The slash-and-burn agriculture: a system in transformation

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Nelson Novaes Pedroso Júnior

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Slash-and-burn agriculture has been practiced for thousands of years in the forests around the world, especially in the tropics, where it provides for the livelihood of countless poor rural populations. Characterized by an array of techniques based on crop diversification and shifting land use, this cultivation system has on the utilization of forest decomposing vegetation´s energetic capital its main asset. Many studies claim that slash-and-burn agriculture is sustainable only when performed under conditions of low human demographic density and maintenance or even increase of local biodiversity. However, it is growing in the academic literature, as well as in development debates, the concern regarding the role that this system has been playing in the deforestation of the planet´s tropical forests. This process appears to be closely linked to changes in land use patterns (agricultural intensification and urban and rural demographic growth. On the thread of these concerns, this article presents a critical review of the international and national academic literature on slash-and-burn agriculture. Thus, this review intend to draw a broad scenario of the current academic debate on this issue, as well as to identify the main alternatives strategies proposed to maintain or replace this cultivation system.

Producing high-quality slash pine seeds

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James Barnett; Sue Varela

2003-01-01

Slash pine is a desirable species. It serves many purposes and is well adapted to poorly drained flatwoods and seasonally flooded areas along the lower Coastal Plain of the Southeastern US. The use of high-quality seeds has been shown to produce uniform seedlings for outplanting, which is key to silvicultural success along the Coastal Plain and elsewhere. We present...

Rehabilitating slash pile burn scars in upper montane forests of the Colorado Front Range

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Paula J. Fornwalt; Charles C. Rhoades

2011-01-01

Slash pile burning is widely conducted by land managers to dispose of unwanted woody fuels, yet this practice typically has undesirable ecological impacts. Simple rehabilitation treatments may be effective at ameliorating some of the negative impacts of pile burning on plants and soils. Here, we investigated: (1) the impacts of slash pile burning on soil nitrogen and...

The creation of football slash fan fiction

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Abby Waysdorf

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Although sports fandom and fan fiction are often thought of as different worlds, in the contemporary media environment, this is not the case. Sport is a popular source text for fan fiction, and high-level European football, one of the world's most watched sports, has long had an online fan fiction presence. In a study of the LiveJournal community Footballslash over the 2011–12 European football season, I investigate what makes football a suitable source text for fan fiction, especially slash fan fiction; what fan fiction authors are doing with football; and what this suggests about how football and fan fiction are used in the present day. I present a new understanding of football as a media text to be transformed as well as provide an in-depth look into how this type of real person slash is developed and thought of by its practitioners. In doing so, I show what happens when fandoms and fan practices converge in the 21st century.

Reagan's budget slashes geophysics R&D

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Richman, Barbara T.

When President Ronald Reagan outlined to a joint session of Congress his proposed revisions to the Carter fiscal 1982 budget (Eos, February 10, p. 49), Congress responded with 13 bursts of applause and one standing ovation. Geophysicists, however, may not greet the budget pruning with equal fanfare. Reagan's across-the-board cuts include proposals for slashing research and development funds. Among those hardest hit are NASA, NOAA, and NSF.

Mechanized row-thinning systems in slash pine plantations

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Walter C. Anderson; James E. Granskog

1974-01-01

Over the next decade or two, most of the 15 to 20 million acres of pine plantations in the South will become ready for a first commercial thinning. The magnitude and nature of the job is illustrated by the situation in slash pine-the most extensively planted of the southern pines.

Climate effects of electricity production fuelled by coal, forest slash and municipal solid waste with and without carbon capture

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Sathre, Roger; Gustavsson, Leif; Truong, Nguyen Le

2017-01-01

We analyse the climate implications of producing electricity in large-scale conversion plants using coal, forest slash and municipal solid waste with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS). We calculate the primary energy, carbon dioxide (CO_2) and methane (CH_4) emission profiles, and the cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) of different systems that produce the same amount of electricity. We find that using slash or waste for electricity production instead of coal somewhat increases the instantaneous CO_2 emission from the power plant, but avoids significant subsequent emissions from decaying slash in forests or waste in landfills. For slash used instead of coal, we find robust near- and long-term reductions in total emissions and CRF. Climate effects of using waste instead of coal are more ambiguous: CRF is reduced when CCS is used, but without CCS there is little or no climate benefits of using waste directly for energy, assuming that landfill gas is recovered and used for electricity production. The application of CCS requires more fuel, but strongly reduces the CO_2 emissions. The use of slash or waste together with CCS results in negative net emissions and CRF, i.e. global cooling. - Highlights: • Using slash or waste for energy emits CO_2 from power plants, but avoids CO_2 and CH_4 emissions from forests or landfills. • Using forest slash for energy instead of coal gives robust short- and long-term climate benefits. • Using waste instead of coal gives questionable climate benefits, if the waste would otherwise be landfilled properly.

Slash-and-char: An ancient agricultural technique holds new promise for management of soils contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn

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Niu, Li-qin; Jia, Pu; Li, Shao-peng; Kuang, Jia-liang; He, Xiao-xin; Zhou, Wen-hua; Liao, Bin; Shu, Wen-sheng; Li, Jin-tian

2015-01-01

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils is of worldwide concern. Unfortunately, there are currently no efficient and sustainable approaches for addressing this concern. In this study, we conducted a field experiment in which an agricultural soil highly contaminated by cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was treated on-site by an ancient agricultural technique, ‘slash-and-char’, that was able to convert the biomass feedstock (rice straw) into biochar in only one day. We found evidence that in comparison to the untreated soil, the treated soil was associated with decreased bioavailability of the heavy metals and increased vegetable yields. Most importantly, the treatment was also coupled with dramatic reductions in concentrations of the heavy metals in vegetables, which made it possible to produce safe crops in this highly contaminated soil. Collectively, our results support the idea that slash-and-char offers new promise for management of soils contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn. - Highlights: • We explored the potential of slash-and-char in dealing with soil metal pollution. • Metal bioavailability in the soil treated with slash-and-char was reduced by 24–65%. • Vegetable yield in the soil treated with slash-and-char was increased by 34–67%. • Slash-and-char could reduce the metal concentration in vegetables to a safe level. - An ancient agricultural technique called ‘slash-and-char’ offers new promise for management of soils contaminated multiply by Cd, Pb and Zn

Slash pile burning effects on soil biotic and chemical properties and plant establishment: Recommendations for amelioration

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Julie E. Korb; Nancy C. Johnson; W. W. Covington

2004-01-01

Ponderosa pine forest restoration consists of thinning trees and reintroducing prescribed fire to reduce unnaturally high tree densities and fuel loads to restore ecosystem structure and function. A current issue in ponderosa pine restoration is what to do with the large quantity of slash that is created from thinning dense forest stands. Slash piling burning is...

Emissions from prescribed burning of timber slash piles in Oregon.

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Emissions from burning piles of post-harvest timber slash (Douglas fir) in Grande Ronde, Oregon were sampled using an instrument platform lofted into the plume using a tether-controlled aerostat or balloon. Emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, particulate matte...

Microbial community structure and activity in a Colorado Rocky Mountain forest soil scarred by slash pile burning

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Aida E. Jimenez Esquilin; Mary E. Stromberger; William J. Massman; John M. Frank; Wayne D. Shepperd

2007-01-01

Tree thinning and harvesting produces large amounts of slash material which are typically disposed of by burning, often resulting in severe soil heating. We measured soil chemical properties and microbial community structure and function over time to determine effects of slash pile burning in a ponderosa pine forest soil. Real time data were collected for soil...

Adjusting slash pine growth and yield for silvicultural treatments

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Stephen R. Logan; Barry D. Shiver

2006-01-01

With intensive silvicultural treatments such as fertilization and competition control now commonplace in today's slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations, a method to adjust current growth and yield models is required to accurately account for yield increases due to these practices. Some commonly used ad-hoc methods, such as raising site...

Genetic recombinational and physical linkage analyses on slash pine

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Rob Doudrick

1996-01-01

Slash pine is native to the southeastern USA, but is commercially valuable world-wide as a timber-,fiber- and resin-producing species. Breeding objectives emphasize selection for fusiform rust disease resistance. Identification of markers linked to genetic factors conditioning specificity should expand our knowledge of disease development. Towards this end, random...

Slash Incorporation for Amelioration of Site, Soil and Hydrologic Properties on Pocosins and Wet Flats in North Carolina

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William A. Lakel; W. Michael Aust; Emily A. Carter; Bryce J. Stokes; Felipe G. Sanchez

1999-01-01

It was hypothesized that mulching and incorporation of slash as part of site preparation treatments could affect soil water characteristics. Two forested wetland sites, an organic pocosin and a mineral wet flat. located in the lower coastal plain of North Carolina, were selected for treatments. Treatments consisted of slash mulching and incorporation in comoinations...

Heritability and Seasonal Changes in Viscosity of Slash Pine Oleoresin

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Robert D. McReynolds

1971-01-01

Oleoresin viscosity was measured in slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) trees of known genetic origin over a 1-year period. A strong broad-sense heritability of this trait was found. Seasonal variation followed a definite pattern, with the highest viscosities occurring in early spring and a gradual decline occurring in...

Impacts of post-harvest slash and live-tree retention on biomass and nutrient stocks in Populus tremuloides Michx.-dominated forests, northern Minnesota, USA

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Klockow, Paul A.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Bradford, John B.

2013-01-01

Globally, there is widespread interest in using forest-derived biomass as a source of bioenergy. While conventional timber harvesting generally removes only merchantable tree boles, harvesting biomass feedstock can remove all forms of woody biomass (i.e., live and dead standing woody vegetation, downed woody debris, and stumps) resulting in a greater loss of biomass and nutrients as well as more severe habitat alteration. To investigate the potential impacts of this practice, this study examined the initial impacts (pre- and post-harvest) of various levels of slash and live-tree retention on biomass and nutrient stocks, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P), in Populus tremuloides Michx.-dominated forests of northern Minnesota, USA. Treatments examined included three levels of slash retention, whole-tree harvest (WTH), 20% slash retention (20SR), and stem-only harvest (SOH), factored with three levels of green-tree retention, no trees retained (NONE), dispersed retention (DISP), and aggregate retention (AGR). Slash retention was the primary factor affecting post-harvest biomass and nutrient stocks, including woody debris pools. Compared to the unharvested control, stocks of biomass, carbon, and nutrients, including N, Ca, K, and P, in woody debris were higher in all treatments. Stem-only harvests typically contained greater biomass and nutrient stocks than WTH, although biomass and nutrients within 20SR, a level recommended by biomass harvesting guidelines in the US and worldwide, generally did not differ from WTH or SOH. Biomass in smaller-diameter slash material (typically 2.5-22.5 cm in diameter) dominated the woody debris pool following harvest regardless of slash retention level. Trends among treatments in this diameter range were generally similar to those in the total woody debris pool. Specifically, SOH contained significantly greater amounts of biomass than WTH while 20SR was not different from either WTH or

Long term consequences of a controlled slash burn and slash mastication to soil moisture and CO2 at a southern Colorado site

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W. J. Massman; J. M. Frank; A. E. Jimenez Esquilin; M. E. Stromberger; W. D. Shepperd

2006-01-01

Thinning of forest stands is frequently used to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. But thinning requires that the refuse (or slash) be removed from the site, which can be done either by burning it or by mastication and dispersal. Either method has long term consequences to the soil and to soil moisture and soil CO2 levels. For example, after the initial drying of...

Phenotypic analysis of first-year traits in a pseudo-backcross {(slash x loblolly) x slash} and the ope-pollinated families of the pure-species progenitors

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Patricio R. Munoz Del Valle; Dudley A. Huber; John R. Butnor

2011-01-01

A single test, including one pseudo-backcross (Pinus elliottii x Pinus taeda) x P. elliottii and openpollinated families of the pure species progenitors, was established in North Central Florida in December 2007 to study the transfer of the fast-growing characteristics from a P. taeda L. (loblolly pine) parent into the P. elliottii Engelm. (slash pine) background....

Physical and chemical properties of slash pine tree parts

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E. T. Howard

1973-01-01

In three 22-year-old slash pines from an unthinned plantation in central Louisiana, stemwood comprised 58.5 percent of total ovendry tree weight. Stumps and main roots made up 16.5 percent, bark 12.5, top of bole 5.0, needles 4.0, and branches 3.5. This material now is largely wasted when a tree is harvested; methods of utilizing it would extend fiber supplies by 70...

Visual Basic Growth-and-Yield Models With A Merchandising Optimizer For Planted Slash and Loblolly Pine in the West Gulf Region

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R.L. Busby; S.J. Chang; P.R. Pasala; J.C.G. Goelz

2004-01-01

We developed two growth-and-yield models for thinned and unthinned plantations of slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var elliottii) and loblolly pine (P. taeda L.). The models, VB Merch-Slash and VB Merch-Lob, can be used to forecast product volumes and stand values for stands partitioned into 1-inch diameter-at...

A Fuzzy Neural Network Based on Non-Euclidean Distance Clustering for Quality Index Model in Slashing Process

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Yuxian Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The quality index model in slashing process is difficult to build by reason of the outliers and noise data from original data. To the above problem, a fuzzy neural network based on non-Euclidean distance clustering is proposed in which the input space is partitioned into many local regions by the fuzzy clustering based on non-Euclidean distance so that the computation complexity is decreased, and fuzzy rule number is determined by validity function based on both the separation and the compactness among clusterings. Then, the premise parameters and consequent parameters are trained by hybrid learning algorithm. The parameters identification is realized; meanwhile the convergence condition of consequent parameters is obtained by Lyapunov function. Finally, the proposed method is applied to build the quality index model in slashing process in which the experimental data come from the actual slashing process. The experiment results show that the proposed fuzzy neural network for quality index model has lower computation complexity and faster convergence time, comparing with GP-FNN, BPNN, and RBFNN.

Spatial relationships between nitrogen status and pitch canker disease in slash pine planted adjacent to a poultry operation

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Lopez-Zamora, Isabel; Bliss, Christine; Jokela, Eric J.; Comerford, N.B.; Grunwald, Sabine; Barnard, E.; Vasquez, G.M.

2007-01-01

Pitch canker disease (Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg and O'Donnell) causes serious shoot dieback, reduced growth and mortality in pines found in the southern and western USA, and has been linked to nutrient imbalances. Poultry houses with forced-air ventilation systems produce nitrogen (N) emissions. This study analyzed spatial correlations between pitch canker disease and foliar, forest floor, soil, and throughfall N in a slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) plantation adjacent to a poultry operation in north Florida, USA. Tissue and throughfall N concentrations were highest near the poultry houses and remained elevated for 400 m. Disease incidence ranged from 57-71% near the poultry houses and was spatially correlated with N levels. Similarly, stem mortality ranged from 41-53% in the most heavily impacted area, and declined to 0-9% at distances greater than 400 m. These results suggest that nutritional processes exacerbate changes in disease susceptibility and expression in slash pine. - Local emissions from poultry production appear to significantly contribute to the spatial distribution of N and pitch canker disease in managed slash pine ecosystems

Soil heating during burning of forest slash piles and wood piles

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Matt D. Busse; Carol J. Shestak; Ken R. Hubbert

2013-01-01

Pile burning of conifer slash is a common fuel reduction practice in forests of the western United States that has a direct, yet poorly quantified effect on soil heating. To address this knowledge gap, we measured the heat pulse beneath hand-built piles ranging widely in fuel composition and pile size in sandy-textured soils of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The soil heat pulse...

Precommercial thinning of naturally seeded slash pine increases volume and monetary returns

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Earle P. Jones

1977-01-01

A naturally seeded slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) stand, having up to 50,000 stems per acre, was precommercially thinned at age 3. Two thinning methods left single trees spaced 10 by 10 feet, and clumps of 6 to 8 trees spaced 10 by 10 feet, compared with the unthinned original stand. At age 23, the single-...

Specific gravity responses of slash and loblolly pine following mid-rotation fertilization

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Kimberly R. Love-Myers; Alexander Clark III; Laurence R. Schimleck; Eric J. Jokela; Richard F. Daniels

2009-01-01

Wood quality attributes were examined in six stands of slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) and loblolly pine (P. taeda L.) in the lower Coastal Plain of Georgia and Florida. Several plots comprised each stand, and each plot was divided so that it received three fertilizer treatments: a control treatment with herbaceous weed control at planting...

Soil carbon and soil physical properties response to incorporating mulched forest slash

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Felipe G. Sanchez; Emily A. Carter; John. F. Klepac

2000-01-01

A study was installed in the Lower Coastal Plain near Washington, NC, to test the hypothesis that incorporating organic matter in the form of comminuted forest slash would increase soil carbon and nutrient pools, and alter soil physical properties to favor pine growth. Two sites were selected, an organic and a mineral site, to compare the treatment effects on...

Bedding and Fertilization Influence on Slash Pine Development in the Florida Sandhills

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James B. Baker

1973-01-01

A field study on the infertile and droughty Lakeland sands of west Florida indicated that bedding or fertilization (134 kg P /ha as ordinary superphosphate and 90 kg N/ha as ammonium nitrate) or both increased early growth of planted slash pine ( Engelm.). Throughout the 6-year study, best growth was obtained when the treatments were...

Vegetation recovery in slash-pile scars following conifer removal in a grassland-restoration experiment

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Charles B. Halpern; Joseph A. Antos; Liam M. Beckman

2014-01-01

A principal challenge to restoring tree-invaded grasslands is the removal of woody biomass. Burning of slash piles to reduce woody residues from forest restoration practices generates intense, prolonged heating, with adverse effects on soils and vegetation. In this study, we examined vegetation responses to pile burning following tree removal from conifer-invaded...

Machine to harvest slash, brush, and thinnings for fuel and fiber- a concept

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P. Koch; D.W. McKenzie

1976-01-01

It is proposed that biomass from noncommercial thinnings, and from logging slash residual after harvest, be hogged and recovered for fuel and fiber. Such a procedure might yield two dividends of biomass totalling as much as 90,000 kg per ha (40 tons per acre, green weight basis) from each rotation of southern pine. For sites deficient in organic matter, it is...

Season for Direct Seeding Slash Pine in the Middle and Upper Coastal Plains of Georgia

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Earle P. Jones

1971-01-01

Repellent-treated seed of slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) were sown at eight monthly dates from November to June for 5 years in Dooly County, Georgia. Observations of seedlings indicated that germination, survival, and first-year establishment were superior on plots planted in November through April. Slow...

Risk assessment with current deployment strategies for fusiform rust-resistant loblolly and slash pines

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Floyd Bridgwater; Tom Kubisiak; Tom Byram; Steve Mckeand

2004-01-01

In the southeastern USA, fusiform rust resistant loblolly and slash pines may be deployed as 1) ulked seed orchard mixes. 2) half-sibling (sib) family mixtures. 3) single half-sib families. 4) full-sib cross seeds or as 6) clones of individual genotypes. These deployment types are respectively greater genetic gains from higher selection intensity. Currently, bulked...

Evaluation of electrical test conditions in MIL-M-38510 slash sheets

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Sandgren, K.

1980-08-01

Adequacy of MIL-M-38510 slash sheet requirements for electrical test conditions in an automated test environment were evaluated. Military temperature range commercial devices of 13 types from 6 manufacturers were purchased. Software for testing these devices and for varying the test conditions was written for the Tektronix S-3260 test system. The devices were tested to evaluate the effects of pin-condition settling time, measurement sequence of the same and different D-C parameters, temperature sequence, differently defined temperature ambients, variable measurement conditions, sequence of time measurements, pin-application sequence, and undesignated pin condition ambiguity. An alternative to current tri-state enable and disable time measurements is proposed; S-3260 'open' and 'ground' conditions are characterized; and suggestions for changes in MIL-M-38510 slash sheet specifications and MIL-STD-883 test methods are proposed, both to correct errors and ambiguities and to facilitate the gathering of repeatable data on automated test equipment. Data obtained showed no sensitivity to measurement or temperature sequence nor to temperature ambient, provided that test times were not excessive. V sub ICP tests and some low current measurements required allowance for a pin condition settling time because of the test system speed. Some pin condition application sequences yielded incorrect measurements. Undefined terminal conditions of output pins were found to affect I sub OS and propagation delay time measurements. Truth table test results varied with test frequency and V sub IL for low-power Schottky devices.

Energy budgets in slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations at Dehra Dun

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Kaul, O.N.; Srivastava, V.K.

1985-01-01

Sample trees were felled in 1978 in 10-, 20- and 40-year-old plantations and dry weight determined for wood, slash and roots. Litter was collected every month for one year. Solar radiation was measured in an adjacent open area. Calculations indicated that the plantations fixed 17.5 x 10/sup 8/ Kcal/ha in 10 year, 24.9 x 10/sup 8/ in 20 year and 57.5 x 10/sup 8/ in 40 year representing 3.3, 2.3 and 2.7% of photosynthetically active radiation respectively.

Paraquat Induced Changes in Reserve Carbohydrates, Fatty Acids and Oleoresin Content of Young Slash Pines

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Claud L. Brown; Terry R. Clason; Jerry L. Michael

1976-01-01

Paraquat was fed into the terminal leaders of five-year-old slash pine trees and collected at weekly intervals for 4 weeks.Cytological observations showed a decrease in starch levels and a corresponding increase in content of oleoresin. Quantitative analysis indicated a decrease in starch accompanying increases in fatty acids, monoterpenes, and resin acids.

Pine growth and plant community response to chemical vs. mechanical site preparation for establishing loblolly and slash pine

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James H. Miller; Zhijuan Qiu

1995-01-01

Chemical and mechanical site preparation methods were studied for establishing loblolly (Pinus taeda L) and slash (P. elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) pine following both integrated fuelwood-pulpwood harvesting and conventional whole-tree harvesting of pines and hardwoods in southem Alabama's Middle Coastal...

Comparison of heat transfer and soil impacts of air curtain burner burning and slash pile burning

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Woongsoon Jang; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Han-Sup Han

2017-01-01

We measured soil heating and subsequent changes in soil properties between two forest residue disposal methods: slash pile burning (SPB) and air curtain burner (ACB). The ACB consumes fuels more efficiently and safely via blowing air into a burning container. Five burning trials with different fuel sizes were implemented in northern California, USA. Soil temperature...

Changes in species occurrence and phytomass after clearfelling, prescribed burning and slash removal in two Swedish spruce forests

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Nykvist, N.

1997-01-01

In two old Norway spruce stands, the one at Garpenberg in central Sweden, the other at Flakatraesk in northern Sweden, the phytomass of the field- and ground-layer was measured before clearfelling and one and four years later. The phytomass of the field-layer was also measured 10 and 16 years after clearfelling. Of 13-14 plant species originally in the field-layer, 2-3 were not found after clearfelling. In contrast, 15 and 9 new species appeared on the plots on which slash was left, at Garpenberg and at Flakatraesk. Some were short-lived, and 16 years after clearfelling, only 11 and 7, respectively, persisted. Corresponding figures for the plots from which slash was removed were 9 and 8, and for the burnt plots 11 and 9. Clearfelling of the old forests also increased the phytomass of the field-layer. Removal of slash decreased the phytomass of some species, increased it for others. During the first years after burning, phytomass on the burnt plots was less than that on the controls, but three years later it was similar to that on the unburnt plots. The spatial variation in phytomass was great, and no significant difference was found between treatments after clearfelling. The biomass of the most common moss species of Swedish coniferous forests declined strongly after clearfelling. Two new mosses appeared on the clearfelled plots, viz. Polytrichum spp. and Ceratodon purpureus; the latter being found only on burnt plots at Flakatraesk four years after burning 17 refs, 16 figs, 18 tabs. four years after burning 17 refs, 16 figs, 18 tabs

Prescreening slash pine and Cronartium pedigrees for evaluation of complementary gene action in fusiform rust disease.

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H.E. Stelzer; Robert L. Doudrick; Thomas L. Kubisiak; C. Dana Nelson

1999-01-01

Single-urediniospore cultures of the fusiform rust fungus were used to inoculate seedlings from 10 full-sib families of a five-parent slash pine diallel at two different times in 1994. The presence or absence of fusiform rust galls was recorded for each inoculated seedling at 9 months postinoculation, and percent infection levels for each family-inoculum-time...

Status of fusiform rust incidence in slash and loblolly pine plantations in the southeastern United States

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KaDonna C. Randolph

2016-01-01

Southern pine tree improvement programs have been in operation in the southeastern United States since the 1950s. Their goal has been to improve volume growth, tree form, disease resistance, and wood quality in southern pines, particularly slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (P. taeda). The disease of focus has been...

Early Hg mobility in cultivated tropical soils one year after slash-and-burn of the primary forest, in the Brazilian Amazon.

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Béliveau, Annie; Lucotte, Marc; Davidson, Robert; Lopes, Luis Otávio do Canto; Paquet, Serge

2009-07-15

In the Brazilian Amazon, forest conversion to agricultural lands (slash-and-burn cultivation) contributes to soil mercury (Hg) release and to aquatic ecosystem contamination. Recent studies have shown that soil Hg loss occurs rapidly after deforestation, suggesting that Hg mobility could be related to the massive cation input resulting from biomass burning. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of the first year of slash-and-burn agriculture on soil Hg levels at the regional scale of the Tapajós River, in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. A total of 429 soil samples were collected in 26 farms of five riparian communities of the Tapajós basin. In September 2004, soil samples were collected from primary forest sites planned for slash-and-burn cultivation. In August 2005, one year after the initial burning, a second campaign was held and the exact same sites were re-sampled. Our results showed that total Hg levels in soils did not change significantly during the first year following slash-and-burn, suggesting no immediate release of soil Hg at that point in time. However, an early Hg mobility was detected near the surface (0-5 cm), reflected by a significant shift in Hg distribution in soil fractions. Indeed, a transfer of Hg from fine to coarser soil particles was observed, indicating that chemical bonds between Hg and fine particles could have been altered. A correspondence analysis (CA) showed that this process could be linked to a chemical competition caused by cation enrichment. The regional dimension of the study highlighted the prevailing importance of soil types in Hg dynamics, as shown by differentiated soil responses following deforestation according to soil texture. Confirming an early Hg mobility and indicating an eventual Hg release out of the soil, our results reinforce the call for the development of more sustainable agricultural practices in the Amazon.

Relative Fusiform Rust Resistance of Loblolly and Slash Pine Sources and Families in Georgia and South Carolina

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E. George Kuhlman; Harry R. Powers; William D. Pepper

1995-01-01

Loblolly and slash pine seedlings from the fusiform rust resistant orchards developed cooperatively by the USDA Forest Service and the Georgia Forestry Commission had significantly less rust 7 to 8 years after planting on four of five sites in the Southeastern United States than seedlings of the same species from orchard sources developed primarily for silvicultural...

Control of Insects in Slash Pine Cones with Trunk Implantations of Bidrin® Systemic Insecticide - First-Year Results

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Edward P. Merkel

1969-01-01

Initial experiments with the implantation of the systemic insecticide Bidrin® into the trunks of slash pines in a seed production area resulted in various degrees of control of coneworms, Dioryctria spp., and the pine seed-worm, Laspeyresia anaronjada Miller, depending on dosage rates and time of application. When applied in early...

Combinations of fungicide and cultural practices influence the incidence and impact of fusiform rust in slash pine plantations

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James D. Haywood; Allan E. Tiarks

1994-01-01

Slash pine was grown in central Louisiana under four levels of culture with or without repeated sprayings of the systematic fungicide triadimefon for protection against fusiform rust. The eight treatment combinations were: (1)no fungicide, weed control, or fertilizer; (2)weeded; (3)weeded, applied inorganic fertilizer, and bedded before planting; (4)weeded, bedded,...

Dark History of Our Lady of the Slash-Knife

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John C. Dawsey

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In the Garden of Flowers, over the ashes of the old Slash-Knife District, live the daughters – or granddaughters and great-granddaughters – of slaves and native South-American women “lassoed in the woods”. Many consider themselves also to be the daughters of Our Lady. The juxtaposition of maternal lineages may produce a montage-like effect. Do gestures of Indians and slaves flash in the bodily innervations of Our Lady? Signs of “dark histories” of Our Lady are found in subterranean regions of symbols. On this terrain, the study of historical patterns of settlement in Piracicaba, a city of the interior of São Paulo, may require a certain type of archaeology, involving a double dislocation, from bandeirante explorers to Our Lady, and from Our Lady to Indian and slave women “lassoed in the woods”. In these substrata the gesture of a boia-fria woman who “cut a man into pieces” stirs up the shadows of a nation.

Biomass and nutrient dynamics associated with slash fires in neotropical dry forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauffman, J.B.; Cummings, D.L.; Sanford, R.L. Jr.; Salcedo, I.H.; Sampaio, E.V.S.B.

1993-01-01

Unprecedented rates of deforestation and biomass burning in tropical dry forests are dramatically influencing biogeochemical cycles, resulting in resource depletion, declines in biodiversity, and atmospheric pollution. We quantified the effects of deforestation and varying levels of slash-fire severity on nutrient losses and redistribution in a second-growth tropical dry forest (open-quotes Caatingaclose quotes) near Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. Total aboveground biomass prior to burning was ∼74 Mg/ha. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were highest in litter, leaves attached to slash, and fine wood debris (< O.64 cm diameter). While these components comprised only 30% of the prefire aboveground biomass, they accounted for ∼60% of the aboveground pools of N and P. Three experimental fires were conducted during the 1989 burning season. Consumption was 78, 88, and 95% of the total aboveground biomass. As much as 96% of the prefire aboveground N and C pools and 56% of the prefire aboveground P pool was lost. Nitrogen losses exceeded 500 kg/ha and P losses exceeded 20 kg/ha in the fires of the greatest severity. With increasing fire severity, the concentrations of N and P in ash decreased while the concentration of Ca increased. Greater ecosystem losses of these nutrients occurred with increasing fire severity. Following fire, up to 47% of the residual aboveground N and 84% of the residual aboveground P were in the form of ash, quickly lost from the site via wind erosion. Fires appeared to have a minor immediate effect on total N, C, or P in the soils. However, soils in forests with no history of cultivation had significantly higher concentrations of C and P than second-growth forests. It would likely require a century or more of fallow for reaccumulation to occur. However, current fallow periods in this region are 15 yr or less. 38 refs., 2 figs., 7 tabs

Effects of Apollo 12 lunar material on lipid levels of tobacco tissue and slash pine cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Weete, J. D.

1972-01-01

Investigations of the lipid components of pine tissues (Pinus elloitii) are discussed, emphasizing fatty acids and steroids. The response by slash pine tissue cultures to growth in contact with Apollo lunar soil, earth basalt, and Iowa soil is studied. Tissue cultures of tobacco grown for 12 weeks in contact with lunar material from Apollo 12 flight contained 21 to 35 percent more total pigment than control tissues. No differences were noted in the fresh or dry weight of the experimental and control samples.

Effects of thinning, burning, seeding, and slash arrangements on understory communities in pinyon-juniper woodlands of northern Arizona

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Irwin

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a dominant ecosystem in the American Southwest that have been increasing in density over the last century, generating concerns about the effects on wildlife habitat, livestock forage, and wildfire risk. We tested 16 treatment combinations designed to restore stands to historic conditions by examining the impact on understory plant richness and abundance. We thinned three sites comprised of different parent soil materials: limestone, sandstone, and basalt. Each site had one of four slash arrangements: piled, broadcast, clustered, or no thinning. Each of these arrangements received a different burning/seeding treatment: prescribed fire, seeding, prescribed fire and seeding, or none. This study corresponded with the driest period in the last 55 years, and plant species richness decreased by an average of 40% from the previous year in the control plots. Richness was significantly different due to slash arrangement at the basalt site only. Burning or seeding did not affect richness at any of the sites. Plant species abundance was generally low and not influenced by treatment or site. This study demonstrates that extensive ecosystem manipulation in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of northern Arizona did not affect understory richness or abundance the first year after treatment during a drought.

Effects of thinning, burning, seeding, and slash arrangements on understory communities in pinyon-juniper woodlands of northern Arizona

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria R. Irwin

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a dominant ecosystem in the American Southwest that have been increasing in density over the last century, generating concerns about the effects on wildlife habitat, livestock forage, and wildfire risk. We tested 16 treatment combinations designed to restore stands to historic conditions by examining the impact on understory plant richness and abundance. We thinned three sites comprised of different parent soil materials: limestone, sandstone, and basalt. Each site had one of four slash arrangements: piled, broadcast, clustered, or no thinning. Each of these arrangements received a different burning/seeding treatment: prescribed fire, seeding, prescribed fire and seeding, or none. This study corresponded with the driest period in the last 55 years, and plant species richness decreased by an average of 40% from the previous year in the control plots. Richness was significantly different due to slash arrangement at the basalt site only. Burning or seeding did not affect richness at any of the sites. Plant species abundance was generally low and not influenced by treatment or site. This study demonstrates that extensive ecosystem manipulation in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of northern Arizona did not affect understory richness or abundance the first year after treatment during a drought.

Lean-driven improvements slash wait times, drive up patient satisfaction scores.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-01

Administrators at LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, TN, used lean manufacturing techniques to slash wait times by as much as 30 minutes and achieve double-digit increases in patient satisfaction scores in the EDs at three hospitals. In each case, front-line workers took the lead on identifying opportunities for improvement and redesigning the patient-flow process. As a result of the new efficiencies, patient volume is up by about 25% at all three hospitals. At each hospital, the improvement process began with Kaizen, a lean process that involves bringing personnel together to flow-chart the current system, identify problem areas, and redesign the process. Improvement teams found big opportunities for improvement at the front end of the flow process. Key to the approach was having a plan up front to deal with non-compliance. To sustain improvements, administrators gather and disseminate key metrics on a daily basis.

Derivation of host and pathogen genotypes in the fusiform rust pathosystem on slash pine using a complimentary genetics model and diallel data

Science.gov (United States)

H.E. Stelzel; Robert L. Doudrick; Thomas L. Kubisiak

1997-01-01

Seedlings from 20, full-sib families five-parent slash pine diallel were inoculated using two, single urediniospore-derived cultures of the fusiform rust fungus on two different dates during the 1994 growing season. Presence or absence of fusiform rust galls was recorded for each inoculated seedling at nine months post-inoculation and percent infection levels for each...

Characterization of PM(2.5) collected during broadcast and slash-pile prescribed burns of predominately ponderosa pine forests in northern Arizona.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Marin S; Zhao, Min; Zack, Lindsay; Brindley, Christine; Portz, Lillian; Quarterman, Matthew; Long, Xiufen; Herckes, Pierre

2011-04-01

Prescribed burning, in combination with mechanical thinning, is a successful method for reducing heavy fuel loads from forest floors and thereby lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire. However, an undesirable consequence of managed fire is the production of fine particulate matter or PM(2.5) (particles ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter). Wood-smoke particulate data from 21 prescribed burns are described, including results from broadcast and slash-pile burns. All PM(2.5) samples were collected in situ on day 1 (ignition) or day 2. Samples were analyzed for mass, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), inorganic elements, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC). Results were characteristic of low intensity, smoldering fires. PM(2.5) concentrations varied from 523 to 8357 µg m(-3) and were higher on day 1. PAH weight percents (19 PAHs) were higher in slash-pile burns (0.21 ± 0.08% OC) than broadcast burns (0.07 ± 0.03% OC). The major elements were K, Cl, S, and Si. OC and EC values averaged 66 ± 7 and 2.8 ± 1.4% PM(2.5), respectively, for all burns studied, in good agreement with literature values for smoldering fires.

Characterization of PM2.5 collected during broadcast and slash-pile prescribed burns of predominately ponderosa pine forests in northern Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Min; Zack, Lindsay; Brindley, Christine; Portz, Lillian; Quarterman, Matthew; Long, Xiufen; Herckes, Pierre

2011-01-01

Prescribed burning, in combination with mechanical thinning, is a successful method for reducing heavy fuel loads from forest floors and thereby lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire. However, an undesirable consequence of managed fire is the production of fine particulate matter or PM2.5 (particles ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter). Wood-smoke particulate data from 21 prescribed burns are described, including results from broadcast and slash-pile burns. All PM2.5 samples were collected in situ on day 1 (ignition) or day 2. Samples were analyzed for mass, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), inorganic elements, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC). Results were characteristic of low intensity, smoldering fires. PM2.5 concentrations varied from 523 to 8357 µg m−3 and were higher on day 1. PAH weight percents (19 PAHs) were higher in slash-pile burns (0.21 ± 0.08% OC) than broadcast burns (0.07 ± 0.03% OC). The major elements were K, Cl, S, and Si. OC and EC values averaged 66 ± 7 and 2.8 ± 1.4% PM2.5, respectively, for all burns studied, in good agreement with literature values for smoldering fires. PMID:21625396

Bound princes and monogamy warnings: Harry Potter, slash, and queer performance in LiveJournal communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darlene Hampton

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Media fans often refer to their texts, practices, productions, and selves as works in progress—unfinished, in-between, and transformative. This article applies theoretical models of performance to the fannish practice of crafting slash fan fiction within LiveJournal communities. By examining the content and form of the fiction itself, its mode of production, and fannish interactions, this paper discusses fan practices as opportunities for media fans to engage in individual and collective performances that negotiate hegemonic norms of gender and sexuality. These negotiations often illustrate a disconnect between social conditioning and female desire in heteronormative and patriarchal culture, and demonstrate the utility of theories of performance in studying individual and collective fannish engagement with texts as a means of intervening in the world.

Importance of log size on host selection and reproductive success of Ips pini (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in ponderosa pine slash of northern Arizona and western Montana

Science.gov (United States)

Brytten E. Steed; Michael R. Wagner

2004-01-01

Pine engraver, Ips pini (Say), often use thinning slash, and their populations are known to be influenced by the condition of this material. In our study, we evaluated the importance of three log diameters (5, 10, and 20 cm) and three lengths (60, 120, and 240 cm) on various parameters of bark beetle host attack, development, and emergence....

Rill erosion in burned and salvage logged western montane forests: Effects of logging equipment type, traffic level, and slash treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Wagenbrenner, J. W.; Robichaud, P. R.; Brown, R. E.

2016-10-01

Following wildfires, forest managers often consider salvage logging burned trees to recover monetary value of timber, reduce fuel loads, or to meet other objectives. Relatively little is known about the cumulative hydrologic effects of wildfire and subsequent timber harvest using logging equipment. We used controlled rill experiments in logged and unlogged (control) forests burned at high severity in northern Montana, eastern Washington, and southern British Columbia to quantify rill overland flow and sediment production rates (fluxes) after ground-based salvage logging. We tested different types of logging equipment-feller-bunchers, tracked and wheeled skidders, and wheeled forwarders-as well as traffic levels and the addition of slash to skid trails as a best management practice. Rill experiments were done at each location in the first year after the fire and repeated in subsequent years. Logging was completed in the first or second post-fire year. We found that ground-based logging using heavy equipment compacted soil, reduced soil water repellency, and reduced vegetation cover. Vegetation recovery rates were slower in most logged areas than the controls. Runoff rates were higher in the skidder and forwarder plots than their respective controls in the Montana and Washington sites in the year that logging occurred, and the difference in runoff between the skidder and control plots at the British Columbia site was nearly significant (p = 0.089). Most of the significant increases in runoff in the logged plots persisted for subsequent years. The type of skidder, the addition of slash, and the amount of forwarder traffic did not significantly affect the runoff rates. Across the three sites, rill sediment fluxes were 5-1900% greater in logged plots than the controls in the year of logging, and the increases were significant for all logging treatments except the low use forwarder trails. There was no difference in the first-year sediment fluxes between the feller

From Slash-and-burn to Disk Ploughing: The Land Policy and Tractors Behind Erosion and Forest Pioneer Farming in Southern Xayabury Province (Laos

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Marc Dufumier

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Bordering Thailand, the southern part of Xayabury province is engaged in international trade and has experienced agricultural growth like nowhere else in Laos. The rapid transformation from manual slash-and-burn agriculture to mechanized, chemical-based cropping systems is often cited by Laotian authorities as a model of development. But a careful study of changes underway indicates that the reality is far less encouraging than it would appear at first. If many farmers have indeed bolstered their incomes over the last twenty years, it is no less true that some of the poorest peasants have become increasingly poorer and that the new techniques cause serious erosion, as they have not been able to prevent the expansion of cultivated areas on sloping lands.

Rezension zu: Vera Cuntz-Leng: Harry Potter Que(er. Eine Filmsaga im Spannungsfeld von Queer-Reading, Slash-Fandom und Fantasyfilmgenre. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag 2015.

