bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Timber Harvesting on Headwater Peak Stream Temperatures in a Northern Idaho Watershed
Authors: Gravelle J.A. , Link T.E.
Published: April 2024

Concerns regarding the impacts of contemporary timber harvest practices on stream water temperature emphasize the need for improved understanding of temperature patterns and changes related to disturbances in headwater catchments. A network of water temperature recorders was installed in the Mica Creek Experimental Watershed in northern Idaho to investigate the relationships among forest treatments, stream temperatures, and riparian cover. Sensors were placed in first-order, nonfish-bearing unimpacted reaches, nonfish-bearing harvested reaches, and downstream into second- and third-order fish-bearing reaches of the stream network. Treated watersheds consisted of 50% canopy removal by contemporary clearcut methods and selective cut practices. Riparian canopy cover in the first-order reaches was measured during the pretreatment and posttreatment periods with a spherical densiometer. Despite estimated increases of up to 3.6°C in the directly impacted nonfish-bearing reaches, there was no significant increase in water temperature maxima at the downstream fish-bearing sites. Results also demonstrate that water temperatures in headwater stream networks can be highly variable and that the potential shade value of understory vegetation in harvested areas should not be overlooked. Continued monitoring at these sites is planned to evaluate peak water temperature trends during canopy regrowth and hydrologic recovery.
Trade Liberalization and Land Use Changes: Explaining the Expansion of Afforested Land in Chile
Authors: Niklitschek Mario E.
Published: April 2024

Trade policy reforms are expected to affect land use patterns in developing countries. Most of the research has focused on explaining deforestation or the economic and environmental consequences of plantation subsidies. This article examines the change in economic incentives resulting from trade reforms implemented in Chile since the mid-1970s for land conversion to forest plantations. The removal of the log export ban and the general import duties reduction affected forestry and land-competing agriculture both directly and indirectly through the depreciation of the real exchange rate. Counterfactual roundwood relative prices were obtained by estimating a generalized Leontief demand function for the domestic processing industry, and the “omega” coefficient used in the analysis of agricultural trade reforms. The effects on the economic incentives for land conversion were measured as the land rent changes under forestry and under competing agricultural use that resulted from counterfactual policy scenarios. The results show the critical role of trade liberalization policies in creating the necessary economic incentives for the private participation in the expansion of forest plantations in Chile. The direct effect from the removal of the log export ban was estimated to be larger than the indirect effect of the general import duty reductions.
Hedonic Analysis of Hunting Lease Revenue and Landowner Willingness to Provide Fee-Access Hunting
Authors: Hussain Anwar , Munn Ian A. , Grado Stephen C. , West Ben C. , Daryl Jones W. , Jones Jeanne
Published: April 2024

Selling hunting access may supplement household income, yet only a small proportion of nonindustrial private (NIP) landowners in United States lease the right to hunt their land. Based on a survey of Mississippi landowners, the decision to lease hunting rights and factors influencing lease revenue per leased hectare were analyzed. The two issues were jointly modeled consistent with Heckman's sample selection model, and the lease revenue was specified in accordance with hedonic pricing theory. Empirical results showed that landowner concerns about loss of privacy, accident liability, and conflicts with personal use of land reduced the likelihood of leasing; total landownership and specific landowner characteristics increased it. With regards to factors explaining differences in lease revenue per leased hectare, bottomland hardwoods commanded a greater premium than many other land uses. In addition, lease revenue per hectare was distinctly higher where a landowner had expertise in managing a hunting lease enterprise. These findings have implications for landowners interested in managing wildlife-associated enterprises and public agencies engaged in the provision of natural resource-based recreation.
Relative Influence of the Components of Timber Harvest Strategies on Landscape Pattern
Authors: Gustafson Eric J.
Published: April 2024

Forest managers seek to produce healthy landscape patterns by implementing harvest strategies that are composed of multiple management components such as cutblock size, rotation length, even-aged or uneven-aged residual stand structure, conversion to plantations, and the spatial dispersion of harvest units. With use of the HARVEST model and neutral landscapes, a factorial simulation experiment was conducted to determine how each management component influenced measures of spatial pattern. There was a significant overall effect of all components on response variables defined by age class and on all but the rotation length component for response variables defined by forest type. Increasing cutblock size, rotation length, and clustering of cutblocks generally reduces measures of age class fragmentation, and increasing the use of even-aged management increases fragmentation. The response of forest type variables was consistently dominated by the component (percent plantation) that changed the abundance of a forest type. Dispersion also had a significant effect because conversions were allocated in space through the dispersion treatment. The results can be used to develop strategies to mitigate negative effects of certain silvicultural activities by showing which other components have opposite effects. Managers can better predict how specific strategy components will contribute to the cumulative landscape pattern.
Recruitment Patterns in a Mediterranean Oak Forest: A Case Study Showing the Importance of the Spatial Component
Authors: Maltez-Mouro Sara , García Luis V. , Marañón Teodoro , Freitas Helena
Published: April 2024

