standard mechanical tests, and demonstrate the potential for use of the Pilodyn as a tool to evaluate wood composites in test exposures with minimal destruction

Improving Aspen Kraft Pulp by A Novel, Low-Technology Fungal Pretreatment

This study investigated the biopulping agent Phanerochaete chrysosporium with a new process that required neither wood sterilization nor pure culture incubation conditions. Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michaux) chip bales with three treatments were studied. Each bale was kraft cooked after 8.5 weeks of pretreatment. The effects of fungal inoculation and foil-wrapping on pulp and paper strength properties were evaluated. Fungal pretreatment caused significantly faster response to beating as lower freeness was noted. Foil-wrapping retarded the loss of moisture within the bale, and as a result, prolonged fungal activities, resulting in substantial increases in burst strength. Tear was slightly increased, but there was no increase in tensile strength. In some bales, brightness of unbleached pulp was reduced. This study has shown that substantial improvements in certain paper properties and potential beating energy savings could be achieved through this compression/baling technique. Optimization of this system has the potential to provide a practical method of chip pretreatment for the pulp and paper industry

Effect of Compression of Green Wood Chips on Conidial Germination and Colonization of A Biopulping Fungus, Phanerochaete Chrysosporium

Compression and baling of green wood ships inoculated with a biopulping fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has produced pulps with increased strength properties and reduced energy inputs without the need for steaming of chips or specialized bioreactor conditions. Use of a contact-agar method to study spore germination has shown that compression of green wood enhances rates of sapwood colonization by two strains of this white-rot fungus. This response was verified by SEM observation and is thought to occur as a result of parenchyma death during chip compression. The colonization of this fungus on softwood chips was also improved as a result of compression

Erratum: Toward Standardization, Harmonization, and Integration of Social Determinants of Health Data: A Texas Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions Collaboration - Corrigendum

This corrects the article Toward standardization, harmonization, and integration of social determinants of health data: A Texas Clinical and Translational Science Award institutions collaboration in volume 8, e17

Toward Standardization, Harmonization, and Integration of Social Determinants of Health Data: A Texas Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions Collaboration

INTRODUCTION: The focus on social determinants of health (SDOH) and their impact on health outcomes is evident in U.S. federal actions by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minorities and communities of color heightened awareness of health inequities and the need for more robust SDOH data collection. Four Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs comprising the Texas Regional CTSA Consortium (TRCC) undertook an inventory to understand what contextual-level SDOH datasets are offered centrally and which individual-level SDOH are collected in structured fields in each electronic health record (EHR) system potentially for all patients. METHODS: Hub teams identified American Community Survey (ACS) datasets available via their enterprise data warehouses for research. Each hub\u27s EHR analyst team identified structured fields available in their EHR for SDOH using a collection instrument based on a 2021 PCORnet survey and conducted an SDOH field completion rate analysis. RESULTS: One hub offered ACS datasets centrally. All hubs collected eleven SDOH elements in structured EHR fields. Two collected Homeless and Veteran statuses. Completeness at four hubs was 80%-98%: Ethnicity, Race; \u3c 10%: Education, Financial Strain, Food Insecurity, Housing Security/Stability, Interpersonal Violence, Social Isolation, Stress, Transportation. CONCLUSION: Completeness levels for SDOH data in EHR at TRCC hubs varied and were low for most measures. Multiple system-level discussions may be necessary to increase standardized SDOH EHR-based data collection and harmonization to drive effective value-based care, health disparities research, translational interventions, and evidence-based policy

Toward Standardization, Harmonization, and Integration of Social Determinants of Health Data: A Texas Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions Collaboration

INTRODUCTION: The focus on social determinants of health (SDOH) and their impact on health outcomes is evident in U.S. federal actions by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minorities and communities of color heightened awareness of health inequities and the need for more robust SDOH data collection. Four Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs comprising the Texas Regional CTSA Consortium (TRCC) undertook an inventory to understand what contextual-level SDOH datasets are offered centrally and which individual-level SDOH are collected in structured fields in each electronic health record (EHR) system potentially for all patients. METHODS: Hub teams identified American Community Survey (ACS) datasets available via their enterprise data warehouses for research. Each hub\u27s EHR analyst team identified structured fields available in their EHR for SDOH using a collection instrument based on a 2021 PCORnet survey and conducted an SDOH field completion rate analysis. RESULTS: One hub offered ACS datasets centrally. All hubs collected eleven SDOH elements in structured EHR fields. Two collected Homeless and Veteran statuses. Completeness at four hubs was 80%-98%: Ethnicity, Race; \u3c 10%: Education, Financial Strain, Food Insecurity, Housing Security/Stability, Interpersonal Violence, Social Isolation, Stress, Transportation. CONCLUSION: Completeness levels for SDOH data in EHR at TRCC hubs varied and were low for most measures. Multiple system-level discussions may be necessary to increase standardized SDOH EHR-based data collection and harmonization to drive effective value-based care, health disparities research, translational interventions, and evidence-based policy