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Marcus Felix

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Vera Cuntz-Leng brilliert mit einer queertheoretischen Untersuchung der Romanreihe um den Zauberlehrling Harry Potter und ihrer Verfilmung, die beide durch eine Form der Fanfiction, dem Slash, einer queeren Auswertung ausgesetzt sind. Mit der Verzahnung von queertheoretischer Relektüre und der Analyse queerer Fanpraxis gelingt es der Autorin herauszustellen, weshalb sich die Septalogie herausragender Beliebtheit bei queerer Harry-Potter-Fan-Art erfreut. Sie erweitert dadurch nicht nur den Blickwinkel auf das Phänomen Harry Potter, das durch das inflationäre Neu- und Weiterschreiben durch Fans ein Eigenleben entwickelt hat. Sie trägt damit auch zur Verwissenschaftlichung des Subgenres Fantasy bei und dem mangelnden Interesse der Queer Theory am popkulturellen Phänomen des Fandom Rechnung.

Intake of 238U and 232Th through the consumption of foodstuffs by tribal populations practicing slash and burn agriculture in an extremely high rainfall area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jha, S.K.; Gothankar, S.; Iongwai, P.S.; Kharbuli, B.; War, S.A.; Puranik, V.D.

2012-01-01

The concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides 232 Th, 238 U was determined using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in different food groups namely cereals, vegetables, leafy vegetables, roots and tubers cultivated and consumed by tribal population residing around the proposed uranium mine. The study area is a part of rural area K. P. Mawthabah (Domiasiat) in the west Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, India located in the tropical region of high rainfall that remains steeped in tribal tradition without much outside influence. Agriculture by Jhum (slash and burn) cultivation and animal husbandry are the main occupation of the tribal populations. A total of 89 samples from locally grown food products were analyzed. The concentration of 238 U and 232 Th in the soil of the study area was found to vary 1.6–15.5 and 2.0–5.0 times respectively to the average mean value observed in India. The estimated daily dietary intake of 238 U and 232 Th were 2.0 μg d −1 (25 mBq d −1 ) and 3.4 μg d −1 (14 mBq d −1 ) is comparable with reported range 0.5–5.0 μg d −1 and 0.15–3.5 μg d −1 respectively for the Asian population. - Highlights: ► 232 Th, 238 U were determined using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). ► Study area located in the tropical region of high rainfall that remains steeped in tribal tradition. ► Agriculture by Jhum (slash and burn) cultivation and animal husbandry are the main occupation of the tribal populations. ► The estimated daily intake of 232 Th and 238 U in high rainfall area was found to be 3.4 and 2.0 μg respectively.

Epitope mapping of alpha-transforming growth factor: evidence of an immunodominant region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazarika, P.; Dedman, J.R.

1988-01-01

Antisera were produced in rabbits and sheep against both full-length synthetic rat alpha-transforming growth factor and peptides corresponding to the carboxy-terminal 17 amino acids. These antisera were used to develop a peptide based radioimmunoassay of alpha-TGF. All antisera reacted only with a restricted region of the alpha-TGF corresponding to the 8 residues (43-50) at the carboxy-terminus: Cyslt. slash43, Glult. slash44, Hislt. slash45, Alalt. slash46, Asplt. slash47, Leult. slash48, Leult. slash49, Alalt. slash50. A series of synthetic peptides presenting deletions or substitutions of amino acids in this carboxy-terminal region were tested for competition with 125 I-alpha-TGF. All changes in the above peptide sequence resulted in a marked reduction in competition. All of the polyclonal antisera demonstrated similar specificity whether they were produced against the 50 amino acid, full-length alpha-TGF, against shorter 17 amino acid and 8 amino acid carboxy-terminal sequences

Epitope mapping of alpha-transforming growth factor: evidence of an immunodominant region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazarika, P.; Dedman, J.R.

1988-01-01

Antisera were produced in rabbits and sheep against both full-length synthetic rat alpha-transforming growth factor and peptides corresponding to the carboxy-terminal 17 amino acids. These antisera were used to develop a peptide based radioimmunoassay of alpha-TGF. All antisera reacted only with a restricted region of the alpha-TGF corresponding to the 8 residues (43-50) at the carboxy-terminus: Cyslt. slash43, Glult. slash44, Hislt. slash45, Alalt. slash46, Asplt. slash47, Leult. slash48, Leult. slash49, Alalt. slash50. A series of synthetic peptides presenting deletions or substitutions of amino acids in this carboxy-terminal region were tested for competition with /sup 125/I-alpha-TGF. All changes in the above peptide sequence resulted in a marked reduction in competition. All of the polyclonal antisera demonstrated similar specificity whether they were produced against the 50 amino acid, full-length alpha-TGF, against shorter 17 amino acid and 8 amino acid carboxy-terminal sequences.

Resobio. Management of forest residues: preserving soils and biodiversity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rantien, Caroline; Charasse, Laurent; Wlerick, Lise; Landmann, Guy; Nivet, Cecile; Jallais, Anais; Augusto, Laurent; Bigot, Maryse; Thivolle Cazat, Alain; Bouget, Christophe; Brethes, Alain; Boulanger, Vincent; Richter, Claudine; Cornu, Sophie; Rakotoarison, Hanitra; Ulrich, Erwin; Deleuze, Christine; Michaud, Daniel; Cacot, Emmanuel; Pousse, Noemie; Ranger, Jacques; Saint-Andre, Laurent; Zeller, Bernd; Achat, David; Cabral, Anne-Sophie; Akroume, Emila; Aubert, Michael; Bailly, Alain; Fraysse, Jean-Yves; Fraud, Benoit; Gardette, Yves-Marie; Gibaud, Gwenaelle; Helou, Tammouz-Enaut; Pitocchi, Sophie; Vivancos, Caroline

2014-03-01

The Resobio project (management of forest slash: preservation of soils and biodiversity) aimed at updating knowledge available at the international level (with a focus on temperate areas) on the potential consequences of forest slash sampling on fertility and on biodiversity, and at identifying orientations for recommendations for a revision of the ADEME guide of 2006 on wise collecting of forest slash. The first part of this report is a synthesis report which gives an overview of results about twenty issues dealing with the nature of wood used for energy production and the role of slash, about the consequences of this type of collecting for soil fertility and species productivity, and about impacts on biodiversity. Based on these elements, recommendations are made for slash management and for additional follow-up and research. The second part contains five scientific and technical reports which more deeply analyse the issue of fertility, and technical documents on slash management (guides) published in various countries

Enhancing the soil organic matter pool through biomass incorporation

Science.gov (United States)

Felipe G. Sanchez; Emily A. Carter; John F. Klepac

2003-01-01

A study was installed in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA that sought to examine the impact of incorporating downed slash materials into subsoil layers on soil chemical and physical properties as compared with the effect of slash materials left on the soil surface. Baseline levels of slash were estimated by establishing transects within harvested stands...

The role of fire-return interval and season of burn in snag dynamics in a south Florida slash pine forest

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, John D.; Slater, Gary L.; Snyder, James R.

2012-01-01

Standing dead trees, or snags, are an important habitat element for many animal species. In many ecosystems, fire is a primary driver of snag population dynamics because it can both create and consume snags. The objective of this study was to examine how variation in two key components of the fire regime—fire-return interval and season of burn—affected population dynamics of snags. Using a factorial design, we exposed 1 ha plots, located within larger burn units in a south Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa Little and Dorman) forest, to prescribed fire applied at two intervals (approximately 3-year intervals vs. approximately 6-year intervals) and during two seasons (wet season vs. dry season) over a 12- to 13-year period. We found no consistent effect of fire season or frequency on the density of lightly to moderately decayed or heavily decayed snags, suggesting that variation in these elements of the fire regime at the scale we considered is relatively unimportant in the dynamics of snag populations. However, our confidence in these findings is limited by small sample sizes, potentially confounding effects of unmeasured variation in fire behavior and effects (e.g., intensity, severity, synergy with drought cycles) and wide variation in responses within a treatment level. The generalizing of our findings is also limited by the narrow range of treatment levels considered. Future experiments incorporating a wider range of fire regimes and directly quantifying fire intensity would prove useful in identifying more clearly the role of fire in shaping the dynamics of snag populations.

Zigzagging causality EPR model: answer to Vigier and coworkers and to Sutherland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de Beauregard, O.C.

1987-08-01

The concept of propagation in time of Vigier and co-workers (V et al.) implies the ideal of a supertime; it is thus alien to most Minkowskian pictures and certainly to the authors. From this stems much of V et al.'s misunderstandings of his position. In steady motion of a classical fluid nobody thinks that momentum conservation is violated, or that momentum is shot upstream without cause because of the suction from the sinks. Similarly with momentum-energy in spacetime and the acceptance of an advanced causality. As for the CT invariance of the Feynman propagator, the causality asymmetry it entails is factlike, not lawlike. The geometrical counterpart of the symmetry between prediction and retrodiction and between retarded and advanced waves, as expressed in the alternative expressions slashUA> = slashA> = slashUlt. slashA> for a transition amplitude between a preparation lt. slashA> and a measurement lt. slashB>, is CPT-invariant, not PT-invariant. These three expressions respectively illustrate the collapse, the retrocollapse, and the symmetric collapse-and-retrocollapse concepts. As for Sutherland's argument, what it falsifies is not the authors retrocausation concept but the hidden-variables assumption he has unwittingly made.

Consequences of bioenergy wood extraction for landscape-level availability of habitat for dead wood-dependent organisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiron, Matthew; Jonsell, Mats; Kubart, Ariana; Thor, Göran; Schroeder, Martin; Dahlberg, Anders; Johansson, Victor; Ranius, Thomas

2017-08-01

Stumps and slash resulting from forest clearcutting is used as a source of low-net-carbon energy, but there are concerns about the consequences of biofuel extraction on biodiversity. Logging residues constitute potentially important habitats, since a large part of forest biodiversity is dependent on dead wood. Here we used snapshot field data from a managed forest landscape (25 000 ha) to predict landscape scale population changes of dead wood dependent organisms after extraction of stumps and slash after clearcutting. We did this by estimating habitat availability for all observed dead wood-dependent beetles, macrofungi, and lichens (380 species) in the whole landscape. We found that 53% of species occurred in slash or stumps. For most species, population declines after moderate extraction (≤30%) were small (dead wood types. However, some species were only recorded in slash and stumps. Red listed species were affected by slash and stump extraction (12 species), but less often than other species. Beetles and fungi were more affected by stump extraction, while lichens were more affected by slash extraction. For beetles and lichens, extraction of a combination of spruce, pine and birch resulted in larger negative effects than if only extracting spruce, while for fungi tree species had little effect. We conclude that extensive extraction decreases the amount of habitat to such extent that it may have negative consequences on species persistence at the landscape level. The negative consequences can be limited by extracting only slash, or only logging residues from spruce stands. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between length of fallow and crop yields in shifting cultivation: A re-thinking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mertz, Ole

2002-01-01

farming systems modelling, government policies, land use intensification, local forest management, slash-and-burn, swidden productivity......farming systems modelling, government policies, land use intensification, local forest management, slash-and-burn, swidden productivity...

Aerial sampling of emissions from biomass pile burns in ...

Science.gov (United States)

Emissions from burning piles of post-harvest timber slash in Grande Ronde, Oregon were sampled using an instrument platform lofted into the plume using a tether-controlled aerostat or balloon. Emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, particulate matter (PM2.5 µm), black carbon, ultraviolet absorbing PM, elemental/organic carbon, semi-volatile organics (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans), filter-based metals, and volatile organics were sampled for determination of emission factors. The effect on emissions from covering or not covering piles with polyethylene sheets to prevent fuel wetting was determined. Results showed that the uncovered (“wet”) piles burned with lower combustion efficiency and higher emissions of volatile organic compounds. Results for other pollutants will also be discussed. This work determined the emissions from open burning of forest slash wood, with and without plastic sheeting. The foresters advocate the use of plastic to keep the slash wood dry and aid in the controlled combustion of the slash to reduce fuel loading. Concerns about the emissions from the burning plastic prompted this work which conducted an extensive characterization of dry, wet, and dry with plastic slash pile emissions.

História noturna de Nossa Senhora do Risca-Faca Dark history of our Lady of the Slash-Knife

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John C. Dawsey

2009-04-01

Full Text Available No Jardim das Flores, sobre as cinzas do antigo bairro do Risca-Faca, vivem as filhas - ou netas e bisnetas - de escravas e "índias laçadas no mato". Muitas delas também se consideram filhas de Nossa Senhora. A justaposição das linhagens maternas pode suscitar um efeito de montagem. Nas inervações corporais de Nossas Senhoras não lampejam, também, os gestos de índias e escravas? Nos subterrâneos dos símbolos se encontram indícios de "histórias noturnas" de Nossa Senhora. Sobre esse terreno, o estudo de processos de povoamento em Piracicaba, no interior paulista, requer uma espécie de arqueologia: um duplo deslocamento, de um bandeirante povoador a Nossa Senhora, e de Nossa Senhora às índias e escravas "laçadas no mato". Nesses fundos, o gesto de uma mulher "boia-fria" que "fez picadinho de um homem" agita as sombras de uma nação.In the Garden of Flowers, over the ashes of the old Slash-Knife District, live the daughters - or granddaughters and great-granddaughters - of slaves and native South-American women "lassoed in the woods". Many consider themselves also to be the daughters of Our Lady. The juxtaposition of maternal lineages may produce a montage-like effect. Do gestures of Indians and slaves flash in the bodily innervations of Our Lady? Signs of "dark histories" of Our Lady are found in subterranean regions of symbols. On this terrain, the study of historical patterns of settlement in Piracicaba, a city of the interior of São Paulo, may require a certain type of archaeology, involving a double dislocation, from bandeirante explorers to Our Lady, and from Our Lady to Indian and slave women "lassoed in the woods". In these substrata the gesture of a boia-fria woman who "cut a man into pieces" stirs up the shadows of a nation.

Effect of different weed management techniques on growth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The weed management techniques included slashing at 8-weekly intervals, mulching alone, glyphosate + slashing, glyphosate + mulching, glyphosate alone and a weed-free control. Glyphosate + mulching proved to have the greatest positive influence on plant height, plant girth, leaf area and number of leaves throughout ...

Dinâmica de populações e fitossociologia de plantas daninhas no cultivo do feijão-caupi e mandioca no sistema corte e queima com o uso de arado Phytosociology of weeds in cowpea and cassava crops under the slash-and-burn with plow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.J.P Marques

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Este estudo investigou a composição florística das plantas daninhas em área queimada durante três anos agrícolas. A pesquisa foi conduzida no município de Zé Doca, Maranhão. O preparo da área no primeiro ano agrícola (2006/2007 foi realizado com corte e queima da vegetação para o cultivo de milho seguido do feijão-caupi. No segundo e no terceiro ano agrícola, o preparo da área consistiu de aração para o cultivo do milho seguido de mandioca (2007/2008 e depois para o feijão-caupi em sucessão à cultura de mandioca (2008/2009. A coleta das plantas daninhas ocorreu nas culturas de feijão-caupi e mandioca aos 30 e 60 dias após a semeadura (DAS, no primeiro e no segundo ano agrícola, respectivamente, e no feijão-caupi aos 30 DAS do terceiro ano agrícola, com retângulo (0,5 x 0,3 m lançado 10 vezes ao acaso na área cultivada. A cada lançamento, as plantas daninhas foram colhidas, para contagem, identificação, secagem e, assim, obter os índices fitossociológicos. O fogo reduziu a diversidade e o número das plantas daninhas. As espécies com maior valor de IVI foram Imperata brasiliensis, Sida glomerata e Corchorus argutus, após o fogo na cultura do feijãocaupi; e Juncus sp., Spermacoce verticillata, Aeschynomene americana e Cyperus sp., após preparo da área com aração nas culturas de mandioca e feijão-caupi. As plantas de capoeira ocorreram depois da queima, porém sua importância foi reduzida com o passar do tempo.This study investigated the floristic composition of weeds in a burnt area in Zé Doca, Maranhão, during three agricultural years. The preparation of the area at the first crop year (2006/ 2007 was by slash-and-burn for maize cultivation, followed by cowpea. In the second and third crop years, the preparation of the area consisted of plowing for maize cultivation, followed by cassava (2007/2008 and later, by cowpea in rotation with cassava (2008/2009. Weed collection in the cowpea and cassava crops

Regenerating mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) from seed in Quintana Roo, Mexico: the effects of sowing method and clearing treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Patricia Negreros-Castilloa; Laura K. Snookb; Carl W. Mize

2003-01-01

Honduras or bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) is the most commercially important timber species in the Neotropics, but it often does not regenerate successfully after harvesting. Effective methods are needed to sustain or increase mahogany yields by increasing regeneration. This study evaluates the effects of three treatments (slash, fell and burn; slash,...

Recovery of small pile burn scars in conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range

Science.gov (United States)

Charles C. Rhoades; Paula J. Fornwalt; Mark W. Paschke; Amber Shanklin; Jayne L. Jonas

2015-01-01

The ecological consequences of slash pile burning are a concern for land managers charged with maintaining forest soil productivity and native plant diversity. Fuel reduction and forest health management projects have created nearly 150,000 slash piles scheduled for burning on US Forest Service land in northern Colorado. The vast majority of these are small piles (

A comparison of two pedagogical systems of sentence analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kim Ebensgaard

2011-01-01

This paper describes, compares, and analyzes the slashes-and-vertical-lines model of sentence analysis and the SPOAC model, both of which were designed with pedagogical purposes in mind.......This paper describes, compares, and analyzes the slashes-and-vertical-lines model of sentence analysis and the SPOAC model, both of which were designed with pedagogical purposes in mind....

Response of the soil microbial community and soil nutrient bioavailability to biomass harvesting and reserve tree retention in northern Minnesota aspen-dominated forests

Science.gov (United States)

Tera E. Lewandowski; Jodi A. Forrester; David J. Mladenoff; Anthony W. D' Amato; Brian J. Palik

2016-01-01

Intensive forest biomass harvesting, or the removal of harvesting slash (woody debris from tree branches and tops) for use as biofuel, has the potential to negatively affect the soil microbial community (SMC) due to loss of carbon and nutrient inputs from the slash, alteration of the soil microclimate, and increased nutrient leaching. These effects could result in...

Grays Harbor Paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quigg, B. [Grays Harbor Paper, Hoquiam, WA (United States)

2009-07-01

Wood waste biomass boilers are used at Grays Harbor Paper in Hoquiam, Washington. This presentation showed that large volumes of biomass are left after a traditional clearcut. The opportunities and challenges of collecting branches, tops and stumps from this wet coastal climate were outlined. The paper described some of the low-tech methods for picking up branches, stumps and woody debris. It included several photographs of custom logging machines for timber harvest, including a brush grapple slasher, a shearer shovel, chippers, grinders, slicesaws, trucks, trailers and caterpillar log loaders for handling slash. The slash recovery program relies on innovative harvesting machines that convert scattered logging slash into bundles that can be easily collected, transported, and stored for use in existing facilities that utilize wood fiber for fuel. figs.

Roça-de-toco: uso de recursos florestais e dinâmica da paisagem rural no litoral de Santa Catarina Slash-and-burn agriculture: use of forest resources and dynamics of rural landscape in Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Siminski

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Os fragmentos florestais nas pequenas propriedades agrícolas de Santa Catarina fazem parte de um ciclo de cultivo de espécies anuais, através da agricultura de pousio (roça-de-toco. Neste estudo, procurou-se analisar o sistema de cultivo praticado pelos agricultores do município de São Pedro de Alcântara, litoral de Santa Catarina, utilizando a abordagem qualitativa. Como resultados, observou-se que em 65% das propriedades houve redução da área de cultivo nos últimos 10 anos, o tempo de repouso foi reduzido e as roças passaram a ser menos itinerantes. As restrições ao uso dos recursos florestais têm promovido alterações na composição da paisagem das propriedades agrícolas da região de estudo, onde se constata uma diminuição das áreas destinadas à agricultura de pousio e um aumento crescente das áreas com formações florestais secundárias, além do aumento da proporção de formações mais avançadas no processo de sucessão natural. Entretanto, uma simulação do uso da terra revelou que é possível, do ponto de vista da disponibilidade de áreas ao longo do tempo, a continuidade do sistema de pousio, principalmente quando este destina-se à subsistência.The secondary forests in the small farms of Santa Catarina State are traditionally used as a component of the slash-and-burn agriculture. The purpose of this study was to analyze the agricultural system in the municipality of São Pedro de Alcântara, on the coast zone of the State, using the qualitative research approach. The results showed that there was a reduction of the cultivated area in 65% of the farms in the last 10 years, the fallow period was reduced, and the rotation time of each field plot was shortened. The restrictions imposed by regulations on forest resources use have contributed to a change in the composition of the landscape of the study area, where a shrinkage of the area used for traditional agriculture in favor of a larger area of with

Nutrient balances in the forest energy cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olsson, Bengt

2006-02-01

In Sweden, recycling of stabilised wood-ashes to forests is considered to compensate for nutrient removals from whole-tree harvesting (i.e. use of harvest residues - slash - for energy purposes). This study has analysed nutrient fluxes through the complete forest energy cycle and estimated mass balances of nutrients in harvested biomass with those in ashes, to investigate the realism in large-scale nutrient compensation with wood-ash. Expected nutrient fluxes from forests through energy plants were calculated based on nutrient and biomass data of forest stands in the Nordic countries, and from data on nutrient fluxes through CFB-plants. The expected stoichiometric composition of wood-ashes was compared with the composition of CFB-fly ashes from various Swedish energy plants. Nutrient contents for different tree fractions were calculated to express the average nutrient concentrations in slash and stems with bark, respectively. A nutrient budget synthesis of the effects of whole-tree harvesting on base cation turnover in the following stand was presented for two experimental sites. Major conclusions from the study are: In the CFB-scenario, where the bottom ash is deposited and only the fly ash can be applied to forests, the fly ash from the slash do not meet the demands for nutrient compensation for slash harvesting. Stem material (50% wood, 50% bark) must be added at equivalent amounts, as the slash to produce the amounts of fly ash needed for compensation of slash harvesting. In the scenario where more stem material was added (75% of total fuel load), the amounts of fly ashes produced hardly compensated for nutrient removals with both stem and slash harvesting. The level of nutrient compensation was lowest for potassium. The stoichiometric nutrient composition of CFB-fly ashes from Swedish energy plants is not similar with the nutrient composition of tree biomass. The higher Ca/P ratio in ashes is only partly explained by the mixture of fuels (e.g. increasing bark

Mitigating Hillslope Erosion After Post-fire Salvage Logging Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Robichaud, P. R.; Bone, E. D.; Brown, R. E.

2017-12-01

In the past decades, wildfires around the world have continued to increase in size, severity, and cost. Major concerns after wildfires are the increased runoff and erosion due to loss of the protective forest floor layer, loss of water storage, and creation of water repellent soil conditions. Salvage logging is often a post-fire forest management action to recoup the economic loss of the burned timber, yet concerns arise on the impacts of this activity on water quality. Recently, several studies have been conducted to determine the effect of salvage logging on hillslope erosion. Logging skid trails have been cited as being the cause of high erosion during and after salvage operations. We investigated the impacts of adding operational logging slash to skid trails to reduce hillslope erosion after salvage operations on the 2015 North Star Fire, Washington. We implemented well-designed rapid response approach to compare slash treatment effectiveness by monitoring sediment yield and runoff response from hillslopes with a concentrated flow (rill) experiment. Various runoff amounts are incrementally added to 4 m hillslope plots with and without slash treatments. Our initial results suggest that adding logging slash increased ground cover significantly which contributed to an order of magnitude decrease in hillslope erosion. Integrating erosion mitigation strategies into salvage logging operations should be commonplace when hillslope erosion is a concern.

Game of Emotions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Thessa; Westberg, Lysa Hannah Pernille Nielsen

into the writing process itself is scarce. Elements of gamification and emotions can be found rather articulated within fans' writing communities, especially concerning the genre of slash fiction. Little research has been done in identifying and addressing these elements. Understanding the gamification process...... found in slash fanfiction can give a deeper insight into motivation, support, and creativity in other, related situations outside of fandom. This concerns both the understanding of the writing process as well as a broader understanding of the possibilities within gamification....

Soil microbial community structure and diversity are largely influenced by soil pH and nutrient quality in 78-year-old tree plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoqi; Guo, Zhiying; Chen, Chengrong; Jia, Zhongjun

2017-04-01

Forest plantations have been recognised as a key strategy management tool for stocking carbon (C) in soils, thereby contributing to climate warming mitigation. However, long-term ecological consequences of anthropogenic forest plantations on the community structure and diversity of soil microorganisms and the underlying mechanisms in determining these patterns are poorly understood. In this study, we selected 78-year-old tree plantations that included three coniferous tree species (i.e. slash pine, hoop pine and kauri pine) and a eucalypt species in subtropical Australia. We investigated the patterns of community structure, and the diversity of soil bacteria and eukaryotes by using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. We also measured the potential methane oxidation capacity under different tree species. The results showed that slash pine and Eucalyptus significantly increased the dominant taxa of bacterial Acidobacteria and the dominant taxa of eukaryotic Ascomycota, and formed clusters of soil bacterial and eukaryotic communities, which were clearly different from the clusters under hoop pine and kauri pine. Soil pH and nutrient quality indicators such as C : nitrogen (N) and extractable organic C : extractable organic N were key factors in determining the patterns of soil bacterial and eukaryotic communities between the different tree species treatments. Slash pine and Eucalyptus had significantly lower soil bacterial and eukaryotic operational taxonomical unit numbers and lower diversity indices than kauri pine and hoop pine. A key factor limitation hypothesis was introduced, which gives a reasonable explanation for lower diversity indices under slash pine and Eucalyptus. In addition, slash pine and Eucalyptus had a higher soil methane oxidation capacity than the other tree species. These results suggest that significant changes in soil microbial communities may occur in response to chronic disturbance by tree plantations, and highlight

Soil and vegetation changes after clear-felling coniferous forests: effects of varying removal of logging residues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olsson, Bengt.

1995-01-01

Effects of the intensity of logging residue harvesting on soil nutrient status and ground vegetation cover were examined over a 16-year period in two series of field experiments in Sweden. Short-term effects of slash harvesting and stump removal on soil water chemistry were studied after clear-felling a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in SW Sweden. Soil water concentrations of NH4 + , and NO 3 - and K + were lower shortly after whole-tree harvesting (i.e. stem and slash harvesting) than shortly after conventional stem-only harvesting or complete tree harvesting (i.e. stem, slash and stump removal). However, 5 years later there were no longer differences in nutrient concentrations detected between treatments, and nutrient levels approached those normally found in drainage water from forest land. Similar studies focussed on long-term (16 years) effects were conducted on four coniferous forest sites in Sweden, two in north and the other two in the south. In each region one site was situated in a pure Scots pine stand (Pinus sylvestris L.) and the other in a pure Norway spruce stand. In general, the intensity of slash harvesting had no effect on the total pools of nitrogen or carbon in the soil. Furthermore, this study showed experimentally that the harvesting of logging residues results in long-term soil acidification and depletions of exchangeable base cations, manganese and zinc pools, which lead in turn to a reduction in base saturation levels. A major implication for practical forestry was that guidelines and recommendations concerning the large-scale utilization of logging residues should be based more on the nutritional and soil acidifying consequences of this practice than on its potential effect on soil organic matter storage. It would also be possible to mitigate the detrimental effects that slash harvesting has on site conditions by applying wood-ash or other nutrients in inorganic form. 53 refs, 4 figs, 4 tabs

Soil and vegetation changes after clear-felling coniferous forests: effects of varying removal of logging residues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olsson, Bengt

1995-11-01

Effects of the intensity of logging residue harvesting on soil nutrient status and ground vegetation cover were examined over a 16-year period in two series of field experiments in Sweden. Short-term effects of slash harvesting and stump removal on soil water chemistry were studied after clear-felling a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in SW Sweden. Soil water concentrations of NH4{sup +}, and NO{sub 3}{sup -} and K{sup +} were lower shortly after whole-tree harvesting (i.e. stem and slash harvesting) than shortly after conventional stem-only harvesting or complete tree harvesting (i.e. stem, slash and stump removal). However, 5 years later there were no longer differences in nutrient concentrations detected between treatments, and nutrient levels approached those normally found in drainage water from forest land. Similar studies focussed on long-term (16 years) effects were conducted on four coniferous forest sites in Sweden, two in north and the other two in the south. In each region one site was situated in a pure Scots pine stand (Pinus sylvestris L.) and the other in a pure Norway spruce stand. In general, the intensity of slash harvesting had no effect on the total pools of nitrogen or carbon in the soil. Furthermore, this study showed experimentally that the harvesting of logging residues results in long-term soil acidification and depletions of exchangeable base cations, manganese and zinc pools, which lead in turn to a reduction in base saturation levels. A major implication for practical forestry was that guidelines and recommendations concerning the large-scale utilization of logging residues should be based more on the nutritional and soil acidifying consequences of this practice than on its potential effect on soil organic matter storage. It would also be possible to mitigate the detrimental effects that slash harvesting has on site conditions by applying wood-ash or other nutrients in inorganic form. 53 refs, 4 figs, 4 tabs

Painful pleasures: Sacrifice, consent, and the resignification of BDSM symbolism in "The Story of O" and "The Story of Obi"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Kustritz

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This paper examines slash fan fiction's contributions to BDSM discourses and symbolism. BDSM is culturally delegitimated as a sexual pathology, and protest against it highlights broad concerns about sexual consent within patriarchy while also misdirecting unease about sexual coercion onto the ritualized and eroticized exchange of power rather than social systems of domination. Contrasting the BDSM classic The Story of O with The Story of Obi, a Star Wars–based slash rewrite, facilitates a conceptual separation between erotic domination and the historical and cultural contexts that give shape to individual enunciations of sexualized power exchange, particularly by shifting from a psychoanalytic paradigm to consideration of chivalric "suffering for love." By calling upon the extensive shared knowledge of fan readers and the symbolism attached to the sexual conjunction of two same-sexed bodies, authors of slash fan fiction produce a constantly proliferating array of BDSM representations that challenge the speciation of erotic domination as an inherently destructive, unidirectional deadlock. They thus create unique narrative and semiotic tools for rethinking erotic uses of power.

Vegetation composition and structure of southern coastal plain pine forests: An ecological comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Hedman, C.W.; Grace, S.L.; King, S.E.

2000-01-01

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems are characterized by a diverse community of native groundcover species. Critics of plantation forestry claim that loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) forests are devoid of native groundcover due to associated management practices. As a result of these practices, some believe that ecosystem functions characteristic of longleaf pine are lost under loblolly and slash pine plantation management. Our objective was to quantify and compare vegetation composition and structure of longleaf, loblolly, and slash pine forests of differing ages, management strategies, and land-use histories. Information from this study will further our understanding and lead to inferences about functional differences among pine cover types. Vegetation and environmental data were collected in 49 overstory plots across Southlands Experiment Forest in Bainbridge, GA. Nested plots, i.e. midstory, understory, and herbaceous, were replicated four times within each overstory plot. Over 400 species were identified. Herbaceous species richness was variable for all three pine cover types. Herbaceous richness for longleaf, slash, and loblolly pine averaged 15, 13, and 12 species per m2, respectively. Longleaf pine plots had significantly more (p < 0.029) herbaceous species and greater herbaceous cover (p < 0.001) than loblolly or slash pine plots. Longleaf and slash pine plots were otherwise similar in species richness and stand structure, both having lower overstory density, midstory density, and midstory cover than loblolly pine plots. Multivariate analyses provided additional perspectives on vegetation patterns. Ordination and classification procedures consistently placed herbaceous plots into two groups which we refer to as longleaf pine benchmark (34 plots) and non-benchmark (15 plots). Benchmark plots typically contained numerous herbaceous species characteristic of relic longleaf pine/wiregrass communities found in the area. Conversely

INTEGRATION OF MECHANICAL AND CULTURAL CONTROL TREATMENTS TO MANAGE INVASIVE SHRUB Chromolaena odorata AND OTHER WEEDS UNDER DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN PASTURE AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rusdy

2013-03-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was conducted on Chromolaena odorata dominated pasture with the objectives of evaluating efficacy of integrated of mechanical and cultural control on weed suppression and determining botanical composition of plant species after treatment started. The treatments were, T1 slashing of Chromolaena every month, T2 digging up of Chromolanea, and exposed to dry (mulching, T3 digging up of Chromolaena followed by burning, T4 digging up of Chromolaena followed by burning and sowing with Centrosema pubescens and T5 digging up of Chromolaena followed by burning and planting with Brachiaria decumbens. Results of experiment showed that under drought conditions, digging up Chromolaena was very effective in suppressing regrowth of Chromolaena but it was not effective to other weeds. Among treatments, digging out of Chromolaena followed by burning and planting with Brachiaria decumbens was the most effective and slashing of Chromolaena every month was the least effective in suppressing weeds. Botanical composition was shifted with treatments. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis and Chromolaena were the dominant species in monthly slashed Chromolaena plots, Stachytarpheta and Calopogonium muconoides were the dominant species in mulched plots while Mimosa pudica, Brachiaria and Centrosema were the dominant species in burnt plots.

INTEGRATION OF MECHANICAL AND CULTURAL CONTROL TREATMENTS TO MANAGE INVASIVE SHRUB Chromolaena odorata AND OTHER WEEDS UNDER DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN PASTURE AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rusdy

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was conducted on Chromolaena odorata dominated pasture with the objectivesof evaluating efficacy of integrated of mechanical and cultural control on weed suppression anddetermining botanical composition of plant species after treatment started. The treatments were, T1slashing of Chromolaena every month, T2 digging up of Chromolanea, and exposed to dry (mulching,T3 digging up of Chromolaena followed by burning, T4 digging up of Chromolaena followed byburning and sowing with Centrosema pubescens and T5 digging up of Chromolaena followed byburning and planting with Brachiaria decumbens. Results of experiment showed that under droughtconditions, digging up Chromolaena was very effective in suppressing regrowth of Chromolaena but itwas not effective to other weeds. Among treatments, digging out of Chromolaena followed by burningand planting with Brachiaria decumbens was the most effective and slashing of Chromolaena everymonth was the least effective in suppressing weeds. Botanical composition was shifted with treatments.Stachytarpheta jamaicensis and Chromolaena were the dominant species in monthly slashedChromolaena plots, Stachytarpheta and Calopogonium muconoides were the dominant species inmulched plots while Mimosa pudica, Brachiaria and Centrosema were the dominant species in burntplots.

Design of a 16 kbit superconducting latching/SFQ hybrid RAM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasawa, Shuichi; Hasegawa, Haruhiro; Hashimoto, Tatsunori; Suzuki, Hideo; Miyahara, Kazunori; Enomoto, Youichi

1999-01-01

We have designed a 16 kbit superconducting latching/SFQ hybrid (SLASH) RAM, which enables high-frequency clock operation up to 10 GHz. The 16 kbit SLASH RAM consists of four 4x4 matrix arrays of 256 bit RAM blocks, block decoders, latching block drivers, latching block senses, impedance matched lines and the powering circuits. The 256 bit RAM block is composed of a 16x16 matrix array of vortex transitional memory cells, latching drivers, SFQ NOR decoders and latching sense circuits. We have also designed and implemented an SFQ NOR decoder that is composed of magnetically coupled multi-input OR gates and RSFQ inverters. (author)

Initial soil respiration response to biomass harvesting and green-tree retention in aspen-dominated forests of the Great Lakes region

Science.gov (United States)

Kurth, Valerie J.; Bradford, John B.; Slesak, Robert A.; D'Amato, Anthony W.

2014-01-01

Contemporary forest management practices are increasingly designed to optimize novel objectives, such as maximizing biomass feedstocks and/or maintaining ecological legacies, but many uncertainties exist regarding how these practices influence forest carbon (C) cycling. We examined the responses of soil respiration (Rs) to biomass harvesting and green-tree retention in an effort to empirically assess their impacts on C cycling. We measured Rs and soil microclimatic variables over four growing seasons following implementation of these management practices using a fully replicated, operational-scale experiment in aspen-dominated forests in northern Minnesota. Treatments included three levels of biomass removal within harvested areas: whole-tree harvest (no slash deliberately retained), 20% slash retained, and stem-only harvest (all slash retained), and two levels of green-tree retention: 0.1 ha aggregate or none. The relative amount of biomass removed had a negligible effect on Rs in harvested areas, but treatment effects were probably obscured by heterogeneous slash configurations and rapid post-harvest regeneration of aspen in all of the treatments. Discrete measurements of Rs and soil temperature within green-tree aggregates were not discernible from surrounding harvested areas or unharvested control stands until the fourth year following harvest, when Rs was higher in unharvested controls than in aggregates and harvested stands. Growing season estimates of Rs showed that unharvested control stands had higher Rs than both harvested stands and aggregates in the first and third years following harvest. Our results suggest that retention of larger forest aggregates may be necessary to maintain ecosystem-level responses similar to those in unharvested stands. Moreover, they highlight the innate complexity of operational-scale research and suggest that the initial impacts of biomass harvest on Rs may be indiscernible from traditional harvest in systems where incidental

Forest fuel reduces the nitrogen load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundborg, A.

1993-03-01

A study of the literature was made on the basis of the following hypothesis: ''If nitrogen-rich felling residues are removed from the forest, the nitrogen load on the forest ecosystem is decreased and the risk of nitrogen saturation also decreases''. The study was designed to provide information on how the nitrogen situation is influenced if felling residues are removed from nitrogen-loaded forests and used as fuel. Felling residues release very little nitrogen during the first years after felling. They can immobilize nitrogen from the surroundings, make up a considerable addition to the nitrogen store in the soil, but also release nitrogen in later stages of degradation. The slash has an influence on the soil climate and thus on soil processes. Often there is an increase in the mineralization of litter and humus below the felling residues. At the same time, nitrification is favoured, particularly if the slash is left in heaps. Felling residues contain easily soluble nutrients that stimulate the metabolization of organic matter that otherwise is rather resistant to degradation. The slash also inhibits the clear-cut vegetation and its uptake of nitrogen. These effects result in increased leaching of nitrogen and minerals if the felling residues are left on the site. (99 refs.)

AMOR - the time-of-flight neutron reflectometer at SINQ/PSI

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Mukul; Gutberlet, T.; Stahn, J.; Keller, P.; Clemens, D.

2004-07-01

The apparatus for multioptional reflectometry (AMOR) at SINQ/PSI is a versatile reflectometer operational in the time-of-flight (TOF) mode (in a wavelength range of 0.15 nm <λ < 1.3 nm) as well as in the monochromatic (theta-2theta) mode with both polarized and unpolarized neutrons. AMOR is designed to perform reflectometry measurements in horizontal sample-plane geometry which allows studying both solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. A pulsed cold neutron beam from the end position of the neutron guide is produced by a dual-chopper system (side-by-side) having two windows at 180^{circ} and rotatable with a maximum frequency of 200 Hz. In the TOF mode, the chopper frequency, width of the gating window and the chopper-detector distance can be selected independently providing a wide range of q-resolution (Delta q/q=1-10&%slash;). Remanent FeCoV/Ti : N supermirrors are used as polarizer/analyzer with a polarization efficiency of sim97&%slash;. For the monochromatic wavelength mode, a Ni/Ti multilayer is used as a monochromator, giving sim50&%slash; reflectivity at a wavelength of 0.47 nm. In the present work, a detailed description of the instrument and setting-up of the polarization option is described. Results from some of the recent studies with polarized neutrons and measurements on liquid surfaces are presented.

Downed Wood - Spears and Didion Ranches [ds316

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — These data are the number individual stems of three different types of downed woody debris (DWD), which are logs and slash, from 0.05-ha circular plot habitat...

40 CFR 51.124 - Findings and requirements for submission of State implementation plan revisions relating to...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., slash, brush, or byproduct from conversion of trees to merchantable material; or (ii) A wood material... any heat contained in condensate return or makeup water; (2) Used in a heating application (e.g...

Effects of toroidal currents upon magnetic configurations and stability in Wendelstein 7-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weller, A.; Anton, M.; Brakel, R.; Geiger, J.; Hirsch, M.; Jaenicke, R.; Klose, S.; Werner, A.; Sallander, E.