The spatial patterns of recruits in a Mediterranean forest in Southwest Portugal were examined. We aimed to investigate how several environmental and canopy variables contribute to the observed patterns, and how relevant the spatial component is in explaining the variance in the density of recruits. We took a census of every recruit of four dominant woody species (Arbutus unedo, Quercus faginea, Q. suber, and Viburnum tinus), mapping their position inside two forest plots. For a total of 309 recruits, we measured the following variables: soil moisture, slope, canopy density, herbaceous and litter ground cover, overlying species and height, and distance to the nearest adult of the same and different species. Spatial pattern analysis, principal coordinate analysis of neighbor matrices, canonical correspondence analysis, and variance partitioning were performed to detect significant deviations from complete spatial randomness and identify conspecific and interspecific patterns, characterize regeneration niches, and evaluate the importance of the spatial component. Results showed the existence of significant community structure at the recruitment stage. The distance between recruits and the nearest conspecific adult was the main explanatory variable. Light availability, soil moisture, litter accumulation, and the overlying species were also significant factors in explaining the variance in the density of recruits. The best model accounted for 37% of the overall variance in the density of recruits, and most (80%) of the explained variance corresponded to spatially structured variance. This case study shows the importance of the spatial component in understanding the forest regeneration patterns under Mediterranean conditions and will contribute to the implementation of ecologically based management actions to preserve the remaining forest fragments.
Tree-Soil Interactions Affect Production of Loblolly and Slash Pine
Authors: Dicus Christopher A. , Dean Thomas J.
Published: April 2024

Species-related differences in needle litter nutrient concentrations and subsequent N mineralization were examined in 17-year-old stands of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) at a common site. Results of this common-garden study indicate that a feedback may exist between foliar litter nutrient concentration and soil N mineralization. Net N mineralization (to 30 cm) was significantly greater in loblolly pine than in slash pine stands, which was attributed to greater litter nutrient concentrations in loblolly pine. Stand volume production was also greater in loblolly pine than in slash pine and was positively correlated with N mineralization. Although lower litter nutrient concentrations may have reduced productivity of slash pine relative to loblolly pine in this study, they may serve as a mechanism to increase the relative fitness of the species by lowering the soil nutrient availability below the optimum of loblolly pine.
The Severity of Budworm-Caused Growth Reductions in Balsam Fir/Spruce Stands Varies with the Hardwood Content of Surrounding Forest Landscapes
Authors: Campbell Elizabeth M. , MacLean David A. , Bergeron Yves
Published: April 2024

Tree-ring data collected from balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) in 31 spruce (Picea spp.)/fir-dominated stands in northern New Brunswick were used to evaluate how radial growth reductions during the last spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) outbreak (1972–1992) varied according to the hardwood content of surrounding forest landscapes, insecticide spray history and elevation. Stepwise regression analysis was used to build 12 models describing relationships between mean percent growth reduction (i.e., deviation from mean tree growth averaged over the lifespan of all trees in a stand) and the explanatory variables for years when >80% of stands had growth reductions (1976–1978, 1982–1984, 1990, 1991, and 1994) and for three growth reduction periods (1972–1980, 1981–1985, and 1986–1993). The hardwood content of surrounding forest landscapes entered into all significant regression models (P < 0.05), explaining 12–41% of the variance in budworm-caused growth reductions. Differences in growth reductions among stands were greatest during the initial years of the budworm outbreak (1972–1980), particularly in 1976 when mean reductions were 40% in stands with <50% hardwood and content and 20% in stands in which surrounding hardwood content was >50%. Relationships between variation in growth reductions among stands and elevation or insecticide spray history were weak and less consistent than with landscape hardwood content. Our findings suggest that increasing the hardwood content of forest landscapes could help to reduce the impact of outbreaks on timber supplies.
Economic and Ecological Effects of Diameter Caps: A Markov Decision Model for Douglas-Fir/Western Hemlock Forests
Authors: Zhou Mo , Buongiorno Joseph , Liang Jingjing
Published: April 2024

We evaluated some of the effects of not harvesting trees of 41 cm (16 in.) dbh or larger with uneven-aged management of Douglas-fir/western hemlock forests. The opportunity cost of diameter caps was measured by the difference in maximum expected net present value (NPV) or equivalent annual timber income, with or without diameter caps. For the two policies, Markov decision models were used to determine the best decision rules and their effects on the NPV, the forest area with late-seral structure, and the forest area with northern spotted owl nesting habitat structure. The opportunity cost of diameter caps was computed for 64 initial stand states defined by basal area of small, medium, or large trees of shade-intolerant species (mostly Douglas-fir) or shade-tolerant species (mostly western hemlock). The opportunity cost fell in four distinct quartiles. The 16 stand states with high basal area in large shade-intolerant and large shade-tolerant trees had the highest opportunity cost ($798–$816 ha−1year−1 or 58–76%, expected over an infinite horizon), whereas the 16 stand states with low basal area in large shade-intolerant and large shade-tolerant trees had the lowest ($59–$89 ha−1year−1 or 11–13%). The diameter caps policy increased considerably the expected area of forest with late-seral structure, over an infinite time horizon, and the expected area with spotted owl nesting habitat structure, compared with their current levels in the study region.
Modeling Containment of Large Wildfires Using Generalized Linear Mixed-Model Analysis
Authors: Finney Mark , Grenfell Isaac C. , McHugh Charles W.
Published: April 2024

