bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutrient distribution in Picea likiangensis trees growing in a plantation in West Sichuan, Southwest China
Authors: Liu Xingliang , Xu Haiyun , Berninger Frank , Luukkanen Olavi , Li Chunyang
Published: September 2014

We measured nutrient distribution of Picea likiangensis (Franchet) E. Pritzel var. balfouriana trees growing in a plantation by field investigations, sample tree and plot harvest in West Sichuan, Southwest China. Based on the results in this study, the total biomass of plant compartments in plantation ecosystem was 114Â 829.1 kg haâ1. Tree, shrub, herb, bryophyte and litter layers accounted for 93.9%, 0.9%, 0.02%, 0.04%, 5.2%, respectively. The total biomass of tree layers was 107Â 817.1 kg haâ1. Needles, branches, stem wood, stem bark and roots accounted for 13.2%, 19.7%, 42.3%, 10.0% and 14.8%, respectively. The concentration of the nutrients was generally highest in the actively growing parts of the trees (e.g. needles) and lowest in the structural and not actively growing parts (e.g. stem wood). On the other hand, the concentrations of N, P, K and Mg were generally higher in the current year needles and branches than in the older needles and branches. These nutrient concentrations were also higher in the upper stem wood and bark than in the lower stem wood and bark, and in small roots than in large roots, whereas the opposite patterns were observed for the concentration of Ca in these compartments. The results will be helpful in understanding the nutrient behavior in a highly productive forest plantation and thereby providing decisive information for their sustainable management.
Effects of repeated slash removal in thinned stands on soil chemistry and understorey vegetation
Authors: Rosenberg Olle , Jacobson Staffan
Published: September 2014

The increased interest in harvesting logging residues as a source of bio-energy has led to concerns about the potentially adverse long-term impact of the practice on site productivity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects on soil chemistry (pH, C, N and AL-extractable P, K, Ca and Mg) in three different soil layers (FH, 0â5 cm and 5â10 cm mineral soil) and understorey vegetation after the second removal of logging residues in whole-tree thinned stands. The study was performed at four different sites, established in the period 1984â87, representing a range of different climatic and soil conditions: a very fertile Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) site in south-western Sweden and three Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sites located in south, south-central and central Sweden. The effects of whole-tree thinning on soil chemistry and understorey vegetation were generally minor and variable. Across all sites the concentrations of Ca and Mg were significantly lower when slash was removed.
Reduced simple ratio better than NDVI for estimating LAI in Finnish pine and spruce stands
Authors: Stenberg Pauline , Rautiainen Miina , Manninen Terhikki , Voipio Pekka , Smolander Heikki
Published: September 2014

Estimation of leaf area index (LAI) using spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) was studied based on data from 683 plots on two Scots pine and Norway spruce dominated sites in Finland. The SVIs studied included the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), the simple ratio (SR), and the reduced simple ratio (RSR), and were calculated from Landsat ETM images of the two sites. Regular grids of size 1 km2 with gridpoints placed at 50 m intervals were established at the sites and measurements of LAI using the LAI-2000 instrument were taken at the gridpoints. SVI-LAI relationships were examined at plot scale, where the plots were defined as circular areas of radius 70 m around each gridpoint. Plotwise mean LAI was computed as a weighted average of LAI readings taken around the gridpoints belonging to the plot. Mean LAI for the plots ranged from 0.36 to 3.72 (hemisurface area). All of the studied SVIs showed fair positive correlation with LAI but RSR responded more dynamically to LAI than did SR or NDVI. Especially NDVI showed poor sensitivity to changes in LAI. RSR explained 63% of the variation in LAI when all plots were included (n = 683) and the coefficient of determination rose to 75% when data was restricted to homogeneous plots (n = 381). Maps of estimated LAI using RSR showed good agreement with maps of measured LAI for the two sites.
Comparison of methods for estimation of needle losses in Scots pine following defoliation by Bupalus piniaria
Authors: Långström Bo , Hellqvist Claes , Cedervind Jan
Published: September 2014