2001-01-01

The proposal of new concepts for current carrying hybrid stellarators has raised the issue if current driven instabilities, in particular major disruptions, may be suppressed or mitigated by the externally provided poloidal magnetic field. In W7-AS the internal toroidal currents such as bootstrap and Okhawa currents are cancelled by opposite currents driven inductively or by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD). In this way the edge rotational transform is controlled, and net current-free stable plasmas are maintained. On the other hand, the current drive systems provide a flexible tool to investigate current driven instabilities as well as various issues concerning the effect of magnetic shear on confinement and MHD mode behaviour. The stability studies in the presence of significant toroidal currents have been made in the accessible range of the external rotational transform slash-l ext =0.30...0.56 involving the low order rational surfaces slash-l = 1/2, 3/2, 3/4 and 1. In addition the rational surfaces slash-l=1/3 and 1/4 could be accessed by reverse current drive. Target plasmas heated by electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH), neutral beam injection (NBI) or both were investigated in order to assess to which extent the stability depends on particular current density profiles. Disruption-like events, preceded by tearing mode activity, have been observed in a wide range of the external rotational transform. The mode structures have been analyzed by X-ray tomography, electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostics and magnetic measurements. The experimental data are roughly consistent with stability calculations on the basis of a cylindrical Δ'-analysis. In contrast to the tokamak case the plasma equilibrium is maintained even after a thermal collapse enabling a recovery of plasma energy and inductive current. The improved positional stability can result in the formation of very large magnetic islands. Severe disruption-like effects may be controlled by

A Search for New Physics in Photon Lepton Events in $p\\bar{p}$ Collisions at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 1.8-TeV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berryhill, Jeffrey Wayne [Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.

2000-12-01

We present the results of a search in $p\\overline{p}$ collisions at $sqrt{s}$ = 1:8 TeV for anomalous production of events containing a photon with large transverse energy and a lepton (e or $\\mu$) with large transverse energy, using 86 $pb^{-1}$ of data collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab during the 1994-95 collider run at the Fermilab Tevatron. The presence of large missing transverse energy slash-($E_T$), additional photons, or additional leptons in these events is also analyzed. The results are consistent with standard model expectations, with the possible exception of photon-lepton events with large slash-$E_T$, for which the probability of a statistical uctuation of the standard model expectation up to and above the observed level is 0.7%.

Air Quality and Health Impacts of an Aviation Biofuel Supply Chain Using Forest Residue in the Northwestern United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, Vikram; Gao, Allan H; Martinkus, Natalie B; Wolcott, Michael P; Lamb, Brian K

2018-04-03

Forest residue is a major potential feedstock for second-generation biofuel; however, little knowledge exists about the environmental impacts of the development and production of biofuel from such a feedstock. Using a high-resolution regional air quality model, we estimate the air quality impacts of a forest residue based aviation biofuel supply chain scenario in the Pacific Northwestern United States. Using two potential supply chain regions, we find that biomass and biofuel hauling activities will add simulation. Using BenMAP, a health impact assessment tool, we show that avoiding slash pile burning results in a decrease in premature mortality as well as several other nonfatal and minor health effects. In general, we show that most air quality and health benefits result primarily from avoided slash pile burning emissions.

Particle sizes in slash fire smoke.

Science.gov (United States)

David V. Sandberg; Robert E. Martin

1975-01-01

Particulate emissions are the most objectionable atmospheric contaminant from forest burning. Little is known of the particulate sizes, and this research was done under laboratory conditions to obtain particle size information. Comments are made concerning techniques for future work in this field.

US science spared budget axe

Science.gov (United States)

Gwynne, Peter

2017-06-01

Despite initial fears of significant funding cuts, America’s 2017 budget largely maintains support for research. But as Peter Gwynne reports, the relief may only be temporary and funding for science may be slashed next year instead

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prof. Mereku

2010-08-15

Aug 15, 2010 ... curriculum, examination bodies, teachers, students, home, and textbook. Apart from these. 1 ... teachers in primary schools, students not interested in hard work, perception that ..... Use slash (/) to separate the last 2 digits in ...

33 CFR 5.47 - Auxiliary ensign.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... matching blue Coast Guard Auxiliary emblem is centered. The white slash shall be at a 70 degree angle, rising away from the hoist. (c) The Auxiliary emblem consists of a disk with the shield of the Coat of...

Effects of pine pollen supplementation in an onion diet on Frankliniella fusca reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelella, G M; Riley, D G

2010-04-01

A micro-cage bioassay was developed to test the effect of slash pine pollen (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) supplementation to a whole onion plant (Allium cepa L. variety Pegasus) diet on thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) reproductive parameters. Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) females were placed on two to three-leaf stage onion seedling under a treatment of either slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) pollen dusting (a pollen supplement) or no pollen treatment. Adult survival, net oviposition, and offspring produced over a series of ten 2-d intervals were recorded. From these values, l(x), l(x)m(x), and R(0) values were constructed. A trimodal distribution of oviposition was observed with the pollen supplement. Increased oviposition rates led to higher female offspring production per female and to a four-fold increase in F. fusca net reproduction on pollen-treated onions.

Vegetation and Lepidoptera in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests. Community structure along climate zones, forest succession and seasonality in the Southern Yucatán, Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Essens, T.; Leyequien, E.; Pozo, C.

2010-01-01

Seasonally dry tropical forests are worldwide recognized as important ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. Increasing agricultural activities (e.g., slash-and-burn agriculture) leads to a heterogeneous landscape matrix; and as ecological succession takes over in abandoned fields, plant and

Environmental Sustainability of Some Cropping Systems in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nekky Umera

base in South Asia and China; there will inevitably be a substantial ... In the tropics, the “slash and burn” method has been widely used by ... contamination of air, water and soil by reducing or eliminating the use .... cost of transportation.

The Impact of Donor Support to Basic Education in Ghana since the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

rates yet others such as management inefficiency, poor motivation and ... the budget for education had been slashed from 6.4% of GDP in 1976 to 1.4% ..... often argued that the conditions under which they work, such as office accommodation,.

Does bedding promote pine survival and growth on ditched wet sands?

Science.gov (United States)

Ralph A. Klawitter

1970-01-01

Results from a study of prepared beds for planting slash pine on a wet sandy flat in Florida were inconclusive. Early growth was improved, but survival was not; and differences between a bedded site and an unbedded site were slight.

Aerial Sampling of Emissions from Biomass Pile Burns in Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Emissions from burning piles of post-harvest timber slash in Grande Ronde, Oregon were sampled using an instrument platform lofted into the plume using a tether-controlled aerostat or balloon. Emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, particulate matter (PM2.5 µm), ...

Bulked fusiform rust inocula and Fr gene interactions in loblolly pine

Science.gov (United States)

Fikret Isik; Henry Amerson; Saul Garcia; Ross Whetten; Steve. McKeand

2012-01-01

Fusiform rust disease in loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var elliottii) pine plantations in the southern United States causes multi-million dollar annual losses. The disease is endemic to the region. The fusiform rust fungus (Cronartium quercuum sp.

Biomass burning and the disappearing tropical rainforest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovejoy, T.E.

1991-01-01

The author discusses the implications of reduced biological diversity as a result of slash and burn agriculture in the tropical rainforest. The importance of global management of forests to prevent a buildup of carbon dioxide and the resulting greenhouse effect is emphasized

Plutonium accident resistant container project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.

1978-05-01

The PARC (plutonium accident resistant container) project resulted in the design, development, and certification testing of a crashworthy air-transportable plutonium package (shipping container) for certification by the USNRC. This PAT-1 (plutonium air transportable) package survives a very severe sequential test program of impact, crush, puncture, slash, burn, and water immersion. There is also an individual hydrostatic pressure test. The package has a payload mass capacity of 2 kg of PuO2 and a thermal capacity of 25 watts. The design rationale for very high energy absorption (impact, crush, puncture, and slash protection) with residual high-level fire protection, resulted in a reasonalby small air-transportable package, advancing the packaging state-of-art. Optimization design iterations were utilized in the areas of impact energy absorption and stress and thermal analysis. Package test results are presented in relation to radioactive materials containment acceptance criteria, shielding and criticality standards

The role of remnant trees in carbon sequestration, vegetation structure and tree diversity of early succession regrowing fallows in eastern Sierra Leone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cuni Sanchez, Aida; Lindsell, Jeremy A.

2017-01-01

Remnant tree presence affects forest recovery after slash-and-burn agriculture. However, little is known about its effect on above-ground carbon stocks, especially in Africa. We focused our study on Sierra Leone, part of the Upper Guinean forests, an important centre of endemism threatened...

Biodiversity loss in Ghana: The human factor | Bennett-Lartey ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The country loses a great proportion of its biodiversity, due mainly to unacceptable practices like slash and burn agriculture, surface mining, construction activities and bushfires. Various conservation measures practiced in Ghana have been discussed. These include forest reserves, botanical gardens, arboreta, gene banks, ...

Impacts of pine species, stump removal, cultivation, and fertilization on soil properties half a century after planting

Science.gov (United States)

John R. Butnor; Kurt H. Johnsen; Felipe G Sanchez; C. Dana Nelson

2012-01-01

To better understand the long-term effects of species selection and forest management practices on soil quality and soil C retention, we analyzed soil samples from an experimental planting of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.), longleaf ((Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash ((Pinus elliottii Engelm.) pines under...

A consensus genetic map for Pinus taeda and Pinus elliottii and extent of linkage disequilibrium in two genotype-phenotype discovery populations of Pinua taeda

Science.gov (United States)

Jared W. Westbrook; Vikram E. Chhatre; Le-Shin Wu; Srikar Chamala; Leandro Gomide Neves; Patricio Munoz; Pedro J. Martinez-Garcia; David B. Neale; Matias Kirst; Keithanne Mockaitis; C. Dana Nelson; Gary F. Peter; John M. Davis; Craig S. Echt

2015-01-01

A consensus genetic map for Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) and Pinus elliottii (slash pine) was constructed by merging three previously published P. taeda maps with a map from a pseudo-backcross between P. elliottii and P. taeda. The consensus map positioned 3856 markers via...

Soil organic carbon stocks and changes upon forest regeneration in East Kalimantan- Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yassir, I.

2012-01-01

Imperata grassland is a common vegetation type in Kalimantan (Indonesia), and other parts of South-East Asia. It indicates a high degree of degradation of the vegetation, and mostly occurs after slashing and burning of primary forest. Through secondary succession Imperata grassland is converted

ARTICLES / SAGGI

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

slashed a hole in man-made masquerades intended to protect the male gazer. And it is with ... their name, they can be taught that their territory is black: because you are Africa, you are black. ... theory but in practice” (“Writing The Body,” 358).

Changes in soil physical and chemical properties in long term improved natural and traditional agroforestry management systems of cacao genotypes in Peruvian Amazon

Science.gov (United States)

Traditional slash and burn agriculture practiced in the Peruvian Amazon region is leading to soil degradation and deforestation of native forest flora. The only way to stop such destructive processes is through the adoptation of sustainable alternatives such as growing crops in agroforestry systems....

Ashes from biofuels and mixed fuels - amount and qualities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjurstroem, Henrik; Ilskog, Elisabeth; Berg, Magnus

2003-04-01

In this study, ashes from biofuels used in the energy utilities, the pulp and paper industry and the wood-working industries have been inventoried. The selection of plants to which enquiries were addressed consists of about 50 utilities, all pulp and paper plants and about 20 wood-working industries (e.g. sawmills). The purpose of the study was to estimate the quantities of bio ashes that are recycled to the forests and those that could be recycled. The background to this study is that logging slash is harvested from ca 30,000 ha per year, while ash is recycled only to 2 to 4,000 ha per year. A working hypothesis has been that logging slash or clean wooden fuels are mixed with other fuels to such an extent that the ash is too contaminated to be recycled. The consequence would be that there is a shortage of suitable ash. Therefore, it was desirable that motives for mixing fuels be chartered. In Sweden, approximately one million ton ashes are produced each year and the share of the three industries that have been studied is estimated as: 200 - 340,000 tons from utilities about 275,000 tons from the pulp and paper industry and 100,000 tons from the woodworking industry. These quantities include unburned carbon, water added when the ash is extracted from the boilers etc. Additional quantities of ash are those produced by waste combustion (447,000 tons), wood-burning in residential buildings (50 - 100,000 tons) etc. In all, ash that may be recycled should total about 300,000 tons (Recyclable ash in t/a: Utilities - 80,000; Pulp and Paper Industry - 100-130,000; Woodworking Industry 100,000). Logging slash is seldom burned alone in the boilers at the utilities, but are almost always mixed with other wood fuel fractions such as waste from sawmills. The mixtures can be very complex. Clean mixtures of wood fuel fractions represent ca 4,500 GWh of the ca 7,800 GWh in this study. Other fuels that are often used in mixtures are peat and Salix, which does not necessarily lead

Hurricane Katrina winds damaged longleaf pine less than loblolly pine

Science.gov (United States)

Kurt H. Johnsen; John R. Butnor; John S. Kush; Ronald C. Schmidtling; C. Dana. Nelson

2009-01-01

Some evidence suggests that longleaf pine might be more tolerant of high winds than either slash pine (Pinus elliotii Englem.) or loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). We studied wind damage to these three pine species in a common garden experiment in southeast Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina,...

Cern faces 260m euro budget cuts

CERN Multimedia

Banks, Michael

2010-01-01

"The Cern particle-physics lab near Geneva is to slash about 260m euro ($340m) from its budget for 2011-2015. The cut, which was approved by Cern's council last month, will require the lab to scale back research into future particles accelerators" (0.5 page)

Ministry slashed amid government reshuffle / Kate Mclntosh

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Mclntosh, Kate

2009-01-01

Läti valitsus võttis vastu otsuse kaotada laste- ja pereministeerium, mille funktsioonid jagatakse sotsiaal-, justiits- ja haridusministeeriumi vahel. Otsus jõustub täies mahus käesoleva aasta 1. juunil

Vegetation Response to Western Juniper Slash Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Casey; Miller, Rick; Bates, Jonathan D.

2013-09-01

The expansion of piñon-juniper woodlands the past 100 years in the western United States has resulted in large scale efforts to kill trees and recover sagebrush steppe rangelands. It is important to evaluate vegetation recovery following woodland control to develop best management practices. In this study, we compared two fuel reduction treatments and a cut-and-leave (CUT) treatment used to control western juniper ( Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis Hook.) of the northwestern United States. Treatments were; CUT, cut-and-broadcast burn (BURN), and cut-pile-and-burn the pile (PILE). A randomized complete block design was used with five replicates of each treatment located in a curl leaf mahogany ( Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray)/mountain big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata Nutt. spp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle)/Idaho fescue ( Festuca idahoensis Elmer) association. In 2010, 4 years after tree control the cover of perennial grasses (PG) [Sandberg's bluegrass ( Poa secunda J. Pres) and large bunchgrasses] were about 4 and 5 % less, respectively, in the BURN (7.1 ± 0.6 %) than the PILE (11.4 ± 2.3 %) and CUT (12.4 ± 1.7 %) treatments ( P < 0.0015). In 2010, cover of invasive cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum L.) was greater in the BURN (6.3 ± 1.0 %) and was 50 and 100 % greater than PILE and CUT treatments, respectively. However, the increase in perennial bunchgrass density and cover, despite cheatgrass in the BURN treatment, mean it unlikely that cheatgrass will persist as a major understory component. In the CUT treatment mahogany cover increased 12.5 % and density increased in from 172 ± 25 to 404 ± 123 trees/ha. Burning, killed most or all of the adult mahogany, and mahogany recovery consisted of 100 and 67 % seedlings in the PILE and BURN treatments, respectively. After treatment, juniper presence from untreated small trees (<1 m tall; PILE and CUT treatments) and seedling emergence (all treatments) represented 25-33 % of pre-treatment tree density. To maintain recovery of herbaceous, shrub, and mahogany species additional control of reestablished juniper will be necessary.

Plutonium accident resistant container project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.

1978-09-01

The PARC (plutonium accident resistant container) project resulted in the design, development, and certification testing of a crashworthy air-transportable plutonium package (shipping container) for certification by the USNRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission). This PAT-1 (plutonium air transportable) package survives a very severe sequential test program of impact, crush, puncture, slash, burn, and water immersion. There is also an individual hydrostatic pressure test. The package has a payload mass capacity of 2 kg of PuO 2 and a thermal capacity of 25 watts. The design rationale for very high energy absorption (impact, crush, puncture, and slash protection) with residual high-level fire protection, resulted in a reasonably small air-transportable package, advancing the packaging state-of-art. Optimization design iterations were utilized in the areas of impact energy absorption and stress and thermal analysis. Package test results are presented in relation to radioactive materials containment acceptance criteria, shielding and criticality standards

Relative abundance and species richness of cerambycid beetles in partial cut and uncut bottomland hardwood forests

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, P.; King, S.

2009-01-01

Partial cutting techniques are increasingly advocated and used to create habitat for priority wildlife. However, partial cutting may or may not benefit species dependent on deadwood; harvesting can supplement coarse woody debris in the form of logging slash, but standing dead trees may be targeted for removal. We sampled cerambycid beetles during the spring and summer of 2006 and 2007 with canopy malaise traps in 1- and 2-year-old partial cut and uncut bottomland hardwood forests of Louisiana. We captured a total of 4195 cerambycid beetles representing 65 species. Relative abundance was higher in recent partial cuts than in uncut controls and with more dead trees in a plot. Total species richness and species composition were not different between treatments. The results suggest partial cuts with logging slash left on site increase the abundance of cerambycid beetles in the first few years after partial cutting and that both partial cuts and uncut forest should be included in the bottomland hardwood forest landscape.

L130-million cut to grants hits UK physical scientists

CERN Multimedia

Cressey, Daniel

2008-01-01

"UK physicists, still reeling from massive funding cuts announced earlier this year, have learnt of worse to come. Roughly L130 million (US$260 million)is being slashed from research grants awarded by the Engineering and Physical Scienes Research Council (EPSRC), it announced on 17 March." (2 pages)

Logging a roadside stand to protect scenic values

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald; Raymond V. Whiteley

1972-01-01

A case study on the Challenge Experimental Forest, California, demonstrated that logging along roadsides need not despoil roadside stands. Nearly every tree was "viewed" before marking. Because of the "special-care" procedures followed, combined logging and slash-disposal cost was about twice that of a single-tree selection cut.

Sudan: world’s greatest humanit-arian transport challenge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rob McConnell

2005-11-01

Full Text Available The Fleet Forum, a group of more than 40 aid agencies, is working to slash by 25% the annual $800 million cost of running some 60,000 vehicles. Darfur has shown the need to work together to achieve more cost-efficient and safe humanitarian transport.

A Robust Bayesian Approach for Structural Equation Models with Missing Data

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sik-Yum; Xia, Ye-Mao

2008-01-01

In this paper, normal/independent distributions, including but not limited to the multivariate t distribution, the multivariate contaminated distribution, and the multivariate slash distribution, are used to develop a robust Bayesian approach for analyzing structural equation models with complete or missing data. In the context of a nonlinear…

A Comparison of Positive Reinforcement and Punishment in Two Special Education Classes.

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Richard G.

Compared was the effectiveness of punishment and positive reinforcement on the nonattending behaviors and academic achievement of 18 elementary grade children in two special classes for children with social or adjustment problems. During the positive reinforcement condition each student earned a slash mark whenever he was observed attending to…

Damaged forests provide an opportunity to mitigate climate change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lamers, Patrick; Junginger, Martin; Dymond, C.; Faaij, André

British Columbia (BC) forests are estimated to have become a net carbon source in recent years due to tree death and decay caused primarily by mountain pine beetle (MPB) and related post-harvest slash burning practices. BC forest biomass has also become a major source of wood pellets, exported

Dutch Culture Wars : On the politics of gutting the arts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oudenampsen, M.; Kastner, Jens; Birkenstock, Eva; Hinderer Cruz, Max Jorge

“No one is safe.” With these words Halbe Zijlstra, the State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science, announced the slashing of the cultural budget on the Dutch national news in December 2010. Whereas cutbacks are generally accompanied by at least the pretension of reluctance or regret, Zijlstra

HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATIC RESPONSES OF OLD-GROWTH PINUS ELLIOTTII VAR. DENSA IN MESIC PINE FLATWOODS FLORIDA, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Pinus elliottii Englem. var. densa Little & Dorman (Southern Slash Pine) is unique in that it is the only native sub-tropical pine in the USA. Once occupying much of the south Florida landscape, it is now restricted to an estimated 3% of its pre human settlement area. Land manag...

If one is sexy, two is even sexier: Dialogue with slashers on identity and the internet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reinhard, CarrieLynn D.

Slash has been a part of female fandom since the first pairings of Kirk and Spock in fan magazines, and perhaps earlier.  The internet has expanded this practice, making it commonplace among female fans and reaching mainstream popular and academic discussions.  Understanding the mores and motivat...

Verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance as indicators for changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarrete, Acacio Aparecido; Soares, Tielle; Rossetto, Raffaella; van Veen, Johannes Antonie; Tsai, Siu Mui; Kuramae, Eiko Eurya

2015-09-01

Here we show that verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance are extremely sensitive to changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and real-time quantitative PCR assay were used to analyze changes in verrucomicrobial communities associated with contrasting soil nutrient conditions in tropical regions. In case study Model I ("Slash-and-burn deforestation") the verrucomicrobial community structures revealed disparate patterns in nutrient-enriched soils after slash-and-burn deforestation and natural nutrient-poor soils under an adjacent primary forest in the Amazonia (R = 0.819, P = 0.002). The relative proportion of Verrucomicrobia declined in response to increased soil fertility after slash-and-burn deforestation, accounting on average, for 4 and 2 % of the total bacterial signal, in natural nutrient-poor forest soils and nutrient-enriched deforested soils, respectively. In case study Model II ("Management practices for sugarcane") disparate patterns were revealed in sugarcane rhizosphere sampled on optimal and deficient soil fertility for sugarcane (R = 0.786, P = 0.002). Verrucomicrobial community abundance in sugarcane rhizosphere was negatively correlated with soil fertility, accounting for 2 and 5 % of the total bacterial signal, under optimal and deficient soil fertility conditions for sugarcane, respectively. In nutrient-enriched soils, verrucomicrobial community structures were related to soil factors linked to soil fertility, such as total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sum of bases, i.e., the sum of calcium, magnesium and potassium contents. We conclude that community structure and abundance represent important ecological aspects in soil verrucomicrobial communities for tracking the changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility under tropical environmental conditions.

Life cycle assessment of residual lignocellulosic biomass-based jet fuel with activated carbon and lignosulfonate as co-products.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierobon, Francesca; Eastin, Ivan L; Ganguly, Indroneil

2018-01-01

Bio-jet fuels are emerging as a valuable alternative to petroleum-based fuels for their potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependence. In this study, residual woody biomass from slash piles in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is used as a feedstock to produce iso-paraffinic kerosene, through the production of sugar and subsequent patented proprietary fermentation and upgrading. To enhance the economic viability and reduce the environmental impacts of iso-paraffinic kerosene, two co-products, activated carbon and lignosulfonate, are simultaneously produced within the same bio-refinery. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed for the residual woody biomass-based bio-jet fuel and compared against the cradle-to-grave LCA of petroleum-based jet fuel. This paper also discusses the differences in the environmental impacts of the residual biomass-based bio-jet fuel using two different approaches, mass allocation and system expansion, to partition the impacts between the bio-fuel and the co-products, which are produced in the bio-refinery. The environmental assessment of biomass-based bio-jet fuel reveals an improvement along most critical environmental criteria, as compared to its petroleum-based counterpart. However, the results present significant differences in the environmental impact of biomass-based bio-jet fuel, based on the partitioning method adopted. The mass allocation approach shows a greater improvement along most of the environmental criteria, as compared to the system expansion approach. However, independent of the partitioning approach, the results of this study reveal that more than the EISA mandated 60% reduction in the global warming potential could be achieved by substituting petroleum-based jet fuel with residual woody biomass-based jet fuel. Converting residual woody biomass from slash piles into bio-jet fuel presents the additional benefit of avoiding the impacts of slash pile burning in the forest, which

Mineralogia e reserva de K de Cambissolos submetidos a diferentes manejos após derrubada e queima da floresta na Amazônia Meridional Mineralogy and K reserve of Cambisols submitted to different managements after slashing and burning of the forest in the Meridional Amazon, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Góis Orrutéa

2012-01-01

after slashing and burning of a native forest in the Southern Amazon, Cacoal, Rondônia State, Brazil. An area of ombrophilous dense native forest with homogeneous pedologic features was divided into four parts, being three of them submitted to slash and burn and then cropped. In each area, soil profile was described and the A, AB, B1, 2B2 and 2BC horizons were sampled. Mineralogical analyses of clay, silt and sand fractions were performed by X ray diffraction. Clay fraction was also submitted to selective solvent with citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite (CBD and ammonium oxalate (AO. The soil contents of non-exchangeable K was extracted by boiling with 1 mol L-1 HNO3. Soil mineralogical analysis indicated that kaolinite was the predominant mineral in the clay fraction. There was also evidence of a large reserve K, associated to the occurrence of mica in clay, silt and sand fractions. Chemical analysis indicated that land use did not change the concentration of Fe2O3CBD and Fe2O3AO. However, the highest goethite/hematite ratio [Gt(Gt+Hm] calculated for the A horizon of the forest soil suggests that the burning favored the partial transformation of goethite in hematite into those areas where it was carried out.

Novel fuelbed characteristics associated with mechanical mastication treatments in northern California and south-western Oregon, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey M. Kane; J. Morgan Varner; Eric E. Knapp

2009-01-01

Mechanically masticated fuelbeds are distinct from natural or logging slash fuelbeds, with different particle size distributions, bulk density, and particle shapes, leading to challenges in predicting fire behavior and effects. Our study quantified some physical properties of fuel particles (e.g. squared quadratic mean diameter, proportion of non-cylindrical particles...

Above- and belowground responses to tree thinning depend on the treatment of tree debris

Science.gov (United States)

Suzanne M. Owen; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Catherine A. Gehring; Matthew A. Bowker

2009-01-01

Mechanical mastication is increasingly prescribed for wildfire mitigation, yet little is known about the ecological impacts of this fuels treatment. Mastication shreds trees into woodchips as an alternative to tree thinning and burning the resulting slash, which can create soil disturbances that favor exotic plants. Previous research on mastication has not...

La roza tumba y quema en el contexto de REDD+

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salinas Melgoza, Miguel Angel; Skutsch, Margaret; Lovett, Jonathan Cranidge; Paz Pellat, F.; Wong Gonzalez, J.C.; Torres Alamilla, R.

2015-01-01

Slash and burn (RTQ) is an agricultural system that in the context of climate change has been seen as one of those responsible for deforestation and intensive agriculture (AP) has been proposed to replace it in order to decrease gas greenhouse issued. We evaluated the impact of the RTQ in carbon

Effects of temperature on Pinus patula seedlings growing in pots in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The re-establishment of Pinus patula seedlings into sites with high harvesting residue (slash) loads can negatively affect the survival of these plants. Field trials have examined the role that insect pests and fungal diseases play in causing this phenomenon. Research has also indicated that temperatures at ground level tend ...

Green pioneers.

Science.gov (United States)

Trueland, Jennifer

The government has set tough targets for the NHS in England to reduce its carbon footprint. In this article, nurses and managers at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust explain how a programme of 'greening' initiatives - including a trial of electric cars for community staff - have slashed the trust's CO2 output.

Susceptibility of parent and interspecific Fl hybrid pine trees to tip moth damage in a coastal North Carolina planting

Science.gov (United States)

Maxine T. Highsmith; John Frampton; David 0' Malley; James Richmond; Martesa Webb

2001-01-01

Tip moth damage arnong families of parent pine species and their interspecific F1 hybrids was quantitatively assessed in a coastal planting in North Carolina. Three slash pine (Pinus elliotti var. elliotti Engelm.), two loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.), and four interspecific F1 hybrid pine families were used. The...

Biology, diagnosis and management of Heterobasidion Root Disease of southern pines

Science.gov (United States)

Tyler J. Dreaden; Jason A.  Smith; Michelle M. Cram; David R   Coyle

2016-01-01

Heterobasidion root disease (previously called annosum, annosus, or Fomes root disease / root rot) is one of the most economically damaging forest diseases in the Northern Hemisphere. Heterobasidion root disease (HRD) in the southeastern U.S. is caused by the pathogen Heterobasidion irregulare, which infects loblolly, longleaf, pitch, shortleaf, slash, Virginia, and...

Overview of approaches to sustain forest productivity during forest road development and timber harvesting activities

Science.gov (United States)

Charles R. Blinn; Rick Dahlamn; James A. Mattson; Michael A. Thompson

1999-01-01

Various approaches are available to minimize impacts on forest productivity during forest road building and timber harvesting activities. These approaches include a variety of practices and technologies. They include practices such as reducing road and trail development, using designated trails, and leaving slash at the stump on nutrient deficient sites. Technology...

Are we over-managing longleaf pine?

Science.gov (United States)

John S. Kush; Rebecca J. Barlow; John C. Gilbert

2012-01-01

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) is not loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) or slash pine (Pinus elliottii L.). There is the need for a paradigmatic shift in our thinking about longleaf pine. All too often we think of longleaf as an intolerant species, slow-grower, difficult to regenerate, and yet it dominated the pre...

Lawyers and ethics

African Journals Online (AJOL)

unisa

Ethics is more likely to be slashed by the slick lawyer and trodden upon to ... character screening of lawyers, but that continuous moral development is also ..... an insurance company to pay the proceeds due under a life insurance policy to ... had to consider the issue of "marketing agreements" between attorneys and estate.

A broadcast burn in secondgrowth clearcuttings in the north central Sierra Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald; Harry E. Schimke

1966-01-01

At the Challenge Experimental Forest, 29 acres of slash were broadcast burned on five small clearcut plots (2 to 10 acres) at a cost of $57.00 per acre. Fuel-weight measurements showed reductions of 68 to 84 percent after the burn. Modifications to plot size, shape, and orientation could reduce this cost.

Parent Involvement in Elementary School Libraries

Science.gov (United States)

Copeland, Michele Rzewski

2012-01-01

In the 21st century, school libraries are under pressure to innovate. Library budgets are frequently slashed as districts struggle with limited fiscal resources, while library personnel are increasingly expected to provide students with resources they need to help them pass high stakes tests. In an effort to meet student needs with limited…

Schrödinger operators on the half line: Resolvent expansions and the Fermi Golden Rule at threshold

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Arne; Nenciu, Gheorghe

2005-01-01

We consider Schr\\"odinger operators $H = -d^2 \\slash dr^2 + V$ on $L^2 ([0,\\infty))$ with the Dirichlet boundary condition. The potential $V$ may be local or non-local, with polynomial decay at infinity. The point zero in the spectrum of $H$ is classified, and asymptotic expansions of the resolvent...

The Authority of the President to Impound Funds Appropriated by Congress.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, James R.

During fiscal year 1973, President Nixon ordered the impoundment of about 18 billion dollars in Federal funds for domestic programs. A large portion of that amount was used to slash federal funding for education programs. The entire impoundment controversy revolves around the doctrine of separation of powers. Insofar as the President has refused…

Long-term changes in fusiform rust incidence in the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

KaDonna C. Randolph; Ellis B. Cowling; Dale A. Starkey

2015-01-01

Fusiform rust is the most devastating disease of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in the southeastern United States. Since the 1970s, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has assessed fusiform rust incidence on its network of ground plots in 13 states across the...

21 CFR 184.1585 - Papain.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Substances Affirmed as GRAS § 184.1585 Papain. (a) Papain (CAS Reg. No. 9001-73-4) is a proteolytic enzyme derived from Carica papaya L. Crude latex containing the enzyme is collected from slashed unripe papaya... latex or by precipitation from an aqueous solution of latex. The resulting enzyme preparation may be...

Effects of ecosystem-based management treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Michael G. Harrington; Carl E. Fiedler; Stephen F. Arno; Ward W. McCaughey; Leon J. Theroux; Clinton E. Carlson; Kristin L. Zouhar; Thomas H. DeLuca; Donald J. Bedunah; Dayna M. Ayers; Elizabeth A. Beringer; Sallie J. Hejl; Lynn Bacon; Robert E. Benson; Jane Kapler Smith; Rick Floch

1999-01-01

The prescribed burn treatments were applied to reduce pre-existing and new slash fuel loadings, reduce understory tree density to lower crown fire potential, stimulate vigor of decadent understory vegetation, produce mineral seedbeds for seral species establishment, and increase availability of mineral nutrients. To test the feasibility of prescribed burning under a...

Photo guide for estimating fuel loading and fire behavior in mixed-oak forests of the Mid-Atlantic Region

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick H. Brose

2009-01-01

A field guide of 45 pairs of photographs depicting ericaceous shrub, leaf litter, and logging slash fuel types of eastern oak forests and observed fire behavior of these fuel types during prescribed burning. The guide contains instructions on how to use the photo guide to choose appropriate fuel models for prescribed fire planning.

An Unwelcome Guest in China: A Pine-Feeding Mealybug

Science.gov (United States)

Jianghua Sun; Gary L. DeBarr; Tong-Xian Liu; C. Wayne Berisford; Stephen R. Clarke

1996-01-01

This story began in January 1988. Two business representatives from the Seed Company of the Ministry of the Forestry, People's Republic of China, visited the Southern Seed Company in Baldwin, Georgia, during a seed-buying trip. Just before leaving, they collected 70 scions from slash pines (Pinus elliotti) in a second-generation seed orchard...

CERN panel calls for cuts and shake-ups

CERN Multimedia

Weiss, G

2002-01-01

An external review committee has proposed that CERN slash other research projects in order to finish the LHC. The report of the ERC praised the design of the LHC and the technical competence of CERN staff. However it criticized the lab for "serious weaknesses" in cost control, contract management and financial reporting (1 page).

In the Green

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Mike

2011-01-01

Education officials used to debate whether they could afford to pursue green design and construction. Now the green movement has gained a foothold not just in education, but in society at large, and the prevailing attitude seems to have shifted. Can schools afford "not" to go green? As budgets are slashed repeatedly, education administrators must…

Cone and Seed Maturation of Southern Pines

Science.gov (United States)

James P. Barnett

1976-01-01

If slightly reduced yields and viability are acceptable, loblolly and slash cone collections can begin 2 to 3 weeks before maturity if the cones are stored before processing. Longleaf(P. palestris Mill.) pine cones should be collected only when mature, as storage decreased germination of seeds from immature cones. Biochemical analyses to determine reducing sugar...

A trial of direct control of pine engraver beetles on a small logging unit

Science.gov (United States)

W. L. Jackson

1960-01-01

Laboratory tests and small-scale field trials have shown the insecticide lindane to be highly toxic to pine engraver beetles. On the basis of that information, the insecticide was applied to fresh logging slash heavily infested with pine engraver beetles at Challenge Experimental Forest in 1959. Costs were reasonable and no insurmountable problems were encountered....

Influences on Prescribed Burning Activity and Costs in the National Forest System

Science.gov (United States)

David A. Cleaves; Jorge Martinez; Terry K. Haines

2000-01-01

The results of a survey concerning National Forest System prescribed burning activity and costs from 1985 to 1995 are examined. Ninety-five of one hundred and fourteen national forests responded. Acreage burned and costs for conducting burns are reported for four types of prescribed fires slash reduction; management-ignited fires; prescribed natural fires; and brush,...

History, distribution, damage, and life cycle of a pine shoot gali sawfly, Xyela gallicaulis (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae). J. Entomol. Sci. 44(3):276-283

Science.gov (United States)

Harry O. Yates; David R. Smith

2009-01-01

Larvae of Xyela gallicaulis Smith cause shoot stem galls in young pines. Loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., is the most seriously damaged, but galls have been observed on slash pine, P. elliottii var. elliottii Engelm., and shortleaf pine, P. echinata Mill. Studies in Virginia and Georgia confirm a 2-year life cycle. Larval development takes...

The Biltmore Forest School: Poking Back into an Extraordinary Time

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, David S.

2012-01-01

Our nation's first school of forestry operated in the early 1900s, when states were still being admitted to the union, and the motor car and typewriter had just been introduced to the American public. In the previous century, timber operations had slashed their way through forests with the simple policy of "cut and get out." To farmers,…

It's (Not Just) the Economy, Stupid

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Malik

2010-01-01

Just as the recession has taken a toll in other states, New Jersey state budget coffers are shriveling up as public colleges and other state-supported services are asked to do more with less. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's slashing of $173 million from public colleges and universities has drawn the ire of higher education leaders, educators and…

Social Studies on the Outside Looking In: Redeeming the Neglected Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Hermeling, Andrew Dyrli

2013-01-01

Many social studies teachers are nervous about the coming of Common Core State Standards. With so much emphasis placed on literacy, social studies teachers fear they will see content slashed to leave time for meeting English's non-fiction standards. Already reeling from a lack of attention from the benchmarks put in place by No Child Left Behind,…

Better Plants Program Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-09-30

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is a voluntary partnership initiative to drive significant energy efficiency improvement across energy intensive companies and organizations. 157 leading manufacturers and public water and wastewater treatment utilities are partnering with DOE through Better Plants to improve energy efficiency, slash carbon emissions, and cut energy costs.

Nonmarket benefits of reducing environmental effects of potential wildfires in beetle-killed trees: A contingent valuation study

Science.gov (United States)

Maryam Tabatabaei; John B. Loomis; Daniel W. McCollum

2015-01-01

We estimated Colorado households’ nonmarket values for two forest management options for reducing intensity of future wildfires and associated nonmarket environmental effects wildfires. The first policy is the traditional harvesting of pine beetle-killed trees and burning of the slash piles of residual materials on-site. The second involves harvesting but moving the...

Productivity and cost analysis of a mobile pyrolysis system deployed to convert mill residues into biochar

Science.gov (United States)

Woodam Chung; Dongyeob Kim; Nathaniel Anderson

2012-01-01

Forest and mill residues are a promising source of biomass feedstock for the production of bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts. However, high costs of transportation and handling of feedstock often make utilization of forest residues, such as logging slash, financially unviable. As a result, these materials are often considered waste and left on site to decompose or...

Putting the Brakes on "Summer Slide"

Science.gov (United States)

Schulte, Brigid

2009-01-01

This spring, officials in Fairfax County, Virginia, like those in localities across the country during these economic hard times, were in a fiscal bind and looking for any way to close a projected $650 million budget shortfall. School officials began looking seriously at slashing one line item: the nearly $3 million the county spends to fund a…

Advancing investigation and physical modeling of first-order fire effects on soils

Science.gov (United States)

William J. Massman; John M. Frank; Sacha J. Mooney

2010-01-01

Heating soil during intense wildland fires or slash-pile burns can alter the soil irreversibly, resulting in many significant long-term biological, chemical, physical, and hydrological effects. To better understand these long-term effects, it is necessary to improve modeling capability and prediction of the more immediate, or first-order, effects that fire can have on...

Development of genomic tools for verification of hybrids and selfed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The petiole color trait was also used to verify TMS 96/1089A X TME117 where the pink color of the male parent was dominant over the female's green color. The pace of genomic analysis of populations used in the study was enhanced using a modified , quicker DNA isolation protocol which slashed extraction time by 60%.

Fading Skies

Science.gov (United States)

Sio, Betsy Menson

2009-01-01

A sky fading from blue to white to red at the horizon, and water darkening from light to midnight blue. Strong diagonals slashing through the image, drawing a viewer's eyes deeper into the picture, and delicate trees poised to convey a sense of beauty. These are the fascinating strengths of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of Japanese artist Ando…

77 FR 66578 - San Bernardino National Forest, Mountaintop Ranger District, CA, Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-06

... shrub and herbaceous fuels and down wood in these areas. In some of these areas, dead trees would be cut... treatment and would result in an open forest structure with no standing dead trees, down logs, or other..., direct removal, or through hand or machine piling and burning. Wood slash piles would be burned, once the...

Nutrient Management in Pine Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Allan E. Tiarks

1999-01-01

Coastal plain soils are naturally low in fertility and many pine stands will give an economic response to fertilization, especially phosphorus. Maintaining the nutrients that are on the site by limiting displacement of logging slash during and after the harvest can be important in maintaining the productivity of the site and reducing the amount of fertilizer required...

The effect of harvesting operations, slash management and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of various harvesting operations and fertiliser applications on soil physical properties and the subsequent growth of a Eucalyptus clonal hybrid (Eucalyptus grandis x camaldulensis) on the sandy soils of the Zululand coastal plain in northern KwaZulu- Natal. Increases in ...