Billions of dollars are spent annually in the United States to contain large wildland fires, but the factors contributing to suppression success remain poorly understood. We used a regression model (generalized linear mixed-model) to model containment probability of individual fires, assuming that containment was a repeated-measures problem (fixed effect) and individual fires were random effects. Changes in daily fire size from 306 fires occurring in years 2001–2005 were processed to identify intervals of high spread from those of low spread. The model was tested against independent data from 140 fires in 2006. The analysis suggested that containment was positively related to the number of consecutive days during which the fire grew little and the number of previous intervals. Containment probability was negatively related to the length of intervals during which the fire exhibited high spread and the presence of timber fuel types, but fire size was not a significant predictor. Characterization of containment probability may be a useful component of cost-benefit analysis of large fire management and planning systems.
Analysis of Holm Oak Intraspecific Competition Using Gamma Regression
Authors: Gea-Izquierdo Guillermo , Cañellas Isabel
Published: April 2024

Analysis of plant competition is a major issue in ecology and forestry, as it influences plant growth and plant-environment interactions. Competition is expected to be lower in the sparse tree stratum of open woodlands and agroforestry systems than in closed forests. We have analyzed competition in open woodlands of Quercus ilex in the Iberian Peninsula by studying a 10-year diameter growth increment from collected samples and from consecutive National Forest Inventories. Density was the competition index selected in all models, outperforming more complex distance-dependent indices. The models showed that competition is playing a role in growth but that the covariate most correlated with growth is age or dbh as a surrogate of age. Therefore, below-ground competition is likely to be limiting tree growth, but below-ground competition is lower in open woodlands compared with that in denser forests and thus potential growth (which is strongly linked to age) is almost expressed. Model behavior was improved when data were fitted directly using generalized linear models, which do not require transforming of the dependent variable. Our results showed that modeling growth with the gamma probability distribution resulted in better models compared with Gaussian linear models. Gamma regression offers a great potential for many forestry applications.
The Interaction among Provenances of Melaleuca leucadendra (Weeping Paperbark), Salt, and Aluminum
Authors: Nguyen Nguyen T. , Saneoka Hirofumi , Suwa Ryuichi , Fujita Kounosuke
Published: April 2024

The expansion in salt-affected acid sulfate soil areas induced by the rise in sea level calls for studies on plant tolerance to combined aluminum (Al) and salt (NaCl) stress. We investigated the difference in tolerance to Al and NaCl alone and in combination among 16 Melaleuca leucadendra (L.) L. provenances. Two-month-old seedlings were grown with or without 10 mM Al and/or 50 mM NaCl at pH 3.8 for 3 months. Plant growth was reduced most by combined Al and NaCl stress and then by NaCl and least by Al, and provenance variation in stress tolerance increased with an increase in the level of the stress effect. Al and NaCl enhanced each other's effects in nine provenances, but they alleviated each other's effects in two provenances. There were significant differences in plant growth among provenances in every treatment; however, positive relationships were found among Al tolerance, NaCl tolerance, and combination tolerance. Combined Al and NaCl stress greatly increased Na concentration, whereas it decreased K concentration in leaf sap. Tolerance to combination stress tended to have negative relationships with both stress-induced reduction in leaf osmotic potential and leaf K concentration among provenances, suggesting that provenance variability in tolerance to combined Al and NaCl stress is partly due to differences in the ability to limit ionic stress through an adjustment in K uptake.
Effects of Timber Prices, Ownership Objectives, and Owner Characteristics on Timber Supply
Authors: Favada Ibrahim M. , Karppinen Heimo , Kuuluvainen Jari , Mikkola Jarmo , Stavness Corinne
Published: April 2024

In this article, we examine factors affecting nonindustrial private timber supply using a consistent estimation method for a limited dependent variable model. The survey data, collected in 1999 from 3,051 Finnish forest owners, includes information on objectives for ownership as well as annual harvest volumes between 1994 and 1998. Ownership objectives are identified using principal component analysis, and five forest ownership objective groups are generated using K-means clustering: multiobjective owners, investors, self-employed owners, recreationists, and indifferent owners. Along with stumpage price, reforestation costs and forest and owner characteristics, including the above objective groups, are used as explanatory variables in estimating the supply equation. A consistent estimation method allowing for heteroscedasticity and non-normality is used. Statistically significant elasticity of the unconditional mean harvest with respect to timber price is 1.3. Recreationists and indifferent forest owners, ceteris paribus, harvest about 2 m3/ha/year less than multiobjective owners and self-employed owners, whereas investors and indifferent owners are more price-responsive than the other groups.
Estimation of Forest Stand Parameters from Airborne Laser Scanning Using Calibrated Plot Databases
Authors: Junttila Virpi , Kauranne Tuomo , Leppänen Vesa
Published: April 2024

