The Sampling Strategy for Countryside Survey (up to 2007). Revised and Updated from: ‘The Sampling Strategy for Countryside Survey’, C.J. Barr, September 1998. DETR CONTRACT No. CR0212

The sampling strategy used for the field survey element of Countryside Survey 2007 is the latest in a series of developments of the ITE Land Classification, first used to stratify a field sample in 1978. To understand exactly how the present Countryside Survey sampling framework has been derived, it is important to review the concepts and activities that have evolved over the last 30 years since the first survey was carried out. It is possible that if the earlier time-series data were not so valuable as a basis for detecting change, and a fresh start could be made today, then a different sampling strategy might be well be adopted. However, the present Countryside Survey methodology is inextricably linked with its predecessors and an understanding of these is essential

Remediation of Contaminated Soils by Solvent Flushing

Solvent flushing is a potential technique for remediating a waste disposal/spill site contaminated with organic chemicals. This technique involves the injection of a solvent mixture (e.g., water plus alcohols) that enhances contaminant solubility, reduces the retardation factor, and increases the release rates of the contaminants. A simulation model is developed to predict contaminant elution curves during solvent flushing for the case of one‐dimensional, steady flow through a contaminated medium. Column experiments are conducted with a Eustis fine sand that is initially equilibrated with an aqueous naphthalene solution, and then eluted with different methanol‐water mixtures to remove the naphthalene. The model simulations, based on parameter values estimated from literature data, agree well with the measured elution profiles. Solvent flushing experiments, where the soil was initially equilibrated with a solution of naphthalene and anthracene, show that compounds with different retardation factors are separated at low cosolvent contents, while coelution of the compounds occurs at higher contents. In general, the smaller the retardation factor in water and the higher the cosolvent fraction, the faster the contaminant is recovered. The presence of nonequilibrium conditions, soil heterogeneity, and type of cosolvent will influence the time required to recover the contaminant.\u

What are the costs and benefits of using aerial photography to survey habitats in 1km squares?

Undertaking a field survey, such as the Countryside Survey (Carey et al., 2008) or the Welsh Glastir Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (GMEP) (Emmett and GMEP team, 2014), is a relatively expensive and time consuming way of collecting habitat data in comparison with remotely sensed techniques. In order to assess the information gained from a field survey in relation to the information that can be gained from aerial photography, a short project has been undertaken with the following objectives: • To measure the time taken to survey a 1km square using aerial photography (for a range of different and UK representative landscape types) • To measure the accuracy and level of detail of data derived using this method relative to data collected using field survey • To provide an idea of time costs associated with each of the methods • To determine the extent to which Priority Habitats can be assessed using remotely sensed methods in addition to Broad Habitats

Woodland Survey of Great Britain 1971-2001

The Woodland Survey of Great Britain is a unique data set, consisting of a detailed range of ecological measurements at a national scale, covering a time span of 30 years. A set of 103 woods spread across Britain were first surveyed in 1971, which were again surveyed in 2000–2003 (for convenience referred to subsequently as the “2001 survey”). Standardised methods of describing the trees, shrubs, ground flora, soils and general habitats present were used for both sets of surveys. The sample of 1648 plots spread through 103 woodland sites located across Britain makes it probably the most extensive quantitative ecological woodland survey undertaken in Britain; it is also notable for the range of sites that have been revisited after such a long interval. The data set provides a unique opportunity to explore the effects of a range of potential drivers of woodland change that operated between 1971 and 2001. The data set is available in four discrete parts, which have been assigned the following DOIs: doi:10.5285/4d93f9ac-68e3-49cf-8a41-4d02a7ead81a (Kirby et al., 2013b), doi:10.5285/d6409d40-58fe-4fa7-b7c8-71a105b965b4 (Kirby et al., 2013d), doi:10.5285/fb1e474d-456b-42a9- 9a10-a02c35af10d2 (Kirby et al., 2013c), doi:10.5285/2d023ce9-6dbe-4b4f-a0cd-34768e1455ae (Kirby et al., 2013a)

The Nucleon Anapole Form Factor in Chiral Perturbation Theory to Sub-leading Order

The anapole form factor of the nucleon is calculated in chiral perturbation theory to sub-leading order. This is the lowest order in which the isovector anapole form factor does not vanish. The anapole moment depends on counterterms that reflect short-range dynamics, but the momentum dependence or the form factor is determined by pion loops in terms of parameters that could in principle be fixed from other processes. If these parameters are assumed to have natural size, the sub-leading corrections do not exceed ~ 30% at momentum Q ~ 300 MeV.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, epsf.sty, submitted to Phys. Lett

Scoping biological indicators of soil quality Phase II. Defra Final Contract Report SP0534

This report presents results from a field assessment of a limited suite of potential biological indicators of soil quality to investigate their suitability for national-scale soil monitoring

The role of IL-6 in skin fibrosis and cutaneous wound healing

The timely resolution of wound healing is critical for restoring the skin as a protective barrier. The switch from a proinflammatory to a reparative microenvironment must be tightly regulated. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a key modulator of the inflammatory and reparative process: it is involved in the differentiation, activation, and proliferation of leukocytes, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts. This review examines the role of IL-6 in the healing of cutaneous wounds, and how dysregulation of IL-6 signaling can lead to either fibrosis or a failure to heal. The role of an IL-6/TGF-β feedback loop is discussed in the context of fibrogenesis, while IL-6 expression and responses in advanced age, diabetes, and obesity is outlined regarding the development of chronic wounds. Current research on therapies that modulate IL-6 is explored. Here, we consider IL-6′s diverse impact on cutaneous wound healing

Solute concentrations in water samples from clearfelled and standing Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forest ecosystems, Kershope Forest: dataset documentation

This document describes an associated dataset which consists of solute concentrations (Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sodium, Aluminium, Phosphate, Nitrate, Ammonium, Chlorine, Sulphate), also pH and suspended solids, in waters sampled from clear felled and standing Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forest ecosystems in Kershope Forest, Cumbria, UK. Water samples were collected from the ecosystem of a Sitka spruce plantation at weekly intervals for six years. The drainage system of the site had been designed to divide the plantation into a series of artificial catchments, three of which were designated experimental plots and clearfelled in the second year of sampling while three others were the control plots which remained unfelled until the end of the study. This work formed part of a programme of field and laboratory work to determine the effects of felling plantation forest on soil processes. Samples were collected by staff from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) between 1981 and 1987