Hoist motor replacements. Help slash downtime, unplanned outages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, J.

2004-11-01

The article describes the design and retrofitting of a 'Dynamic Field Control' system to a P & H 4100 shovel. Designed by Drives and Controls Services Inc., this is a control system operated with a programmable logic control that enhances the performance of the hoist motor on the shovel. Flanders Electric Motor Service fitted prototype M22 motors with these control to P & H 4100 shovels in February 2001. Since then they have been retrofitted successfully to other shovels, in operation in India and Australia. 4 figs.

Przepisać kulturę, czyli napisać slash

OpenAIRE

Szymił, Aleksandra

2015-01-01

‘Fanfiction’ is a term used for amateur, non-commercial stories written by fans, which relate to specific texts of culture. In my paper I make an attempt to analyze a special type of fanfiction, that is ‘slash’. Several academics identify this genre with pornography, because it includes a plenty of short texts focusing on erotic scenes. There are also many long stories among them with complex plots arranged only to depict a sexual fetish that confirm this view. However, othe...

Contributions to improve fallow system in Yucatan State Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel Uribe Valle; Juan Jiménez-Osornio; Roberto Dzib Echeverría

2006-01-01

More than 25 percent of earth warming can be attributes to deforestation practices such as crop rotations performed in southeast part of Mexico. In the Yucatan peninsula 20 percent of staple foods such as maize and beans are produced under slash and burn system. It has been practiced for many centuries by native Mayans however population pressure and food scarcity made...

Sinking or Swimming: Findings from a Survey of State Adult Education Tuition and Financing Policies

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Marcie

2012-01-01

At no time in recent history has the importance of adult education been greater and the funding more threatened. Despite the fact that as many as 93 million adults in the U.S. may need basic skills services to improve their economic prospects, funding for these services is stagnating at the federal level and being slashed in statehouses and state…

Management of Maritime Communities for Threatened and Endangered Species.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-05-01

S) mulletbush (B. halimifolia) (S) American barberry (Berchemia scandens) (L) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) (L) winged sumac...include coastal red cedar {Juniperus silicicola), red bay ( Persea borbonia), live oak (Quercus virginiana) and cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto; Stalter...scattered pines. The canopy is composed of live oak, slash pine, myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), American olive (Osmanthus americanus), Chapman’s oak

A Wigner quasi-distribution function for charged particles in classical electromagnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levanda, M.; Fleurov, V.

2001-01-01

A gauge-invariant Wigner quasi-distribution function for charged particles in classical electromagnetic fields is derived in a rigorous way. Its relation to the axial gauge is discussed, as well as the relation between the kinetic and canonical momenta in the Wigner representation. Gauge-invariant quantum analogs of Hamilton-Jacobi and Boltzmann kinetic equations are formulated for arbitrary classical electromagnetic fields in terms of the 'slashed' derivatives and momenta, introduced for this purpose. The kinetic meaning of these slashed quantities is discussed. We introduce gauge-invariant conditional moments and use them to derive a kinetic momentum continuity equation. This equation provides us with a hydrodynamic representation for quantum transport processes and a definition of the 'collision force'. The hydrodynamic equation is applied for the rotation part of the electron motion. The theory is illustrated by its application in three examples: Wigner quasi-distribution function and equations for an electron in a magnetic field and harmonic potential; Wigner quasi-distribution function for a charged particle in periodic systems using the kq representation; two Wigner quasi-distribution functions for heavy-mass polaron in an electric field

Decrease of non-point zinc runoff using porous concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Shigeki; Komuro, Yoshinori

2010-01-01

The use of porous concrete columns to decrease the amount of zinc in stormwater runoff is examined. The concentration of zinc in a simulated stormwater fluid (zinc acetate solution), fed through concrete columns (slashed circle10x10cm) decreased by 50-81%, suggesting physical adsorption of zinc by the porous concrete. We propose the use of porous concrete columns (slashed circle50x10cm) as the base of sewage traps. Longer-term, high-zinc concentration monitoring revealed that porous concrete blocks adsorb 38.6mgcm(-3) of zinc. A period of no significant zinc runoff (with an acceptable concentration of zinc in runoff of 0.03mgL(-1), a zinc concentration equal to the Japanese Environmental Standard) is estimated for 41years using a 1-ha catchment area with 20 porous concrete sewage traps. Scanning electron microscopy of the porous concrete used in this study indicates that the needle-like particles formed by hydration action significantly increase zinc adsorption. Evidence suggests that the hydrant is ettringite and has an important role in zinc adsorption, the resulting immobilization of zinc and the subsequent effects on groundwater quality. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Location-Scale Mixture Exponential Power Distribution: A Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood Approach

OpenAIRE

Rahnamaei, Z.; Nematollahi, N.; Farnoosh, R.

2012-01-01

We introduce an alternative skew-slash distribution by using the scale mixture of the exponential power distribution. We derive the properties of this distribution and estimate its parameter by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods. By a simulation study we compute the mentioned estimators and their mean square errors, and we provide an example on real data to demonstrate the modeling strength of the new distribution.

Urbanization effects on soil nitrogen transformations and microbial biomass in the subtropics

Science.gov (United States)

Heather A. Enloe; B. Graeme Lockaby; Wayne C. Zipperer; Greg L. Somers

2015-01-01

As urbanization can involve multiple alterations to the soil environment, it is uncertain how urbanization effects soil nitrogen cycling. We established 22–0.04 ha plots in six different land cover types—rural slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations (n=3), rural natural pine forests (n=3), rural natural oak forests (n=4), urban pine forests (n=3), urban oak forests (n...

47 CFR 11.31 - EAS protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false EAS protocol. 11.31 Section 11.31... characters. FM or TV call signs must use a slash ASCII character number 47 (/) in lieu of a dash. (c) The EAS... the State EAS Mapbook. FIPS# State: AL 01 AK 02 AZ 04 AR 05 CA 06 CO 08 CT 09 DE 10 DC 11 FL 12 GA 13...

Urbanization effects on leaf litter decomposition, foliar nutrient dynamics and aboveground net primary productivity in the subtropics

Science.gov (United States)

Heather A. Enloe; B. Graeme Lockaby; Wayne C. Zipperer; Greg L. Somers

2015-01-01

Urbanization can alter nutrient cycling. This research evaluated how urbanization affected nutrient dynamics in the subtropics. We established 17–0.04 ha plots in five different land cover types—slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations (n=3), rural natural pine forests (n= 3), rural natural oak forests (n=4), urban pine forests (n=3) and urban oak forests (n=4) in the...

New marketing strategy has CA hospital saying 'in with the old and out with the new'.

Science.gov (United States)

1999-03-01

Redesigning the marketing department can offer a sweet surprise of savings. Long Beach (CA) Memorial Hospital revamped its marketing operations as an afterthought to a hospitalwide reengineering effort. Little did they know they could slash close to $1 million out of their advertising and marketing budget and redesign job functions to meet the changes taking shape within the entire facility. Learn their cost-saving secrets.

From models to measurements: comparing downed dead wood carbon stock estimates in the U.S. forest inventory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant M Domke

Full Text Available The inventory and monitoring of coarse woody debris (CWD carbon (C stocks is an essential component of any comprehensive National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGHGI. Due to the expense and difficulty associated with conducting field inventories of CWD pools, CWD C stocks are often modeled as a function of more commonly measured stand attributes such as live tree C density. In order to assess potential benefits of adopting a field-based inventory of CWD C stocks in lieu of the current model-based approach, a national inventory of downed dead wood C across the U.S. was compared to estimates calculated from models associated with the U.S.'s NGHGI and used in the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program. The model-based population estimate of C stocks for CWD (i.e., pieces and slash piles in the conterminous U.S. was 9 percent (145.1 Tg greater than the field-based estimate. The relatively small absolute difference was driven by contrasting results for each CWD component. The model-based population estimate of C stocks from CWD pieces was 17 percent (230.3 Tg greater than the field-based estimate, while the model-based estimate of C stocks from CWD slash piles was 27 percent (85.2 Tg smaller than the field-based estimate. In general, models overestimated the C density per-unit-area from slash piles early in stand development and underestimated the C density from CWD pieces in young stands. This resulted in significant differences in CWD C stocks by region and ownership. The disparity in estimates across spatial scales illustrates the complexity in estimating CWD C in a NGHGI. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that the U.S. adopt field-based estimates of CWD C stocks as a component of its NGHGI to both reduce the uncertainty within the inventory and improve the sensitivity to potential management and climate change events.

From models to measurements: comparing downed dead wood carbon stock estimates in the U.S. forest inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Domke, Grant M; Woodall, Christopher W; Walters, Brian F; Smith, James E

2013-01-01

The inventory and monitoring of coarse woody debris (CWD) carbon (C) stocks is an essential component of any comprehensive National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGHGI). Due to the expense and difficulty associated with conducting field inventories of CWD pools, CWD C stocks are often modeled as a function of more commonly measured stand attributes such as live tree C density. In order to assess potential benefits of adopting a field-based inventory of CWD C stocks in lieu of the current model-based approach, a national inventory of downed dead wood C across the U.S. was compared to estimates calculated from models associated with the U.S.'s NGHGI and used in the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program. The model-based population estimate of C stocks for CWD (i.e., pieces and slash piles) in the conterminous U.S. was 9 percent (145.1 Tg) greater than the field-based estimate. The relatively small absolute difference was driven by contrasting results for each CWD component. The model-based population estimate of C stocks from CWD pieces was 17 percent (230.3 Tg) greater than the field-based estimate, while the model-based estimate of C stocks from CWD slash piles was 27 percent (85.2 Tg) smaller than the field-based estimate. In general, models overestimated the C density per-unit-area from slash piles early in stand development and underestimated the C density from CWD pieces in young stands. This resulted in significant differences in CWD C stocks by region and ownership. The disparity in estimates across spatial scales illustrates the complexity in estimating CWD C in a NGHGI. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that the U.S. adopt field-based estimates of CWD C stocks as a component of its NGHGI to both reduce the uncertainty within the inventory and improve the sensitivity to potential management and climate change events.

Data Fusion for Decision Support

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-27

that the location information for some commercial roads is copyrighted. However, there is no limit to the reproduction and use of the data provided...NFDRS identifies six basic fuel models (lichens and mosses; marsh grasses and reeds; grasses and forbs; brush, shrubs, and tree reproduction ; trees...dangerous except immediately after ignition. Fires that develop headway in heavy slash or in conifer stands may be unmanageable while the extreme

Development and Application of a Physiological-based Framework for Assessing the Biological Significance of Military Activities on Threatened and Endangered Animal Species

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-17

scrub and slash pine flatwoods. J. Herpetology 25:317-321. Brode, E.E. 1959. Notes on the behavior of Gopherus polyphemus. Herpetologica 15:101-102...Gopherus polyphemus, in northeastern Florida. J. Herpetology 30:14-18. Dale, V.H., S.C. Beyeler, and B. Jackson. 2002. Understory vegetation...Interior, National Biological Survey. Diemer, J.E. 1992. Demography of the tortoise Gopherus polyphemus in Northern Florida. J. Herpetology 26:281-289

The Location-Scale Mixture Exponential Power Distribution: A Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Rahnamaei

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We introduce an alternative skew-slash distribution by using the scale mixture of the exponential power distribution. We derive the properties of this distribution and estimate its parameter by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods. By a simulation study we compute the mentioned estimators and their mean square errors, and we provide an example on real data to demonstrate the modeling strength of the new distribution.

Developing Dynamic Reference Models and a Decision Support Framework for Southeastern Ecosystems: An Integrated Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Tuesday afternoon, March 25, and the solution breakout group discussions took place on Wednesday morning, March 26. Each breakout group presented...UK. Creech, M. N., L. K. Kirkman, and L. A. Morris . 2012. Alteration and recovery of slash pile burn sites in the restoration of a fire...Lesica, W. Morris , G. Oostermeijer, P. Quintana-Ascencio, A. Stanely, T. Ticktin, R. Valverde, and J. Williams. 2011. How do plant ecologists use matric

The Sleipner riser platform experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

The article discusses briefly the Norwegian Sleipner riser project. The project has provided new insight on how to handle smaller development projects in a time saving and cost effective way. Through active cooperation between the prime contractors, the total project time, which included engineering, fabrication ready to tow, was slashed to a record 11 months. Normally, such a project would take a couple of years to complete. 1 fig

Managing Media Supply Chains in European Publishing Companies : Strategic issues, values and partnerships

OpenAIRE

Kabiraj, Sajal

2007-01-01

European publishing companies are quickly digitizing their businesses to achieve cost savings, and increased market reach and penetration. IT is increasingly affecting the ways in which the whole value chain operates. Interaction and collaboration costs have been slashed. Physical assets are no longer the cornerstone of competitive success and value propositions. This situation became more critical mainly due to continuous increase in consumer expectations, longer demand chain, conventional m...

Impact de l'urbanisation sur l'intensification des systèmes de production horticoles au Cameroun

OpenAIRE

Temple, Ludovic; Minkoua Nzie, Jules René; Marquis, Sophie; Dury, Sandrine

2005-01-01

International audience; Impact of urbanization on the intensification of horticulture production systems in Cameroon. The urbanization of sub-Saharan African cities has resulted in an increase in food demand for horticultural productions (market gardening, plantains, yams...) and a modification of access conditions to productive resources (land, job, capital, inputs...). The extensive slash and burn production systems, which characterize food crop farming, are reaching the limit of their capa...

Interactions between near-ground temperature and radiation, silvicultural treatments and frost damage to Norway spruce seedlings

OpenAIRE

Langvall, Ola

2000-01-01

Several different silvicultural treatments were studied in two experiments. In the first, mechanical scarification, slash removal, vegetation control, clear-cut age and seedling types were investigated with respect to frost injury to Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings. Frost damage was also related to near-ground minimum temperature. In the other experiment, the effects of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris (L.)) shelterwood density gradients, ranging from dense, uncut forest to comp...

Second round in a second nest: research slashes stereotypes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beets, G.C.N.

2009-01-01

Contrary to popular belief, it is more common for women to have children from different partners than for men. As a rule, children of different fathers live with their mother, in which case the fathers have a "second nest".Research has shown that the ties fathers have with their children from a

Farms could slash pesticide use without losses, research reveals

OpenAIRE

2017-01-01

Study shows almost all farms could significantly cut chemical use while producing as much food, in a major challenge to the billion-dollar pesticide industry. Virtually all farms could significantly cut their pesticide use while still producing as much food, according to a major new study. The research also shows chemical treatments could be cut without affecting farm profits on over three-quarters of farms. The scientists said that many farmers wanted to reduce pesticide use, partly due to c...

Repeated Raking of Pine Plantations Alters Soil Arthropod Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holly K. Ober

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial arthropods in forests are engaged in vital ecosystem functions that ultimately help maintain soil productivity. Repeated disturbance can cause abrupt and irreversible changes in arthropod community composition and thereby alter trophic interactions among soil fauna. An increasingly popular means of generating income from pine plantations in the Southeastern U.S. is annual raking to collect pine litter. We raked litter once per year for three consecutive years in the pine plantations of three different species (loblolly, Pinus taeda; longleaf, P. palustris; and slash, P. elliottii. We sampled arthropods quarterly for three years in raked and un-raked pine stands to assess temporal shifts in abundance among dominant orders of arthropods. Effects varied greatly among orders of arthropods, among timber types, and among years. Distinct trends over time were apparent among orders that occupied both high trophic positions (predators and low trophic positions (fungivores, detritivores. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that raking caused stronger shifts in arthropod community composition in longleaf and loblolly than slash pine stands. Results highlight the role of pine litter in shaping terrestrial arthropod communities, and imply that repeated removal of pine straw during consecutive years is likely to have unintended consequences on arthropod communities that exacerbate over time.

Estratégias de valorização dos produtos da agricultura tradicional em Biguaçu, SC: perspectivas de mercado e conservação ambiental

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reney Dorow

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Brazilian agriculture develops between extremes: on one side, systems portrayed as of high productivity and efficiency and, on the other, traditional systems of subsistence, often stigmatized as inefficient and environmentally degrading. In this article we present a discussion of the revaluation of the traditional production system called slash-and-burn, within the municipality of Biguaçu, Santa Catarina. We also discuss the strategies of access to different markets that have taken place due to the innovation and collective organization of farmers. This transformation originated from the knowledge of the real concerns and wishes of farmers who practice the system. They, allied to the participatory planning process, resulted in organizational, product and management innovations. Through interinstitutional cooperation, there was a reinterpretation and valorization of the slash-and-burn, which is expressed by the environmental regularization of the system, in addition to the creation of a collective brand called "Valor da Roça". The use of the brand has helped in the reduction of informational asymmetry and has increased the farmers’ income. In summary, it changed from a contested and socially devalued system into an environmentally responsible production system and recognized for its differential in markets with higher added value.

Florida hospital saves 5.3 M dollars by adopting principles of lean manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

Florida hospital saves 5.3M dollars by adopting principles of lean manufacturing. Surgery cancellations have been slashed from 13% of cases to less than 3%, while emergency department admissions have increased by 20%. Those are just two of the results of a quality improvement project at Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL, that focused on using the principles of lean manufacturing to improve patient flow in the five-hospital system

Integration of an Inter Turbine Burner to a Jet Turbine Engine

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

Technology AFRL = Air Force Research Laboratory EGV = Exit Guide Vane HPT = High-Pressure Turbine ID = Inner Diameter IGV = Inlet Guide Vane...been able to show computationally that the compressor exit guide vane (EGV) and the turbine inlet guide vane ( IGV ) could be combined into a single...turbine engine hot section. The red slashed out sections are, from left to right, the compressor exit vane, HPT IGV , and the stator between the HPT and

Rural emptiness and its influence on subsistence farming in contemporary Gabon : a case study in Loango National Park.

OpenAIRE

Fairet, E.; Bell, S.; Remanda, K.; Setchell, J.M.

2014-01-01

In sub-Saharan Africa, rural exodus leads to increasing unemployment in urban centres and to the disorganisation of farming practice in rural areas. This article draws on data from participant observation and interviews to analyse how rural exodus, combined with a population density that was already low, led to what we refer to as rural emptiness in Gabon, and how this affects farmers’ livelihoods. Farming in Gabon is largely slash and burn agriculture with a gender division of...

Domination and Composition Structure Change at Hemic Peat Natural Regeneration Following Burning; A Case Study in Pelalawan, Riau Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BAMBANG HERO SAHARJO

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Biomass burning is the burning of the world’s living and dead vegetation, including grasslands, forests and agricultural lands following the harvest for land clearing and land-use change. One of the important information needed following this biomass burning is how long the burnt forest or land can be recovered, and how worst the changing occurred. Repeated burning occurred at the same place trend to clean the vegetation which leads to have the land with lower number and quality of species left. The research objective is to understand the vegetation changing following peat fires in the sapric peat type at the land preparation using belong to the local community located in the Pelalawan district, Riau province, Indonesia during the dry season in the year 2001. Before burning, logging, slashing, drying and burning the site was dominated by Uncaria glabrata at seedling stage, Ficus sundaica at sapling stage, Ficus sundaica at pole stage and Stenochlaena palustris at understorey. After logging, slashing and followed by 4 weeks drying then continued by burning with high flame temperature range from 900-1100oC, it had been found that 3-months following burning the site was dominated by Uncaria glabrata at seedling stage and Nephrolepis flaccigera at understorey while 6-months following burning the site was dominated by Parastemon uruphyllus at seedling stage and Erechites valeriantifolia at understorey stage.

Variabilidad espacial y diaria del contenido de humedad en el suelo en tres sistemas agroforestales Spatial and daily variability of soil moisture content in three agroforestry systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariela Rivera Peña

2009-04-01

Full Text Available En seis puntos de tres transectos (102 m paralelos (9 m en tres sistemas de uso del terreno (Quesungual menor de dos años, SAQThe objective of this study was to determine the level of soil spatial variability in an area consisting of the land uses: Quesungual slash and mulch agroforestry system with less than two years (QSMAS<2, Slash-and-burn traditional system (SB and Secondary forest (SF. Soil samples were taken in three parallel transects of 102 m in length, separated 9 meters. The profile was sampled in the depths from 0 to 5 cm, 5 to 10 cm, 10 to 20 cm and 20 to 40 cm in 6 points (09, 11 am and 05 during 9 days. Coefficient of variation for soil properties varied for bulk density (0.76 and 15.1%, organic carbon (30.4 and 54.3%, volumetric moisture (9.5 and 23.5%, sand (12.8 and 22.5% and clay (14.0 and 29.2%. The geo-statistical analysis showed that the random component of the spatial dependence was predominant over the nugget effect. The functions of semivariograms, structured for each variable were used to generate maps of interpolated contours at a fine scale. The Moran (I autocorrelation indicated that sampling ranges less than 9 m would be adequate to detect spatial structure of the volumetric moisture variable.

Gopher Tortoise Survey Handbook

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-01

Florida. Journal of Herpetology 14:177–182. Anderson, D. R., K. P. Burnham, B. C. Lubow, L. Thomas, P. S. Corn, P. A. Medica, and R. W. Marlow. 2001...of Herpetology 39:65–72. Bausell, R. B., and Y.-F. Li. 2002. Power analysis for experimental research. New York: Cambridge University Press...slash pine flatwoods. Journal of Herpetology 25:317–321. Buckland, S. T., D. R. Anderson, K. P. Burnham, J. L. Laake, D. L. Borchers, and L. Thomas

Carbon outcomes of major land-cover transitions in SE Asia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ziegler, Alan D.; Phelps, Jacob; Yuen, Jia Qi

2012-01-01

Policy makers across the tropics propose that carbon finance could provide incentives for forest frontier communities to transition away from swidden agriculture (slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation) to other systems that potentially reduce emissions and/or increase carbon sequestration. However......-use regimes optimize or increase carbon sequestration. As some transitions may negatively impact other ecosystem services, food security, and local livelihoods, the entire carbon and noncarbon benefit stream should also be taken into account before prescribing transitions with ambiguous carbon benefits...

KANDUNGAN EMISI GAS RUMAH KACA PADA KEBAKARAN HUTAN RAWA GAMBUT DI PELALAWAN RIAU

OpenAIRE

Ati Dwi Nurhayati; Ervina Aryanti; Bambang Hero Saharjo

2010-01-01

Peat land in the east coast of Sumatera (Riau, Jambi, South Sumatera) and Kalimantan (South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan) has being used for agricultural crops such as rice field, palm oil and coffee plantation. Land preparation practiced is slash and burn method. Smoke haze that produce from peat fires were caused by these method. To determine the impact of such practice to atmospheric quality, a study was conducted at Pelalawan Province Riau. Four plots on peat land we...

Variabilidade espacial da emissão de CO2 em Latossolos sob cultivo de cana-de-açúcar em diferentes sistemas de manejo Spatial variability of CO2 emission on Oxisol soils cultivated with sugar cane under different management practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan R. Panosso

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho, foi determinada a estrutura da variabilidade espacial da emissão de CO2, temperatura e umidade de solos desprovidos de vegetação em duas localidades sob cultivo da cana-de-açúcar, em sistemas de manejos de cana crua e de cana queimada, no nordeste do Estado de São Paulo. A emissão de CO2 e a temperatura do solo foram registradas utilizando-se de câmara de fluxo portátil e sensor de temperatura do sistema LI-6400. A umidade foi avaliada utilizando sistema portátil TDR. A maior emissão foi observada no local sob manejo de cana queimada, com valor médio de 2,05 μmol m-2 s-1, porém a dependência espacial na emissão de CO2 foi encontrada somente na área sob manejo de cana crua. Os mapas de krigagem da emissão de CO2, temperatura e umidade do solo sob manejo de cana queimada mostraram correspondência à declividade do terreno, com as maiores emissões e temperaturas localizadas na parte mais alta, sendo as maiores umidades do solo encontradas na parte mais baixa do local estudado. Os resultados indicam correlação linear positiva da emissão de CO2 com a temperatura, e negativa com a umidade do solo somente no local com manejo de cana queimada, e não no sistema de cana crua, onde a presença de palhada certamente impede a ação direta da radiação solar e o escoamento de chuvas.In this work, it was determined the spatial variability structure of soil CO2 emission, the temperature and the soil moisture in two locations currently cultivated with sugar cane and submitted to different management systems: slash/burn and no-till, in the northeast of São Paulo State. The soil CO2 emission and the soil temperature were registered by using a portable chamber and a temperature sensor of LI-6400 system. Soil moisture was measured by a portable TDR system. The highest emission was observed in the slash and burn plot, with an average value of 2.05 μmol m-2 s-1, but spatial variability structure was observed just for the CO2

Atomic nanoscale technology in the nuclear industry

CERN Document Server

Woo, Taeho

2011-01-01

Developments at the nanoscale are leading to new possibilities and challenges for nuclear applications in areas ranging from medicine to international commerce to atomic power production/waste treatment. Progress in nanotech is helping the nuclear industry slash the cost of energy production. It also continues to improve application reliability and safety measures, which remain a critical concern, especially since the reactor disasters in Japan. Exploring the new wide-ranging landscape of nuclear function, Atomic Nanoscale Technology in the Nuclear Industry details the breakthroughs in nanosca

Laser ignition device and its application to forestry, fire and land management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waterworth, M.D.

1987-01-01

A laser ignition device for controlled burning of forest logging slash has been developed and successfully tested. The device, which uses a kilowatt class carbon dioxide laser, operates at distances of 50 to 1500 meters. Acquisition and focus control are achieved by the use of a laser rangefinder and acquisition telescope. Additional uses for the device include back burning, selected undergrowth removal, safe ignition of oil spills, and deicing. A truck mounted version will be operational by fall 1987 and an airborne version by summer 1988. (author)

Laser ignition device and its application to forestry, fire and land management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waterworth, M. D.

1987-11-15

A laser ignition device for controlled burning of forest logging slash has been developed and successfully tested. The device, which uses a kilowatt class carbon dioxide laser, operates at distances of 50 to 1500 meters. Acquisition and focus control are achieved by the use of a laser rangefinder and acquisition telescope. Additional uses for the device include back burning, selected undergrowth removal, safe ignition of oil spills, and deicing. A truck mounted version will be operational by fall 1987 and an airborne version by summer 1988. (author)

Establishment of mixed reforestation with typical Atlantic forest species as a function of minimum or intensive soil cultivation and weed control; Estabelecimento de reflorestamentos mistos com especies tipicas da mata Atlantica, em funcao do cultivo minimo ou intensivo do solo e do controle de plantas invasoras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goncalves, Jose Leonardo de Moraes; Gandara, Flavio [Sao Paulo Univ., Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz. Dept. de Ciencias Florestais]. E-mail: jlmgonca@carpa.ciagri.usp.br; Goncalves, Janio Carlos; Oliveira, Donizete Barbosa de; Simionato, Jose Luiz do Amaral [Companhia Energetica de Sao Paulo (CESP), SP (Brazil); Cenci, Silvia [Sao Paulo Univ., Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ)

1999-07-15

The objectives of this research were: to study the effect of different methods of site cleaning and soil preparation on the reforestation growths established with typical species of the Atlantic Forest; and to evaluate the efficiency of different methods of weed control from planting time to canopy closure. The trial was installed (from Feb to May 1995) around the reservoir of Mario Lopes Leao hydroelectric plant owned by the Electric Power of Sao Paulo (CESP), municipal district of Promissao, SP. The climate of the area is tropical with dry winter (Cwa, classification of Koeppen). The soil was characterized as an Red-Dark Latosol, medium texture. Six treatments arranged in a randomized block design with four replications were tested: 1) herbicide application over total area, planting in furrows (PF), manual weeding in the planting row (MWR) and herbicide application inter rows (HAI); 2) slashing in total area (STA), planting hole (Ph), MW R and slashing inter rows: 3) STA, slash burning (SB), heavy and light harrowing (HLH), PF, MWR and HAI; 4) STA, SB, PF, MWR and HAI; 5) STA, SB, PF, HLH, MWR and HAI; and 6) SAT, SB, two heavy harrowing, PH, selective weed control in the rows and inter rows. The plantation was accomplished with a composition of nine species: pioneers - Trema micrantha, Guazuma ulmifolia and Croton urucurana; secondary - Peltophorum dubium, Gallesia integrifolia and Ormosia arborea and climax - Tabebuia avellanedae, Hymenaea courbaril and Genipa americana. The pioneer and secondary species presented the highest results to the applied treatments. In all treatments where weed control was made with herbicide (glyphosate), the occurrence of Panicum maximum, common species in the area, was very restricted. The growth rates were intensified and the under story presented more diversified composition of weed species, with predominance of broad leaves. Opposite results were observed when weed controlled was manually or mechanically. The largest

Patents on periphery of the Amazon rainforest.

Science.gov (United States)

de Moura, Emanoel G; Araújo, José R G; Monroe, Paulo H M; de O Nascimento, Ivaneide; Aguiar, Alana C F

2009-06-01

In the humid tropics, on the edges of the Amazon forest, the technological challenges to establishing and maintaining productive and sustainable agricultural systems have yet to be overcome. The groups involved in agriculture in the north of Brazil still engage in the practice of slash and burn in order to prepare and fertilize the soil. This produces negative effects for the local and global environment, without the counter-effect of providing social benefits to rural communities. Whether this process continues is of fundamental importance to many countries because it means that slash and burn agriculture is advancing on the Amazon rainforest, with a negative effect on every dimension of national policy. Beyond social political problems the biggest challenge for researchers in the field of tropical agriculture is to offer technological alternatives that can sustain agriculture in soils derived from sedimentary rocks that have been subjected to a high degree of weathering. In this article patented information is also discussed. Experiments undertaken in this region recommend taking advantage of the rapid growth of plants in the tropics. We aimed at proposing a suitable alternative system for a sustainable soil management in the particular conditions of humid tropics, named as "no-till in alley cropping using tree leguminous mulch." This system offers the advantages of: bringing together, in the same space and at the same time, the processes of cultivation and the regeneration of soil fertility.

[Nine months German Statutory Health Insurance Structural Reform Law--effects and perspectives].

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, H

1994-02-01

In 1992 the German Statutory Health Insurance body was in the red by about 9,000 million DM and had the highest membership fees ever since it was created. Costing analysis revealed the following reasons for this enormous deficit: too expensive hospital financing a continually growing number of doctors and dental surgeons unrational drug prescription and supply. Of course, medical progress and demographic development are very significant costing factors. When assessing the impact of the Structural Reform Legislation we must differentiate between purely cost-reducing measures and structural changes. Cutting down the budgets in essential areas of compensation payment and slashing doctor's fees are like putting your foot down on the brake pedal. The statutory health insurance data for the first two quarters showed: doctors +3.4%, dental surgeons -4.3%. Limiting the budget for drugs to about 24,000 million DM and for remedial items to about 4,000 million DM with a possible collective slashing of the fees paid to doctors if these budgets were exceeded, proved to be an effective cost-reducing measure. In the case of drugs costs went down by 20.1% compared with the previous year (1992) due to an halt in prices charged by the drug industry and greater financial participation on the part of the patients. Prescriptions were reduced to a comparatively slight extent (1-2%), but the mode of prescription was much more economical.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Time-dependent climate benefits of using forest residues to substitute fossil fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathre, Roger; Gustavsson, Leif

2011-01-01

In this study we analyze and compare the climate impacts from the recovery, transport and combustion of forest residues (harvest slash and stumps), versus the climate impacts that would have occurred if the residues were left in the forest and fossil fuels used instead. We use cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) as an indicator of climate impacts, and we explicitly consider the temporal dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide and biomass decomposition. Over a 240-year period, we find that CRF is significantly reduced when forest residues are used instead of fossil fuels. The type of fossil fuel replaced is important, with coal replacement giving the greatest CRF reduction. Replacing oil and fossil gas also gives long-term CRF reduction, although CRF is positive during the first 10-25 years when these fuels are replaced. Biomass productivity is also important, with more productive forests giving greater CRF reduction per hectare. The decay rate for biomass left in the forest is found to be less significant. Fossil energy inputs for biomass recovery and transport have very little impact on CRF. -- Highlights: → Cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) can measure climate impacts of dynamic systems. → Climate impact is reduced when forest slash and stumps are used to replace fossil fuels. → Forest biofuels may cause short-term climate impact, followed by long-term climate benefit. → Forest residues should replace coal to avoid short-term climate impact. → Fossil energy used for biofuel recovery and transport has very little climate impact.

Soil Organic Carbon assessment on two different forest management

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández Minguillón, Alex; Sauras Yera, Teresa; Vallejo Calzada, Ramón

2017-04-01

Soil Organic Carbon assessment on two different forest management. A.F. Minguillón1, T. Sauras1, V.R: Vallejo1. 1 Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 643, 03080 Barcelona, Spain. Soils from arid and semiarid zones are characterized by a low organic matter content from scarce plant biomass and it has been proposed that these soils have a big capacity to carbon sequestration. According to IPCC ARS WG2 (2014) report and WG3 draft, increase carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems has been identified such a potential tool for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In ecological restoration context improve carbon sequestration is considered a management option with multiple benefits (win-win-win). Our work aims to analyze how the recently developed restoration techniques contributed to increases in terrestial ecosystem carbon storage. Two restoration techniques carried out in the last years have been evaluated. The study was carried out in 6 localities in Valencian Community (E Spain) and organic horizons of two different restoration techniques were evaluated; slash brush and thinning Aleppo pine stands. For each technique, carbon stock and its physical and chemical stability has been analysed. Preliminary results point out restoration zones acts as carbon sink due to (1) the relevant necromass input produced by slash brush increases C stock on the topsoil ;(2) Thinning increase carbon accumulation in vegetation.

Aspects of the affine superalgebra sl(2-vertical bar-1) at fractional level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnstone, Gavin Balfour

2001-04-01

In this thesis we study the affine superalgebra s-tilde-l(2-vertical bar-1; C) at fractional levels of the form k = 1/u - 1, u is an element of N-back slash {1}. It is for these levels that admissible representations exist, which transform into each other under modular transformations. In the second chapter we review background material on conformal field theory, particularly the Wess-Zumino-Witten model and the connection with modular transformations. The superalgebra sl(2-vertical bar-1; C) is introduced, as is its affine version. The next chapter studies the modular transformation properties of s-tilde-l(2-vertical bar-1; C) characters. We derive formulae for these transformations for all levels of the form k = 1/u - 1, u is an element of N-back slash {1}. We also investigate some modular invariant combinations of characters and find two series of modular invariants, analogous to the A- and D-series of the classification of s-tilde-l(2) modular invariants. In chapter 4 we turn to the study of fusion rules. We concentrate on the case k = -1/2. By considering the decoupling of singular vectors, we are able to find consistent fusion rules for this particular level. These fusion rules correspond to a modular invariant found in chapter 3. This study suggests that one may consistently define a conformal field theory based on s-tilde-l(2-vertical bar-1; C) at fractional level. (author)

Streamlined library programming how to improve services and cut costs

CERN Document Server

Porter-Reynolds, Daisy

2014-01-01

In their roles as community centers, public libraries offer many innovative and appealing programs; but under current budget cuts, library resources are stretched thin. With slashed budgets and limited staff hours, what can libraries do to best serve their publics? This how-to guide provides strategies for streamlining library programming in public libraries while simultaneously maintaining-or even improving-quality delivery. The wide variety of principles and techniques described can be applied on a selective basis to libraries of all sizes. Based upon the author's own extensive experience as

Amazonia: Burning and global climate impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molion, L.C.B.

1991-01-01

In recent years, humans have been playing a major role in reducing the natural forest cover in the tropics through different forms of slash and burn. The most serious destruction, it is said, is occurring in the Amazon, which is the largest expanse of tropical forest remaining on the planet. This chapter reviews briefly the causes and the extent of Amazonian deforestation and focuses on its global and local climate impacts. In addition, the effects of loss of diversity and need to preserve Indian cultures and societies are briefly discussed

Panic, slash, or crash-Do black swans flap in stock markets?

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Dar-Hsin; Huang, Han-Lin

2018-02-01

Stock transaction data typically present a time series that exhibits a somewhat confusing trend, making it difficult to issue any form of crisis warning. This study employs Fourier spectrum analysis to clearly show manic and irrational investors chasing prices. When clustering generates an enormous amount of unstable power, the result is a stock market collapsing into a danger area that can be taken as a warning signal. We thus take the Dow Jones Index as a typical stock market and employ daily data from 1994-2015. This study finds the investors' purchasing power through certain thresholds, analyses the performance characteristics of the spectrum, and denotes when a stock market is in a most serious crisis stage and in a second most serious correction stage. The result of our study indicates that the warning signal accurately measures a stock market crash that can be applicable to the Dow Jones Index, Nasdaq Index, and Germany ADX Index and to the emerging markets of Bovespa Index (Brazil) and Shanghai Index (China). Furthermore, this study provides a quantitative reference concerning the depth of market crashes.

Slash Writers and Guinea Pigs as Models for a Scientific Multiliteracy

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Matthew

2006-01-01

This paper explores alternative approaches to the conception of scientific literacy, drawing on cultural studies and emerging practices in language arts as its framework. The paper reviews historic tensions in the understanding of scientific literacy and then draws on the multiliteracies movement in language arts to suggest a scientific…

Machine for row-mulching logging slash to enhance site-a concept

Science.gov (United States)

Peter Koch; Dan W. McKenzie

1975-01-01

Proposes that stumps, tops, and branches residual after logging pine plantations be hogged to build mulch beds spaced on about 2.5-m centers, thereby eliminating pile and burn operations. Growth of seedlings planted through mulch beds should be accelerated because of moisture conservation, weed suppression, and minimum disturbance of topsoil.

Application and development of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation for international safeguards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barefield, II, James E.; Le, Loan; Lopez, Leon; Jolin, John L.; Clegg, Samuel M. [Chemical Diagnostic and Engineering and Physical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, (United States)

2011-12-15

Advanced methodologies and improvements to current measurements techniques are needed to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of international safeguards. The primary tool employed by the IAEA to detect undeclared processes and activities at special nuclear material facilities and sites still is environmental sampling. This type of environmental sampling is both time consuming and costly since many samples must be collected, packaged, and shipped to an analytical laboratory for analysis that in some cases can take weeks to months to complete. Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently investigating potential uses of LIBS for safeguards applications, including(1) a user-friendly man-portable LIBS system to characterize samples in real to near-real time (typical analysis time are on the order of minutes) across a wide range of elements in the periodic table from hydrogen up to heavy elements like plutonium and uranium, (2) a LIBS system that can be deployed in harsh environments such as hot cells and glove boxes providing relative compositional analysis of process streams for example, ratios like Cm Division-Slash Pu and Cm Division-Slash / U, (3) an inspector field deployable system that can be used to analyze microscopic and single particle samples containing plutonium and uranium, and (4) a high resolution LIBS system that can be used to determine the isotopic composition of samples containing for example uranium and plutonium. In this paper, we will describe our current development and performance testing results for LIBS instrumentation both in a fixed lab and measurements in field deployable configurations.

Transforming ex-small scale mining land as farming areas for sustainable development and poverty alleviation

Science.gov (United States)

Nampa, I. W.; Markus, J. E. R.; Mudita, I. W.; Natonis, R. L.; Bunga, W.; Kaho, N. R.

2018-03-01

When the price of manganese ores in 2012, mining activities declined or even terminated. Ex-miners lose an important source of income, but they did not have any other alternative except going back to slash and burn cultivation, producing enough only for their own food. Their hope for a better live was gone and at the same time they faced stigmatisation as causing environmental degradation from the rest of the community. We carried out this case study to followex-miners in the Tubuhue village who organised themselves to do post-mining rehabilitation by turning the former mining site into an area of productive farming. In-depth interview, field observation and focus group discussion were conducted from 2015 to 2017. We found that during the period of mining boom, slash and burn cultivation decrease significantly but began to increase after no mining activities. Various social transformations took place along with this land use change, but the most important was the miners’ decision to do mining as an organised activity. A strong leader of this organization played a pivotal role in turning the former mining site into an area of productive sedentary farming. This was carried out by organizing the ex-miners into farmers groups and together, constructing drip and sprinkler irrigation networks to water their crops using rain water collected in the mining holes that they had turned into small check-dams. The leader expected that this farming could provide an alternative for ex-miners to obtain cash income to limit them going back doing swidden farming.