Airborne laser scanning (also known as LiDAR) is rapidly turning into a popular method for operational forest assessment. In the course of this development, classic regression methods have been replaced by nonparametric or Bayesian methods. Accurate estimates with such methods require a large collection of several hundreds of sample plots, which is costly. We propose replacing most of these sample plots by ones collected during earlier missions in different, but similar, forests. However, using such replacement plots requires resolution of two problems. The first one is overcoming differences between different LiDAR scanners, scanning parameters, and scanning conditions, and the second one is avoiding bias due to use of alien plots. We propose a method that resolves both problems and uses only approximately 50 new plots. The method is tested for accuracy in total forest parameters and shown to provide satisfactory estimates for total forest parameters and to be robust against random variation in the selection of the few new plots.
Sediment Trapping by Streamside Management Zones of Various Widths after Forest Harvest and Site Preparation
Authors: Lakel William A. , Aust Wallace M. , Bolding M. Chad , Dolloff C. Andrew , Keyser Patrick , Feldt Robert
Published: April 2024

Recommended widths for streamside management zones (SMZs) for sediment protection vary. The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of SMZ widths and thinning levels on sediment moving through SMZs. Four SMZ treatments were installed within 16 harvested watersheds where intermittent streams graded into small perennial streams. Sites were clearcut, prescribed burned, and planted with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Treatments were 30.4-, 15.2-, and 7.6-m-wide SMZs without thinning and 15.2-m-wide SMZs with thinning. Three to seven treatments replicated within four blocks created a randomized incomplete block design. Erosion rates from watersheds and sediment trapping within SMZ treatments were monitored with modeling and sediment pins. A second study evaluated 24 subwatersheds within eight watersheds. Three subwatersheds were located within each watershed so sediment traps collected inputs into SMZs from harvest site-prepared areas, firelines, or at streams. SMZ treatments had no significant differences regarding sediment trapping. All SMZs widths were generally effective in trapping sediment. Within the 16 intermittent-perennial watersheds and 24 ephemeral subwatersheds, erosion to sediment delivery ratios from harvests ranged from 3 to 14%. For ephemeral stream subwatersheds, firelines adjacent to SMZs contributed 14% of total sediment. Sediment trap data collected within SMZs indicated that 97% of watershed erosion was trapped before reaching streams. In three subwatersheds, sediment penetrated SMZs due to channelized flow from failed or inadequate water controls on roads and firelines. Results support the common recommendation for SMZ widths of 15.2 m in which partial harvests may occur and emphasize the importance of implementation of best management practices for roads and firelines.
An Exploratory Study of Biomass Harvesting among Logging Firms in Virginia and North Carolina
Authors: Munsell John F. , Barrett Scott M. , Bolding M. Chad
Published: April 2024

Logging firms in the United States will need to harvest and transport woody biomass if national wood-based renewable energy production goals are to be achieved. Expansion of associated biomass markets could provide important revenue opportunities for logging firms and potentially alter the sector. To study biomass harvesting behavior among logging firms, a logistic regression model was developed using a backward likelihood ratio procedure and 114 Virginia and North Carolina logging firms that operate in proximity to established woody biomass markets. The sample was identified from a larger pool of firm owners who participated in a Virginia Sustainable Harvesting and Resource Professional (SHARP) Logger Program survey. Hypothesized predictors included logging operation and owner variables. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the underlying structure of summated latent constructs. The model correctly classified biomass harvesting 78% of the time, exhibited acceptable fit, and contained normally distributed residual error. Significant predictors included firm mechanization, haul distance, and owner perspectives regarding job security satisfaction and attitudes about biomass harvesting. Analysis of variance and χ2 were used to test for differences between significant predictors when factored across a three-point biomass market-action variable—no market, market/no harvest, and market/harvest. The follow-on market-action evaluations included firms from the SHARP Logger Program survey that share county-level centers of operation for which at least one of the firms noted proximity to a woody biomass market. Implications for logging sector research are discussed, along with practical considerations for regions where wood-based renewable energy initiatives are on the rise.
Promotion of market-based sanitation in Ethiopia: a case study from Wolaita zone
Authors: Mamo Biruk Getachew , Novotný Josef
Published: April 2024