In 1996, ca. 7000 hectares of pine forests at HÃ¶kensÃ¥s in SW Sweden were defoliated by the pine looper, Bupalus piniara (L.) (Lepidoptera. Geometridae). Following an aerial damage survey using CIR (colour infra red) photography, and estimation of pupal densities in the soil, ca 4000 ha of the most defoliated pine stands were sprayed in early August 1997 with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki. The control operation was succeessful but probably redundant, as no further defoliation occurred in unsprayed reference areas. In order to assess defoliation levels in different damage classes for later growth loss studies, 47 circular study plots were laid out in pine stands representing different damage and age classes. The remaining foliage was recorded for each tree using the following classes: 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 90 and 100%. The defoliation levels in 1996 were estimated by disregarding the 1997 needle age class. Thirteen ca. 40-year-old sample trees representing different damage classes were felled, and the remaining foliage of all branches was estimated by needle age class using the above-mentioned scale. One branch in each of the whorls 1996, 1991, 1986 and 1981 was sampled and its needle dry weight was determined. The sample branch data confirmed the field observations that virtually no additional defoliation took place in 1997. The damage classes estimated from the CIR-pictures only agreed with the field damage estimates at the higher end of the damage scale. In contrast, the field estimate correlated well with plot means derived from tree-wise estimates (R2 = 0.93), and with with the calculated needle biomasses per tree (R2 = 0.90). Thus, the field damage classification was supported by the more detailed defoliation estimates, and hence forms a relevant basis for later growth loss studies.
New, low estimate for carbon stock in global forest vegetation based on inventory data
Authors: Kauppi Pekka
Published: September 2014

Several reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have referred to published estimates ranging from 352 to 536 x 10 tons for the global pool of carbon in forest vegetation. However, a rounded estimate of 300 x 10 tons can be derived from the recent Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 of the FAO, as shown in this paper. By comparing with independent empirical evidence as published in recent scientific literature and by considering sampling principles and the disturbance cycles of large forest regions, it is argued that the new lower estimate is more realistic. A downward correction of the estimate would make an important contribution to balancing the global carbon budget.99
Empirical prediction models for Vaccinium myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea berry yields in North Karelia, Finland
Authors: Ihalainen Marjut , Salo Kauko , Pukkala Timo
Published: September 2014

Forest berries and the outdoor experiences related to berry collection are important goods and services provided by Finnish forests. Consequently, there is a need for models which facilitate the prediction of the impacts of alternative forest management options on berry yields. Very few such models are available. In particular, empirical models are lacking. Models used in forest management should express the effect of variables altered in forest management such as stand density and mean tree size. This study developed empirical models for bilberry and cowberry yields in North Karelia. The data consisted of 362 measurements of 40 m2 sample plots. The plots were located in clusters. The same plot was measured over 1 to 4 years. Besides berry yield some site and growing stock characteristics of each plot were measured. A random parameter model was used to express the berry yield as a function of site fertility, growing stock characteristics, and random parameters. The random part of the models accounted for the effect of plot, measurement year, and cluster. The fixed predictors of the model for bilberry were stand age and forest site type. Stand basal area, mean tree diameter and forest site type were used to predict cowberry yields. The most significant random parameter was the plot factor. The fixed model part explained only a few per cent of the variation in berry yields. The signs of regression coefficients were logical and the model predictions correlated rather well with the predictions of earlier models.
Locally adaptable non-parametric methods for estimating stand characteristics for wood procurement planning
Authors: Malinen Jukka
Published: September 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of the local adaptation of the non-parametric Most Similar Neighbour (MSN) method in estimating stand characteristics for wood procurement planning purposes. Local adaptation was performed in two different ways: 1) by selecting local data from a database with the MSN method and using that data as a database in the basic k-nearest neighbour (k-nn) MSN method, 2) by selecting a combination of neighbours from the neighbourhood where the average of the predictor variables was closest to the target stand predictor variables (Locally Adaptable Neighbourhood (LAN) MSN method). The study data used comprised 209 spruce dominated stands located in central Finland and was collected with harvesters. The accuracy of the methods was analysed by estimating the tree stock characteristics and the log length/diameter distribution produced by a bucking simulation. The local k-nn MSN method was not notably better than the k-nn MSN method, although it produced less biased estimates on the edges of the input space. The LAN MSN method was found to be a more accurate method than the k-nn methods.
Ethnicity and the utilization of non-wood forest products: findings from three Philippine villages
Authors: Lacuna-Richman Celeste
Published: September 2014

The utilization and trade of non-wood forest products in three villages in the Philippines were compared in this study. Two villages were situated close to each other on the Island of Palawan. The Tagbanua, an indigenous people, inhabited one village; migrants from the Visayas Region of the Philippines populated the other. The third village is located on the Island of Leyte, in the Visayas Region, populated by native Visayan settlers. There was no significant difference in the number of NWFPs utilized by the indigenous people and the migrants. However, there was a wide disparity in income between the two groups, with migrants earning more, partly due to the marketing of commercial NWFPs. This gap could be decreased by fairer trading practices that are dependent in part on better educational opportunities, land rights, legal assistance and access to markets for the Tagbanua. Specific socioeconomic characteristics, such as the presence of a hunter within the household and size of the family were found to have a positive correlation with the use of NWFPs in some study villages. Income and the food expenditure of the household were inversely related with the use of NWFPs in the native Visayan village.
Responses of olfactory receptor neurons of the large pine weevil to a possible deterrent Neutroil® and two other chemicals
Authors: Huotari Matti , Jaskari Mareena , Annila Erkki , Lantto Vilho
Published: September 2014

