Georgia concrete pavement performance and longevity

Issued as final reportGeorgia. Dept. of Transportatio

In and Out: Senses and Meaning Extension of Mandarin Spatial Terms nei and wai

PACLIC 19 / Taipei, taiwan / December 1-3, 200

Sustainable maize production and consumption in China: practices and politics in transition

China provides a stark and globally significant illustration of how changing patterns of food production and consumption (especially related to increased intake of animal protein) are creating negative impacts on biodiversity, climate, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles and the use of freshwater. However, China's rapidly growing innovation capabilities and dynamic pattern of development also offer a unique opportunity for transitions towards more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. Applying a ‘food practices in transition’ framework (Spaargaren et al., 2012), this paper discusses the technological, political and socio-cultural factors central to such systemic changes, with a focus on maize as a core case study. In particular it presents and discusses two contending (but not mutually-exclusive) pathways towards more sustainable maize production and consumption. One, which we call the ‘indigenous innovation’ pathway is framed by ‘systemic rationalities’ and characterised by a focus on R&D-intensive technologies for agricultural intensification, including the controversial use of transgenic phytase maize. The second, which we term the ‘alternative’ pathway, is framed by ‘lifeworld rationalities’ and focusses on improved management practices, shorter supply chains, agro-ecological and participatory research. The two pathways claim different environmental benefits and present different risks and political implications. This paper analyses the food practices in transition in each pathway, identifying links with shifting political conditions and pointing to the increasingly significant role of consumer agency in steering patterns of maize production and consumption in China

Global importance of large-diameter trees

Aim: To examine the contribution of large‐diameter trees to biomass, stand structure, and species richness across forest biomes. Location: Global. Time period: Early 21st century. Major taxa studied: Woody plants. Methods: We examined the contribution of large trees to forest density, richness and biomass using a global network of 48 large (from 2 to 60 ha) forest plots representing 5,601,473 stems across 9,298 species and 210 plant families. This contribution was assessed using three metrics: the largest 1% of trees ≥ 1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH), all trees ≥ 60 cm DBH, and those rank‐ordered largest trees that cumulatively comprise 50% of forest biomass. Results: Averaged across these 48 forest plots, the largest 1% of trees ≥ 1 cm DBH comprised 50% of aboveground live biomass, with hectare‐scale standard deviation of 26%. Trees ≥ 60 cm DBH comprised 41% of aboveground live tree biomass. The size of the largest trees correlated with total forest biomass (r2 = .62, p < .001). Large‐diameter trees in high biomass forests represented far fewer species relative to overall forest richness (r2 = .45, p < .001). Forests with more diverse large‐diameter tree communities were comprised of smaller trees (r2 = .33, p < .001). Lower large‐diameter richness was associated with large‐diameter trees being individuals of more common species (r2 = .17, p = .002). The concentration of biomass in the largest 1% of trees declined with increasing absolute latitude (r2 = .46, p < .001), as did forest density (r2 = .31, p < .001). Forest structural complexity increased with increasing absolute latitude (r2 = .26, p < .001). Main conclusions: Because large‐diameter trees constitute roughly half of the mature forest biomass worldwide, their dynamics and sensitivities to environmental change represent potentially large controls on global forest carbon cycling. We recommend managing forests for conservation of existing large‐diameter trees or those that can soon reach large diameters as a simple way to conserve and potentially enhance ecosystem services

Privatizing China: Socialism from Afar edited by Li Zhang and Aihwa Ong

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136425/1/j.1548-1425.2009.01181_3.x.pd

ImageJ analysis of dentin tubule distribution in human teeth

Mapping the distribution of dentin tubules is vital to understanding the structure-function relationship of dentin, an important indicator of tooth stability. This study compared the distances between and density of tubules in the external dentin located in the crown region of an adult human incisor and molar to determine if analysis could be conducted using light-level microscopy. Teeth were processed for routine histology, cut in cross-section, images captured using Advanced SPOT Program, and microstructure was analyzed using ImageJ (NIH). Intratubular (peritubular) dentin with or without odontoblast processes were observed and although incisor and molar images appeared visually similar, plot profile graphs differed. Distance-intervals between tubules in the incisor (5.45-7.67μm) had an overall range of 2.22μm and in the molar (7.43-8.42μm) an overall range of 0.99μm. While molar tubule distribution displayed a tighter overall range, there was a smaller distance between most incisor tubules. The average densities observed in incisors were 15,500tubules/mm2, compared with 20,100tubules/mm2 in molars. ImageJ analysis of prepared histology microscopic slides provides researchers with a rapid, inexpensive assessment tool when compared with advanced/ultrastructural methodologies. By combining routine histological processing and light microscopic observations followed by ImageJ analysis, tooth structure can be converted into numerical data and easily mastered by laboratory personnel