Ethiopia increased the availability of latrines notably, but the sanitation facilities rarely meet hygienic standards. Therefore, the market-based sanitation (MBS) programme has been implemented across the country for nearly a decade to expand the market and boost the demand for hygienic sanitation products and services. While it does not seem that the MBS would bring any notable change in sanitation conditions so far, its implementation challenges are not adequately understood. To address this gap, this article delves into the grassroots-level implementation of MBS in the Wolaita zone. The study relies on qualitative data gathered through interviews with various stakeholders, examining both demand- and supply-side challenges. Some issues identified were external to MBS implementation, such as high inflation and an unstable political and security situation in Ethiopia. Additionally, the study reveals that more general deficiencies of the Ethiopian health extension program, including the stress and discouragement of local change agents (health extension workers, health development army members) due to workloads and low remuneration, have adversely impacted MBS delivery. The implementation of MBS has also not effectively addressed the affordability of hygienic sanitation products. On the supply side, economic constraints and organizational inefficiencies have hindered the development of the sanitation market, preventing it from reaching a critical mass. Our research suggests that MBS alone will not suffice to improve sanitation in Ethiopia.
Leveraging healthcare standards-based improvement initiatives to support learning and continuous improvement: lessons from implementing the Ideal Clinic programme in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Motshweneng Oupa , Gilson Lucy , Engelbrecht Beth , Patientia Alfonso
Published: April 2024

Background

This paper draws on the experiences of a group of health system leaders and researchers in leading and supporting, respectively, the implementation of the Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance Framework (ICRMF) in Cape Town, South Africa. The ICRMF is a national standards-based quality improvement initiative that seeks to improve the quality of care in public primary healthcare (PHC) facilities. We share lessons learned on how efforts to improve healthcare standards can be leveraged for learning and meaningful system change.

Methods

A three-pronged approach to improving the implementation of the ICRMF was used in 15 PHC facilities across two sub-districts. The approach included (i) nurturing trust, (ii) changing the ICRMF assessment strategy, and (iii) promoting a collaborative and collective sense-making approach to understanding performance and addressing gaps. Routine ICRMF quantitative data and qualitative feedback from both the ICRMF assessment process and routine management meetings were used to reflect on the experience of using this approach and to draw lessons. The results and conclusions were further confirmed through member-checking.

Results

We found that using the three-pronged approach, the ICRMF assessments were able to facilitate deep and reflexive conversations about everyday health system challenges facing healthcare delivery in the sub-districts, while encouraging collective sensemaking and collaboration. The ICRMF was often perceived as a compliance-driven exercise with limited value on the actual quality of care. The three-pronged approach helped shift some of these perceptions and improved the experiences of facility managers in implementing the programme.

Conclusion

When supported by trusting relationships, reflexive processes and multidisciplinary ownership and collaboration, healthcare standards programmes such as the ICRMF can provide powerful avenues for learning and meaningful change. Our limited dataset could not demonstrate if our approach addresses the challenge of maintaining standards or not (which is linked to continuous improvement).
Genetic determinants of resistance to antimicrobial therapeutics are rare in publicly available Clostridioides difficile genome sequences
Authors: Kolte Baban , Nübel Ulrich
Published: April 2024

Objectives

To determine the frequencies and clonal distributions of putative genetic determinants of resistance to antimicrobials applied for treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), as documented in the genomic record.

Methods

We scanned 26 557 C. difficile genome sequences publicly available from the EnteroBase platform for plasmids, point mutations and gene truncations previously reported to reduce susceptibility to vancomycin, fidaxomicin or metronidazole, respectively. We measured the antimicrobial susceptibility of 143 selected C. difficile isolates.

Results

The frequency of mutations causing reduced susceptibility to vancomycin and metronidazole, respectively, increased strongly after 2000, peaking at up to 52% of all sequenced C. difficile genomes. However, both mutations declined sharply more recently, reflecting major changes in CDI epidemiology. We detected mutations associated with fidaxomicin resistance in several major genotypes, but found no evidence of international spread of resistant clones. The pCD-METRO plasmid, conferring metronidazole resistance, was detected in a single previously unreported C. difficile isolate, recovered from a hospital patient in Germany in 2008. The pX18-498 plasmid, putatively associated with decreased vancomycin susceptibility, was confined to related, recent isolates from the USA. Phenotype measurements confirmed that most of those genetic features were useful predictors of antibiotic susceptibility, even though ranges of MICs typically overlapped among isolates with and without specific mutations.

Conclusions

Genomic data suggested that resistance to therapeutic antimicrobial drugs is rare in C. difficile. Public antimicrobial resistance marker databases were not equipped to detect most of the genetic determinants relevant to antibiotic therapy of CDI.
In vitro activity of cefepime/taniborbactam and comparator agents against Gram-negative bacterial bloodstream pathogens recovered from patients with cancer
Authors: Gerges Bahgat , Rosenblatt Joel , Truong Y-Lan , Jiang Ying , Shelburne Samuel A , Chaftari Anne-Marie , Hachem Ray , Raad Issam
Published: April 2024

Background

Taniborbactam is a β-lactamase inhibitor that, when combined with cefepime, may offer a potential treatment option for patients with serious and resistant Gram-negative bacterial (GNB) pathogens.