Electrophysiological responses of olfactory receptor neurons were measured from the antennal sensilla of large pine weevils (Hylobius abietis L.) at 1 s exposure to NeutroilÂ®-hexane mixture odour as a possible deterrent chemical and, for comparison, to Î±-pinene, Î±-pinene-ethanol mixture, and ethanol odours, respectively. NeutroilÂ® is a commercial chemical pulp-mill product which has been studied earlier as a deterrent for large pine weevils with preliminary feed tests. In addition, ethanol, hexane and clean carrier air responses were measured. Odour pulses and clean air, as a zero reference value, were directed at a fixed insect antenna in order to induce olfactory responses. Simultaneous olfactory responses, i.e. Hylobius electroantennograms (EAG) and action potential responses, were recorded and these responses of Hylobius olfactory receptor neurons (ORN), such as action potential rates, silent periods and EAG responses, were analyzed for all simultaneous recordings. The exposures to Î±-pinene, Î±-pinene-ethanol mixture, pure ethanol and hexane caused an increase of the action potential rate (up to 70 pulses per second) in the ORNs sensitive to these odours, while the NeutroilÂ®-hexane mixture exposures caused either silent periods with a duration between 0.6 and 1.1 s for 1 s exposure pulses or they had no response at all in the ORNs sensitive to the other odours. Thus, the possible deterrence may be caused by inhibition of some pinene-alcohol ORNs.
Development of spatially feasible forest plans: a comparison of two modeling approaches
Authors: Boston Kevin , Bettinger Pete
Published: September 2014

Spatial goals are becoming more frequent aspects of forest management plans as regulatory and organizational policies change in response to fisheries and wildlife concerns. The combination of green-up constraints (harvesting restrictions that prevent the cutting of adjacent units for a specified period of time) and habitat requirements for red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCW) in the southeastern U.S. suggests that spatially feasible forest plans be developed to guide management activities. We examined two modeling approaches aimed at developing management plans that had both harvest volume goals, RCW habitat, and green-up constraints. The first was a two-stage method that in one stage used linear programming to assign volume goals, and in a second stage used a tabu search â genetic algorithm heuristic technique to minimize the deviations from the volume goals while maximizing the present net revenue and addressing the RCW and green-up constraints. The second approach was a one-stage procedure where the entire management plan was developed with the tabu search â genetic algorithm heuristic technique, thus it did not use the guidance for timber volume levels provided by the LP solution. The goal was to test two modeling approaches to solving a realistic spatial harvest scheduling problem. One is where to volume goals are calculated prior to developing the spatially feasible forest plan, while the other approach simultaneously addresses the volume goals while developing the spatially feasible forest plan. The resulting forest plan from the two-stage approach was superior to that produced from the one-stage approach in terms of net present value. The main point from this analysis is that heuristic techniques may benefit from guidance provided by relaxed LP solutions in their effort to develop efficient forest management plans, particularly when both commodity production and complex spatial wildlife habitat goals are considered. Differences in the production of forest products were apparent between the two modeling approaches, which could have a significant effect on the selection of wood processing equipment and facilities.
The Most Similar Neighbour reference in the yield prediction of Pinus kesiya stands in Zambia
Authors: Maltamo Matti , Eerikäinen Kalle
Published: September 2014