Innovation is Everybody's Business How to Make Yourself Indispensable in Today's Hypercompetitive World

CERN Document Server

Tucker, Robert B

2010-01-01

Innovation isn't something you do after you get your work done. It's how you do your work. Organizations all over the world are shedding jobs in record numbers. Yet today, they are desperately in need of people with the abilities and skills to think ahead of the curve, delight customers, motivate colleagues, slash costs, and achieve unconventional results. In this practical road map to becoming irreplaceable, global innovation guru and bestselling author Robert B. Tucker reveals why honing your I-Skills (Innovation Skills) may be the smartest career move you'll make. Based on interviews with f

Escrever, resistir: ficção ameríndia na perspectiva pós -colonial

OpenAIRE

VIEIRA, Maria Luiza de Paula Lopes Fernandes

2016-01-01

Este trabalho consiste no estudo dos romances Slash (1985), da escritora okanagan Jeannette Armstrong, e Mean Spirit (1990), da chickasaw Linda Hogan, e busca examinar de que forma as autoras ficcionalizaram, nas suas obras, certos acontecimentos da história dos povos ameríndios no século XX, como os que envolveram a militância política que se fortaleceu a partir dos anos 60 na América do Norte e os assassinatos de membros da nação Osage na década de 1920. Para tanto, recorri a...

Seward CFB boilers will curb water pollution and air emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-03-01

When Reliant Energy Co's Seward station begins commercial operation in 2004, it will replace an 80-yr-old pulverized-coal plant with a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) facility that more than doubles the capacity while slashing total air emissions. The baseload facility, located in Indiana County, PA, will be fuelled by local low-grade waste coal. Added to the back end of the two 292-MW CFB boilers, selective noncatalytic reduction equipment will lower NOx emissions, and ALSTOM's flash dryer absorber (FDA) system will lower SO{sub 2} emissions whilst using less limestone. 3 photos.

Micro-CernVM: slashing the cost of building and deploying virtual machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomer, J; Berzano, D; Buncic, P; Charalampidis, I; Ganis, G; Lestaris, G; Meusel, R; Nicolaou, V

2014-01-01

The traditional virtual machine (VM) building and and deployment process is centered around the virtual machine hard disk image. The packages comprising the VM operating system are carefully selected, hard disk images are built for a variety of different hypervisors, and images have to be distributed and decompressed in order to instantiate a virtual machine. Within the HEP community, the CernVM File System (CernVM-FS) has been established in order to decouple the distribution from the experiment software from the building and distribution of the VM hard disk images. We show how to get rid of such pre-built hard disk images altogether. Due to the high requirements on POSIX compliance imposed by HEP application software, CernVM-FS can also be used to host and boot a Linux operating system. This allows the use of a tiny bootable CD image that comprises only a Linux kernel while the rest of the operating system is provided on demand by CernVM-FS. This approach speeds up the initial instantiation time and reduces virtual machine image sizes by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, security updates can be distributed instantaneously through CernVM-FS. By leveraging the fact that CernVM-FS is a versioning file system, a historic analysis environment can be easily re-spawned by selecting the corresponding CernVM-FS file system snapshot.

Regeneration of forest phytocoenoses after various agricultural land use practices in the conditions of middle taiga subzone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Karpin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The process of forest cover regeneration after the cessation of human impact was considered. The study area was situated in the southern part of the Kenozersky National Park, Arkhangelsk Oblast. This area has 500 years of agricultural land use history. The territory features a complete spectrum of land at some point used for agricultural production: from sites currently in active use to fully recovered tree stands aged 120–140 years. The reforestation process was considered separately for each of the following land uses: slash-and-burn, multipurpose small-patch, and arable-grassland types, which differ considerably in impact intensity, duration, and degree of disturbance of the forest environment. The course of forest regeneration successions was found to depend on the type of preceding land use. The time required for the forest communities in slash-and-burn sites to recover to their original state is 120–140 years, and the succession involves the deciduous stage. Multipurpose small-patch use left the forest environment more profoundly modified. Eventually, a majority of these sites are now occupied by more productive, although undistinguishable from the original, coniferous-deciduous stands. Some factors have been detected that may lead to the formation in such sites of low-productivity self-regenerating plant communities dominated by deciduous species, which can persist there for an indefinitely long time unless relevant actions are taken. Arable-grassland land use considerably inhibits the regeneration of the forest cover typical of middle taiga, because there forms a thick sod layer. It was only in some grassland patches, where the impact stopped 5–10 years ago, that coniferous species, namely pine, were successfully regenerating.

Effectiveness of mechanical thinning and prescribed burning on fire behavior in Pinus nigra forests in NE Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Piqué, Míriam; Domènech, Rut

2018-03-15

Fuel treatments can mitigate present and future impacts of climate change by reducing fire intensity and severity. In recent years, Pinus nigra forests in the Mediterranean basin have been dramatically affected by the new risk of highly intense and extreme fires and its distribution area has been reduced. New tools are necessary for assessing the management of these forests so they can adapt to the challenges to come. Our main goal was to evaluate the effects of different fuel treatments on Mediterranean Pinus nigra forests. We assessed the forest response, in terms of forest structure and fire behavior, to different intensities of low thinning treatments followed by different slash prescriptions (resulting in: light thinning and lop and scatter; light thinning and burn; heavy thinning and lop and scatter; heavy thinning and burn; and, untreated control). Treatments that used fire to decrease the resulting slash were the most effective for reducing active crown fires decreasing the rate of spread and flame length more than 89%. Low thinning had an effect on torching potential, but there was no difference between intensities of thinning. Only an outcoming crown fire could spread actively if it was sustained by a high-enough constant wind speed and enough surface fuel load. Overall, treatments reduce fire intensity and treated areas have a more homogenous fire behavior response than untreated areas. This provides opportunities to extinguish the fire and reduce the probability of trees dying from the fire. It would be helpful to include ecological principles and fire behavior criteria in silvicultural treatment guidelines in order to perform more efficient management techniques in the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Directory of national competent authorities' approval certificates for package design, special form material and shipment of radioactive material. 1991 edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-08-01

The format of this report is a result of recommendations made by the Standing Advisory Group on the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (SAGSTRAM) at its 6th meeting in November 1987. The database was at that time maintained on the main frame and it was felt that adapting it for use on a personal computer would allow more flexibility in data processing and reporting. This document supersedes TECDOC-552 ''Directory of National Competent Authorities' Approval Certificates for Package Design and Shipment of Radioactive Material 1990 Edition''. Since publication of TECDOC-552, some modifications affecting the structure of the database and reporting formats were undertaken. These are fully described in ''Working Material: The PACKTRAM Database National Competent Authority Package Approval Certificates, User Guide Rev. 1'', which was released in early 1991. The present report is contained in five tables. In each of these, information is presented in alphabetical order based on the certificate number. This is composed of the issuing Member State's VRI code, followed by a slash, then a three- or four-digit number, another slash and finally a code identifying the type of package involved. ''-85'' is appended to those certificates that were approved on the basis of the 1985 Edition of Safety Series No. 6. Tables 1 to 4 present administrative data including issue and expire, dates, package identification, package serial numbers, modes for which the package/shipment is approved and the edition of Safety Series No. 6 on which the approval has been based. The technical information on package mass, authorized contents, and detailed and general description of the package are contained in Table. 5

Mercury loss from soils following conversion from forest to pasture in Rondonia, Western Amazon, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, Marcelo D.; Lacerda, Luiz D.; Bastos, Wanderley R.; Herrmann, Joao Carlos

2005-01-01

This work reports on the effect of land use change on Hg distribution in Amazon soils. It provides a comparison among Hg concentrations and distribution along soil profiles under different land use categories; primary tropical forest, slashed forest prior to burning, a 1-year silviculture plot planted after 4 years of forest removal and a 5-year-old pasture plot. Mercury concentrations were highest in deeper (60-80 cm) layers in all four plots. Forest soils showed the highest Hg concentrations, ranging from 128 ng g -1 at the soil surface to 150 ng g -1 at 60-80 cm of depth. Lower concentrations were found in pasture soils, ranging from 69 ng g -1 at the topsoil to 135 ng g -1 at 60-80 cm of depth. Slashed and silviculture soils showed intermediate concentrations. Differences among plots of different soil-use categories decreased with soil depth, being non-significant below 60 cm of depth. Mercury burdens were only statistically significantly different between pasture and forest soils at the topsoil, due to the large variability of concentrations. Consequently, estimated Hg losses were only significant between these two land use categories, and only for the surface layers. Estimated Hg loss due to forest conversion to pasture ranged from 8.5 mg m -2 to 18.5 mg m -2 , for the first 20 cm of the soil profile. Mercury loss was comparable to loss rates estimated for other Amazon sites and seems to be directly related to Hg concentrations present in soils. - Deforestation can be responsible for maintaining high Hg levels in the Amazon environment, through a grasshopper effect of Hg remobilization from the affected soils

WAIS-IV administration errors: effects of altered response requirements on Symbol Search and violation of standard surface-variety patterns on Block Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Joseph J; Swopes-Willhite, Nicole; Franklin, Cassi; Kreiner, David S

2015-01-01

This study utilized a sample of 50 college students to assess the possibility that responding to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) Symbol Search subtest items with an "x" instead of a "single slash mark" would affect performance. A second sample of 50 college students was used to assess the impact on WAIS-IV Block Design performance of presenting all the items with only red surfaces facing up. The modified Symbol Search and Block Design administrations yielded mean scaled scores and raw scores that did not differ significantly from mean scores obtained with standard administrations. Findings should not be generalized beyond healthy, well-educated young adults.

Violent Jihad and Beheadings in the Land of Al Fatoni Darussalam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virginie Andre

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The early 2000s has seen a revival of the Patani resistance manifesting in a violent jihad and new forms of extreme violence never witnessed before in the century-long Southern Thailand conflict. Transported by neojihadism, this new energised generation of fighters is injecting new meaning to their struggle, re-identifying friends and foes, spreading terror in hearts and minds to control mental and physical spaces through the slashing of the body, all in the hope of establishing Al Fatoni Darussalam. This article examines the reflexive repositioning of the Patani struggle through the process of transference of neojihadism and its transformation into a glocalised violent jihad.

Enterprise Mac Security Mac OS X Snow Leopard Security

CERN Document Server

Edge, Stephen Charles; Hunter, Beau; Sullivan, Gene; LeBlanc, Dee-Ann

2010-01-01

A common misconception in the Mac community is that Mac's operating system is more secure than others. While this might be true in certain cases, security on the Mac is still a crucial issue. When sharing is enabled or remote control applications are installed, Mac OS X faces a variety of security threats. Enterprise Mac Security: Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a definitive, expert-driven update of the popular, slash-dotted first edition and was written in part as a companion to the SANS Institute course for Mac OS X. It contains detailed Mac OS X security information, and walkthroughs on securing s

On the paramagnetism of spin in the classical limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hogreve, H.

1985-12-01

We consider particles with spin 1/2 in external electromagnetic fields. Although in many quantum mechanical situations they show a paramagnetic behaviour, within non-relativistic quantum theory a universal paramagnetic influence of spin fails to be true in general. Here we investigate the paramagnetism of spin in the framework of a classical theory. Applying previous results for the classical limit slash-h→O we obtain a classical expression corresponding to the quantum partition function of Hamiltonians with spin variables. For this classical partition function simple estimates lead to a paramagnetic inequality which demonstrates that indeed in the classical limit the spin shows a general paramagnetic behaviour. (author)

Decreasing the amount of trypsin in in-gel digestion leads to diminished chemical noise and improved protein identifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Mo; Liu, Yanhua; Yu, Kaiwen; Liu, Xiaoyun

2014-09-23

Pre-fractionation by gel electrophoresis is often combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for large-scale profiling of complex protein samples. An essential component of this widely applied proteomic platform is in-gel protein digestion. In nearly two decades of practicing this approach, an extremely high level of trypsin has been utilized due to the consideration of slow enzyme diffusion into the gel matrix. Here we report that trypsin autolysis products contribute to the bulk of chemical noise in in-gel digestion and remarkably we found evidence that the amount of trypsin can be slashed by an order of magnitude with comparable digestion performance. By revising perhaps the most critical element of this decade-old digestion protocol, the proteomics community relying on gel separation prior to LC-MS analysis will benefit instantly from much lowered cost due to enzyme expenditure. More importantly, substantially reduced chemical noise (i.e., trypsin self-cleavage products) as a result of less enzyme usage translates into more protein identifications when limited amounts of samples are the interest of interrogation. In-gel digestion is one of the most widely used methods in proteomics. An exceedingly high level of trypsin has been utilized due to the consideration of slow enzyme diffusion into the gel matrix. This requirement has been faithfully kept in nearly two decades of practicing this approach. Here we report that trypsin concentration can be slashed by at least an order of magnitude while still providing comparable digestion performance. Thus the proteomics community relying on gel separation prior to LC-MS analysis will benefit instantly from much lowered enzyme cost. More importantly, substantially reduced chemical noise (i.e., trypsin autolysis products) due to less enzyme usage translates into ~30% more protein identifications when limited amounts of protein samples are analyzed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil microbiome responses to the short-term effects of Amazonian deforestation.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarrete, Acacio A; Tsai, Siu M; Mendes, Lucas W; Faust, Karoline; de Hollander, Mattias; Cassman, Noriko A; Raes, Jeroen; van Veen, Johannes A; Kuramae, Eiko E

2015-05-01

Slash-and-burn clearing of forest typically results in increase in soil nutrient availability. However, the impact of these nutrients on the soil microbiome is not known. Using next generation sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic DNA, we compared the structure and the potential functions of bacterial community in forest soils to deforested soils in the Amazon region and related the differences to soil chemical factors. Deforestation decreased soil organic matter content and factors linked to soil acidity and raised soil pH, base saturation and exchangeable bases. Concomitant to expected changes in soil chemical factors, we observed an increase in the alpha diversity of the bacterial microbiota and relative abundances of putative copiotrophic bacteria such as Actinomycetales and a decrease in the relative abundances of bacterial taxa such as Chlamydiae, Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia in the deforested soils. We did not observe an increase in genes related to microbial nutrient metabolism in deforested soils. However, we did observe changes in community functions such as increases in DNA repair, protein processing, modification, degradation and folding functions, and these functions might reflect adaptation to changes in soil characteristics due to forest clear-cutting and burning. In addition, there were changes in the composition of the bacterial groups associated with metabolism-related functions. Co-occurrence microbial network analysis identified distinct phylogenetic patterns for forest and deforested soils and suggested relationships between Planctomycetes and aluminium content, and Actinobacteria and nitrogen sources in Amazon soils. The results support taxonomic and functional adaptations in the soil bacterial community following deforestation. We hypothesize that these microbial adaptations may serve as a buffer to drastic changes in soil fertility after slash-and-burning deforestation in the Amazon region. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

THE PERFORMANCE OF UPLAND RICE ESTABLISHED ON ALANG-ALANG DOMINATED AREA AFTER VARIOUS TECHNIQUES OF ALANG-ALANG CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. TJITROSEMITO

1992-01-01

Full Text Available Pot experiment to investigate the performance of upland rice in a previously alang-alang dominated area was conducted under greenhouse condition at BIOTROP, Bogor, Indonesia from November 1986 to May 1989. The treatments were factorially combined, replicated 5 times and randomized completely. The first factor was alang-alang control consisting of 5 different techniques, i.e. (1 glyphosate applied at 2.2 kg a.e./ha; (2 imazapyr applied at 1.5 kg a.e./ha; (3 dalapon applied twice at 7.4 + 7.4 kg a.i./ha; (4 slashing followed by soil cultivation; (5 slashing of alang-alang only; while the second factor was nitrogen fertilizer at 4 different levels, i.e. (1 0 kg N/ha, (2 60 kg N/ha, (3 120 kg N/ha given twice, 60 kg N/ha at planting time and 60 kg N/ha at 38 dap, (4 180 kg N/ha given twice, 90 kg N/ha at planting and 90 kg N/ha at 38 dap. Plant height (cm, tiller number/pot, productive tiller (%, panicle length (cm, spikelets/panicle, empty spikelet (%, weight 1000 grains (g and grain yield (ton/ha were observed. Upland rice grown with zero tillage technique using glyphosate (2.2 kg a.i./ha or dalapon (14.8 kg a.i./ha performed as good as or even better than manual cultivation. Imazapyr at 1.5 kg a.e./ha was phytotoxic to rice planted 1 month after spraying. The application of N fertilizer lower than 60 kg N/ha was not sufficient, but more than 60 kg N/ha was too high; it stimulated the production of too many tillers, with high percentage of unproductive tillers and empty grains.

Fire intensity and phosphorus availability in Sumatra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketterings, Q.M.; Bigham, J.M.; Noordwijk, M. van

1999-01-01

Fire is still widely used as a tool for land clearing in Indonesia. The environmental problems caused by these became an international issue in the fall of 1997 when smoke originating from land clearing activities in Sumatra and West Kalimantan blanketed not only large parts of Indonesia but also the neighboring countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand. Alternatives must be found. For alternatives to slash-and-burn to be acceptable, they should address both the problems and the benefits of burning as a land clearing method for small rubber and oil palm farmers. A social/economic/agronomic survey conducted in Sepunggur, Jambi Province, Sumatra, indicated that burning: 1) was the cheapest and easiest way to create space to plant and walk in the field; 2) added free fertilizer in the form of ash; 3) improved soil structure allowing faster establishment of seedlings; 4) reduced weed/tree competition; and 5) reduced problems with pest/diseases. Farmers also indicated that harveys delays and yield reductions would lead to an increase in poverty, mainly due to a loss in ash (fertilizer) addition if fire was no longer used. Slash-sell wood-and-burn is a alternative that has the advantage of maintaining at least part of the benefits of burning while reducing air pollution. The sale of wood (if permitted) could supply the farmer with an extra source of income. Before this alternative can be promoted, it should be known what a reduction in fuel load and fire intensity will mean for soil fertility and plant growth and thus for the economic situation of farmers that depend on it. Two questions need to be answered: 1) how is fir intensity related to nutrient availability; and 2) how important are short-term fertilizer (ash) additions versus longer lasting, heat induced changes in soil mineralogical properties? Refs. 11 (author)

Vertical distribution of soil extractable organic C and N contents and total C and N stocks in 78-year-old tree plantations in subtropical Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoqi; Dong, Haibo; Lan, Zhongming; Bacon, Gary; Hao, Yanbin; Chen, Chengrong

2017-10-01

Few studies have focused on the effects of long-term forest plantations on the soil profile of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks. In this study, we selected 78-year-old tree plantations that included three coniferous tree species (i.e., slash pine, hoop pine and kauri pine) and a Eucalyptus species in subtropical Australia. We measured soil extractable organic C (EOC) and N (EON) contents and total C and N stocks under different tree species on the forest floor and along a soil profile to 100 cm depth. The results showed that Eucalyptus had significantly higher soil EOC contents (3.3 Mg ha -1 ) than the other tree species (EOC of 1.9-2.3 Mg ha -1 ) and had significantly higher EON (156 kg ha -1 ) contents than slash pine (107 kg ha -1 ). Eucalyptus had significantly higher soil C (58.9 Mg ha -1 ) and N (2.03 Mg ha -1 ) stocks than the other tree species (22.3-27.6 Mg C ha -1 and 0.71-1.23 Mg N ha -1 ) at 0-100 cm depth. There were no differences in soil C stocks at the 0-100 cm depth among the coniferous tree species. Forest floor C stocks had stronger effects on mineral soil total N stocks than fine root biomass, whereas fine root biomass exerted stronger effects on soil total C stocks at the 0-100 cm depth than forest floor C and N stocks. Our results addressed large differences in soil C and N stocks under different tree species, which can provide useful information for local forest management practices in this region.

Pontoscolex corethrurus (Annelida: Oligochaeta indicador de la calidad del suelo en sitios de Eucalyptus grandis (Myrtacea con manejo tumba y quema Pontoscolex corethrurus (Annelidae: Oligochaeta soil quality indicator in Eucalyptus grandis (Myrtacea sites with slash and burn management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheila Uribe

2012-12-01

grandis on earthworm population in Huimanquillo, Tabasco, Mexico. Three sites (average area of 1-1.5ha each with different management conditions were considered for soil and earthworm sampling (two depths and six replicates: without vegetation (SV and recent slash-burned (38 days, forest crops of five years of production of E. grandis (Euc, and secondary vegetation of 15 years (Acah. Soil physico-chemical properties (apparent density, humidity, texture, pH, Ntot, OM, P, K, cationic capacity were also evaluated, and earthworms were collected at the end of the rainy season (august-october 2007. We found that the sites soil is an acrisol acid, with pH 3.0-4.5 in the first 30cm depth. Organic matter content (OM and total nitrogen (Ntot in the recently burned sites were significantly lower (6-8% y 0.19-0.22%, respectively than in sites with vegetation (OM=9-11%; el Ntot=0.27-0.33%. Only one species (P. corethrurus was found in all the sampled areas, where most of the individuals were at juvenile stage (80%. The highest densities and biomass were found in Euc. treatment (166.4ind/m² y 36.8g/m² followed by Acah (138.7ind/m² y 19.1g/m² respectively, while the SV treatment showed of about an 80% reduced earthworm populations when compared to other treatments. Even though 15 years have passed over the secondary vegetation (Acah still some perturbations were observed as the low abundance of the oligochaeta group. We concluded that the management used to culture E. grandis produces negative effects over the abundance and diversity of earthworms and soil nutrient availability.

Colleges Are Slashing Adjuncts' Hours to Skirt New Rules on Health-Insurance Eligibility

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Sydni

2013-01-01

Allison G. Armentrout, an adjunct instructor at Stark State College, does not get paid by the hour. She earns $4,600 to teach two English composition courses. But now she carefully tracks how many hours she works on an electronic time sheet. During a recent week, she spent three hours preparing for her lectures, close to six hours in the…

Effect of wet bulb depression on heat sterilization time of slash pine lumber

Science.gov (United States)

William T. Simpson

For international trade, heat sterilization of wood products is often required to prevent the spread of insects and pathogens. Application of heat sterilization requires estimates of the time necessary to heat the center of the wood configuration to the temperature required to kill the insect or other pest. The nature of the heating medium was found to have a...

Trans-Boundary Haze Pollution in Southeast Asia: Sustainability through Plural Environmental Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Saidul Islam

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Recurrent haze in Southeast Asian countries including Singapore is largely attributable to rampant forest fires in Indonesia due to, for example, extensive slash-and-burn (S & B culture. Drawing on the “treadmill of production” and environmental governance approach, we examine causes and consequences of this culture. We found that, despite some perceived benefits, its environmental consequences include deforestation, soil erosion and degradation, global warming, threats to biodiversity, and trans-boundary haze pollution, while the societal consequences comprise regional tension, health risks, economic and productivity losses, as well as food insecurity. We propose sustainability through a plural coexistence framework of governance for targeting S & B that incorporates strategies of incentives, education and community resource management.

Division B Commission 6: Astronomical Telegrams

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaoka, H.; Green, D. W. E.; Samus, N. N.; Aksnes, K.; Gilmore, A. C.; Nakano, S.; Sphar, T.; Tichá, J.; Williams, G. V.

2016-04-01

IAU Commission 6 ``Astronomical Telegrams'' had a single business meeting during Honolulu General Assembly of the IAU. It took place on Tuesday, 11 August 2015. The meeting was attended by Hitoshi Yamaoka (President), Daniel Green (Director of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, CBAT, via Skype), Steven Chesley (JPL), Paul Chodas (JPL), Alan Gilmore (Canterbury University), Shinjiro Kouzuma (Chukyo University), Paolo Mazzali (Co-Chair of the Supernova Working Group), Elena Pian (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa), Marion Schmitz (chair IAU Working Group Designations + NED), David Tholen (University of Hawaii), Jana Ticha (Klet Observatory), Milos Tichy (Klet Observatory), Giovanni Valsecchi (INAF\\slash Italy), Gareth Williams (Minor Planet Center). Apologies: Nikolai Samus (General Catalogue of Variable Stars, GCVS).

NNDC [National Nuclear Data Center] support for fusion nuclear data needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunford, C.L.

1988-01-01

The National Data Center (NNDC) located at Brookhaven National Laboratory is an outgrowth of the Sigma Center founded by D.J. Hughes to compile low energy neutron reaction data in the 1950's. The center has played a lead role in the production of evaluated nuclear data (ENDF/B) for the United States nuclear power program. This data file, now in its sixth version, is produced as a cooperative effort of many DOE funded organizations via the Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (GSEWG). The NNDC's role, in addition to providing the structure and leadership for CSEWG, is to supply compiled bibliographic and experimental data and provide file processing, checking, distribution and documentation services. In the past, the NNDC has also produced nuclear data evaluations.lt. slash

Brazil's Petrobras chops 1992 capital budget

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Brazil's state owned Petroleos Brasileiro SA has slashed its 1992 capital budget by more than half for lack of adequate cash flow. Petrobras Pres. Benedicto Moreira last week disclosed the cut, to $1.4 billion from $2.9 billion earmarked earlier, citing cash flow problems stemming from heavy subsidies for domestic products. Petrobras Association of Engineers (Aepet) disputes the latest amount, claiming without elaboration the state company actually is cutting the current budget to $1 billion. At either level, the severe budget cut bodes ill for Petrobras plans to boost domestic production by a net 300,000 b/d to 1 million b/d by 1995, an ambitious program that calls for outlays of $18 billion

Multidisciplinary research program directed toward utilization of solar energy through bioconversion of renewable resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-07-01

Progress is reported in this multidisciplinary research program. Genetic selection of superior trees, physiological basis of vigor, tissue culture systems leading to cloning of diploid and haploid cell lines are discussed in the Program A report. The physiological basis of enhanced oleoresin formation in southern pines when treated with sublethal concentrations of the herbicide paraquat was investigated in Program B. In Program C, metabolic changes in the stems of slash pine, in vivo, after application with paraquat were determined. The use of phdoem and xylem tissue slices as a laboratory model for studying paraquat associated- and normal-terpene synthesis in pines is discussed. The biochemistry and physiology of methane formation from cellulose during anaerobic fermentation are discussed in the Program D report. (DMC)

PAT-2 (Plutonium Air-Transportable Model 2) safety analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.; Davis, E.J.; Duffey, T.A.; Dupree, S.A.; George, O.L. Jr.; Ortiz, Z.

1981-07-01

The PAT-2 package is designed for the safe transport of plutonium and/or uranium in small quantities. The PAT-2 package is resistant to severe accidents, including that of a high-speed jet aircraft crash, and is designed to withstand such environments as extreme impact, crushing, puncturing and slashing loads, severe hydrocarbon-fueled fires, and deep underwater immersion, with no escape of contents. The package meets the requirements of 10 CFR 71 for Fissile Class I packages with a cargo of 15 grams of Pu-239, or other isotopic forms described herein, not to exceed 2 watts of thermal activity. This SAR presents design and oprational information including evaluations and analyses, test results, operating procedures, maintenance, and quality assurance information

Sustainable Biofuels from Forests: Woody Biomass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edwin H. White

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The use of woody biomass feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts involves multiple sources of material that together create year round supplies. The main sources of woody biomass include residues from wood manufacturing industries, low value trees including logging slash in forests that are currently underutilized and dedicated short-rotation woody crops. Conceptually a ton of woody biomass feedstocks can replace a barrel of oil as the wood is processed (refined through a biorefinery. As oil is refined only part of the barrel is used for liquid fuel, e.g., gasoline, while much of the carbon in oil is refined into higher value chemical products-carbon in woody biomass can be refined into the same value-added products.

PAT-2 (Plutonium Air-Transportable Model 2) safety analysis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersen, J.A.; Davis, E.J.; Duffey, T.A.; Dupree, S.A.; George, O.L. Jr.; Ortiz, Z.

1981-07-01

The PAT-2 package is designed for the safe transport of plutonium and/or uranium in small quantities. The PAT-2 package is resistant to severe accidents, including that of a high-speed jet aircraft crash, and is designed to withstand such environments as extreme impact, crushing, puncturing and slashing loads, severe hydrocarbon-fueled fires, and deep underwater immersion, with no escape of contents. The package meets the requirements of 10 CFR 71 for Fissile Class I packages with a cargo of 15 grams of Pu-239, or other isotopic forms described herein, not to exceed 2 watts of thermal activity. This SAR presents design and oprational information including evaluations and analyses, test results, operating procedures, maintenance, and quality assurance information.

Transformaciones sociales en el Neolítico final de la Europa templada (4000-2000 a.C.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristiansen, Kristian

1989-12-01

Full Text Available Changes in the archaeological record of temperate Europe from the TRB/ Megalithic to the Corded/Ware/Battle / Axe/Single Grave cultural complexes are examined in terms of transformations in subsistence patterns (slash-and-burn farming vs. pastoralísm, surplus distribution (feasting vs. wealth exchange, and ritual practices (collective vs. individualizing.

Se examinan los cambios en el registro arqueológico de la Europa templada desde los complejos culturales TRB/Megalítico al de la Cerámica cordada/Hacha de Combate/ Tumba individual atendiendo a las transformaciones en los patrones de subsistencia (agricultura de rozas vs. pastoreo, distribución del excedente (festejos (2 vs. intercambio de riqueza y prácticas rituales (colectivas vs. individualizadoras.

Defense Response in Slash Pine: Chitosan Treatment Alters the Abundance of Specific mRNAs

Science.gov (United States)

Mary E. Mason; John M. Davis

1997-01-01

We used differential display to identify chitosan responsive cDNAs in slashpine cell cultures. Two clones that showed increased mRNA abundance had sequence similarity to genes with roles in major plant defense responses, clone 18 to cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase, and clone 30 to chitinase.

Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Densities in Coastal Scrub and Slash Pine Flatwoods in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Breininger, David R.; Schmalzer, Paul A.; Hinkle, C. Ross

1994-01-01

Densities of gopher tortoises were compared with habitat characteristics in scrub and in flatwood habitats on the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Tortoises were distributed widely among habitat types and did not have higher densities in well-drained (oak-palmetto) than in poorly-drained (saw palmetto) habitats. Fall densities of tortoises ranged from a mean of 2.7 individuals/ha in disturbed habitat to 0.0 individuals/ha in saw palmetto habitat. Spring densities of tortoises ranged from a mean of 2.5 individuals/ha in saw palmetto habitat to 0.7 individuals/ha in oak-palmetto habitat. Densities of tortoises were correlated positively with the percent herbaceous cover, an indicator of food resources. Plots were divided into three burn classes; these were areas burned within three years, burned four to seven years, and unburned for more than seven years prior to the study. Relationships between densities of tortoises and time-since-fire classes were inconsistent.

Genetic Linkage Mapping of Genomic Regions Conferring Tolerance to High Aluminum in Slash Pine

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas L. Kubisiak; C. Dana Nelson; J. Nowak; A.L. Friend

2000-01-01

Reports of reduced growth and vigor of forest trees in Europe and North America have been accumulating in recent years. In eastern North America, increased mortality and reduced radial growth rates have been noted for red spruce, frasier fir, and sugar maple. USDA Forest Service inventory data from permanent survey plots has revealed an unexpected reduction of radial...

Directory of national competent authorities' approval certificates for package design, special form material and shipment of radioactive material. 1992 ed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

Being in a unique position to facilitate information exchange, the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency was requested by its Standing Advisory Group on the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (SAGSTRAM) to collate package approval data and publish periodical reports thereon. A database was implemented on the mainframe computer in the mid-1980s but this was soon adapted for use on a personal computer. A fully menu-driven system programme was designed that allows both contributing Member States and the Secretariat more flexibility in data processing and reporting. Complete documentation is available in the form of a user guide. The cut-off date used for this report is 31 August 1992. This report supersedes IAEA-TECDOC-617 ''Directory of National Competent Authorities' Approval Certificates for Package Design, Special Form Material and Shipment of Radioactive Material, 1991 Edition''. The information contained in this report is given in six tables. In each of these, information is presented in alphabetical order based on the certificate number. The certificate number is identical with the competent authority identification mark. It is composed of the issuing Member State's international vehicle registration identification (VRI) code, followed by a slash, then a unique number specific to a particular design or shipment that is assigned by the competent authority, another slash and finally a code identifying the type of package involved. ''-85'' is appended to those certificates that were approved on the basis of the 1985 Edition of Safety Series No. 6. Tables 1 to 4 present administrative data including issue and expiry dates, package identification, package serial numbers, modes for which the package/shipment is approved and the edition of Safety Series No. 6 on which the approval has been based. The technical information on package mass, authorized contents, and detailed and general description of the package are contained in Table 5. Table 6

Andean settlers rush for Amazonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Serra-vega, J

1990-01-01

Governments of Andean countries (Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela) have encouraged migration to the Amazon Basin, which has contributed to its destruction. Population pressure, landlessness, and poverty are the inducements to migrate. Efforts to populate the Amazon forest were begun as early as 1964 in Peru without international notice. By 1980, logging was allowed in Peru, and Brazil considered colonization of the Amazon essential to national sovereignty. By 1986, outside of Lima, Peru, a development project originally funded by the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, and the US, resulted in conflicts between settlers and Indians, in loggers indiscriminately cutting, and in farmers using slash and burn techniques to clear forests. Elsewhere the Peruvian Amazon, in San Ignacio, the population was growing by 5.5%/year. The jungle road that had been started but never completed, Carretera Marginal, destroyed 5 million hectares of primary forest, and much of the 600,000 hectares of arable land gained by the road suffered from inappropriate farming practices which caused massive erosion and laterization of the soils. Food crop production declined, and production of coca for cocaine increased. Coca crops are controlled by the Shining Path guerrillas, who are trying to overthrow the Peruvian government. Devastation of Ecuador around Lago Agrio continues. In Colombia, east of Bogota, forests have disappeared and hills have eroded and silted up rivers and dams. The Andean piedmont in Bolivia has also been devastated by loggers and by slash and burn farming. Southeastern Bolivian forests have been cleared for soya bean cultivation on poor soils. Social and economic crises propel people into the remaining forests. The solution is to ease foreign debt, transfer appropriate technology at affordable prices, refuse to finance destructive development, and help to educate and train scientific researchers. Family planning services are also urgently needed

Psychological traits underlying different killing methods among Malaysian male murderers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamaluddin, Mohammad Rahim; Shariff, Nadiah Syariani; Nurfarliza, Siti; Othman, Azizah; Ismail, Khaidzir H; Mat Saat, Geshina Ayu

2014-04-01

Murder is the most notorious crime that violates religious, social and cultural norms. Examining the types and number of different killing methods that used are pivotal in a murder case. However, the psychological traits underlying specific and multiple killing methods are still understudied. The present study attempts to fill this gap in knowledge by identifying the underlying psychological traits of different killing methods among Malaysian murderers. The study adapted an observational cross-sectional methodology using a guided self-administered questionnaire for data collection. The sampling frame consisted of 71 Malaysian male murderers from 11 Malaysian prisons who were selected using purposive sampling method. The participants were also asked to provide the types and number of different killing methods used to kill their respective victims. An independent sample t-test was performed to establish the mean score difference of psychological traits between the murderers who used single and multiple types of killing methods. Kruskal-Wallis tests were carried out to ascertain the psychological trait differences between specific types of killing methods. The results suggest that specific psychological traits underlie the type and number of different killing methods used during murder. The majority (88.7%) of murderers used a single method of killing. Multiple methods of killing was evident in 'premeditated' murder compared to 'passion' murder, and revenge was a common motive. Examples of multiple methods are combinations of stabbing and strangulation or slashing and physical force. An exception was premeditated murder committed with shooting, when it was usually a single method, attributed to the high lethality of firearms. Shooting was also notable when the motive was financial gain or related to drug dealing. Murderers who used multiple killing methods were more aggressive and sadistic than those who used a single killing method. Those who used multiple methods or

Efeito da temperatura e velocidade do ar sobre a taxa de secagem da madeira de Pinus elliottii Engelm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elio José Santini

2002-01-01

Full Text Available To evaluate the effect of temperature and air velocity on drying rate, slash pine wood pieces of 25 x 125 x 750 mm were dried in semi-industrial kiln with forced convection. The process was conduct for two temperatures and two air velocities and controlled by a dat a acquisition system. The results showed that the drying rate has a direct relationship to temperature, air velocity and wood moisture content. Through multiple regression analysis it was possible to detect statistically significant effect of temperature a nd air velocity on drying rate and drying time, at 99% confidence level. Since the influence of air velocity on wood drying decreases with moisture content, because of economic reasons, more investigations were suggested about the relationship between the two variables during falling-rate drying period.

Transfer pricing in 2010 and forwards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodora ALECU

2010-10-01

Full Text Available As the economic downturn continues, and apparently there is no glimmer of hope for growth earlier than 2011-2012, governments worldwide are coming under growing financial pressure. Many companies have seen their profits slashed and some have gone out of business. A significant number of individuals are earning less, and unemployment is rising. All this means less tax coming in. In response, tax authorities have intensified their efforts to collect revenue, conducting more frequent audits and clamping down on tax avoidance and evasion. Moreover, the recession has caused an increase in events which under any circumstances would encourage the tax authorities to conduct audits. These include companies making substantial losses, or closures, which frequently put the authorities on alert in case such occurrences are being used to mask tax liabilities.

Preliminary correlation of organic molecular tracers in residential wood smoke with the source of fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Standley, Laurel J.; Simoneit, Bernd R. T.

Polar cyclic di- and triterpenoids were analyzed in the extracts of residential wood combustion aerosols collected in suburban sections of Eugene, Oakridge and Corvallis, Oregon. Additional samples collected included alder wood, smoke from two wood stoves burning only alder or pine as fuel, soot from a stove burning alder and a fireplace where oak was the predominant fuel. Due to the relatively cooler temperatures present under the smoldering conditions of residential wood combustion, as compared to the active burning of forest fires and slash burns, incomplete combustion resulted in the preservation of high levels of the natural products. There were three distinct signatures which could be used to trace relative input from coniferous, alder and oak combustion products, i.e. diterpenoids, lupane-derived triterpenoids and friedelin, respectively. Conifer combustion products dominated the suburban smoke aerosols.

Transport of CO2 and other combustion products in soils during slash-pile burns [Presentation

Science.gov (United States)

W. J. Massman; M. M. Nobles; G. Butters; S. J. Mooney

2010-01-01

The most obvious indication of transport of mass during a fire is flames and smoke. Furthermore it is well known that localized heating during the fire creates 3-D convective currents in the atmosphere and that these currents carry the combustion products away from the fire.

Modeling soil heating and moisture transport under extreme conditions: Forest fires and slash pile burns

Science.gov (United States)

W. J. Massman

2012-01-01

Heating any soil during a sufficiently intense wildfire or prescribed burn can alter it irreversibly, causing many significant, long-term biological, chemical, and hydrological effects. Given the climate-change-driven increasing probability of wildfires and the increasing use of prescribed burns by land managers, it is important to better understand the dynamics of the...

Quick, save the ozone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, J.

1993-01-01

Last December, after an all-out, nearly $500 million development effort, an Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) plant in Louisiana was the first world-scale US facility to start pumping out HFC 134a, an alternative to CFC12, the chemical that accounts for more than 50% of CFC use. The saga of 134a is an object lesson in how a global crisis can compel governments and companies to transform technology far faster than either thought possible. With deadlines for phasing out CFCs closing in, ICI and its rivals, Du Pont and Elf, developed technology speedily by constructing factories even while their choice molecules were still being tested. ICI slashed the time it takes to commercialize a technology from the industry norm of more than a decade to only five years. If companies are forced to act on environmental issues, they do it

"The epic love story of Sam and Dean": "Supernatural," queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine Tosenberger

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This article examines incestuous slash fan fiction produced for the CW television series Supernatural. I argue that "Wincest" fan fiction is best understood not as perverse, oppositional resistance to a heterosexual, nonincestuous show, but an expression of readings that are suggested and supported by the text itself. I examine the literary, cultural, and folkloric discourses of incest and queerness invoked by the series, paying special attention to Romanticism, the Gothic, and horror as underliers to those discourses, and how those genres inform both the series and the fan fiction. I discuss a number of Wincest stories in detail, focusing upon how these stories build upon thematic elements within the series. In conclusion, I argue that the most resistive aspect of Wincest fan fiction is that it gives the main characters a lasting happiness that the series eternally defers.

Carbon trading as incentive for conversion to organic agriculture. Case study. Organic peanuts in Tanzania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bodnar, F.