Objectives

This study evaluated in vitro activity of cefepime/taniborbactam and comparator agents against GNB pathogens isolated from patients with cancer at our institution.

Methods

A total of 270 GNB pathogens (2019–23) isolated from patients with cancer were tested against cefepime/taniborbactam and comparator agents commonly used for these patients. CLSI-approved broth microdilution methods were used. MIC50, MIC90, MIC range and percentage of susceptibility calculations were made using FDA breakpoints when available.

Results

Cefepime/taniborbactam showed highly potent activity against tested Enterobacterales, including isolates producing ESBLs and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales. At a provisional breakpoint of ≤16/4 mg/L, cefepime/taniborbactam inhibited most tested species of GNB pathogens, with overall 98.9% susceptibility, which was significantly (P < 0.0001) higher than the susceptibility of the GNB isolates to all other tested comparator agents, ranging from 39.6% for cefepime to 86.3% for ceftazidime/avibactam.

Conclusions

Our results showed that taniborbactam in combination with cefepime improved in vitro activity against GNB pathogens isolated from patients with cancer, including MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates, with highest activity compared with all tested comparator agents, including other β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations. Further studies are warranted to explore the efficacy of cefepime/taniborbactam for empirical initial treatment of GNB infections in cancer patients with high rates of febrile neutropenia requiring hospitalization.
Generative artificial intelligence responses to patient messages in the electronic health record: early lessons learned
Authors: Baxter Sally L , Longhurst Christopher A , Millen Marlene , Sitapati Amy M , Tai-Seale Ming
Published: April 2024

Background

Electronic health record (EHR)-based patient messages can contribute to burnout. Messages with a negative tone are particularly challenging to address. In this perspective, we describe our initial evaluation of large language model (LLM)-generated responses to negative EHR patient messages and contend that using LLMs to generate initial drafts may be feasible, although refinement will be needed.

Methods

A retrospective sample (n = 50) of negative patient messages was extracted from a health system EHR, de-identified, and inputted into an LLM (ChatGPT). Qualitative analyses were conducted to compare LLM responses to actual care team responses.

Results

Some LLM-generated draft responses varied from human responses in relational connection, informational content, and recommendations for next steps. Occasionally, the LLM draft responses could have potentially escalated emotionally charged conversations.

Conclusion

Further work is needed to optimize the use of LLMs for responding to negative patient messages in the EHR.
Listening to Things and Spaces: Sound Archives for Design Historians
Authors: Candela Emily
Published: April 2024

Sound archives, beyond those of oral histories, have great potential to enrich design history discourse on key themes, invite new methodological approaches, and help expand the field’s subject breadth. Sound is, after all, a pervasive part of the designed world. It is intertwined with materiality, and is an important factor in how many users interact in and with spaces and artifacts. Yet the sonic qualities of designed objects, spaces, and systems are often “unheard” in design history literature and in conventional archives. This article outlines the potential of sound-focused research in design history through a discussion of several sound archives that reflect design history subject matter and concerns. The archives covered focus on the sounds of artifacts and spaces, which have seen less use in design history than those of oral histories. The sound-focused sources introduced here speak to design historical discourses on materiality, use, subjectivity, the everyday, environmental ecologies, and historical contingency. I argue, finally, that using sonic evidence invites the use of methodologies for listening and contributes to a rethinking of epistemological hierarchies in design history research.
Evolutionary potential under heat and drought stress at the southern range edge of North American Arabidopsis lyrata
Authors: Heblack Jessica , Schepers Judith R , Willi Yvonne
Published: April 2024

The warm edges of species’ distributions are vulnerable to global warming. Evidence is the recent range retraction from there found in many species. It is unclear why populations cannot easily adapt to warmer, drier, or combined hot and dry conditions and locally persist. Here, we assessed the ability to adapt to these stressors in the temperate species Arabidopsis lyrata. We grew plants from replicate seed families of a central population with high genetic diversity under a temperature and precipitation regime typical of the low-latitude margin or under hotter and/or drier conditions within naturally occurring amplitudes. We then estimated genetic variance–covariance (G-) matrices of traits depicting growth and allocation as well as selection vectors to compare the predicted adaptation potential under the different climate-stress regimes. We found that the sum of genetic variances and genetic correlations were not significantly different under stress as compared to benign conditions. However, under drought and heat drought, the predicted ability to adapt was severely constrained due to strong selection and selection pointing in a direction with less multivariate genetic variation. The much-reduced ability to adapt to dry and hot-dry conditions is likely to reduce the persistence of populations at the low-latitude margin of the species’ distribution and contribute to the local extinction of the species under further warming.
Focus on ... Consulting Foresters: Making Your Home Firewise: Tips for Homeowners
Authors:   none
Published: April 2024