The aim of the study was to develop a yield prediction model using the non-parametric Most Similar Neighbour (MSN) reference method. The model is constructed on stand level but it contains information also on tree level. A 10-year projection period was used for the analysis of stand growth. First, the canonical correlation matrix was calculated for the whole study material using stand volumes at the beginning and at the end of the growth period as independent variables and stand characteristics as dependent variable. Secondly, similar neighbour estimates were searched from the data categories reclassified according to thinnings. Due to this, it was possible to search for growth and yield series which is as accurate as possible both at the beginning and at the end of the growth period. The reliability of the MSN volume predictions was compared to the volumes predicted with the simultaneous yield model. The MSN approach was observed to be more reliable volume predictor than the traditional stand level yield prediction model both in thinned and unthinned stands.
Technical properties of mature birch (Betula pendula and B. pubescens) for saw milling in Finland
Authors: Heräjärvi Henrik
Published: September 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variation in selected technical properties of mature (age > 60 years) birch stems in southern and central Finland. Technical properties were defined as the natural external characteristics that cause differences in the usability of a certain section of stem in the mechanical wood industry, saw milling in particular. On mineral soils, birch stems in mixed stands were slightly larger than those in pure birch stands. On peatlands, however, birch stems in pure stands were larger than those in mixed stands. The average stem form of silver birch was straighter than that of white birch. Small-sized log sections of white birch, as well as those of codominant silver birch, typically contain many dead knots. On mineral soils, coniferous admixture had a positive effect on self-pruning of white birch. Self-pruning of silver birch was as good in pure birch stands as in mixed stands of spruce and birch. Occurrence of decay did not differ significantly between the two birch species. Not only silver birch, due to the growth and yield of the stand, but also vigorous and good-quality white birch, because of the possibility to provide high-quality logs, can be maintained profitably as an admixture in coniferous forests until final cutting.
Factors affecting participation in wild berry picking by rural and urban dwellers
Authors: Kangas Kari , Markkanen Pasi
Published: September 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the participation of urban and rural dwellers in the activity of berry-picking. The respondents in the study lived in the city of Joensuu and in the municipality of Ilomantsi, in eastern Finland. 68% of Joensuu households compared with 82% of those in Ilomantsi participated in berry-picking. These evident differences in the participation rates may be largely due to the higher costs incurred by urban dwellers in picking, since the probability of participation was not significantly higher for Ilomantsi households compared with those in Joensuu who had access to a summer-cottage which was likely to be located near the berry resources. In both municipalities, the participants were divided into two groups according to the nature of their participation in the activity. The larger group â termed ordinary pickers â were characteristically younger families with children, while the other group, termed active pickers, were distinctly more advanced in age. The quantities picked for home consumption by the groups of pickers in Ilomantsi were twice as large as those picked by the corresponding groups in Joensuu. In Joensuu, households were not significantly involved in commercial picking.
A comparison of three modelling approaches for large-scale forest scenario analysis in Finland
Authors: Nuutinen Tuula , Kellomäki Seppo
Published: September 2014

Forests play an important role in the sequestration of carbon dioxide and the storage of carbon. The potential and efficiency of mitigation options in forestry have been studied using large-scale forestry scenario models. In Finland, three models have been applied in attempts to estimate timber production and related carbon budgets. In this study, these models are compared. The oldest, MELA, was designed in the 1970s for the regional and national analysis of timber production. The European Forest Information Scenario Model, EFISCEN, originally a Swedish area matrix model, was developed in the early 1980s. SIMA, a gap-type ecosystem model, was utilised in the 1990s for regional predictions on how the changing climate may affect forest growth and timber yield in Finland. In EFISCEN, only the development of growing stock is endogeneous because the assumptions on growth, and the removal and rules for felling are given exogeneously. In the SIMA model, the rules for felling are exogeneous but the growth is modelled based on individual trees reacting to their environment. In the MELA model, the management of forests is endogeneous, i.e. the growth, felling regimes and the development of growing stock are the results of the analysis. The MELA approach integrated with a process-based ecosystem model seems most applicable in the analyses of effective mitigation measures compatible with sustainable forestry under a changing climate. When using the scenarios for the estimation of carbon budget, the policy makers should check that the analyses cover the whole area of interest, and that the assumptions on growth and management together with the definitions applied correspond with the forestry conditions in question.
Multi-source inventory of the forests of the Hebei Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang, China
Authors: Tomppo Erkki , Korhonen Kari , Heikkinen Juha , Yli-Kojola Hannu
Published: September 2014

A multi-source forest inventory method is applied to the estimation of forest resources in the area of the Hebei Forest Bureau in Heilongjiang province in North-East China. A stratified systematic cluster sampling design was utilised in field measurements. The design was constructed on the basis of information from earlier stand-level inventories, aerial orthophotographs, experiences from other sampling inventories and the available budget. Sample tree volumes were estimated by means of existing models. New models were constructed and their parameters estimated for tallied tree volumes and volume increments. The estimates for the area of the Bureau were computed from field measurements, and for the areas of the forest farms estimated from field measurements and satellite images. A k-nearest neighbour method was utilised. This method employing satellite image data makes it possible to estimate all variables, particularly for smaller areas than that possible using field measurements only. The methods presented, or their modifications, could also be applied to the planning and realisation of forest inventories elsewhere in Temperate or Boreal zones. The inventory in question gave an estimate of 114 m3/ha (the multi-source inventory 119 m3/ha) instead of 72 m3/ha as previously estimated from available information. Totally nineteen tree species, genera of species or tree species groups were identified (Appendix 1). The forests were relatively young, 60% of them younger than 40 years and 85% younger than 60 years.
The probability of moose damage at the stand level in southern Finland
Authors: Jalkanen Anneli
Published: September 2014