2005-12-15

In this pilot project, the climate effects of the conversion from conventional to organic cultivation of peanuts are evaluated. We could aim at voluntary carbon credits that do not comply with the CDM (Clean Development Mechanisms) rules, but we try to meet the CDM rules by combining it with a agroforestry component. However, in the example of Tanzania meeting the CDM rules was a problem. The agricultural system in Tanzania consists of a rotation of several years cultivation and several years fallow. This fallow of grass, shrubs and trees could be considered as 'forest'. Taking fallow land into cultivation would then be deforestation, which would make the planting of trees no longer eligible under CDM. This is a shame because the traditional 'slash and burn' system emits a lot of greenhouse gases.

Analysis of room transfer function and reverberant signal statistics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georganti, Eleftheria; Mourjopoulos, John; Jacobsen, Finn

2008-01-01

For some time now, statistical analysis has been a valuable tool in analyzing room transfer functions (RTFs). This work examines existing statistical time-frequency models and techniques for RTF analysis (e.g., Schroeder's stochastic model and the standard deviation over frequency bands for the RTF...... magnitude and phase). RTF fractional octave smoothing, as with 1-slash 3 octave analysis, may lead to RTF simplifications that can be useful for several audio applications, like room compensation, room modeling, auralisation purposes. The aim of this work is to identify the relationship of optimal response...... and the corresponding ratio of the direct and reverberant signal. In addition, this work examines the statistical quantities for speech and audio signals prior to their reproduction within rooms and when recorded in rooms. Histograms and other statistical distributions are used to compare RTF minima of typical...

PAT-2 (Plutonium Air Transportable Model 2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, J.

1981-01-01

The PAT-2 (Plutonium Air Transportable Model 2) package is designed for the safe transport of plutonium and/or uranium in small quantities, especially as used in international safeguards activities, and especially as transported by air. The PAT-2 package is resistant to severe accidents, including that of a high-speed jet aircraft crash, and is designed to withstand such environments as extreme impact, crushing, puncturing and slashing loads, severe hydrocarbon-fueled fires, and deep underwater immersion, with no escape of contents. The accident environments may be imposed upon the package singly or seqentially. The package meets the requirements of 10 CFR 71 for Fissile Class I packages with a cargo of 15 grams of Pu-239, or other isotopic forms described herein, not to exceed 2 watts of thermal activity. Packaging, operational features, and contents of package, are discussed

Modeling the effects of tree species and incubation temperature on soil's extracellular enzyme activity in 78-year-old tree plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoqi; Wang, Shen S. J.; Chen, Chengrong

2017-12-01

Forest plantations have been widely used as an effective measure for increasing soil carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) stocks and soil enzyme activities play a key role in soil C and N losses during decomposition of soil organic matter. However, few studies have been carried out to elucidate the mechanisms behind the differences in soil C and N cycling by different tree species in response to climate warming. Here, we measured the responses of soil's extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) to a gradient of temperatures using incubation methods in 78-year-old forest plantations with different tree species. Based on a soil enzyme kinetics model, we established a new statistical model to investigate the effects of temperature and tree species on soil EEA. In addition, we established a tree species-enzyme-C/N model to investigate how temperature and tree species influence soil C/N contents over time without considering plant C inputs. These extracellular enzymes included C acquisition enzymes (β-glucosidase, BG), N acquisition enzymes (N-acetylglucosaminidase, NAG; leucine aminopeptidase, LAP) and phosphorus acquisition enzymes (acid phosphatases). The results showed that incubation temperature and tree species significantly influenced all soil EEA and Eucalyptus had 1.01-2.86 times higher soil EEA than coniferous tree species. Modeling showed that Eucalyptus had larger soil C losses but had 0.99-2.38 times longer soil C residence time than the coniferous tree species over time. The differences in the residual soil C and N contents between Eucalyptus and coniferous tree species, as well as between slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) and hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Ait.), increase with time. On the other hand, the modeling results help explain why exotic slash pine can grow faster, as it has 1.22-1.38 times longer residual soil N residence time for LAP, which mediate soil N cycling in the long term, than native coniferous tree species like hoop pine and

Modeling the effects of tree species and incubation temperature on soil's extracellular enzyme activity in 78-year-old tree plantations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Zhou

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Forest plantations have been widely used as an effective measure for increasing soil carbon (C, and nitrogen (N stocks and soil enzyme activities play a key role in soil C and N losses during decomposition of soil organic matter. However, few studies have been carried out to elucidate the mechanisms behind the differences in soil C and N cycling by different tree species in response to climate warming. Here, we measured the responses of soil's extracellular enzyme activity (EEA to a gradient of temperatures using incubation methods in 78-year-old forest plantations with different tree species. Based on a soil enzyme kinetics model, we established a new statistical model to investigate the effects of temperature and tree species on soil EEA. In addition, we established a tree species–enzyme–C∕N model to investigate how temperature and tree species influence soil C∕N contents over time without considering plant C inputs. These extracellular enzymes included C acquisition enzymes (β-glucosidase, BG, N acquisition enzymes (N-acetylglucosaminidase, NAG; leucine aminopeptidase, LAP and phosphorus acquisition enzymes (acid phosphatases. The results showed that incubation temperature and tree species significantly influenced all soil EEA and Eucalyptus had 1.01–2.86 times higher soil EEA than coniferous tree species. Modeling showed that Eucalyptus had larger soil C losses but had 0.99–2.38 times longer soil C residence time than the coniferous tree species over time. The differences in the residual soil C and N contents between Eucalyptus and coniferous tree species, as well as between slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii and hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Ait., increase with time. On the other hand, the modeling results help explain why exotic slash pine can grow faster, as it has 1.22–1.38 times longer residual soil N residence time for LAP, which mediate soil N cycling in the long term, than native

Perceptions of environmental change and use of traditional knowledge to plan riparian forest restoration with relocated communities in Alcântara, Eastern Amazon.

Science.gov (United States)

Celentano, Danielle; Rousseau, Guillaume Xavier; Engel, Vera Lex; Façanha, Cristiane Lima; Oliveira, Elivaldo Moreira de; Moura, Emanoel Gomes de

2014-01-27

Riparian forests provide ecosystem services that are essential for human well-being. The Pepital River is the main water supply for Alcântara (Brazil) and its forests are disappearing. This is affecting water volume and distribution in the region. Promoting forest restoration is imperative. In deprived regions, restoration success depends on the integration of ecology, livelihoods and traditional knowledge (TEK). In this study, an interdisciplinary research framework is proposed to design riparian forest restoration strategies based on ecological data, TEK and social needs. This study takes place in a region presenting a complex history of human relocation and land tenure. Local populations from seven villages were surveyed to document livelihood (including 'free-listing' of agricultural crops and homegarden tree species). Additionally, their perceptions toward environmental changes were explored through semi-structured interviews (n = 79). Ethnobotanical information on forest species and their uses were assessed by local-specialists (n = 19). Remnants of conserved forests were surveyed to access ecological information on tree species (three plots of 1,000 m2). Results included descriptive statistics, frequency and Smith’s index of salience of the free-list results. The local population depends primarily on slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture to meet their needs. Interviewees showed a strong empirical knowledge about the environmental problems of the river, and of their causes, consequences and potential solutions. Twenty-four tree species (dbh > 10 cm) were found at the reference sites. Tree density averaged 510 individuals per hectare (stdv = 91.6); and 12 species were considered the most abundant (density > 10ind/ha). There was a strong consensus among plant-specialists about the most important trees. The species lists from reference sites and plant-specialists presented an important convergence. Slash-and-burn agriculture is the main source of livelihood

What's next in carbon ion radiotherapy at NIRS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamada, Tadashi

2011-01-01

Since its launch by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in 1994, cancer therapy using heavy ion beams (carbon ion beams) has been used in approximately 5,500 patients. Accumulated clinical experience has identified certain types of malignant tumors that respond exclusively to this treatment. It has also been made clear that this therapy is capable of treating several other types of cancers safely in a relatively short period of time, effecting remission and/or cure without pain or discomfort in a few days or weeks. We can reasonably state that heavy ion radiotherapy has been established as a safe and effective treatment method. NIRS researchers are continuing to make every effort to develop more effective, efficient, and patient-friendly heavy ion irradiation systems. The result of this research and development is also expected to slash the attendant costs of heavy ion radiotherapy. (author)

Nonlinear operators and their propagators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, C.

1997-01-01

Mathematical physicists are familiar with a large set of tools designed for dealing with linear operators, which are so common in both the classical and quantum theories; but many of those tools are useless with nonlinear equations of motion. In this work a general algebra and calculus is developed for working with nonlinear operators: The basic new tool being the open-quotes slash product,close quotes defined by A(1+εB) =A+εA/B+O(ε 2 ). For a generic time development equation, the propagator is constructed and then there follows the formal version of time dependent perturbation theory, in remarkable similarity to the linear situation. A nonperturbative approximation scheme capable of producing high accuracy computations, previously developed for linear operators, is shown to be applicable as well in the nonlinear domain. A number of auxiliary mathematical properties and examples are given. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

The unmet need for philanthropic funding of early career cardiovascular investigators.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Tariq; Becker, Richard C

2014-05-01

Philanthropic donations have funded scientific investigations of cardiovascular disease for much of human history, and the patrons who enabled them are indirectly responsible for major breakthroughs in the field. Today, however, the lion's share of funding for cardiovascular research in Western countries comes from the government, professional agencies, and industry. Rapid budget cuts at these traditional sources of financial support are having a devastating impact on the cardiovascular research infrastructure by slashing funding for investigators. A particularly unfortunate consequence is the discouraging effect this is having on early career investigators, who are the life-blood of future breakthroughs in the field, leading to the potential loss of an entire generation of researchers. Here, we summarize the challenges faced by emerging cardiovascular investigators, make a case for the unmet need for appropriately targeted philanthropic support for cardiovascular research, and provide a roadmap for solving the funding shortfall for these investigators.

Capitalism and Freedom: The Core of a Contradiction - An Essay on Cornelius Castoriadis and John McMurtry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baruchello, Giorgio

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Capitalism and freedom is not only the title of a 1962 book by Milton Friedman playing a pivotal role in asserting worldwide the neoliberal paradigm, but also the slogan that leading statesmen, politicians and opinion-makers have been heralding in recent years, in order to justify, amongst other things, the slashing of welfare states and the invasion of foreign countries. Often, "capitalism" has been rephrased as "free trade" or "free market",[2] and coupled regularly with "democracy", this term denoting the political system that is believed to better entrench and promote "freedom" or "autonomy".[3] Thus, capitalism and democracy have been described as the two sides of one and the same project for human emancipation,[4] colouring the ideology and the political agenda of governments left and right, and showing how deeply neoliberal beliefs have become part of the dominant public mindset.

Williston Reservoir: Site preparation and post-flood cleanup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loose, J.A.

1990-01-01

Williston Reservoir is the second largest in Canada and ranks ninth on the world scale. It was formed by the construction of the W.A.C. Bennet Dam and is the most important hydroelectric storage reservoir and largest body of fresh water in British Columbia. Site preparation for the reservoir began in 1962, with pre-flood clearing involving salvage of merchantable timber, handfalling, machine downing, burning of slash and burial. Post-flood cleanup included timber salvage, bailing and burning debris, tractor piling and burning, crane piling in shallows, underwater cutting, and hand cutting during low drawdown. Various types of floating debris have presented problems for recreational use, log booming and transport, waterways and aviation. Protection of the spillway is accomplished with a floating boom upstream of the channel. Administration, funding, forest clearance, salvage methods, clearing standards, wood volumes, project costs, environmental concerns, and future priorities are discussed. 5 figs., 2 tabs

New tube fitting range can slash assembly time, reduce tube material costs and eliminate hot work

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2008-09-15

Parker Instrumentation has developed a permanent tube connection technology known as Phastite for use in high pressure applications such as in the offshore oil and gas sector. The Phastite push-fit connector offers major savings over traditional permanent and higher pressure connection techniques such as welded or cone-and-thread tube fittings. It also reduces assembly times by 20-fold or more and eliminates the need for hot work permits. The fittings are designed to withstand working pressures up to 1,379 bar. Phastite tube fittings can be used on offshore platforms, as well as on support vessels,, subsea equipment and ROVs such as hydraulic systems for wellhead control, emergency shut down, chemical injection, pumping packages, gas booster systems and test equipment. The connectors offer considerable savings in material cost and weight because they do not need to be used with more expensive tubing with extra thickness to accommodate a thread. Phastite is also resistant to vibration and does not need any anti-vibration accessories. A joint can be made in a matter of seconds with a simple handheld hydraulic tool that makes the push-fit connection. A sealing mechanism based on a series of defined internal ridges creates a secure seal by radial compression. The ridges grip in a way that retains all of the tubing's strength. An additional characteristic is the maintenance free nature of the Phastite connection. 1 fig.

Slash X Honduras Caribbean pine hybrids: An overview of nursery production systems in Southeast Queensland, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

A. G. Baxter

2002-01-01

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Forestry has a requirement to produce 4.5 million trees per year for its plantation production program. This stock is raised at DPI Forestry nurseries in the southeast and far north of Queensland. To improve the productivity of its plantation estate, DPI Forestry has invested significant resources in the development...

Coefficient of friction of dry slash pine and southern red oak on three tension-grip facings

Science.gov (United States)

Truett J. Lemoine; Peter Koch

1974-01-01

A urethane material proved to have nine times higher static friction coefficient (0.9) than smooth steel (0.1) on radial and tangential wood surfaces pulled parallel to the grain. It is probably superior to 220-grit garnet paper or sand coatings for tension-grip facings in lumber testing machines.

A cold wind from Texas: Gulf's new chief executive slashes costs and bails out of Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, G.

1995-01-01

The Houston-based Torch Energy Advisers Inc. purchased 25% of Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. in November 1994. Torch Energy Advisers' president J.P. Bryan started to restructure the debt-ridden company by letting go of seven of Gulf's nine vice presidents. Later, he pulled Gulf out of Komi Arctic Oil, a problem-plagued joint venture in Russia. A recent analysis of major petroleum companies by Doig's Digest showed that Gulf was among the least efficient producers, with only 21 barrels of crude oil per employee per day in 1993. In order to improve the productivity, a cut of from 10 to 30 per cent of headquarters' staff was predicted. The ultimate goal was rumored to be a 15 per cent reduction in overhead, and up to 30 per cent reduction in operating costs

A Simultaneous Density-Integral System for Estimating Stem Profile and Biomass: Slash Pine and Willow Oak

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard R. Parresol; Charles E. Thomas

1996-01-01

In the wood utilization industry, both stem profile and biomass are important quantities. The two have traditionally been estimated separately. The introduction of a density-integral method allows for coincident estimation of stem profile and biomass, based on the calculus of mass theory, and provides an alternative to weight-ratio methodology. In the initial...

Utilization of forest slash to sequester carbon in loblolly pine plantations in the lower coastal plain

Science.gov (United States)

F. Sanchez; E.A. Carter; W. Edwards

2002-01-01

Soil-organic matter (SOM) is a complex array of components including soil fauna and flora at different stages of decomposition (Berg et al., 1982). Its concentration in soils can vary from 0.5% in mineral soils to almost 100% in peat soils (Brady, 1974). Organic matter (OM) in the surface mineral soil is considered a major determinant of forest ecosystem productivity...

Economic benefits of the EU Ecodesign Directive. Improving European economies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molenbroek, E.; Cuijpers, M.; Blok, K.

2012-04-15

The EU Ecodesign Directive aims at reducing the environmental impact of a number of products sold in the EU, with emphasis on their energy consumption. Ecofys investigated economic benefits related to the Directive. A correct implementation of the EU Ecodesign Directive would yield yearly savings of up to 600 TWh of electricity and 600 TWh of heat in 2020. In addition to these environmental benefits, this study identified important economic advantages like: Net savings for European consumers and businesses of 90 billion euro per year (1% of EU's current GDP) in the year 2020; Reinvesting these savings in other sectors of the economy would result in the creation of one million jobs; Dependency on imports of energy would be reduced by 23% and 37% for natural gas and coal, respectively. This means the EU could slash natural gas imports from Russia by more than half and imports of coal from Russia could be stopped altogether.

GPGPU Accelerated Deep Object Classification on a Heterogeneous Mobile Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Tahir Hussain Rizvi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Deep convolutional neural networks achieve state-of-the-art performance in image classification. The computational and memory requirements of such networks are however huge, and that is an issue on embedded devices due to their constraints. Most of this complexity derives from the convolutional layers and in particular from the matrix multiplications they entail. This paper proposes a complete approach to image classification providing common layers used in neural networks. Namely, the proposed approach relies on a heterogeneous CPU-GPU scheme for performing convolutions in the transform domain. The Compute Unified Device Architecture(CUDA-based implementation of the proposed approach is evaluated over three different image classification networks on a Tegra K1 CPU-GPU mobile processor. Experiments show that the presented heterogeneous scheme boasts a 50× speedup over the CPU-only reference and outperforms a GPU-based reference by 2×, while slashing the power consumption by nearly 30%.

Analysis of Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper data for classification of forest stands in Baldwin County, Alabama

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, C. L.

1984-01-01

A computer-implemented classification has been derived from Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper data acquired over Baldwin County, Alabama on January 15, 1983. One set of spectral signatures was developed from the data by utilizing a 3x3 pixel sliding window approach. An analysis of the classification produced from this technique identified forested areas. Additional information regarding only the forested areas. Additional information regarding only the forested areas was extracted by employing a pixel-by-pixel signature development program which derived spectral statistics only for pixels within the forested land covers. The spectral statistics from both approaches were integrated and the data classified. This classification was evaluated by comparing the spectral classes produced from the data against corresponding ground verification polygons. This iterative data analysis technique resulted in an overall classification accuracy of 88.4 percent correct for slash pine, young pine, loblolly pine, natural pine, and mixed hardwood-pine. An accuracy assessment matrix has been produced for the classification.

Relationship between trace gases and aerosols from biomass burning in Southeast Asia using satellite and emission data

Science.gov (United States)

Azuma, Yoshimi; Nakamura, Maya; Kuji, Makoto

2012-11-01

Southeast Asia is one of the biggest regions of biomass burning with forest fires and slash-and-burn farming. From the fire events, a large amount of air pollutants are emitted such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and aerosol (black carbon; BC). Biomass burning generally causes not only local, but also transboundary air pollution, and influences the atmospheric environment in the world accordingly. However, impact of air pollutants' emissions from large-scale fire in Southeast Asia is not well investigated compared to other regions such as South America and Africa. In this study, characteristics of the atmospheric environment were investigated with correlative analyses among several satellite data (MOPITT, OMI, and MODIS) and emission inventory (GFEDv3) in Southeast Asia from October 2004 to June 2008 on a monthly basis. As a result, it is suggested that the transboundary air pollution from the biomass burning regions occurred over Southeast Asia, which caused specifically higher air pollutants' concentration at Hanoi, Vietnam in spring dry season.

Pyrethroid as a Substance of Abuse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pravesh Sharma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This is a case of a 22-year-old Hispanic male with a history of bipolar disorder and methamphetamine dependence who was admitted after presenting with suicidal ideations by slashing his throat with a machete. The patient had been smoking and inhaling “processed” pyrethroid for about eight weeks as an inexpensive methamphetamine substitute. He reported experiencing a “rush” similar to methamphetamine after using pyrethroid from liquid insecticide that had been heated (electrocuted or sprayed on hot metal sheets until it crystallized. The patient presented with no significant physical markings or findings but claimed to have his suicidal ideations precipitated by concerns of ill effects of pyrethroid on his health. He also had positive urine drug screen for methamphetamine, which he admitted to using on the day of admission. We conclude that it is important for physicians to maintain a high level of suspicion for alternate and uncommon substances of abuse as well as risks for suicidal tendencies in these patients.

National and international social implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zablocki, B.D.

1980-01-01

Every new technology since slash-and-burn has required new social institutions to go along with it, and nuclear technology is no exception. There is, therefore, a need to go beyond decisionmaking among alternative peaceful proliferation schemes. There is a need also to look at the needs for new national and/or transnational institutions that will have to accompany any proliferations in area. There are five social implications that bear on the need to develop new social institutions. First is the issue of Great Power relations, in an era of nuclear proliferation. Second is the conflict between nationalism and internationalism. The third is the issue of the military and diplomatic strategies of small nations, particularly small nations on the threshold of nuclear capacity, and the question of military versus civilian rule in those nations. Fourth, and possibly the most important is the role of multinational corporations in nuclear regulation, and fifth, the question of secrecy and how that bears on power values of primacy in democratic states

French government to trim direct stake in Total

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the French government has decided to slash its direct stake in partly state owned oil company Total to 5% from 31.7%, a surprise move expected to raise 10 billion francs ($1.8 billion). At the same time, other state owned entities will be asked to boost their combined 2.2% stake in Total to 10%, leaving the government with a net 15% interest in Total vs. the current 34%. Initially, state owned insurance companies Groupe des Assurances Nationales and Assurances Generale de France will be asked to hike their stakes in Total, but others could be asked to join if needed to meet the 10% target. The government the its phase-down of participation in Total, established in 1924 to manage French interests in Iraq Petroleum Co., was prompted by the evolution of the oil context, which differs greatly from what had prompted a significant stake of the state in Total's capital

Towards Communicative Justice in Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Charles L

2017-01-01

This article approaches care from a different angle by looking ethnographically at how it is shaped by structural differences in the power to control the circulation of knowledge. I focus on an investigation conducted by people classified as "indigenous", of an epidemic that killed 38 children and young adults in a Venezuelan rainforest. I trace how health/communicative inequities structured clinical interactions, documents, epidemiological investigations, news stories, and dialogues with healers, thwarting the identification of the epidemic, clinically identified as rabies. Although the Bolivarian socialist government provided access to care, professionals denigrated parents' contributions to care and communication and reduced complex, unequal relations between languages to practical problems of translation. Pointing to parallels with US social movements, I suggest that responding to demands for communicative justice in health requires seeing how health inequities are entangled with health/communicative inequities. The typographical slash points to importance of challenging the subdisciplinary boundary-work that relegates their study to non-overlapping conversations in medical and linguistic anthropology.

Robotic weather balloon launchers spread in Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Julia

2018-04-01

Last week, things began stirring inside the truck-size box that sat among melting piles of snow at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska. Before long, the roof of the box yawned open and a weather balloon took off into the sunny afternoon, instruments dangling. The entire launch was triggered with the touch of a button, 5 kilometers away at an office of the National Weather Service (NWS). The flight was smooth, just one of hundreds of twice-daily balloon launches around the world that radio back crucial data for weather forecasts. But most of those balloons are launched by people; the robotic launchers, which are rolling out across Alaska, are proving to be controversial. NWS says the autolaunchers will save money and free up staff to work on more pressing matters. But representatives of the employee union question their reliability, and say they will hasten the end of Alaska's remote weather offices, where forecasting duties and hours have already been slashed.

New developments in the air transport of plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.

1978-01-01

A new package for the air transport of plutonium has been developed in response to a United States Public Law which restricts the US air transport of plutonium except for small medical devices. This new package, called PAT-1 for plutonium air transportable package model 1, is the result of the NRC-sponsored PARC (plutonium accident resistant container) project at Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque. The PAT-1 package is designed to meet or exceed new criteria specified in NUREG-0360. These include a severe test sequence of impact (greater than 250 KTS) on an unyielding target, crush, puncture, slash, a large JP-4 fire for 1 hour, followed by water immersion, with stringent acceptance standards on plutonium release, nuclear shielding, and nuclear criticality. The PAT-1 package design features a high energy absorption capability with high-level fire protection. It weighs approximately 227 kg (500 lb) when loaded with 2 kg PuO 2 , and can accommodate up to 25 watts thermal energy from the plutonium load

Slash and Learn: Revealing Stakeholder Knowledge, Support, and Preferred Communication Methods Relative to Wood-Based Biofuels Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Moroney, Jillian; Laninga, Tamara; Brooks, Randall

2016-01-01

The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) is examining the feasibility of a woody biomass-to-biofuels supply chain in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. A part of the ongoing feasibility study involved conducting a survey of informed stakeholders on the use of woody biomass from forest residuals in producing sustainable bioenergy.…

Environmental and economic suitability of forest biomass-based bioenergy production in the Southern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Dwivedi, Puneet

This study attempts to ascertain the environmental and economic suitability of utilizing forest biomass for cellulosic ethanol production in the Southern United States. The study is divided into six chapters. The first chapter details the background and defines the relevance of the study along with objectives. The second chapter reviews the existing literature to ascertain the present status of various existing conversion technologies. The third chapter assesses the net energy ratio and global warming impact of ethanol produced from slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) biomass. A life-cycle assessment was applied to achieve the task. The fourth chapter assesses the role of emerging bioenergy and voluntary carbon markets on the profitability of non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners by combining the Faustmann and Hartmann models. The fifth chapter assesses perceptions of four stakeholder groups (Non-Government Organization, Academics, Industries, and Government) on the use of forest biomass for bioenergy production in the Southern United States using the SWOT-AHP (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat-Analytical Hierarchy Process) technique. Finally, overall conclusions are made in the sixth chapter. Results indicate that currently the production of cellulosic ethanol is limited as the production cost of cellulosic ethanol is higher than the production cost of ethanol derived from corn. However, it is expected that the production cost of cellulosic ethanol will come down in the future from its current level due to ongoing research efforts. The total global warming impact of E85 fuel (production and consumption) was found as 10.44 tons where as global warming impact of an equivalent amount of gasoline (production and consumption) was 21.45 tons. This suggests that the production and use of ethanol derived from slash pine biomass in the form of E85 fuel in an automobile saves about 51% of carbon emissions when compared to gasoline. The net energy ratio

Achieving Conservation and Equity amidst Extreme Poverty and Climate Risk: The Makira REDD+ Project in Madagascar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Brimont

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Achieving forest conservation together with poverty alleviation and equity is an unending challenge in the tropics. The Makira REDD+ pilot project located in northeastern Madagascar is a well-suited case to explore this challenge in conditions of extreme poverty and climatic vulnerability. We assessed the potential effect of project siting on the livelihoods of the local population and which households would be the most strongly impacted by conservation measures. Farmers living in hilly areas must resort to slash-and-burn agriculture (tavy since a combination of topographic and climatic constraints, such as cyclones, makes permanent rice cultivation very difficult. These are the people who suffer most from conservation-related restriction measures. For practical reasons the project, unfortunately, did not target these farmers. The main focus was on communities with a lower cyclonic risk that are able to practice permanent rice agriculture in the lowlands. To reduce deforestation without violating the principles of equity, REDD+ projects in Madagascar need to better target populations facing high climatic risks and invest in efforts to improve the farmers’ agricultural systems.

Ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization of liquid fuels and its industrial application.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhilin; Ondruschka, Bernd

2010-08-01

Latest environmental regulations require a very deep desulfurization to meet the ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD, 15 ppm sulfur) specifications. Due to the disadvantages of hydrotreating technology on the slashing production conditions, costs and safety as well as environmental protection, the ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) as an alternative technology has been developed. UAOD process selectively oxidizes sulfur in common thiophenes in diesel to sulfoxides and sulfones which can be removed via selective adsorption or extractant. SulphCo has successfully used a 5000 barrel/day mobile "Sonocracking" unit to duplicate on a commercial scale its proprietary process that applies ultrasonics at relatively low temperatures and pressures. The UAOD technology estimate capital costs less than half the cost of a new high-pressure hydrotreater. The physical and chemical mechanisms of UAOD process are illustrated, and the effective factors, such as ultrasonic frequency and power, oxidants, catalysts, phase-transfer agent, extractant and adsorbent, on reaction kinetics and product recovery are discussed in this review. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sustainable Transportation: Accelerating Widespread Adoption of Energy Efficient Vehicles & Fuels (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-12-01

While energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously slash oil consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a truly sustainable solution will require more than just putting drivers behind the wheels of new fuel-efficient cars. As the only national laboratory dedicated 100% to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) accelerates widespread adoption of high-performance, low-emission, energy-efficient passenger and freight vehicles, as well as alternative fuels and related infrastructure. Researchers collaborate closely with industry, government, and research partners, using a whole-systems approach to design better batteries, drivetrains, and engines, as well as thermal management, energy storage, power electronic, climate control, alternative fuel, combustion, and emission systems. NREL's sustainable transportation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) efforts are not limited to vehicles, roads, and fueling stations. The lab also explores ways to save energy and reduce GHGs by integrating transportation technology advancements with renewable energy generation, power grids and building systems, urban planning and policy, and fleet operations.

Standard NIJ 0115.00 za testiranje otpornosti zaštitnih prsluka na ubode nožem i predmetima sa oštrim vrhom / NIJ 0115.00 standard for testing stab resistance of body armor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đuro Jovanić

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Standard NIJ 0115.00 (prema Nacionalnom institutu pravde SAD, namenjen je za utvrđivanje minimuma tehničkih zahteva i metoda ispitivanja otpornosti zaštitnih prsluka, koji treba da zaštite gornji deo tela od uboda nožem i predmetima sa oštrim vrhom. Područje primene ovog standarda ograničeno je samo na pretnje ubodima, a ne na balističke pretnje, poput onih koje su obuhvaćene standardom NIJ 0101.04 za testiranje balističke otpornosti zaštitnih prsluka. / In this work made presentation of NIJ 0115.04. (National Institute of Justice standard, witch purpose is to establish minimum performance requirements and methods of testing for the stab resistance of body armor intended to protect the torso against slash and stab threats. The scope of the standard is limited to stab resistance only; the standard does not address ballistic threats, as those are covered by NIJ Standard 0101.04. Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor.

Size asymmetry in intraspecific competition and the density-dependence of inbreeding depression in a natural plant population: a case study in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz, Euphorbiaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Pujol, B; McKey, D

2006-01-01

The effects of competition on the genetic composition of natural populations are not well understood. We combined demography and molecular genetics to study how intraspecific competition affects microevolution in cohorts of volunteer plants of cassava (Manihot esculenta) originating from seeds in slash-and-burn fields of Palikur Amerindians in French Guiana. In this clonally propagated crop, genotypic diversity is enhanced by the incorporation of volunteer plants into farmers' stocks of clonal propagules. Mortality of volunteer plants was density-dependent. Furthermore, the size asymmetry of intraspecific competition increased with local clustering of plants. Size of plants was correlated with their multilocus heterozygosity, and stronger size-dependence of survival in clusters of plants, compared with solitary plants, increased the magnitude of inbreeding depression when competition was severe. The density-dependence of inbreeding depression of volunteer plants helps explain the high heterozygosity of volunteers that survive to harvest time and thus become candidates for clonal propagation. This effect could help favour the maintenance of sex in this 'vegetatively' propagated crop plant.

Welcoming the Dark Side?: Exploring Whitelash and Actual Space Nazis in TFA Fanfiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cait Coker

2017-12-01

Full Text Available From the release of its first trailer, Star Wars: The Force Awakens received a racist backlash in response to the character of Finn, a black Stormtrooper turned hero. Nonetheless, after the film’s debut, slash fans across the Internet joined to make the Finn/Poe and Finn/Poe/Rey relationships (known as ‘ships among the most popular in both art and fiction, in what seemed to be a welcome sign of fandom’s evolution from the usual orgy of white cis-bodies. However, by the time TFA was available for legal download, the Kylo/Hux ‘ship had overtaken the others significantly, despite their lack of screentime and actual lines, and the fact that they were “actual space Nazis” and “evil space boyfriends.” This essay will explore the intersections of racism and misogyny in TFA fanfiction and discuss why these most problematic ‘ships have become the most popular, and consider how the mainstreaming of the Empire in the popular imagination is a form of political whitelash.

New developments in the air transport of plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.

1978-01-01

A new package for the air transport of plutonium has been developed in response to a United States Public Law which restricts the U.S. air transport of plutonium except for small medical devices. This new package, called PAT-1 for plutonium air transportable package model 1, is the result of the NRC-sponsored (NRC=U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.) PARC (plutonium accident resistant container) project at Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque. The PAT-1 package is designed to meet or exceed new criteria specified in NUREG-0360. These inclued a severe test sequence of impact (>250 knots) on an unyielding target, crush, puncture, slash, a large JP-4 fire for 1 hour, followed by water immersion, with stringent acceptance standards on plutonium release, nuclear shielding, and nuclear criticality. The PAT-1 package design features a high energy absorption capability with high-level fire protection. It weighs approximately 227 kg (500 lb) when loaded with 2 kg PuO 2 , and can accommodate up to 25 watts thermal energy from the plutonium load

Spatiotemporal throughfall patterns beneath an urban tree row

Science.gov (United States)

Bogeholz, P.; Van Stan, J. T., II; Hildebrandt, A.; Friesen, J.; Dibble, M.; Norman, Z.

2016-12-01

Much recent research has focused on throughfall patterns in natural forests as they can influence the heterogeneity of surface ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes. However, to the knowledge of the authors, no work has assessed how urban forest structures affect the spatiotemporal variability of throughfall water flux. Urbanization greatly alters not only a significant portion of the land surface, but canopy structure, with the most typical urban forest configuration being landscaped tree rows along streets, swales, parking lot medians, etc. This study examines throughfall spatiotemporal patterns for a landscaped tree row of Pinus elliottii (Engelm., slash pine) on Georgia Southern University's campus (southeastern, USA) using 150 individual observations per storm. Throughfall correlation lengths beneath this tree row were similar to, but appeared to be more stable across storm size than, observations in past studies on natural forests. Individual tree overlap and the planting interval also may more strongly drive throughfall patterns in tree rows. Meteorological influences beyond storm magnitude (intensity, intermittency, wind conditions, and atmospheric moisture demand) are also examined.

FLORIDA TOWER FOOTPRINT EXPERIMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WATSON,T.B.; DIETZ, R.N.; WILKE, R.; HENDREY, G.; LEWIN, K.; NAGY, J.; LECLERC, M.

2007-01-01

The Florida Footprint experiments were a series of field programs in which perfluorocarbon tracers were released in different configurations centered on a flux tower to generate a data set that can be used to test transport and dispersion models. These models are used to determine the sources of the CO{sub 2} that cause the fluxes measured at eddy covariance towers. Experiments were conducted in a managed slash pine forest, 10 km northeast of Gainesville, Florida, in 2002, 2004, and 2006 and in atmospheric conditions that ranged from well mixed, to very stable, including the transition period between convective conditions at midday to stable conditions after sun set. There were a total of 15 experiments. The characteristics of the PFTs, details of sampling and analysis methods, quality control measures, and analytical statistics including confidence limits are presented. Details of the field programs including tracer release rates, tracer source configurations, and configuration of the samplers are discussed. The result of this experiment is a high quality, well documented tracer and meteorological data set that can be used to improve and validate canopy dispersion models.

Flux measurement of methanol, acetaldehyde and other oxygenated VOCs from crop harvesting using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry and surface layer gradient method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindinger, C.; Jordan, A.; Karl, T.; Guenther, A.; Tschiersch, J.; Ruckerbauer, F.; Paretzke, H.

2002-01-01

PTR-MS technique was used to measure fluxes of various VOC's including oxygenates using surface layer gradient method. The VOC concentrations and temperature were measured at heights of about 0.5 m and 3.9 m above ground at field site in St. Johann in Tirol during and after grass cutting (24th and 25th of May 2000) in order to calculate fluxes. The sensible heat flux was obtained by a sonic anemometer with turbulence data analyzer. The major crop in this part of Austria are perennial grasses used for livestock farming. We observed VOC emission fluxes including methanol and acetaldehyde as the major volatile, C 5 and C 6 leaf wound compounds with lesser amounts and traces of acetone and butanone. This composition of VOC's is very similar to that released from slashed pasture grass. At the same time, VOC fluxes were measured with PTR-MS and eddy covariance method. Comparing the flux data of methanol and acetaldehyde of both days have shown very similar results. (author)

Russian atomic energy reaches critical masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ustinov, A.

1996-01-01

With more than 200 malfunctions recorded in the early 1990's the outmoded nuclear reactors in the former Soviet Union are in critical condition. Unfortunatly, there may not be enough money to monitor them, much less update them, says Artiom Ustinov, an expert in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. In on short decade, Russia's nuclear research budget has been slashed from $1.5 billion to $250 million. That amount of money simply cannot be stretched far enough to address safety issues, Ustinov says. open-quotes Currently, nuclear reactors in the former Soviet Union pose a greater environmental threat than ever before,close quotes ustinov says. open-quotes In fact, almost half the nuclear power plants operating in Russia today are Chernobyl-like.close quotes and most of these facilities are located in such large industrial centers as Moscow and st. Petersburg, Ustinov says. The future of nuclear power in the Soviet Union remains cloudy, Ustinov concludes. open-quotes It is likely that the legacy of its development will continue to generate electricity-and controversy-in the years ahead.close quotes

Adição de aparas de papel reciclável na fabricação de chapas de madeira aglomerada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro Calegari

2004-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, there were analyzed the properties of particleboards produced with two types of recycled paper (newspaper and offset and slash pine wood particles (Pinus elliottii Engelm.. The paper was introduced into the mattress in two forms: strands and after hammer milling, in different proportions: 0, 20, 40, 60 and 100% of ovendry weight of the particles. The adhesive used was 10% tannin-formaldehyde (100:10 parts by weight. The experiment was set according to a factorial model, with three replications. The tests were conducted following ASTM D1037 (1995. Boards produced both with offset and newspaper strand inclusions showed tendency to blow at press opening. The inclusion of paper caused decrease in the properties, in such degree that boards did not meet commerce standards DIN 68761 (1-1961, (3-1971 and ANSI A 208.1 (1987. Water absorption after 24 hours, internal bond and screw whitdraw were the properties most affected. In general, the use of newspaper was more encouraging than offset paper.

Tree manipulation experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Nishina, K.; Takenaka, C.; Ishizuka, S.; Hashimoto, S.; Yagai, Y.

2012-12-01

Some forest operations such as thinning and harvesting management could cause changes in N cycling and N2O emission from soils, since thinning and harvesting managements are accompanied with changes in aboveground environments such as an increase of slash falling and solar radiation on the forest floor. However, a considerable uncertainty exists in effects of thinning and harvesting on N2O fluxes regarding changes in belowground environments by cutting trees. To focus on the effect of changes in belowground environments on the N2O emissions from soils, we conducted a tree manipulation experiment in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) stand without soil compaction and slash falling near the chambers and measured N2O flux at 50 cm and 150 cm distances from the tree trunk (stump) before and after cutting. We targeted 5 trees for the manipulation and established the measurement chambers to the 4 directions around each targeted tree relative to upper slope (upper, left, right, lower positions). We evaluated the effect of logging on the emission by using hierarchical Bayesian model. HB model can evaluate the variability in observed data and their uncertainties in the estimation with various probability distributions. Moreover, the HB model can easily accommodate the non-linear relationship among the N2O emissions and the environmental factors, and explicitly take non-independent data (nested structure of data) for the estimation into account by using random effects in the model. Our results showed tree cutting stimulated N2O emission from soils, and also that the increase of N2O flux depended on the distance from the trunk (stump): the increase of N2O flux at 50 cm from the trunk (stump) was greater than that of 150 cm from the trunk. The posterior simulation of the HB model indicated that the stimulation of N2O emission by tree cut- ting could reach up to 200 cm in our experimental plot. By tree cutting, the estimated N2O emission at 0-40 cm from the trunk doubled

Efeito de coberturas de inverno e sua época de manejo sobre a infestação de plantas daninhas na cultura de milho Effect of winter cover crops and their management timing on weed infestation in maize crop

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.A. Balbinot Jr.

