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

P4_3 Magnetospheric Energy Harvest

It has been known since Michael Faraday’s work on electromagnetism that passing a conductor through a magnetic field generates an electromotive force (EMF) across that conductor. This principle is applied to a conductor falling through the Earth’s magnetosphere, which is modelled as a dipole field. In this report, the possibility of such a system powering the electronics of a satellite in a circular orbit is explored. A polar orbit (PO) is considered in the calculation of an EMF, which is induced across a theoretical 10 m long conducting rod. The EMF for the PO varies with latitude and so is only considered over the poles, where the B field direction is assumed to be constant. The plausibility of using this system as a power source for a satellite is discussed on the basis of the EMF values. The calculated EMF value for the PO is p = 4.0 V, which is time varying over a small range of EMF values. The altitude used for the PO is 400 km

P4_8 Ringworld Dynamics

Dynamic properties of the ring world structures in the video game series ‘Halo’ are investigated. The ring worlds rotate, and so have an associated centripetal force, which is approximately equal to the gravitational force of Earth [1]. The work done to accelerate each ring from rest, to an angular frequency which results in this centripetal force, was calculated to be 4.17×1024 kg. The angular frequency of each ring was calculated to be 1.4×103 rad s−1. It was assumed that the ring world was accelerated by a propulsion system, which ejects matter at high velocities, therefore producing thrust like a rocket engine or an ion propulsion system. To minimize the mass required to do this, the speed of the material was maximized. Therefore the speed was assumed to be equal to c, the speed of light in a vacuum. The mass of the material was calculated to be 3.97×1012 kg

P4_5 Falling Into Mount Doom

During a scene in the film “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”, a creature called Gollum falls into a volcano (Mount Doom) and sinks into the lava. In this article we investigate the displacement of Gollum once he enters the lava inside Mount Doom. We assumed that Gollum enters the lava at terminal velocity, which we calculated to be 33 m s−1 . We found that Gollum would sink to 0.15 m below the surface of the lava but would then rise to the surface 0.27 s after hitting the lava. Therefore, we believe that the physics shown in the film is incorrect

Effects of short-term arsenic exposure in Arabidopsis thaliana : tolerance versus toxicity responses

The metalloid arsenic (As) is highly phytotoxic, in part due to the similarity of the arsenates to phosphates, but also due to its ability to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and in the form of arsenite directly interact with certain enzymes. Here we aimed to determine the effects of a short period of As exposure on Arabidopsis thaliana. Particular focus was given to shoot responses, which have received less attention in previous studies. A. thaliana (ecotype Col-0) plants (28-d-old) were cultivated hydroponically in the presence of 0, 27, 108, and 216 M arsenic in the form of sodium arsenate for five days. Translocation of As from root to shoot increased with increasing As concentration in the medium and caused a reduction in growth. Photosynthesis was severely affected due to stomatal closure, increased ROS accumulation, and alterations in expression of genes involved in oxidative stress responses and As detoxification. Primary metabolism was also perturbed, suggesting both the direct inhibition of certain enzymes as well as active defensive responses. Overall the effects of As toxicity depended greatly on the degree of translocation from root to shoot and involved both direct effects on biological processes and secondary effects caused by the accumulation of ROS

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers for use in bit patterned media fabrication

Reduction of the bit size in conventional magnetic recording media is becoming increasingly difficult due to the superparamagnetic limit. Bit patterned media (BPM) has been proposed as a replacement technology as it will enable hard disk areal densities to increase past 1 Tb in−2. Block copolymer directed self-assembly (BCP DSA) is the leading candidate for forming BPM due to its ability to create uniform patterns over macroscopic areas. Here we review the latest research into two different BCP DSA techniques: graphoepitaxy and chemoepitaxy (or chemical prepatterning). In addition to assessing their potential for forming high density bit patterns, we also review current approaches using these techniques for forming servo patterns, which are required for hard disk drive (HDD) operation. Finally, we review the current state of UV nanoimprint lithography, which is the favoured technique for enabling mass production of BPM HDDs

J16 Exploring the acceptability and key components for success of a 12 month physical activity intervention in early to mid-stage Huntington's disease

Background The PACE-HD trial investigated the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial of a 12-month physical activity intervention delivered by physiotherapists. Aim To conduct a process evaluation of the PACE-HD intervention to specifically assess intervention components affecting acceptability and fidelity of intervention delivery. Method Intervention delivery and acceptability was assessed via an end of study questionnaire completed by participants randomised to receive the intervention as part of an evaluation framework. Questionnaires required respondents to rate items relating to various intervention components on a scale from 1 [strongly disagree] to 5 [strongly agree] and additional open text questions. Scores of 4 and above were rated as positive. Results Twenty participants completed the questionnaire. Responses regarding the support of therapists were largely positive (99%) with full enjoyment of and satisfaction with coach-led sessions (100%), plus high enjoyment of self-supported sessions (85%). Only some (65%) participants reported that the provided workbook aided goal setting and its use was not frequent. Most (80%) participants used the Fitbit to monitor their physical activity despite only 55% agreeing that it was easy to use and 65% that its use was motivational. Participants indicated increased confidence for physical activity after 12 months; 90% of whom stated that they felt confident continuing with physical activity after the trial. Outcome The PACE-HD intervention was acceptable to HD participants and they felt supported by the intervention therapists. Knowledge gathered in this process evaluation can inform successful implementation, potential causal mechanisms and contextual factors that may affect intervention outcome