The probability of moose damage was studied in sapling stands and young thinning stands in southern Finland. Data from the eighth National Forest Inventory in 1986â92 were used for modelling. The frequency of damage was highest at the height of two to five meters and at the age of ten to twenty years (at the time of measurement). Moose preferred aspen stands the most and least preferred Norway spruce stands. Scots pine and silver birch were also susceptible to damage. Logistic regression models were developed for predicting the probability that moose damage is the most important damaging agent in a forest stand. The best predictive variables were the age and dominant species of the stand. Variables describing the site were significant as cluster averages, possibly characterizing the area as a food source (fertility and organic soil), as well as the lack of shelter (wall stand). When sample plot, cluster and municipality levels were compared, it was found that most of the unexplained variance was at the cluster level. To improve the model, more information should be obtained from that level. The regression coefficients for aspen as supplementary species, and for pine as dominant species, had significant variance from cluster to cluster (area to area). It was also shown that the occurrence of aspen is closely connected to the occurrence of moose damage in pine sapling stands.
Interdependence of the sawlog, pulpwood and sawmill chip markets: an oligopsony model with an application to Finland
Authors: Kallio A.
Published: September 2014

The interdependence of the markets for pulpwood, sawlogs and sawmill chips is analysed using a short-run model, which accommodates the alternative competition structures of wood buyers. We propose that imperfect competition in the pulpwood market tends to make the sawmills owned by the pulp and paper companies larger than the independent ones, even in the absence of transactional economies of integration. The impact of the wood market competition pattern on the profits of the forest owners and forest industry firms depends upon a firm-capacity structure, wood supply elasticities, and business cycles in the output markets. The numerical application of the model to the Finnish softwood market suggests that inflexibility of production capacities tends to make the wood demand rather insensitive with respect to price. Only the large firms, which all produce both pulp and sawnwood, may have oligopsony power under some conditions. Integrated production can increase competition in the sawlog market via the wood chip market.
Matter and nutrient dynamics of pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) and oak (Quercus variabilis) litter in North China
Authors: Liu Chun-Jiang , Westman Carl , Ilvesniemi Hannu
Published: September 2014

In the mountainous area of North China, a distinguishing feature of climate is the serious drought of spring and the humidity and high temperature of summer by which the litter production and decomposition of forest litter were strongly characterized. We investigated the dynamic and nutrient characteristics of litter in a 30-year-old mixed stand of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) and deciduous orient oak (Quercus variabilis Bl.) and two comparable pure stands. Oak litterfall peaked in November and pine litterfall in December. The oak stand had the largest annual litterfall (347 g mâ2) and the forest floor mass (950 g mâ2), the mixed stand the second (236 g mâ2 and 634 g mâ2), and the pine stand the least (217 g mâ2 and 615 g mâ2). The nutrient return through litterfall and the storage in forest floor followed corresponding order between three stands. The weight loss of pine and oak foliage litter in first year was 25% and 20%. For senesced pine and oak leaves, the translocation rates of N, P and K were 56â83%. Nutrient concentrations were higher in oak leaf litter than pine needle litter, and the concentration of N and Ca appeared to rise while K concentration decreased in both decomposing litter.
Plastic coating of plywood using extrusion technique
Authors: Kuusipalo Jurkka
Published: September 2014

The target was to study and develop industrially suitable methods to apply thermoplastic coatings on plywood. Typically, wear and climatic resistance for wooden sheets, such as chip board and plywood, is achieved by thermosetting resin coating (e.g. phenol-formaldehyde). However, economical and environmental issues are driving towards thermoplastic coatings (e.g. polyethylene) in such products. Several technologies, such as film gluing and laminating, have been introduced, but the costs and processing are limiting factors. This study concentrates on direct coating of plywood with extruded molten plastic film, in other words extrusion coating of plywood. This technique provides fast coating process and cheap raw materials. In the study it was found that extrusion coating of plywood is difficult. The high heat energy of the molten plastic causes moisture evaporation of the top veneer, and the only possible escape direction of the evaporated moisture is through the plastic, which causes bubbling in the plastic coating. Another disadvantage of the plywood is its rigidity, which limits the development of the process. In this work, a new technique was applied for coating the flexible veneers with typical extrusion coating equipment, where the escape of the evaporated moisture was possible through the top veneer to the atmosphere. Another main issue was to reach sufficient adhesion between plastic and plywood. Target was achieved using either monolayer polyethylene (PE-LD) or 2-layer polypropylene/adhesion polymer plastic coatings.
Use of log-linear models in forecasting structural changes in Finnish non-industrial private forest ownership
Authors: Ripatti Pekka
Published: September 2014

This paper presents how log-linear models can be used for modelling and forecasting structural changes of Finnish non-industrial private forest ownership. Two cross-sectional sets of data, which were collected in conjunction with two separate surveys by means of mail questionnaires in 1975 and 1990, were employed. A total of six non-industrial private forest holding and ownership attributes are forecast focusing on the earlier pace of structural change. The results show that the pace of change in the forecast attributes appears to be less than it would be when derived from extrapolation of the earlier trends. The results of the study can be applied to forest policy and forestry extension planning, by providing a more realistic outlook of the future structure of non-industrial private forest ownership.
Algunos problemas provenientes de la Teoría de Rayos Aplicada a las Ecuaciones de Onda Sísmica
Authors: Piedrahita Escobar Carlos César
Published: September 2014