2007-09-01

Full Text Available No sistema de plantio direto, a presença de palha sobre o solo proporciona significativa supressão de plantas daninhas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de coberturas de inverno e sua época de manejo em reduzir a infestação de plantas daninhas na cultura de milho quando semeada em sucessão. Dois experimentos foram realizados em Canoinhas, SC, nas safras 2003/04 e 2004/05. No primeiro experimento, avaliaram-se seis coberturas de solo no inverno: nabo forrageiro, aveia-preta, centeio, azevém, consórcio entre aveia-preta e ervilhaca e o consórcio entre nabo forrageiro, aveia-preta, centeio, azevém e ervilhaca. Essas coberturas foram roçadas em três épocas antes da semeadura do milho: 1, 10 e 25 dias. Já no segundo experimento, foram avaliados os efeitos de supressão de plantas daninhas pela palha das seis coberturas citadas anteriormente, mais a ervilhaca. As palhas de azevém e do consórcio das cinco espécies utilizadas no experimento apresentaram alta capacidade em suprimir a emergência e o acúmulo de massa seca das plantas daninhas, enquanto a palha de nabo forrageiro apresentou baixo potencial de supressão. O manejo das coberturas próximo à semeadura da cultura de milho reduziu a infestação de plantas daninhas.Straw on the soil significantly reduces weed infestation under the no-tillage system. The aim of this research was to evaluate the potential of winter cover crops and their management timing in reducing weed infestation in maize crop. Two experiments were carried out in Canoinhas, SC, Brazil, in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005. In the first experiment, six winter cover crops were investigated: oilseed radish, black oat, rye, rye grass, intercropped among black oat and common vetch and among oilseed radish, black oat, rye, ryegrass and common vetch. These cover crops were slashed down at three different times before maize seeding (1, 10 and 25 days. In the second experiment, the potential to reduce weed

SPATIAL UNCERTAINTY OF NUTRIENT LOSS BY EROSION IN SUGARCANE HARVESTING SCENARIOS

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Patrícia Gabarra Mendonça

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The assessment of spatial uncertainty in the prediction of nutrient losses by erosion associated with landscape models is an important tool for soil conservation planning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatial and local uncertainty in predicting depletion rates of soil nutrients (P, K, Ca, and Mg by soil erosion from green and burnt sugarcane harvesting scenarios, using sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS. A regular grid with equidistant intervals of 50 m (626 points was established in the 200-ha study area, in Tabapuã, São Paulo, Brazil. The rate of soil depletion (SD was calculated from the relation between the nutrient concentration in the sediments and the chemical properties in the original soil for all grid points. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical and geostatistical analysis. The mean SD rate for all nutrients was higher in the slash-and-burn than the green cane harvest scenario (Student’s t-test, pMg>K>P. The SD rate was highest in areas with greater slope. Lower uncertainties were associated to the areas with higher SD and steeper slopes. Spatial uncertainties were highest for areas of transition between concave and convex landforms.

Dissecting the hematopoietic microenvironment. V: Limitations of repair following damage to the hematopoietic support stroma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolf, N.S.

1982-01-01

Damage and repair of the hematopoietic microenvironment of the spleen was studied using X-irradiation, anoxic necrosis induced by splenic ligation, or a combination of the two, as the destructive agents. Spleen colony number, size and type, /sup 59/Fe uptake, and microscopic study of splenic structure were used as means of assessment. The most severe or least repaired damage was induced by high dose irradiation (4000 r), by 1000 r followed immediately by splenic ligation, and by two successive splenic ligations separated by a 30 day recovery period. It was seen that reduction of CFUlt. slashsub slt. slash lodgment, as measured by f factor, played a very major role in the lesser number of spleen colonies formed after either kind of damage. Following the several treatments, the numbers of spleen colonies formed, their size and their typing as erythrocytic or granulocytic varied independently of each other, suggesting that these functions of the microenvironment, and the cell types responsible for them, are independent of each other. The exhaustion of regenerative capacity displayed by repeatedly ligated spleens suggested a maximal limit for stromal cell replications commensurate with Hayflick's hypothesis.

Impact of Biochar on Earthworm Populations: A Review

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Sharon L. Weyers

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the overwhelming importance of earthworm activity in the soil system, there are a limited number of studies that have examined the impact resulting from biochar addition to soil. Biochar is part of the black carbon continuum of chemo-thermal converted biomass. This review summarizes existing data pertaining to earthworms where biochar and other black carbon substances, including slash-and-burn charcoals and wood ash, have been applied. After analyzing existing studies on black carbon, we identified that these additions have a range from short-term negative impacts to long-term null effects on earthworm population density and total biomass. Documented cases of mortality were found with certain biochar-soil combinations; the cause is not fully understood, but hypothesized to be related to pH, whether the black carbon is premoistened, affects feeding behaviors, or other unknown factors. With wood ashes, negative impacts were overcome with addition of other carbon substrates. Given that field data is limited, soils amended with biochar did not appear to cause significant long-term impacts. However, this may indicate that the magnitude of short-term negative impacts on earthworm populations can be reduced with time.

Ural-Tweed Bighorn Sheep Wildlife Mitigation Project, 1986 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yde, Chris A. (Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Helena, MT); Summerfield, Bob; Young, Lewis (Kootenai National Forest, Libby, MT)

1987-02-01

This report summarizes the results of the project activities from September 1, 1984 to December 31, 1986. To date, habitat treatments have been initiated on eight areas. The treatments include selective slash and burn, prescribed fire and fertilization. Inclement weather precluded the completion of the prescribed burns scheduled during fall 1985 and fall 1986. The lower Stonehill prescribed fire was rescheduled from fall 1985 to spring 1986 with the burn accomplished, producing varied results. Extensive pretreatment vegetative information has been collected from all units scheduled for habitat manipulations. Additionally, future projects have been delineated for other areas frequented by bighorn sheep. Ten adult bighorn sheep (5 ewes and 5 rams) have been fitted with radio transmitters. Systematic aerial and ground surveys were utilized to monitor the movements and seasonal habitat preferences of the instrumented sheep. Age and sex information was gathered whenever possible to aid in the development of a population model, Monthly pallet group collections were initiated in May 1985 to provide samples for 2.6 diaminopimetic acid (DAPA), food habits and lungworm larvae analysis. The majority of the data analysis is ongoing and will be presented in later reports.

Narrative History of the Resistance Screening Center: It’s Origins, Leadership and Partial List of Public Benefits and Scientific Contributions

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Carol Young

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Forty years ago, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA Forest Service developed and currently operates the Resistance Screening Center near Asheville, North Carolina, as a service to both industry and university-based tree improvement programs and tree-seed exporting companies in the southern US, Mexico, and Central America. Seed lots from more than 15,000 selections of slash and loblolly pines have been evaluated for genetically-controlled resistance to fusiform rust and other diseases including pitch canker, dogwood anthracnose, and brown spot needle blight. The screening system uses a greenhouse-based artificial inoculation system with controlled density of inoculum from geographically diverse sources of the rust pathogen. Results are completed in 6–9 months and are reasonably well-correlated with field-based progeny tests. Operating costs of the Center are shared by both the USDA Forest Service and its clients. The technologically sophisticated methods and professional skills of the Center staff have been applied to facilitate and accelerate progress in region-wide timber production, scientific understanding of the fusiform rust pathosystem, and graduate education of forest geneticists and pathologists in universities.

OGJ300

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, R.J.; Biggs, J.B.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on Oil and Gas Journal's list of the largest, publicly traded oil and gas producing companies in the U.S. which is both smaller and larger this year than it was in 1990. It's smaller because it covers fewer companies. Industry consolidation has slashed the number of public companies. As a result, the former OGJ400 has become the OGJ300, which includes the 30 largest limited partnerships. But the assets-ranked list is larger because important financial totals - representing 1990 results - are significantly higher than those of a year ago, despite the lower number of companies. Consolidation of the U.S. producing industry gained momentum throughout the 1980s. Unable to sustain profitability in a period of sluggish energy prices and, for many, rising costs, companies sought relief through mergers or liquidation of producing properties. As this year's list shows, however, surviving companies have managed to grow. Assets for the OGJ300 group totaled $499.3 billion in 1990 - up 6.3% from the 1989 total of last year's OGJ400. Stockholders' equity moved up 5.3% to $170.7 billion. Stockholders' equity was as high as $233.8 billion in 1983

Kevlar® as a Potential Accident Radiation Dosimeter for First Responders, Law Enforcement and Military Personnel.

Science.gov (United States)

Romanyukha, Alexander; Trompier, François; Benevides, Luis A

2016-08-01

Today the armed forces and law enforcement personnel wear body armor, helmets, and flak jackets composed substantially of Kevlar® fiber to prevent bodily injury or death resulting from physical, ballistic, stab, and slash attacks. Therefore, there is a high probability that during a radiation accident or its aftermath, the Kevlar®-composed body armor will be irradiated. Preliminary study with samples of Kevlar® foundation fabric obtained from body armor used by the U.S. Marine Corps has shown that all samples evaluated demonstrated an EPR signal, and this signal increased with radiation dose. Based on these results, the authors predict that, with individual calibration, exposure at dose above 1 Gy can be reliably detected in Kevlar® samples obtained from body armor. As a result of these measurements, a post-event reconstruction of exposure dose can be obtained by taking various samples throughout the armor body and helmet worn by the same irradiated individual. The doses can be used to create a whole-body dose map that would be of vital importance in a case of a partial body or heterogeneous exposure.

Methods for short-term control of Imperata grass in Peruvian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbynek Polesny

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The traditional control of Imperata brasiliensis grasslands used by farmers in the Peruvian Amazon is to burn the grass. The objective of this study was to compare different methods of short-term control. Biological, mechanical, chemical and traditional methods of control were compared. Herbicide spraying and manual weeding have shown to be very effective in reducing above- and below-ground biomass growth in the first 45 days after slashing the grass, with effects persisting in the longer term, but both are expensive methods. Shading seems to be less effective in the short-term, whereas it influences the Imperata growth in the longer term. After one year shading, glyphosate application and weeding significantly reduced aboveground biomass by 94, 67 and 53%; and belowground biomass by 76, 65 and 58%, respectively, compared to control. We also found a significant decrease of Imperata rhizomes in soil during time under shading. Burning has proved to have no significant effect on Imperata growth. The use of shade trees in a kind of agroforestry system could be a suitable method for small farmers to control Imperata grasslands.

Pratique et perception paysannes dans la création de parc agroforestier dans le terroir de Vipalogo (Burkina Faso

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Traoré D.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Farmer’s practices and perception in agroforestry park creating in Vipalogo area (Burkina Faso. In order to understand farmers’ practices and perceptions in new agroforestry park creating after fallows, a study has been conducted in Vipalogo area in Burkina Faso. During this study, 14 homesteads including fallows which need to be cleared have been identified. On those fallows, ligneous species have been listed before and after clearing. Sylvicultural practices have been noticed as well as reasons that justify the willingness to preserve or to destroy a species, while clearing. This monitoring has shown that from total ligneous potential in the fallow, 11.7% was preserved, giving a density of 60 plants ha-1. As for diversity, 60 species have been registered in the fallows and 41 kept in the park. Slashing and burning are the main sylvicultural practices applied. The preserved species are essentially for food and local medicines. As for the new Park structure, there is a great dominance of individuals with small diameter, which show the willingness to rejuvenate the Park. Some individuals from the old Park were also preserved to satisfy immediate needs in fruits, seed and shade.

Quinault Indian Nation Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardenas, Jesus [American Community Enrichment, Elma, WA (United States)

2015-03-31

The overall purposes of the Quinault Indian Nation’s Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project were to: (1) Identify and confirm community and tribal energy needs; (2) Conducting an inventory of sustainable biomass feedstock availability; (3) Development of a biomass energy vision statement with goals and objectives; (4) Identification and assessment of biomass options for both demand-side and supply side that are viable to the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN); and (5) Developing a long-term biomass strategy consistent with the long-term overall energy goals of the QIN. This Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project is consistent with the QIN’s prior two-year DOE Renewable Energy Study from 2004 through 2006. That study revealed that the most viable options to the QIN’s renewable energy options were biomass and energy efficiency best practices. QIN's Biomass Strategic Planning Project is focused on using forest slash in chipped form as feedstock for fuel pellet manufacturing in support of a tribal biomass heating facility. This biomass heating facility has been engineered and designed to heat existing tribal facilities as well as tribal facilities currently being planned including a new K-12 School.

Fabrication, Tuning, Treatment and Testing of Two 3.5 Cell Photo-Injector Cavities for the ELBE Linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, A.; Murcek, P.; Teichert, J.; Xiang, R.; Eremeev, G. V.; Kneisel, P.; Stirbet, M.; Turlington, L.

2011-01-01

As part of a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) between Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Thomas Jefferson Lab National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) we have fabricated and tested two 1.3 GHz 3.5 cell photo-injector cavities from polycrystalline RRR niobium and large grain RRR niobium, respectively. The cavity with the better performance will replace the presently used injector cavity in the ELBE linac. The cavities have been fabricated and pre-tuned at TJNAF, while the more sophisticated final field tuning, the adjustment of the external couplings and the field profile measurement of transverse electric modes for RF focusing was done at HZDR. The following standard surface treatment and the vertical test was carried out at TJNAF's production facilities. A major challenge turned out to be the rinsing of the cathode cell, which has small opening (O-slash10mm) to receive the cathode stalk. Another unexpected problem encountered after etching, since large visible defects appeared in the least accessible cathode cell. This contribution reports about our experiences, initial results and the on-going diagnostic work to understand and fix the problems

Investigating the Impact of Convergent vs. Divergent Assessment on ESL Students’ Anxiety and Test Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azar Saeedi Nasab

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Language assessment with its eye-catching nature, casts its spell on many researchers, spurring on them to study its telling role in different arenas. The present study with a closer look to the realm, keeps one eye on two fresh approaches in assessment, namely convergent and divergent, and the other one on anxiety in a bid to slash its negative impact on students’ performance. The researchers resort to a correlational method with Ex Post Facto design, along with different tests, to forward the foregoing aim; discovering and appraising the degree of relationship stands between the two variables. Analyzing data gathered in this hybrid research on 55 young Iranian male and female students in two schools, located in United Arab Emirates (UAE, the researchers reaped findings which bore witness to the main proposed hypotheses, illustrating that divergent assessment (DA was more effective in reducing learners’ test anxiety level in comparison with convergent assessment (CA which, in turn, led up to better performance in the participants. Some implications for EFL teachers, to include the similar strategies in their lesson plan, offered at the very end which is followed by proposing some new horizons for further studies and investigations.

Canadian oilsands, heavy oil poised for surge in development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

Operators in Canada's oilsands and heavy oil regions are on the brink of a period of growth that could last well into the next century. Several factors are combining in a scenario a National Task Force report on oilsands says could dramatically increase investment and production in the next 25 years. By then, massive oilsands and heavy oil reserves in northern Alberta could account for as much as 50%--perhaps more--of Canada's oil production. Technological improvements in recovery and processing have slashed production costs and put nonconventional oil on a more competitive footing with declining reserves of conventional crude in western Canada. At the same time, persistent lobbying by industry and a well researched national study have persuaded federal and provincial governments to introduce a new royalty and fiscal regime designed to bolster oilsands investment. New policies give clear incentives to investors to put money into oilsands and heavy oil projects. Policies also will provide a generic tax treatment for all new projects, long a major objective of oilsands promoters. Previously, royalty and tax agreements were negotiated for project case by case. This paper reviews the resource base and the new operational developments resulting from these policies

Rill erosion in burned and salvage logged western montane forests: Effects of logging equipment type, traffic level, and slash treatment

Science.gov (United States)

J. W. Wagenbrenner; P. R. Robichaud; R. E. Brown

2016-01-01

Following wildfires, forest managers often consider salvage logging burned trees to recover monetary value of timber, reduce fuel loads, or to meet other objectives. Relatively little is known about the cumulative hydrologic effects of wildfire and subsequent timber harvest using logging equipment. We used controlled rill experiments in logged and unlogged (control)...

Collaborative effort in Washington state slashes non-essential use of the ED by Medicaid patients, delivering millions in projected savings.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

Early data suggest a coordinated, state-wide effort has reduced non-essential use of the ED by 10% among Medicaid recipients in Washington state, and is projected to save the state an estimated $31 million in the first year of the approach. The effort includes the adoption of seven best practices by hospitals across the state.These include the creation of an Emergency Department Information Exchange, so that EDs can immediately access a patient's utilization history, strict narcotic prescribing guidelines, and regular feedback reports to hospitals regarding ED utilization patterns. The effort was prompted by threats by the state legislature to limit Medicaid payments for ED visits deemed not medically necessary in the emergency setting. The legislature backed down when emergency physicians in the state countered with their own proposal to reduce nonessential use of the ED. They worked with other health care groups in the state to develop the plan. Data on the first six months of the effort are included in a report to the state legislature by the Washington State Health Care Authority. Among the findings are a 23% reduction in ED visits among Medicaid recipients with five or more visits, a 250% increase in providers who have registered with the state's Prescription Monitoring Program, aimed at identifying patients with narcotic-seeking behavior, and a doubling in the number of shared care plans, intended to improve care coordination. Emergency providers say big challenges remain, including a need for more resources for patients with mental health and dental care needs.

pH sensitivity of Swedish forest streams related to catchment characteristics and geographical location - Implications for forest bioenergy harvest and ash return

Science.gov (United States)

Ågren, Anneli; Löfgren, Stefan

2013-04-01

Whole-tree harvesting acidifies forest soils more than conventional harvest of stems. There is concern that this excess acidification will also affect surface waters and counteract the well-documented recovery from acid deposition in streams and lakes. Here we present a first attempt to identify the landscape types within Sweden where the streams are most sensitive to acidification and potentially in need of protection from excessive biomass harvest or countermeasures such as ash application. Conservative estimates indicate that forest slash must be harvested from >30 ha to produce the amount of ash needed to restore 1 ha acidified surface water. This highlights the need for careful planning of where ash should be distributed. Streams with a high pH are well buffered by the bicarbonate system and not sensitive to a potential pH decline. Streams with a low pH are also well buffered by dissolved organic carbon and aluminum and are not likely affected by bioenergy harvest. However, streams in the intermediate pH range (5-6.2) are potentially sensitive to acidification from excess base cation removal due to whole-tree harvesting. In such streams a small change in acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) can change pH dramatically. The pH sensitivity of 218 streams in different regions (northern, central, southern, and southwest Sweden) was defined from stream water pH and related to catchment characteristics and stream water acid-base chemistry. At the national level, catchments with till soils and a large proportion of forested wetlands formed the most pH sensitive areas. Because of regional variability in acidification history, amount and distribution of quaternary deposits, vegetation cover, etc. pH sensitivity was determined by different landscape elements in different regions. For example, in northern Sweden streams draining forest mires were the most pH sensitive streams. The patchy spatial distribution of this landscape type, makes it difficult from an administrative

Towards a universal sampling protocol for soil biotas in the humid tropics Em direção a um protocolo universal de amostragem de biotas do solo nos trópicos úmidos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Edward Bignell

2009-08-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the methods for the inventory of below-ground biotas in the humid tropics, to document the (hypothesized loss of soil biodiversity associated with deforestation and agricultural intensification at forest margins. The biotas were grouped into eight categories, each of which corresponded to a major functional group considered important or essential to soil function. An accurate inventory of soil organisms can assist in ecosystem management and help sustain agricultural production. The advantages and disadvantages of transect-based and grid-based sampling methods are discussed, illustrated by published protocols ranging from the original "TSBF transect", through versions developed for the alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Project (ASB to the final schemes (with variants adopted by the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Below-ground Biodiversity Project (CSM-BGBD. Consideration is given to the place and importance of replication in below-ground biological sampling and it is argued that the new sampling protocols are inclusive, i.e. designed to sample all eight biotic groups in the same field exercise; spatially scaled, i.e. provide biodiversity data at site, locality, landscape and regional levels, and link the data to land use and land cover; and statistically robust, as shown by a partial randomization of plot locations for sampling.Este trabalho faz uma revisão dos métodos de inventariado da biota edáfica nos trópicos úmidos para documentar a (hipotética perda de biodiversidade do solo associada ao desmatamento e à intensificação agrícola nas margens de florestas. A biota foi agrupada em oito categorias, cada uma correspondente a um grande grupo funcional considerado importante ou essencial para a função do solo. Um inventário cuidadoso dos organismos do solo pode auxiliar a gestão de ecossistemas e a sustentabilidade da produção agrícola. As vantagens e desvantagens de métodos de amostragem baseados em

How Tightly Linked Are Pericopsis elata (Fabaceae Patches to Anthropogenic Disturbances in Southeastern Cameroon?

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Nils Bourland

2015-01-01

Full Text Available While most past studies have emphasized the relationships between specific forest stands and edaphic factors, recent observations in Central African moist forests suggested that an increase of slash-and-burn agriculture since 3000–2000 BP (Before Present could be the main driver of the persistence of light-demanding tree species. In order to examine anthropogenic factors in the persistence of such populations, our study focused on Pericopsis elata, an endangered clustered timber species. We used a multidisciplinary approach comprised of botanical, anthracological and archaeobotanical investigations to compare P. elata patches with surrounding stands of mixed forest vegetation (“out-zones”. Charcoal samples were found in both zones, but were significantly more abundant in the soils of patches. Eleven groups of taxa were identified from the charcoals, most of them also present in the current vegetation. Potsherds were detected only inside P. elata patches and at different soil depths, suggesting a long human presence from at least 2150 to 195 BP, as revealed by our charcoal radiocarbon dating. We conclude that current P. elata patches most likely result from shifting cultivation that occurred ca. two centuries ago. The implications of our findings for the dynamics and management of light-demanding tree species are discussed.

'Nikkei Global Environment Technology Prize' awarded to the joint research group on regeneration of tropical forest; Nettairin saisei kyodo kenkyu ga 'Nikkei chikyu kankyo gijutsusho' wo jusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watanabe, T. [Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc., Osaka (Japan)

1998-11-10

The tropical forest regeneration technology research group of Kansai Electric Power Company and Kansai Environment Center has been performing the research and development of tropical forest regeneration technology jointly with Indonesia since fiscal 1992. The group was awarded with the Global Environment Technology Prize from Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. As a result of stringent examination on 97 applications, being two times as many as in usual years, the group received high evaluation on the originality, reality and possibility of proliferation of its research, and impacts given to the societies. Two other groups were also selected. The achievements were reported by the representative of the group in the award commemoration lecture at the global environment economist summit held by the Nikkei press the same day. Conventionally, afforestation done with considerable efforts has often been lost by forest fires and slash-and-burn farming, whereas the present research aims at establishing a comprehensive afforestation technology considering social and economic aspects, and CO2 fixation. As one of the choices of flexible measures as a result of the effect of forests having been recognized in COP3, frameworks for utilizing the mechanisms of joint implementation and clean resource development were introduced. Ever increasing expectations are placed on the achievements of the present research works. (NEDO)

Interaction between Rural People’s Basic Needs and Forest Products: A Case Study of the Katha District of Myanmar

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Zar Chi Hlaing

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The understanding of interaction between rural people and forest products is one of the challenges faced while balancing forest product utilization with forest conservation in Myanmar. This study aims to contribute an effort to such challenges by analyzing the interaction of rural households with forest products in Myanmar. Data were collected using face-to-face questionnaire interviews with 218 households and conducting a rapid tree inventory across 132 circular random plots in selected rural communities around four townships of the Katha District. The empirical results indicate that the 95% of rural households were entirely dependent on forest products. The survey documented 13 main forest products and 54 tree species, which were primarily used for household consumption. Low-income households compared with medium- and high-income households with low educational level (p<0.05 and a small agricultural land area (p<0.05 were found to be more forest-dependent households. Illegal logging, mining, fuel-wood collection, slash-and-burn agriculture, and the establishment of forest plantations were reported as the main causes of forest products depletion. Findings from this study, although at a microlevel, can be used by the Myanmar Forestry Department as baseline information to improve community-based forest management activities.

Vine maple (Acer circinatum) clone growth and reproduction in managed and unmanaged coastal Oregon douglas-fir forests

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dea, Mary E.; Zasada, John C.; Tappeiner, John C.

1995-01-01

Vine maple (Acer circinatum Pursh.) clone development, expansion, and regeneration by seedling establishment were studied in 5-240 yr old managed and unmanaged Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands in coastal Oregon. Stem length, number of stems, and crown area were all significantly (P @10 m long and basal sprouts 1-2 m long; some stems had been pinned to the forest floor by fallen trees or branches and had layered. In stands >120 yr in age, clones were often quite complex, composed of several decumbent stems each of which connected the ramets of 1-10 new aerial stems. Vine maple clone expansion occurs by the layering of long aerial stems. Over 95% of the layered stems we observed had been pinned to the forest floor by fallen debris. Unsevered stems that we artificially pinned to the forest floor initiated roots within 1 yr. Thinning may favor clonal expansion because fallen slash from thinning often causes entire clones to layer, not just individual stems. Clonal vine maple seed production and seedling establishment occurred in all stages of stand development except dense, young stands following crown closure. There were more seedlings in thinned stands than in unthinned stands and in unburned clearcuts than in burned clearcuts.

Implications of changes in tropical shifting cultivation intensification on land productivity and GHG-related biogeochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Bustier, Bernard; Ngoy, Alfred; Pietsch, Stephan; Mosnier, Aline

2017-04-01

Traditional shifting cultivation used to be a sustainable type of land use for the subsistence of populations in tropical rainforests. The vast resource of moist tropical forests together with low population densities allowed for long fallow periods on sparsely distributed slash and burn parcels with large areas of untouched forest in between. Population growth and concomitant increase in land demand for subsistence as well as increasing infrastructure development for commercial forestry, cash crops and mining, however, altered the picture over recent decades. As a result, fallow periods were reduced due to lack of pristine land. In this study we use field data and modeling results from the Congo Basin to assess the impacts of reduced fallow periods on Carbon sequestration dynamics using a BGC model calibrated and validated with > 150 research plots distributed over the western Congo Basin and representing different management and land use histories. We find that the average carbon sequestration rate reduces over the number of cultivation cycles and that a reduction of the fallow from 10 years to 7 years reduce the average carbon sequestration between 13 and 21% and from 7 years to 4 years between 23 and 29% depending on soil fertility. Results will be discussed in the context of population growth and changes in environmetal conditions.

Drive Cost Reduction, Increase Innovation and Mitigate Risk with Advanced Knowledge Discovery Tools Designed to Unlock and Leverage Prior Knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, I.

2016-01-01

Full text: The nuclear industry is knowledge-intensive and includes a diverse number of stakeholders. Much of this knowledge is at risk as engineers, technicians and project professionals retire, leaving a widening skills and information gap. This knowledge is critical in an increasingly complex environment with information from past projects often buried in decades-old, non-integrated systems enterprise. Engineers can spend 40% or more of their time searching for answers across the enterprise instead of solving problems. The inability to access trusted industry knowledge results in increased risk and expense. Advanced knowledge discovery technologies slash research times by as much as 75% and accelerate innovation and problem solving by giving technical professionals access to the information they need, in the context of the problems they are trying to solve. Unlike traditional knowledge management approaches, knowledge discovery tools powered by semantic search technologies are adept at uncovering answers in unstructured data and require no tagging, organization or moving of data, meaning a smaller IT footprint and faster time-to-knowledge. This session will highlight best-in-class knowledge discovery technologies, content, and strategies to give nuclear industry organizations the ability to leverage the corpus of enterprise knowledge into the future. (author

Argentina's chemical makers seek government support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salles, F.

1993-01-01

Argentina's chemical industry association, Camara de la Industria Quimica y Petroquimica (CIQYP; Buenos Aires), has started negotiations with the government aiming to stem industry-wide losses, which reached $236 million during the past 18 months. CIQYP blames the poor performance on worldwide over-supply and falling prices, which have curbed exports, and low tariffs, which have spurred imports. It is calling for higher import tariffs and export incentives. The talks will also focus on a possible bond issue that would support companies willing to restructure and modernize operations. The main factor hindering competitiveness is what CIQYP president Alejandro Achaval calls Argentinean cost, including high energy costs, high provincial and federal taxes, and high financing charges. Since 1988, the industry has cut prices by 30%, formed mergers and joint ventures, closed 11 plants and started five new ones, slashed the workforce by 27%, and engaged in the government's privatization program. Meanwhile, plans to privatize 64% of aromatics producer Petroquimica General Mosconi(PGM) were derailed when potential bidders Diamond Shamrock, Shell, and Perez Companc refused for the second time to make offers on February 2. Jorge Olazabal, planning secretary of the Ministry of Defense, says PGM will be put up for sale again by March

Comparison of satellite imagery from LISS-III/Resourcesat-1 and TM/Landsat 5 to estimate stand-level timber volume

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elias Fernando Berra

2017-01-01

Full Text Available After Landsat 5 activities were discontinued, sensors on board ResourceSat-1 satellite have been pointed as an option for Landsat series. The aim of this study is to estimate timber volume from a slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. stand using images from both LISS-III/ResourceSat-1 and TM/Landsat 5 sensors, cross comparing their performances. Reflectance values from the four spectral bands considered equivalent for both sensors were compared regarding sensitivity to changes in timber volume. Trends were similar, with direct relationship in the near-infrared bands and inverse relationships in the visible and mid-infrared bands. Significant differences were only found in the equivalent band of green. Multiple linear regressions were used to select spectral bands that would better explain variations in timber volume. The best fit equations for each sensor were inverted to generate maps of timber volume, estimates which were compared at pixel and stand level. None of the scales showed significant differences between estimates generated from the two sensors. We concluded that LISS-III and TM have generally very similar performance for monitoring timber volume, and LISS-III could therefore be potentially used as a complement or substitute to Landsat series.

Fiscal 1997 report on the feasibility survey of Japan`s cooperation into energy/environment related fields in Asian countries; 1997 nendo chosa hokokusho (Asia shokoku ni okeru energy kankyo kanren bun`ya eno kyoryoku kanosei chosa)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

A survey was made to study possibilities of Japan`s cooperation in tackling energy/environment problems in Asian countries. In 1995 the GNP growth rate was 2.6% in the world, while it was 7.9% in Asia showing a rapid growth. With the accelerating industrialization and urbanization, energy demand is now over three times as much as that in the 1980s. This means increases in waste and environmental pollution. Especially, the use of firewood in non-electrified areas is a serious problem the same as the slash-and-burn farming and deforestation. Also relating to the production of electric power, it is inevitable to choose hydroelectric power and renewable energy in addition to fossil fuels. Therefore, the necessity is heightening of various technologies for it and environmental protection technologies such as coal cleaning. Local areas, where the population density is extremely low and the electrification cost is high, became victims of elecrification. There the power system should be shifted from the central supply system to the local distributed one. For it, it is necessary to recognize an importance of the distributed type renewable energy which is friendly to the environment. The paper outlined the state of each country and energy by policy and environment. 10 figs., 83 tabs.

Data set on the effects of conifer control and slash burning on soil carbon, total N, organic matter and extractable micro-nutrients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan D. Bates

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Conifer control in sagebrush steppe of the western United States causes various levels of site disturbance influencing vegetation recovery and resource availability. The data set presented in this article include growing season availability of soil micronutrients and levels of total soil carbon, organic matter, and N spanning a six year period following western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis reduction by mechanical cutting and prescribed fire of western juniper woodlands in southeast Oregon. These data can be useful to further evaluate the impacts of conifer woodland reduction to soil resources in sagebrush steppe plant communities.

Jockeying for position : how the proposed pipeline projects and route-on-route competition are shaping up in the Arctic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andre, H.

2003-01-01

This presentation included a brief historical look at pipeline proposals submitted over the years to bring Alaska and Northwest Territories gas to market. The challenges facing the early proponents of a pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to the Mackenzie Delta, such as cost, environmental impact and socio-economic impact on Aboriginals living in the Mackenzie Valley, have now been removed. Lobbying efforts by politicians in Alaska nearly succeeded in forcing an Alaska Highway gas pipeline, instead of letting market economics dictate the route. The author indicated that an Alaska pipeline would not benefit the Canadian natural gas industry, rather it would force production from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) to be slashed, resulting in reduced drilling and lower royalties to government. The author suggested that Canada should not grant any permit to construct a pipeline in Canada that is destined for markets in the contiguous United States if the pipeline was in any way subsidized to disadvantage Canadian producers. The author explained why the proposal to build a standalone pipeline in the Mackenzie Valley before the Alaska Highway pipeline is not a good idea. Gas prices and pipeline tolls are the most important economic elements. The author expressed the opinion that the over the top route combined with the Mackenzie Valley route would be beneficial to both Canada and the United States for a host of reasons. figs

Fire as a Factor of Variation of Soil Respiration in Amazonia of Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Suarez, L.; Kruijt, B.

2007-05-01

Severe changes are affecting the role of Amazonia in the Earth system. One of these possible effects could be the modification of the relevance of soil in the carbon cycle. In this sense, fire is an important factor for mobilizing C from the soil to the atmosphere, mainly as CO2. This could have an important effect in the global warming. Our proposal will evaluate the variation of the soil respiration related to the seasonality and the fire effects on soils in the Amazonia of Peru and Brasil. In experimental parcels of four locations of Peru with different vegetation cover (forest and pasture), we will measure soil respiration along with the organic carbon and the microbial biomass of soils during campaigns of wet and dry seasons, with complementary measurements of soil temperature, water and nutrient content. Also, we will reproduce a fire experiment simulating local activity of "slash and burn" to evaluate fire effects. Measurements will be taken after the soil cooled and 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days after the fire. Additionally, the carbon stock of the subparcels will be evaluated. Evaluation of the variations of CO2 fluxes and the capacity of adaptation to fire and water content will be done through the comparisons of the different locations, type of soils and concentration of available N as an indicator of nutrient content.

Conversion of traditional cropland into teak plantations strongly increased soil erosion in montane catchments of Southeastern Asia (Northern Laos; 2002-2014)

Science.gov (United States)

Evrard, O.; Ribolzi, O.; Huon, S.; de Rouw, A.; Silvera, N.; Latsachack, K. O.; Soulileuth, B.; Lefèvre, I.; Pierret, A.; Lacombe, G.; Sengtaheuanghoung, O.; Valentin, C.

2017-12-01

Soil erosion delivers an excessive quantity of sediment to rivers of Southeastern Asia. Land use is rapidly changing in this region of the world, and these modifications may further accelerate soil erosion in this area. Although the conversion of forests into cropland has often been investigated, much fewer studies have addressed the replacement of traditional slash-and-burn cultivation systems with commercial perennial monocultures such as teak plantations. The current research investigated the impact of this land use change on the hydrological response and the sediment yields from a representative catchment of Northern Laos (Houay Pano, 0.6 km²) where long-term monitoring (2002-2014) was conducted (http://msec.obs-mip.fr/). The results showed a significant growth in the overland flow contribution to stream flow (from 16 to 31%). Furthermore, sediment yields strongly increased from 98 to 609 Mg km-2. These changes illustrate the severity of soil erosion processes occurring under teak plantations characterized by the virtual absence of understorey vegetation to dissipate raindrop energy, which facilitates the formation of an impermeable surface crust. This counter-intuitive increase of soil erosion generated by afforestation reflects the difficulty to find sustainable production solutions for the local populations of Southeastern Asia. To reduce soil loss under teak plantations, the development of extensive agro-forestry practices could be promoted.

High energy photoproduction of the rho and rho' vector mesons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bronstein, J.M.

1977-01-01

In an experiment in the broad band photon beam at Fermilab diffractive production of 2π + and 4π +- states from Be, Al, Cu, and Pb targets was observed. The 2π + data are dominated by the rho(770) and the 4π +- is dominated by the rho'(1500). The energy dependence of rho photoproduction from Be was measured, and no evidence was seen for energy variation of the forward cross section in the range 30 to 160 GeV. The forward cross section is consistent with its average value d sigma/dtlt. slash 0 = 3.42 +- 0.28 μb/GeV 2 over the entire range. For the /sub rho'// a mass of 1487 +- 20 MeV and a width of 675 +- 60 MeV are obtained. All quoted errors are statistical. A standard optical model analysis of the A dependence of the rho and rho'/ photoproduction yields the following results. f/sub rho'/ 2 /f/sub rho/ 2 = 3.7 +- 0.7, sigma /sub rho'//sigma /sub rho/ = 1.05 +- 0.18. Results for the photon coupling constants are in good agreement with GVMD and with the e + e - storage ring results. The approximate equality of the rho-nucleon and rho'-nucleon total cross sections is inconsistent with the diagonal version of GVMD and provides strong motivation for including transitions between different vector mesons in GVMD

Assessing women's lacrosse head impacts using finite element modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, J Michio; Hoshizaki, T Blaine; Gilchrist, Michael D

2018-04-01

Recently studies have assessed the ability of helmets to reduce peak linear and rotational acceleration for women's lacrosse head impacts. However, such measures have had low correlation with injury. Maximum principal strain interprets loading curves which provide better injury prediction than peak linear and rotational acceleration, especially in compliant situations which create low magnitude accelerations but long impact durations. The purpose of this study was to assess head and helmet impacts in women's lacrosse using finite element modelling. Linear and rotational acceleration loading curves from women's lacrosse impacts to a helmeted and an unhelmeted Hybrid III headform were input into the University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model. The finite element model was used to calculate maximum principal strain in the cerebrum. The results demonstrated for unhelmeted impacts, falls and ball impacts produce higher maximum principal strain values than stick and shoulder collisions. The strain values for falls and ball impacts were found to be within the range of concussion and traumatic brain injury. The results also showed that men's lacrosse helmets reduced maximum principal strain for follow-through slashing, falls and ball impacts. These findings are novel and demonstrate that for high risk events, maximum principal strain can be reduced by implementing the use of helmets if the rules of the sport do not effectively manage such situations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

a Test to Prove Cloud Whitening THEORY!

Science.gov (United States)

Buttram, J. W.

2011-12-01

Climate science researchers believe our planet can possibly tolerate twice the present carbon dioxide levels with no upwards temperature change, IF we could increase the amount of energy reflected back out into space by about 2.0%. (c)Cloudtec basically alters a blend of seawater and applies heat derived from magma to it at a temperature exceeding 2,000 degrees F. The interaction of seawater and magma displaces the oxygen, causing the volume of water to vaporize and expand over 4,000 times - transforming billions of tons of seawater into thousands of cubic miles of white, maritime, stratocumulus clouds to reflect the incident Sun's rays back out into space. A 6 month test to prove Cloud Whitening Theory will cost 6 million dollars. (No profit added.) This study will enable everyone on the planet with a computer the transparency to use satellite imagery and check out for themselves - if and when Cloud Whitening is occurring. If Cloud Whitening Theory is validated, (c)Cloudtec's innovation can strategically create the clouds we need to reflect the Sun's rays back out into space and help neutralize the projected 3.6 degrees F rise in temperature. Based on reasonable calculations of anthropogenic global warming: this one move alone would be comparable to slashing global carbon dioxide emissions by over 60% over the next 40 years.

The effect of Piper aduncum invasion on soil in tropical ecosystems of Papua New Guinea

Science.gov (United States)

Kukla, Jaroslav; Frouz, Jan

2017-04-01

Piper aduncum is successful Neotropical invasive species in Papua New Guinea. Despite its interaction with aboveground part of ecosystem has been extensively studied little is known about its effect on soil. Here we report two studies, in first we compare soil chemistry and soil biota in sites invaded and non-invaded by P. aduncum near Wanang village. In other study we use benefit of previous experiment when P. aduncum was experimentally removed near Ohu village. Here we compare soil chemistry and chemistry of plant leaves growing in garden originating by slashing and burning two adjacent patches with and without P. aduncum. Soil under P. aduncum had significantly less phosphorus in 0-5 cm soil layer and less nitrates, nitrogen and carbon in 5-10 cm soil layer than soil in old gardens uninvaded by P. aduncum. P. aduncum soil also harbors fewer microfloras than uninvaded soil as shown by PLFA analysis. No difference was found in fauna communities. Gardens created on patches where old P. aduncum was removed did not differ in soil chemistry from plots which were overgrown by P. aduncum, but leaves of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) in gardens where P. aduncum was previously removed contained more nitrogen. Results suggest that P. aduncum invasion may affect some chemical and microbial properties in invaded soil. P. aduncum has negative effect on traditional shifting agriculture.

Evaluation of the FEERv1.0 Global Top-Down Biomass Burning Emissions Inventory over Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Ellison, L.; Ichoku, C. M.

2014-12-01

With the advent of the Fire Energetics and Emissions Research (FEER) global top-down biomass burning emissions product from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, a subsequent effort is going on to analyze and evaluate some of the main (particulate and gaseous) constituents of this emissions inventory against other inventories of biomass burning emissions over the African continent. There is consistent and continual burning during the dry season in NSSA of many small slash-and-burn fires that, though may be relatively small fires individually, collectively contribute 20-25% of the global total carbon emissions from biomass burning. As a top-down method of estimating biomass-burning emissions, FEERv1.0 is able to yield higher and more realistic emissions than previously obtainable using bottom-up methods. Results of such comparisons performed in detail over Africa will be discussed in this presentation. This effort is carried out in conjunction with a NASA-funded interdisciplinary research project investigating the effects of biomass burning on the regional climate system in Northern Sub-Saharan Africa (NSSA). Essentially, that project aims to determine how fires may have affected the severe droughts that plagued the NSSA region in recent history. Therefore, it is imperative that the biomass burning emissions input data over Africa be as accurate as possible in order to obtain a confident understanding of their interactions and feedbacks with the hydrological cycle in NSSA.