The site your home is on is critical to its fire safety. Nine tips help homeowners ensure that their home is situated and maintained in a way that protects it from the risk of wildfire.
Focus on ... Students and New Professionals: Policy Internships: Stepping Stones to Your Career
Authors: Scardina A.V. , Marcus N.J. , Neznek R.
Published: April 2024

Forest policy internships are excellent opportunities for students to make their first connection with the real world of professional forestry. Here are some hints on how and where to look for internships and how to make your internship a positive experience for you and your employer.
Emerald Ash Borer: Invasion of the Urban Forest and the Threat to North America’s Ash Resource
Authors: Poland Therese M. , McCullough Deborah G.
Published: April 2024

The emerald ash borer (EAB), a phloem-feeding beetle native to Asia, was discovered killing ash trees in southeastern Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, in 2002. Like several other invasive forest pests, the EAB likely was introduced and became established in a highly urbanized setting, facilitated by international trade and abundant hosts. Up to 15 million ash trees in urban and forested settings have been killed by the EAB. Quarantines in the United States and Canada restrict the movement of ash trees, logs, and firewood to prevent new introductions. Research studies are underway to assist managers leading eradication and containment efforts. Long-term efforts will be needed to protect ash in urban and forested settings across North America.
Challenges and Approaches in Planning Fuel Treatments across Fire-Excluded Forested Landscapes
Authors: Collins Brandon M. , Stephens Scott L. , Moghaddas Jason J. , Battles John
Published: April 2024

Placing fuel reduction treatments across entire landscapes such that impacts associated with high-intensity fire are lessened is a difficult goal to achieve, largely because of the immense area needing treatment. As such, fire scientists and managers have conceptually developed and are refining methodologies for strategic placement of fuel treatments that more efficiently limit the spread and severity of fire across forested landscapes. Although these methodologies undoubtedly improve managers' ability to plan and evaluate various landscape fuel treatment scenarios, there is still a considerable gap between modeling landscape fuel treatments and actually implementing these treatments “on the ground.” In this article we explore this gap in light of decisions managers make with regards to the type, intensity, placement/pattern, and size of fuel treatments. Additionally, we highlight several critical constraints acting on managers when implementing fuel treatments across landscapes and offer some suggestions for dealing with these constraints.
Short-Term Impacts of Laurel Wilt on Redbay (Persea borbonia [L.] Spreng.) in a Mixed Evergreen-Deciduous Forest in Northern Florida
Authors: Shields Joshua , Jose Shibu , Freeman Johanna , Bunyan Milind , Celis Gerardo , Hagan Donald , Morgan Michael , Pieterson E. Corrie , Zak Joel
Published: April 2024

We examined the immediate effects of laurel wilt on redbay (Persea borbonia [L.] Spreng.) and stand-level characteristics in a mixed evergreen-deciduous forest at Etoniah Creek State Forest in Florida. Percent mortality of redbay in the overstory, sapling, and seedling layers were 100%, 30.2%, and 1.8%, respectively, in the year after the first signs of infection were observed. The diameter distribution of redbay shifted from a reverse “J” pattern to a distribution where the only remaining living stems were <4-in. dbh. Mortality of redbay also resulted in significant reductions in overstory redbay importance values and stand-level density and basal area. Our results suggest that (1) laurel wilt has a more pronounced effect on overstory redbays than smaller stems and (2) redbay mortality caused by laurel wilt can result in modest but significant changes in stand structure.
Why Natural Resources Educators Should Welcome Online Education
Authors: Sener John
Published: April 2024

Online education (the use of online technologies for teaching and learning) will play an increasingly important role in natural resources education. Because it has entered the mainstream of higher education in recent years and is projected to grow in size and importance for the foreseeable future, there are many excellent reasons for natural resources educators to get involved with online education. Many natural resources educators already have an established track record of delivering online education effectively. There is substantial research that indicates its effectiveness and abundant evidence that getting involved in online education is rewarding for instructors and students. Although possible conflicts with research and scholarships as competing priorities need to be considered, on balance the ascendency of online education is a welcome development for natural resources educators.
What Is Limiting More Flexible Fire Management—Public or Agency Pressure?
Authors: Steelman Toddi A. , McCaffrey Sarah M.
Published: April 2024