La parte inicial de este artículo revisa la aplicación de la teoría de rayos en las ecuaciones de onda sísmicas, en particular, la propagación de ondas P. La parte final del artículo se centra en un par de problemas que se generan a partir del análisis utilizando teoría de rayos. Estos problemas posee un interés académico en su formulación matemática, además tienen un interés práctico para el  área de la Geofísica de Exploración y/o Producción.
Intestinal permeability in patients with metastatic colon cancer treated with patupilone
Authors: Melichar Bohuslav , Hyšpler Radomír , Tichá Alena , Kalábová Hana , Vitásková Denisa , Zezulová Michaela , Dvořák Josef , Cerman Jr Jaroslav , Doležel Martin
Published: September 2014

Only a limited number of cytotoxic drugs have shown activity in metastatic colorectal carcinoma. Patupilone is a novel agent with promising activity in this common cancer. Diarrhea represents the dose-limiting toxicity of patupilone. Measurement of intestinal permeability is one of the potential methods of non-invasive laboratory assessment of gastrointestinal toxicity.

We have assessed intestinal permeability by measuring absorption of lactulose, mannitol and xylose in 27 previously treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer enrolled in a phase I trial of patupilone.

Lactulose/mannitol and lactulose/xylose ratios increased after the treatment. Significantly higher lactulose/mannitol ratio was observed in patients who had severe diarrhea. Moreover, patients who subsequently had an adverse event of grade 3 or higher had significantly higher baseline lactulose/mannitol or lactulose/xylose ratios.

Measurement of intestinal permeability using the lactulose/mannitol test may represent a biomarker for the monitoring, or even prediction of toxicity of cytotoxic drugs, including patupilone.
Experience with the first fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay for the quantification of 1α, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D
Authors: van Helden Josef , Weiskirchen Ralf
Published: September 2014

Previous studies have shown that the measurement of vitamin D and its derivatives, especially its active metabolite 1α, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D [1,25(OH)

Performance data of this assay were determined including intra- and inter-assay precision, recovery, linearity, and limit of detection of the DiaSorin 1,25(OH)

The performance evaluation of 1,25(OH)

The DiaSorin LIAISON XL 1,25(OH)
Modeling light-sound interaction in nanoscale cavities and waveguides
Authors: Pennec Yan , Laude Vincent , Papanikolaou Nikos , Djafari-Rouhani Bahram , Oudich Mourad , El Jallal Said , Beugnot Jean Charles , Escalante Jose M. , Martínez Alejandro
Published: September 2014

The interaction of light and sound waves at the micro and nanoscale has attracted considerable interest in recent years. The main reason is that this interaction is responsible for a wide variety of intriguing physical phenomena, ranging from the laser-induced cooling of a micromechanical resonator down to its ground state to the management of the speed of guided light pulses by exciting sound waves. A common feature of all these phenomena is the feasibility to tightly confine photons and phonons of similar wavelengths in a very small volume. Amongst the different structures that enable such confinement, optomechanical or phoxonic crystals, which are periodic structures displaying forbidden frequency band gaps for light and sound waves, have revealed themselves as the most appropriate candidates to host nanoscale structures where the light-sound interaction can be boosted. In this review, we describe the theoretical tools that allow the modeling of the interaction between photons and acoustic phonons in nanoscale structures, namely cavities and waveguides, with special emphasis in phoxonic crystal structures. First, we start by summarizing the different optomechanical or phoxonic crystal structures proposed so far and discuss their main advantages and limitations. Then, we describe the different mechanisms that make light interact with sound, and show how to treat them from a theoretical point of view. We then illustrate the different photon-phonon interaction processes with numerical simulations in realistic phoxonic cavities and waveguides. Finally, we introduce some possible applications which can take enormous benefit from the enhanced interaction between light and sound at the nanoscale.
Forced Displacement in Colombia: What Determines Expulsion and Reception in Municipalities?
Authors: Dueñas Ximena , Palacios Paola , Zuluaga Blanca
Published: September 2014