Human used upper montane ecosystem in the Horton Plains, central Sri Lanka - a link to Lateglacial and early Holocene climate and environmental changes

Science.gov (United States)

Premathilake, Rathnasiri

2012-09-01

This study utilizes radiocarbon-dated pollen, spores, Sphagnum spp. macrofossils and total organic carbon proxies to examine variability of past climate, environment and human activity in montane rainforest, grassland and wetland of the Horton Plains (HP), central Sri Lanka since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The LGM is largely characterized by grasslands and xerophytic herbs dominated open habitats. Arid-LGM punctuated climatic ameliorations, which took place in short episodes. Humans appear to have reached the HP ecosystem after 18,000 cal yrs BP occasionally. The first Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) induced changes in South West Monsoon (SWM) rains occurred at low latitudes between 16,200 and 15,900 cal yrs BP suggesting an onset of monsoon rains. After this event, monsoon rains weakened for several millennia except the period 13,700-13,000 cal yrs BP, but human activity seems to have continued with biomass burning and clearances by slash and burn. Very large size grass pollen grains, which are morphologically similar to pollen from closer forms of Oryza nivara, were found after 13,800 cal yrs BP. Early Holocene extreme and abrupt climate changes seem to have promoted the forms of O. nivara populations in association with humans. New data from the HP would therefore be most interesting to investigate the dispersal and use of domesticated rice in South Asia.

Rubber Plantation Expansion Related Land Use Change along the Laos-China Border Region

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Xiaona Liu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Spatial-temporal changes of land use and land cover in Luang Namtha Province in northern part of Laos was analyzed using Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper/ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper images from 1990 to 2010 since the opening of the Boten border adjacent to China. The results showed that: (1 “forest land—cultivated land—grassland” was the primary landscape structure. Woodland was the major land cover type, while paddy field was the dominant land use type replaced by rubber plantation in 2010; (2 since the opening of the border crossings in 1994, the rate and intensity of land use change were accelerated and enhanced gradually, especially in the recent decade. Woodland decreased significantly, while shrubland, rubber plantation and swidden land increased obviously. Rubber plantation and swidden land showed the fastest growth derived from woodland and shrubland, indicating continuous human activities and slash-and-burn farming; and (3 during 1990–2010, swidden land was mainly located in northern mountainous areas with frequently increased changing spatial distribution in the recent decade. Rubber plantation was mainly distributed in the border region of China and Laos with the expansion from the border region into the non-frontier of Laos with Luang Namtha City as the center. Woodland reduction was so obvious along the Kunming-Bangkok highway.

Biomass resources in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiangco, V.M.; Sethi, P.S. [California Energy Commission, Sacramento, CA (United States)

1993-12-31

The biomass resources in California which have potential for energy conversion were assessed and characterized through the project funded by the California Energy Commission and the US Department of Energy`s Western Regional Biomass Energy Program (WRBEP). The results indicate that there is an abundance of biomass resources as yet untouched by the industry due to technical, economic, and environmental problems, and other barriers. These biomass resources include residues from field and seed crops, fruit and nut crops, vegetable crops, and nursery crops; food processing wastes; forest slash; energy crops; lumber mill waste; urban wood waste; urban yard waste; livestock manure; and chaparral. The estimated total potential of these biomass resource is approximately 47 million bone dry tons (BDT), which is equivalent to 780 billion MJ (740 trillion Btu). About 7 million BDT (132 billion MJ or 124 trillion Btu) of biomass residue was used for generating electricity by 66 direct combustion facilities with gross capacity of about 800 MW. This tonnage accounts for only about 15% of the total biomass resource potential identified in this study. The barriers interfering with the biomass utilization both in the on-site harvesting, collection, storage, handling, transportation, and conversion to energy are identified. The question whether these barriers present significant impact to biomass {open_quotes}availability{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}sustainability{close_quotes} remains to be answered.

Tropical land use land cover mapping in Pará (Brazil) using discriminative Markov random fields and multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data

Science.gov (United States)

Hagensieker, Ron; Roscher, Ribana; Rosentreter, Johannes; Jakimow, Benjamin; Waske, Björn

2017-12-01

Remote sensing satellite data offer the unique possibility to map land use land cover transformations by providing spatially explicit information. However, detection of short-term processes and land use patterns of high spatial-temporal variability is a challenging task. We present a novel framework using multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data and machine learning techniques, namely discriminative Markov random fields with spatio-temporal priors, and import vector machines, in order to advance the mapping of land cover characterized by short-term changes. Our study region covers a current deforestation frontier in the Brazilian state Pará with land cover dominated by primary forests, different types of pasture land and secondary vegetation, and land use dominated by short-term processes such as slash-and-burn activities. The data set comprises multi-temporal TerraSAR-X imagery acquired over the course of the 2014 dry season, as well as optical data (RapidEye, Landsat) for reference. Results show that land use land cover is reliably mapped, resulting in spatially adjusted overall accuracies of up to 79% in a five class setting, yet limitations for the differentiation of different pasture types remain. The proposed method is applicable on multi-temporal data sets, and constitutes a feasible approach to map land use land cover in regions that are affected by high-frequent temporal changes.

Redefining Secondary Forests in the Mexican Forest Code: Implications for Management, Restoration, and Conservation

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Francisco J. Román-Dañobeytia

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The Mexican Forest Code establishes structural reference values to differentiate between secondary and old-growth forests and requires a management plan when secondary forests become old-growth and potentially harvestable forests. The implications of this regulation for forest management, restoration, and conservation were assessed in the context of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, which is located in the Yucatan Peninsula. The basal area and stem density thresholds currently used by the legislation to differentiate old-growth from secondary forests are 4 m2/ha and 15 trees/ha (trees with a diameter at breast height of >25 cm; however, our research indicates that these values should be increased to 20 m2/ha and 100 trees/ha, respectively. Given that a management plan is required when secondary forests become old-growth forests, many landowners avoid forest-stand development by engaging slash-and-burn agriculture or cattle grazing. We present evidence that deforestation and land degradation may prevent the natural regeneration of late-successional tree species of high ecological and economic importance. Moreover, we discuss the results of this study in the light of an ongoing debate in the Yucatan Peninsula between policy makers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs, landowners and researchers, regarding the modification of this regulation to redefine the concept of acahual (secondary forest and to facilitate forest management and restoration with valuable timber tree species.

Underground Research Laboratory room 209 instrument array. Vol. 1,2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lang, P.A.; Kuzyk, G.W.; Babulic, P.J.; Bilinsky, D.M.; Everitt, R.A.; Spinney, M.H.; Kozak, E.T.; Davison, C.C.

1991-06-01

An in situ excavation response test was conducted at the 240 Level of the Underground Research Laboratory (URL). The test was carried out in conjunction with the drill-and-blast excavation of a near-circular tunnel (Room 209), about 3.5 m in diameter. The tunnel was excavated through a tunnel axis. Three modelling groups made predictions of the response of the rock mass and hydraulic behaviour of the water-bearing fracture to excavation. The tunnel was excavated in two stages, a pilot tunnel followed by a slash, providing two complete sets of response measurements. Careful excavation was carried out to ensure the excavation shape after each blast round agreed closely with the planned shape incorporated in the numerical models. Instrumentation installed before the tunnel was extended monitored the complete strain tensor at eight locations around the tunnel, radial displacements and piezometric pressures at nine locations in the fracture. As well, tunnel convergence, water flows from the fracture, and hydraulic conductivity of the fracture at nine locations, were measured after each excavation step. The final tunnel profiles were accurately surveyed, and the geology was mapped in detail. The results are presented in this report for comparison with the modellers' predictions (reported in AECL--9566-2). Some preliminary conclusions and recommendations regarding the field testing are presented

Dry Matter Production, Nutrient Cycled and Removed, and Soil Fertility Changes in Yam-Based Cropping Systems with Herbaceous Legumes in the Guinea-Sudan Zone of Benin

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Raphiou Maliki

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Traditional yam-based cropping systems (shifting cultivation, slash-and-burn, and short fallow often result in deforestation and soil nutrient depletion. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of yam-based systems with herbaceous legumes on dry matter (DM production (tubers, shoots, nutrients removed and recycled, and the soil fertility changes. We compared smallholders’ traditional systems (1-year fallow of Andropogon gayanus-yam rotation, maize-yam rotation with yam-based systems integrated herbaceous legumes (Aeschynomene histrix/maize intercropping-yam rotation, Mucuna pruriens/maize intercropping-yam rotation. The experiment was conducted during the 2002 and 2004 cropping seasons with 32 farmers, eight in each site. For each of them, a randomized complete block design with four treatments and four replicates was carried out using a partial nested model with five factors: Year, Replicate, Farmer, Site, and Treatment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA using the general linear model (GLM procedure was applied to the dry matter (DM production (tubers, shoots, nutrient contribution to the systems, and soil properties at depths 0–10 and 10–20 cm. DM removed and recycled, total N, P, and K recycled or removed, and soil chemical properties (SOM, N, P, K, and pH water were significantly improved on yam-based systems with legumes in comparison with traditional systems.

The old pillars of new retailing.

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, L L

2001-04-01

Despite the harsh realities of retailing, the illusion persists that magical tools can help companies overcome the problems of fickle consumers, price-slashing competitors, and mood swings in the economy. Such wishful thinking holds that retailers will thrive if only they communicate better with customers through e-mail, employ hidden cameras to learn how customers make purchase decisions, and analyze scanner data to tailor special offers and manage inventory. But the truth is, there are no quick fixes. In the course of his extensive research on dozens of retailers, Leonard Berry found that the best companies create value for their customers in five interlocking ways. Whether you're running a physical store, a catalog business, an e-commerce site, or a combination of the three, you have to offer your customers superior solutions to their needs, treat them with respect, and connect with them on an emotional level. You also have to set prices fairly and make it easy for people to find what they need, pay for it quickly, and then move on. None of these pillars is new, and each sounds exceedingly simple, but don't be fooled--implementing these axioms in the real world is surprisingly difficult. The author illustrates how some retailers have built successful operations by attending to these commonsense ways of dealing with their customers and how others have failed to do so.

Estimating the Consequences of Fire Exclusion for Food Crop Production, Soil Fertility, and Fallow Recovery in Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in the Humid Tropics

Science.gov (United States)

Norgrove, Lindsey; Hauser, Stefan

2015-03-01

In the Congo Basin, smallholder farmers practice slash-and-burn shifting cultivation. Yet, deliberate burning might no longer be sustainable under reduced fallow scenarios. We synthesized data from the Forest Margins Benchmark Area (FMBA), comprising 1.54 million hectares (ha), in southern Cameroon and assessed the impact of fire exclusion on yield, labor inputs, soil fertility, ecosystem carbon stocks, and fallow recovery indicators in two common field types (plantain and maize) under both current and reduced fallow scenarios. While we could not distinguish between impacts of standard farmer burning practice and fire exclusion treatments for the current fallow scenario, we concluded that fire exclusion would lead to higher yields, higher ecosystem carbon stocks as well as potentially faster fallow recovery under the reduced fallow scenario. While its implementation would increase labor requirements, we estimated increased revenues of 421 and 388 US ha-1 for plantain and maize, respectively. Applied to the FMBA, and assuming a 6-year reduced fallow scenario, fire exclusion in plantain fields would potentially retain 240,464 Mg more ecosystem carbon, comprising topsoil carbon plus tree biomass carbon, than standard farmer practice. Results demonstrate a potential "win-win scenario" where yield benefits, albeit modest, and conservation benefits can be obtained simultaneously. This could be considered as a transitional phase towards higher input use and thus higher yielding systems.

Kajian Dasar Mekanisme Pemisah Biji Buah Asam (Tamarindus indica Leguminosae sp dalam Rangka Perancangan Prototipe Mesin Pengolah Asam tanpa Biji

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Husen Asbanu

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The process of fruit and seed separation on Tamarind is a challenge for agricultural mechanization technology that must be solved. The purpose of this study is to develop a basic study of the Tamarind fruit separation mechanism (Tamarindus indica sp as a part of design process on Tamarind seedless processing machine. Initial design of Tamarind seeds separation machine was made by studying the work of slashing unit and seed separation unit. Tamarind seedless processing machine consist of slicer and peeler. The slicer function is to slice the fruit before it sent into peeler unit which contains two cylindrical peeler. The peeler unit installed parallel so it let through the fruit pulp but still hold the Tamarind seeds that had been separated by the separator unit. Tamarind seeds separation prototype model has been succesfully made. Model testing was done by measuring the rotary speed of spindle peelers on 1065 rpm which considered work effectively for the test load of 100 grams, 200 grams and 300 grams. Further, shaft torque measurements in the process of peeling showed a significant increase in value and it is proportional to the increase in load level for all treatments. Greatest torque happened at 890 rpm rotation speed with a value of 1.45 Nm at 300 gram load. While the rotary speed of 1220 rpm produce 1.17 Nm torque at 300 grams load.

Historical sources of black carbon identified by PAHs and δ13C in Sanjiang Plain of Northeastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Chuanyu; Liu, Hanxiang; Cong, Jinxin; Han, Dongxue; Zhao, Winston; Lin, Qianxin; Wang, Guoping

2018-05-01

Black carbon (BC), the byproduct of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass can be stored in soil for a long time and potentially archive changes in natural and human activities. Increasing amounts of BC has been produced from human activities during the past 150 years and has influenced global climate change and carbon cycle. Identifying historical BC sources is important in knowing how historical human activities influenced BC and BC transportation processes in the atmosphere. In this study, PAH components and δ13C-BC in peatland in the Sanjiang Plain were used for identifying and verifying regional BC sources during the last 150 years. Results showed that environment-unfriendly industry developed at the end of the 1950s produced a great amount of BC and contributed the most BC in this period. In other periods, however, BC in the Sanjiang Plain was mainly produced from incomplete biomass burning before the 1990s; particularly, slash-and-burn of pastures and forests during regional reclamation periods between the 1960s and 1980s produced a huge amount of biomass burning BC, which then deposited into the surrounding ecosystems. With the regional reclamation decreasing and environment-friendly industry developing, the proportion of BC emitted and deposited from transportation sources increased and transportation source became an important BC source in the Sanjiang Plain after the 1990s.

Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regional Bioenergy Program : Five Year Report, 1985-1990.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pacific Northwest and Alaska Bioenergy Program (U.S.)

1991-02-01

This five-year report describes activities of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regional Bioenergy Program between 1985 and 1990. Begun in 1979, this Regional Bioenergy Program became the model for the nation's four other regional bioenergy programs in 1983. Within the time span of this report, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regional Bioenergy Program has undertaken a number of applied research and technology projects, and supported and guided the work of its five participating state energy programs. During this period, the Regional Bioenergy Program has brought together public- and private-sector organizations to promote the use of local biomass and municipal-waste energy resources and technologies. This report claims information on the mission, goals and accomplishments of the Regional Bioenergy Program. It describes the biomass projects conducted by the individual states of the region, and summarizes the results of the programs technical studies. Publications from both the state and regional projects are listed. The report goes on to consider future efforts of the Regional Bioenergy Program under its challenging assignment. Research activities include: forest residue estimates; Landsat biomass mapping; woody biomass plantations; industrial wood-fuel market; residential space heating with wood; materials recovery of residues; co-firing wood chips with coal; biomass fuel characterization; wood-boosted geothermal power plants; wood gasification; municipal solid wastes to energy; woodstove study; slash burning; forest depletion; and technology transfer. 9 figs., 6 tabs.

KANDUNGAN EMISI GAS RUMAH KACA PADA KEBAKARAN HUTAN RAWA GAMBUT DI PELALAWAN RIAU

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Ati Dwi Nurhayati

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Peat land in the east coast of Sumatera (Riau, Jambi, South Sumatera and Kalimantan (South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan has being used for agricultural crops such as rice field, palm oil and coffee plantation. Land preparation practiced is slash and burn method. Smoke haze that produce from peat fires were caused by these method. To determine the impact of such practice to atmospheric quality, a study was conducted at Pelalawan Province Riau. Four plots on peat land were prepared at sapric and hemic, each plot was 20 m x 20 m (0,04 ha. Before burning vegetation was cleared off, then the plots were circularly burned (ring fire and greenhouse gases emitted were measured. The average of greenhouse gases emitted from sapric plot burning were 273 ppm CH4, 10.395 ppm CO2 and 1.223 ppm CO. Greenhouse gasses emitted from hemic plot burning were 306 ppm CH4, 10.678 ppm CO2 and 2176 ppm CO. The high CO emission from peat burning indicate there has been an incomplete burning at the fuel, due to high fuel moisture. The largest single atmospheric emission from peat burning was CO2 and the smallest was CH4. The increase of greenhouse gases emission will contribute to global climate change, especially the global temperature increase through greenhouse effect of the gases

Reference Genes for qPCR Analysis in Resin-Tapped Adult Slash Pine As a Tool to Address the Molecular Basis of Commercial Resinosis

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Júlio C. de Lima

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Pine oleoresin is a major source of terpenes, consisting of turpentine (mono- and sesquiterpenes and rosin (diterpenes fractions. Higher oleoresin yields are of economic interest, since oleoresin derivatives make up a valuable source of materials for chemical industries. Oleoresin can be extracted from living trees, often by the bark streak method, in which bark removal is done periodically, followed by application of stimulant paste containing sulfuric acid and other chemicals on the freshly wounded exposed surface. To better understand the molecular basis of chemically-stimulated and wound induced oleoresin production, we evaluated the stability of 11 putative reference genes for the purpose of normalization in studying Pinus elliottii gene expression during oleoresinosis. Samples for RNA extraction were collected from field-grown adult trees under tapping operations using stimulant pastes with different compositions and at various time points after paste application. Statistical methods established by geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper softwares were consistent in pointing as adequate reference genes HISTO3 and UBI. To confirm expression stability of the candidate reference genes, expression profiles of putative P. elliottii orthologs of resin biosynthesis-related genes encoding Pinus contorta β-pinene synthase [PcTPS-(−β-pin1], P. contorta levopimaradiene/abietadiene synthase (PcLAS1, Pinus taeda α-pinene synthase [PtTPS-(+αpin], and P. taeda α-farnesene synthase (PtαFS were examined following stimulant paste application. Increased oleoresin yields observed in stimulated treatments using phytohormone-based pastes were consistent with higher expression of pinene synthases. Overall, the expression of all genes examined matched the expected profiles of oleoresin-related transcript changes reported for previously examined conifers.

Tree Mortality following Prescribed Fire and a Storm Surge Event in Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa Forests in the Florida Keys, USA

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Jay P. Sah

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on postfire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with understory type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated with tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pinelands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.

Tree Mortality following Prescribed Fire and a Storm Surge Event in Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) Forests in the Florida Keys, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sah, J.P.; Ross, M.S.; Ross, M.S.; Ogurcak, D.E.; Snyder, J.R.

2010-01-01

In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on post fire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with under story type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated with tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pine lands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.

Tree mortality following prescribed fire and a storm surge event in Slash Pine (pinus elliottii var. densa) forests in the Florida Keys, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Sah, Jay P.; Ross, Michael S.; Snyder, James R.; Ogurcak, Danielle E.

2010-01-01

In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on postfire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with understory type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated with tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pinelands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.

TECHNOLOGY NEEDS ASSESSMENT (TNA FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN AGRICULTURE SECTOR: CRITERIA, PRIORITIZING AND BARRIERS

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Kasdi Subagyono

2010-11-01

greenhouse gas emission, yet technologies need for have not been assessed. The technology needs assessment for the agriculture sector cover paddy field, perennial crops, peat soil, and livestock. The concern of the assessment is categorized into technology options, priority/key technology, barriers, and modalities. Selected technologies are based on criteria and priority options of technology needs. Data and information have been collected from related agencies, center, institutes and other relevant sources as well as through a workshop. Technology selection process for mitigation considered general criteria of reducing GHG emissions from crops and livestock, promoting resource conservation, promoting sustainable biodiversity, promoting green energy, sustaining food security, and promoting energy alternative; and specific criteria of promoting local technology for mitigation, sustaining site-specific germ plasms, promoting simple and cheap technology for poor farmers, promoting less emission crop varieties, substituting chemical with organic fertilizers/compost, and reduce CH4 emissions. Those criteria are scored into 4 classes, i.e. high value/high relevant/high impact (score: 5, Medium value/relevant/med impact (score: 3; Low value/less relevant/less impact (score: 1; nil – not relevant/no impact (score: 0. The assessment has come up with the results that priority technologies needed for mitigation are (a low methane emitter crops varieties, appropriate fertilizing, no tillage, and intermittent irrigation for paddy fields, (b appropriate slash and burn and bio-fuel for perennial crops, (c composting manure and biogas production for livestock, and (d overcoming slash and burn, avoiding over drain and maintaining soil moisture for peat soils.

When the shifting agriculture is gone: functionality of Atlantic Coastal Forest in abandoned farming sites

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Rogério Ribeiro de Oliveira

Full Text Available Slash-and-burn agriculture has been practiced for a very long time by the traditional populations (caiçaras on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. After a few years of use the plots are abandoned to fallow. We examined the processes of litter production and decomposition and the relationships between forest lands used by caiçara populations and landscape functionality. Five and 25-year-old forests growing on areas once used for subsistence agriculture were compared to a near-climax forest site. No significant differences between the three areas were noted in terms of litter production over a 2-yr period; the average litter productions were 9,927, 8,707 and 10,031 kg/ha/yr for the 5-year, 25-year and climax forests respectively. N and K nutrient input through litter was greatest in the climax forest; P and Mg input was greatest in the 5-yr forest; and Na greatest in the 25-yr forest. Ground litter accumulation (3,040-3,730 kg/ha/yr was not significantly different in the three areas. Litter turnover times (1/K were 0.33, 0.42 and 0.38 for the 5-yr, 25-yr and climax forests respectively. These secondary forests cover almost all of Ilha Grande and demonstrate low species diversity, but they have production and decomposition systems similar to those of mature forests.

Management of soil physical properties of lowland puddled rice soil for sustainable food production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhagat, R.M.

2004-01-01

About 3 billion people who rely on rice as their staple food today will have multiplied to some 4.4 billion by the middle of this century. With rice demand growing at an average rate of about 3 percent annually, 70 percent more rice has to be produced in next 30 years compared to present day production levels. More rice has to come from less favorable environments, with less water and nutrients. Agricultural population densities on Asia's rice producing lands are among the highest in the world and continue to increase at a remarkable rate. Rice has widely adapted itself: to the hot Australian and Egyptian deserts, to the cool Himalayan foothills of Nepal. Hill tribes in Southeast Asia plant it on slash-and-burned forest slopes; that's upland rice. However, low lying areas in Asia, which are subject to uncontrolled flooding, are home to more than 100 million poor farmers. Puddling or wet tillage in rice, decreases total soil porosity only slightly, but markedly changes porosity distribution with both storage and residual porosity increasing at the expanse of transmission porosity. Soil texture plays an important role in soil water retention following soil disturbance. Cracking pattern of the soils is studied after six years of different levels of regular addition of residue. Cracking pattern at a soil surface affects the hydrodynamic properties of soil. Cracking extends the soil-air interface into the soil profile and thereby may increase the moisture loss through evaporation

The BlueGene/L Supercomputer and Quantum ChromoDynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vranas, P; Soltz, R

2006-01-01

In summary our update contains: (1) Perfect speedup sustaining 19.3% of peak for the Wilson D D-slash Dirac operator. (2) Measurements of the full Conjugate Gradient (CG) inverter that inverts the Dirac operator. The CG inverter contains two global sums over the entire machine. Nevertheless, our measurements retain perfect speedup scaling demonstrating the robustness of our methods. (3) We ran on the largest BG/L system, the LLNL 64 rack BG/L supercomputer, and obtained a sustained speed of 59.1 TFlops. Furthermore, the speedup scaling of the Dirac operator and of the CG inverter are perfect all the way up to the full size of the machine, 131,072 cores (please see Figure II). The local lattice is rather small (4 x 4 x 4 x 16) while the total lattice has been a lattice QCD vision for thermodynamic studies (a total of 128 x 128 x 256 x 32 lattice sites). This speed is about five times larger compared to the speed we quoted in our submission. As we have pointed out in our paper QCD is notoriously sensitive to network and memory latencies, has a relatively high communication to computation ratio which can not be overlapped in BGL in virtual node mode, and as an application is in a class of its own. The above results are thrilling to us and a 30 year long dream for lattice QCD

Forest Conflict in Thailand: Northern Minorities in Focus

Science.gov (United States)

Hares, Minna

2009-03-01

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.

Fire effects on soils: the human dimension.

Science.gov (United States)

Santín, Cristina; Doerr, Stefan H

2016-06-05

Soils are among the most valuable non-renewable resources on the Earth. They support natural vegetation and human agro-ecosystems, represent the largest terrestrial organic carbon stock, and act as stores and filters for water. Mankind has impacted on soils from its early days in many different ways, with burning being the first human perturbation at landscape scales. Fire has long been used as a tool to fertilize soils and control plant growth, but it can also substantially change vegetation, enhance soil erosion and even cause desertification of previously productive areas. Indeed fire is now regarded by some as the seventh soil-forming factor. Here we explore the effects of fire on soils as influenced by human interference. Human-induced fires have shaped our landscape for thousands of years and they are currently the most common fires in many parts of the world. We first give an overview of fire effect on soils and then focus specifically on (i) how traditional land-use practices involving fire, such as slash-and-burn or vegetation clearing, have affected and still are affecting soils; (ii) the effects of more modern uses of fire, such as fuel reduction or ecological burns, on soils; and (iii) the ongoing and potential future effects on soils of the complex interactions between human-induced land cover changes, climate warming and fire dynamics.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Forest conflict in Thailand: northern minorities in focus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hares, Minna

2009-03-01

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.

History and conservation of wild and cultivated plant diversity in Uganda: Forest species and banana varieties as case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan C. Hamilton

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The history of wild and cultivated plant diversity in Uganda is reviewed, taking forest species and bananas as examples. Palynological research into past human influences on forests is reassessed. The evidence suggests that crops were first introduced into the country at about 1000 BCE, farming communities practicing slash and burn agriculture started to significantly influence the floristic composition of forests during the 1st millennium BCE and there was a major episode of forest reduction at about 1000 CE related to socio-economic change. Bananas were probably introduced in the early centuries CE. The colonial era from 1894 saw the introduction of new concepts of land ownership and the establishment of forest reserves and agricultural stations. Forests and banana diversity are currently under threat, Uganda having a very high rate of deforestation and endemic banana varieties proving susceptible to introduced pests and diseases. It is suggested that, under these circumstances, conservationists take an opportunistic approach to field engagement, making use of favourable local conditions as they arise. Partnerships should be sought with elements of society concerned with sustainable use, provision of ecosystem services and cultural survival to widen the social base of plant conservation. International organisations involved in conservation of plant genetic resources and wild plant species should collaborate with one another to develop the conceptual basis of plant conservation, to make it more relevant to countries like Uganda.

PARC (Plutonium Accident Resistant Container) project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, J.A.

1978-01-01

Response by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to a public law limiting the air transport of plutonium resulted in a new Qualification Criteria and led to the PARC project. The PARC project resulted in the design, development, and certification testing of a crashworthy air transportable radioactive materials package for certification by the NRC. This package, identified by the NRC as the Model PAT-1 Package (PAT = Plutonium Air Transportable), has a mass capacity of 2 kg of PuO 2 and a thermal capacity of 25 watts; the internal volume of the inner containment vessel is 1460 cm 3 ; the package dimensions are 62 cm (24 - 1/2 in.) O.D. x 108 cm (42 - 1/2 in.) length and a mass of 227 kg (500 lbs). The design rationale for very high energy absorption (impact, crush, puncture, and slash protection) with residual high-level fire protection, resulted in a reasonably small air-transportable package, advancing the packaging state-of-the-art. Optimization design interactions were utilized in the areas of impact energy absorption and stress and thermal analysis. Package test results are presented in relation to the containment acceptance criteria of the Qualification Criteria and ANSI N 14.5 leaktight standards and the IAEA Safety Series No. 6 A2 radioactive material release quantities. Acceptability of the pre-accident and post-accident package configuration with respect to shielding and criticality standards are ascertained

Cashew cultivation in Guinea-Bissau – risks and challenges of the success of a cash crop

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Luís Catarino

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In recent decades a boom in cashew (Anacardium occidentalecultivation has taken place in Guinea-Bissau, leading to the replacement of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture by a cash crop. As a result, the country is currently one of the world’s largest producers of raw cashew nuts and the cashew sector has acquired enormous importance in Guinea-Bissau’s economy. Changes induced by the cashew boom at social and environmental levels are yet to be analyzed and understood. The present study provides an account of the process of cashew expansion in Guinea-Bissau, reviews the current situation and discusses its future prospects. The cashew tree was introduced into the country by the Portuguese in the XIXth century, but only effectively expanded in the mid-1980s. It is largely cultivated by small farmers around villages and also plays a role in land ownership, since land tenure practices are linked to the planting of trees. The effects of this cashew boom on habitat fragmentation, fire regimes and biodiversity are still to be assessed. On the other hand, the spread of pests and diseases is becoming a problem. Strong dependence on a single cash crop also renders the country vulnerable to market fluctuations, entailing risks to local producers and the national economy. In the medium term, losses of export earnings can occur, which may impact the living standards and food security of Bissau-Guineans both in urban and rural areas.

Improvement of GaN epilayer by gradient layer method with molecular-beam epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yen-Liang; Lo, Ikai; Gau, Ming-Hong; Hsieh, Chia-Ho; Sham, Meng-Wei; Pang, Wen-Yuan; Hsu, Yu-Chi; Tsai, Jenn-Kai; Schuber, Ralf; Schaadt, Daniel

2012-01-01

We demonstrated a molecular beam epitaxy method to resolve the dilemma between structural and morphological quality in growth of the GaN epilayer. A gradient buffer layer was grown in such a way that the N/Ga ratio was gradually changed from nitrogen-rich to gallium-rich. The GaN epitaxial layer was then grown on the gradient buffer layer. In the X-ray diffraction analysis of GaN(002) rocking curves, we found that the full width at half-maximum was improved from 531.69″ to 59.43″ for the sample with a gradient buffer layer as compared to a purely gallium-rich grown sample. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed that the root-mean-square roughness of the surface was improved from 18.28 nm to 1.62 nm over an area of 5 × 5 μm 2 with respect to a purely nitrogen-rich grown sample. Raman scattering showed the presence of a slightly tilted plane in the gradient layer. Furthermore we showed that the gradient layer can also slash the strain force caused by either Ga-rich GaN epitaxial layer or AlN buffer layer. - Highlights: ► The samples were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. ► The GaN epilayer was grown on sapphire substrate. ► The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. ► The sample quality was improved by gradient buffer layer.

Distribution, management and diversity of yam local varieties in Brazil: a study on Dioscorea alataL.

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MVBM Siqueira

Full Text Available Widely spread in the tropics, yams were introduced into Brazil during the colonial period and are currently grown throughout the country. Despite its importance as a pharmacological and food source, there is a lack of studies describing how and where this tuber is grown in Brazil. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the cultivation and distribution of Dioscorea alata in different Brazilian regions. A total of 63 farmers were visited in different municipalities and communities in four regions in the country: South, Southeast, Northeast and Midwest. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect socio-economic, use, management and diversity data for this crop. The majority of interviewers were men, married, with children, using retirement benefits and agriculture as income and family labour as the main support in the yam cultivation. A wide distribution of this species was found, with the occurrence of D. alata in the four sampled regions. A variety of vernacular names for this species was collected, differing according to the region where it is cultivated. Most farmers cultivate yams in fields, however an increased usage of home gardens for the cultivation of this tuber was found. Also, most farmers cultivate yams in association with other crops in areas of different sizes and slash and burn practices, although mostly disappearing, are still being used by many farmers. The results of this study provide more concrete data on the distribution and diversity of this important crop.

L'agriculture périurbaine à Yaoundé: ses rapports avec le réduction de la pauvreté, le développement économique, la conservation de la biodiversité et de l'environnement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awono, LDK.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Peri-urban Agriculture in Yaounde: Its Relation to Poverty Alleviation, Economic Development, Biodiversity Conservation and the Environment. Rapid urbanization coupled with economic stagnation and the underdevelopment of transportation and food marketing systems have increased the importance of peri-urban agriculture production for employment and food security in Yaounde. Peri-urban agriculture is particularly important in terms of urban food supply for highly perishable products like traditional leaf vegetables and lettuce, and products that are bulky and costly to transport over long distances like fresh cassava and certain fruits. Intensive and semi-intensive peri-urban poultry and pig production is significant in terms of urban supply. Marketing of traditional leafy vegetables and fresh cassava offers employment to over four thousand women. The production of poultry and pigs is also a source of employment and revenue for a great part of urban population. Intensive production systems using organic manure and agrochemicals have been developed for traditional leafy vegetables and lettuce in inland valleys during the dry season. The abundance of labor relative to land availability in conjunction with nearly immediate access to agricultural markets for outputs and inputs have engendered these intensification processes. By concentrating intensification within the urban periphery of Yaounde, indirect environmental benefits include the reduced pressure on forest margins and thereby the slowing of deforestation due to slash and burn agriculture. Major constraints peri-urban agriculture in Yaounde is facing include pests and diseases, a lack of producer credit and inadequate extension services.

Occupational PAH Exposures during Prescribed Pile Burns

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, M. S.; Anthony, T. R.; Littau, S. R.; Herckes, P.; Nelson, X.; Poplin, G. S.; Burgess, J. L.

2008-01-01

Wildland firefighters are exposed to particulate matter and gases containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are known carcinogens. Our objective was to evaluate the extent of firefighter exposure to particulate and PAHs during prescribed pile burns of mainly ponderosa pine slash and determine whether these exposures were correlated with changes in urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP), a PAH metabolite. Personal and area sampling for particulate and PAH exposures were conducted on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation, working with 21 Bureau of Indian Affairs/Fort Apache Agency wildland firefighters during the fall of 2006. Urine samples were collected pre- and post-exposure and pulmonary function was measured. Personal PAH exposures were detectable for only 3 of 16 PAHs analyzed: naphthalene, phenanthrene, and fluorene, all of which were identified only in vapor-phase samples. Condensed-phase PAHs were detected in PM2.5 area samples (20 of 21 PAHs analyzed were detected, all but naphthalene) at concentrations below 1 μg m−3. The total PAH/PM2.5 mass fractions were roughly a factor of two higher during smoldering (1.06 ± 0.15) than ignition (0.55 ± 0.04 μg mg−1). There were no significant changes in urinary 1-HP or pulmonary function following exposure to pile burning. In summary, PAH exposures were low in pile burns, and urinary testing for a PAH metabolite failed to show a significant difference between baseline and post-exposure measurements. PMID:18515848

The center-cut solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Firnstahl, T W

1993-01-01

Timothy Firnstahl owns five successful restaurants in Seattle, but he recently came very close to owning none. In the early 1990s, he found himself, like so many restauranteurs, facing rising costs, inefficient management, and a recession. Confronting financial annihilation, Firnstahl had to act quickly: since he had no peripherals to trim, he cut off the head of his company. Remarkably, it worked. Firnstahl's problem was his new and innovative restaurant, Sharps Fresh Roasting. The heart of the Sharps concept was a unique long-roasting technique that made lean, inexpensive meats taste as juicy and delicious as fattier, expensive cuts. The process also lent itself to faster service and lower labor costs. But it wasn't working. Sharps wasn't breaking even, and his other restaurants couldn't make up the difference. He needed a solution fast. Firnstahl got his answer from Mikhail Gorbachev: slash the centralized command and liberate the company. In doing so, he would also transfer virtually all power and responsibility to his line managers. And after five months of intensive study and planning, he accomplished what he set out to do. He fired most of his corporate staff, empowered his restaurant managers with "100% Power and Responsibility," and, finally, undertook a massive promotion campaign. A year later, Sharps Fresh Roasting is the gold mine Firnstahl always believed it could be. He's done away with bureaucracy and turned business around in a down market. All this because his managers are managing themselves.

Formation of iron oxides in soils developed under natural fires and slash-and-burn based agriculture in a monsoonal climate (Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender Koch, C.; Borggaard, O. K.; Gafur, A.

2005-01-01

Fire-induced mineral transformations have been investigated in composite mineral grains separated from the coarse sand fractions (400-2,000 μm) from Ultisols developed in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh). Magnetic and colour based separation (into light brown, dark red, and magnetic, dark red classes) were used to select the grains that were studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Aluminium substituted goethite (α-FeOOH) dominates the light brown particles. Fire transform the goethite into a poorly crystalline hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) dominating in the dark red particles. In the dark red, magnetic grains a recrystallized hematite dominates, but small amounts of maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ) are also present. The latter is indicated by comparing the line intensities in spectra measurement with and without an external magnetic field.

Environmental quality improvement of agricultural lands through silvopasture in southeastern United States Melhoria da qualidade ambiental de terras agricultáveis por meio da silvopastagem no sudeste dos Estados Unidos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vimala D. Nair

2007-10-01

Full Text Available We hypothesized that, because of the ability of trees to sequester carbon (C in the deep soil profile and remove excess nutrients from soils, the silvopastoral agroforestry system could enhance the environmental quality of the agricultural lands. To test this hypothesis, two sets of experiments were conducted in two soil orders in Florida, Spodosols and Ultisols, with two major objectives: i determining the soil C accumulation and tracing the plant sources of C in soil fractions, and ii quantifying water soluble phosphorus (WSP and estimating the Soil P Storage Capacity (SPSC. Total C in both soil orders was greater under silvopasture than in treeless pastures, particularly at lower depths. Stable-isotope signature analysis suggested that C3 plants (in this case, slash pine, Pinus elliotii contributed to a more stable C fraction than C4 plants (in this case, bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum at soil depths up to 1 m. WSP was consistently higher in treeless pastures, while the remaining SPSC was lower in this land-use system, suggesting the greater likelihood of P moving out of the soil under treeless pasture than in silvopasture. Thus, the presence of trees in pastures contributed to more stable C within the soil profiles, lower WSP, and greater SPSC, indicating more environmental benefits provided by silvopastoral systems as compared to treeless pastures under similar ecological settings.Nossa hipótese é de que devido à habilidade das árvores seqüestrarem carbono (C no perfil profundo do solo e remover o excesso de nutrientes dos solos, o sistema de silvopastagem agroflorestal poderia melhorar a qualidade ambiental de terras agricultáveis. Para testar esta hipótese, dois grupos de experimentos foram conduzidos em duas ordens de solos na Florida, Espodossolos e Ultissolos, com dois objetivos principais: i determinar a acumulação de C do solo e investigar as fontes de C para as plantas nas frações dos solos, e ii quantificar o fósforo sol

Biomass production on the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, Washington: updated logging residue ratios, slash pile volume-to-weight ratios, and supply curves for selected locations

Science.gov (United States)

Jason C. Cross; Eric C. Turnblom; Gregory J. Ettl

2013-01-01

Biomass residue produced by timber harvest operations is estimated for the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, Washington. Scattered residues were sampled in 53 harvest units and piled residues were completely enumerated in 55 harvest units. Production is based on 2008 and 2009 data and is stratified by forest location, ownership type, harvest intensity, and harvest method...

Usage of the pruned log index for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Aplicação do Índice de Tora Podada para Pinus taeda e Pinus elliottii

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Denise Jeton Cardoso

2010-10-01

Full Text Available

The assessment of the quality of clearwood produced in pruned plantations of pine is necessary, especially to set price and know the utilization potential. The pruned log index (PLI, index used in Chile and New Zealand to characterize the quality of the logs, is a function of measurable variables of each log as diameter with defects, diameter 1.3 m from the largest end and the ratio between the cylinder volume common to the entire length of the log and the scaling volume through the method Smalian. This study aims at evaluating the ITP usage for slash pine (Pinus elliottii logs at the age 24 years and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda at 19, harvested
in the regions of Ibaiti, Paraná, and Itapeva, São Paulo. The PLI values did not exceed 2.3, which  indicates that there is little clearwood on the logs. This has been proven through the veneering results, in which the potentially clear volume in relation to the log volume ranged between 52% and 55%, but 10.3% at the maximum, was turned into clearwood veneer. The slicing procedure in the lathe proved to be suitable, since it allowed the diameter of the knotty core to be measured as soon as the knot came out. The PLI showed itself as applicable for the Brazilian conditions.

doi: 10.4336/2010.pfb.30.62.119