This document explores the expulsion and reception determinants of displaced people among Colombian municipalities. For this purpose, we use fixed effects panel data estimations for the period 2004–2009, with municipality year as the unit of analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper in Colombia that focuses on reception and the first one using panel data at municipal level to explain expulsion and reception. We find that, contrary to what one may expect, some independent variables affect both expulsion and reception of displaced people in the same direction; for instance, municipalities where homicide rates and conflict intensity are high, are associated with both higher reception and expulsion rates. In addition to the conventional panel data estimation, we also run a fixed effect vector decomposition to identify the explicit effects of certain time-invariant variables.
Physician Health and Wellness
Authors: McClafferty Hilary , Brown Oscar W. ,   SECTION ON INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE,   COMMITTEE ON PRACTICE AND AMBULATORY MEDICINE, Vohra Sunita , Bailey Michelle L. , Becker David K. , Culbert Timothy P. , Sibinga Erica M. , Zimmer Michelle , Simon Geoffrey R. , Hardin Amy Peykoff , Meade Kelley E. , Rodgers Chadwick Taylor , Moore Scot Benton , Baker Cynthia N. , Barden Graham Arthur , Lessin Herschel Robert
Published: September 2014

Physician health and wellness is a critical issue gaining national attention because of the high prevalence of physician burnout. Pediatricians and pediatric trainees experience burnout at levels equivalent to other medical specialties, highlighting a need for more effective efforts to promote health and well-being in the pediatric community. This report will provide an overview of physician burnout, an update on work in the field of preventive physician health and wellness, and a discussion of emerging initiatives that have potential to promote health at all levels of pediatric training.

Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to lead this movement nationally, in part because of the emphasis placed on wellness in the Pediatric Milestone Project, a joint collaboration between the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Pediatrics. Updated core competencies calling for a balanced approach to health, including focus on nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and effective stress management, signal a paradigm shift and send the message that it is time for pediatricians to cultivate a culture of wellness better aligned with their responsibilities as role models and congruent with advances in pediatric training.

Rather than reviewing programs in place to address substance abuse and other serious conditions in distressed physicians, this article focuses on forward progress in the field, with an emphasis on the need for prevention and anticipation of predictable stressors related to burnout in medical training and practice. Examples of positive progress and several programs designed to promote physician health and wellness are reviewed. Areas where more research is needed are highlighted.
From Literacy to Literature: Elementary Learning and the Middle English Poet
Authors: Cannon Christopher
Published: September 2014

Literary practice may be more deeply shaped by basic literacy training than we have noticed. This is particularly true for English writers of the late fourteenth century, when the constant movement out of Latin into English in schoolrooms both ensured that translation exercises became a method for making vernacular poetry and demonstrated that English had a grammar of its own. As the most basic grammatical concepts and the simplest exercises of literacy training evolved into resources for literary technique, the style of writers such as Chaucer, Langland, and Gower became “grammaticalized.” For this reason, a more detailed understanding of the forms of pedagogy employed in grammar schools can be equivalent to a genealogy of the important elements of a style.
The Traveling Illustrations of Sixteenth-Century Travel Narratives
Authors: Voigt Lisa , Brancaforte Elio
Published: September 2014

The illustrations created by Jörg Breu for the 1515 edition of Ludovico de Varthema's account of his voyage to the Middle East, India, and the East Indies (Die ritterlich uñ lobwirdig Rayss“The Noble and Praiseworthy Journey') were reprinted in other travel narratives published in the mid-sixteenth century, including Hans Staden'sWarhaftige Historia‘True History’ (1557), about his captivity among the Tupinambá Indians of Brazil. As recycled illustrations their presence in Staden's text is usually ignored or derided, but their iconography and placement suggest that they were chosen deliberately and not merely for the sake of economy and expedience. By analyzing the images' relation to the accompanying text and comparing the images with those used in other editions and other travel narratives, the article argues that these traveling illustrations do not merely demonstrate the interchangeability of exotic ”others“ but rather suggest a growing awareness of and interest in ethnographic specificity among mid-sixteenth-century European readers.
Aer, Aurae, Venti:Philology and Physiology in Aby Warburg's Dissertation on Botticelli
Authors: Christian Margareta Ingrid
Published: September 2014

The reception of Aby Warburg's first published work, his dissertation on Sandro Botticelli, has overlooked layers of meaning implicit in Warburg's word choice. His study of the afterlife of antiquity relies on the activation of the semantic afterlives of words such asInspirator(“inspirer”),Stimmung(“mood,” “atmosphere”), andMilieu(“milieu”). Warburg brings out the reference to air in these words, invoking their philological nuances and physiological contexts. The air designated is not only the physical medium in which Botticelli's windblown accessories move but also the quattrocento's cultural atmosphere in which Botticelli's creativity thrives. In addition, air implicitly functions as a disciplinary trope for the cultural history into which Warburg aimed to extend traditional art history.
Unruly Rhetorics: Disability, Animality, and New Kinship Compositions
Authors: Walters Shannon
Published: September 2014

“I was sure it would make a great story, first for telling and then for writing down,” writes harriet MCbryde Johnson, explaining why she accepts an invitation from Peter Singer to a debate at Princeton University (2003). Initially, Johnson, a disability-rights activist and lawyer who has a neuromuscular disease, is unsure how to interact with Singer, whose philosophy of preferential utilitarianism argues that it is ethical to kill babies born with severe disabilities. Johnson first encounters Singer at an event at the College of Charleston, and she looks to the rules of decorum to help her decide how to handle the situation. When she sees Singer talking to friends, she considers leaving before even being introduced to him. “Hereabouts,” however, “the rule is that if you're not prepared to shoot on sight, you have to be prepared to shake hands. I give Singer the three fingers on my right hand that still work. ‘Good afternoon, Mr. Singer. I'm here for Not Dead Yet.‘ I want to think he flinches just a little” (204 [2005]).
Masterly Maxims
Authors: Bal Mieke
Published: September 2014

Unlike most others teaching (English) literature, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is intimately knowledgeable about philosophy, especially German. Her deep knowledge of Kant, Marx, and Gramsci is a red thread running through her many books. And, given her interest in what we call less and less happily “postcolonial” theory (the hesitation coming from an awareness of the problematic meaning of the prefixpost-), her discussions of such canonical and inexhaustible philosophical texts never lose sight of the sociopolitical implications of the ideas gleaned from the encounter. Thus, she brings a philosophical tradition to bear on contemporary social issues of a keen actuality. This solid philosophical background does not make her texts always easy to read for literary and other cultural scholars eager to get ideas—preferably quickly—about “how to do” postcolonial literary studies. Spivak's work is as challenging to read, understand, and absorb as it is important in content.
On “Nationalism and the Imagination”
Authors: Franco Jean
Published: September 2014

In her essay “nationalism and the imagination,” there is a tantalizing glimpse of Gayatri before she was Gayatri Spivak. When she gave the essay as a talk at the biennial meeting of the Commonwealth Association for Languages and Literature in Hyderabad, India, and at the Center for Advanced Studies in Sofia, Bulgaria, her two audiences, though completely different, were evidently asking the same questions about nationalism in a supposedly postnational world. But what is most fascinating for me about the talk is that it hints at the autobiography to come, the story of a girl born in Kolkata whose earliest memories include “the great artificial famine created by the British to feed the military in the Pacific theater in World War II” (276). Would she be surprised to know that, coming from Depression-era northern England, I too have early memories of, if not famine, seeing the skeletal bodies of a family starving in the dying heart of the empire? Meanwhile, at school we made daisy chains and were told that the yellow center was Britain and the petals the colonies. There is nothing subtle about empire.
Dewatering of sludge from a water treatment plant in geotextile closed systems
Authors: Guimarães M.G.A. , Urashima D.C. , Vidal D.M.
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACT: Sludges generated during purification of water for human consumption are produced in large volumes and have high environmental polluting potential. The sludge dewatering technique using geotextile closed systems has been used to reduce the sludge volume for final disposal. It is a system that allows encapsulation, insulation, dewatering and disposal of sludge, which allows control of the input and output variables of the system. Also known as geotextile tubes, geotextile containers and geotextile bags are a function of their size. This work presents a discussion about the main factors influencing this sludge dewatering technique and its applicability for sludges generated in a water treatment plant. The study includes tests with single filling and with refilling the small geotextile bags in equipment constructed to simulate control of operational conditions, such as flow rate and pumping pressure. The evaluated performance of this system according to parameters proposed in the literature is also presented. The results obtained indicate that the efficiency of the dewatering technique depends on both the characteristics of the sludge and the geotextile properties. This study indicates the importance and efficiency of the dewatering technique in geotextile closed systems in reducing the sludge volume for final disposal.
Combining mesocosm and field experiments to predict invasive plant performance: a hierarchical Bayesian approach
Authors: Wilson Chris H. , Caughlin T. Trevor , Civitello David J. , Flory S. Luke
Published: September 2014

Invasive plant fecundity underlies propagule pressure and ultimately range expansion. Predicting fecundity across large spatial scales, from regions to landscapes, is critical for understanding invasion dynamics and optimizing management. However, to accurately predict fecundity and other demographic processes, improved models that scale individual plant responses to abiotic drivers across heterogeneous environments are needed. Here we combine two experimental data sets to predict fecundity of a widespread and problematic invasive grass over large spatial scales. First, we analyzed seed production as a function of plant biomass in a small‐scale mesocosm experiment with manipulated light levels. Then, in a field introduction experiment, we tracked plant performance across 21 common garden sites that differed widely in available light and other factors. We jointly analyzed these data using a Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) framework to predict fecundity as a function of light in the field. Our analysis reveals that the invasive species is likely to produce sufficient seed to overwhelm establishment resistance, even in deeply shaded environments, and is likely seed‐limited across much of its range. Finally, we extend this framework to address the general problem of how to scale up plant demographic processes and analyze the factors that control plant distribution and abundance at large scales.