Conventional wisdom within American federal fire management agencies suggests that external influence such as community or political pressure for aggressive suppression are key factors circumscribing the ability to execute less aggressive fire management strategies. Thus, a better understanding of external constraints on fire management options is essential. This entails validating or refuting the perceptions of fire managers about the relative constraints that external pressures place on their ability to implement more flexible fire management options. In the summer of 2008, our research team traveled to two fires—the Gap in California and Gunbarrel in Wyoming—each of which used a different strategy for managing the fire. At each site, we interviewed key agency individuals and asked them about internal and external factors that influenced their fire management decisions. We also interviewed community members to understand whether they sought to influence fire management. Internal factors included procedural requirements and agency beliefs and attitudes. External factors included political and community pressures from the public who are often perceived to demand an aggressive suppression response. This article details how these internal and external factors influence flexibility in fire management. Our findings did not wholly support conventional wisdom and suggest that internal pressures are as important as external pressure in shaping fire management strategy.
Global Competency and Issues in Contemporary Education / Agroforestry
Authors: Moore Susan , Sills Erin , Allen Lee , Frederick Douglas , Cubbage Frederick , Garland John , Lydick Julie , Holley Gordon , Roberts Jodi , Grado Stephen , Ning Zhu , Fowler Shannon , Munsell John , Seiler John , Orr Blair , Savage James , Brantley Elizabeth , Houghton Craig , O'Hara Kevin , Redelsheimer Carol , Jones Michelle , Schultz Emma , Wagner Robert , Fox Bruce , Kim Yeon-Su , Allen James , Wagner Michael , Englberger Lois , Lorens Adelino , Johnson Emihner , Tara Mona , Susumu Gibson , Vander Velde Nancy , Kusto Karness , Vander Velde Brian , Elevitch Craig , Idol Travis , Friday James , Chamberlain James , Falanruw Marjorie , Mason Andy , Friday Kathleen , Nazario-Leary Cynthia , Idol Travis , Barden Charles , Mason Andy , Chamberlain James , Munsell John , Gold Michael , Jose Shibu , Barden Charles , Munsell John , Trozzo Katie , Ragone Diane , Drew Mark , Lorens Adelino , Phillips Jackson , Raynor Bill , Sucre Eric , Leggett Zakiya , Hughes Glenn , Vlosky Rich , Blazier Michael , Jose Shibu , Jacobson Michael
Published: April 2024

34We performed a five year integrated research, extension and education project aimed at strengthening global competence of students and faculty through collaboration in forestry. We sought to improve our students' ability to cooperate, increase their understanding of global dynamics of forestry markets and enhance their knowledge of various approaches to forest management and conservation with Chile as the focus. The project had four key components: (1) facilitate faculty and student involvement in Chile through Spanish language training, a website, and visits by Chilean faculty; (2) support NC State faculty and student research and study in Chile through travel grants and study tours; (3) build on faculty sabbaticals in Chile by funding student research assistants; and (4) disseminate information from Chile through multiple channels to both the university and professional communities. The faculty exchange visits; graduate student research; and participation of NCSU students, faculty and staff in the study tours to Chile had substantial effects when the participants returned to the US and disseminated information about their experiences through both formal and informal mechanisms. Both students and faculty at NCSU are more aware of forestry research, policy and management in Chile. Faculty at NCSU and Chilean universities Universidad de Concepción and Universidad de Austral have established a strong basis for collaboration and are continuing to work together on funding proposals, research, and papers. Students who participated in the study tours learned about both the culture and forestry in Chile, including similarities, differences, and lessons for the US. This presentation will describe the activities, outcomes and ongoing impacts of the project.
Forest Management, Engineering, and Operations / Global Competency and Issues in Contemporary Education
Authors: Antony Finto , Jordan Lewis , Schimleck Laurie , Daniels Richard , Kantavichai Rapeepan , Hansen Lara , Hitt Jessica , Hubbard William , Boyd Gwendolyn , Boyles Ryan , Dinon Heather , Idassi Joshua , Megalos Mark , Monroe Martha , Taylor Eric , Boby Leslie , Parajuli Rajan , Bradford John , D'Amato Anthony , Lifshitz Ian , Guth Erin , Litton Creighton , A. Lepczyk Christopher , Chan-Halbrendt Catherine , Zamora Rene , Adams Paul , Sessions John , Lee Yohan , Fried Jeremy , Albers Heidi , Haight Robert , Franklin Jean , Schipper Jan , Parmenter Robert , Cramer Jennifer , Chang Sun , Gazo Rado , Jensen Ed , Zahler David , Hughes Calvin , Tesch Steven , Bowden Richard , Trunzo Alessandra , Gillen Stacia-Fe , Ream Kelsey , Deem Lauren , Darby Kate , Bensel Terrence , Haviarova Eva , Gale Charles , Abdollahi Kamran , Ning Zhu , Johnson Andra
Published: April 2024

31Maps depicting spatial variation in wood properties are important for forest product industries as they aid decision making regarding raw material procurement, can assist in product categorization and help improve utilization. Loblolly pine is an important commercial species grown throughout the southern Unites States of America (USA). Wood Quality Consortium (WQC)—a joint collaboration between the University of Georgia, USDA Forest Service and industries—was established in 1999 with the objective of characterizing wood property variation of plantation grown loblolly pine. Data on wood specific gravity (SG), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) collected by the WQC was utilized in this study. Maps showing spatial variation in SG at different stand ages and SG, MOE and MOR at different heights within a tree were developed using appropriate spatial prediction methods (kriging). The geographical variation of these wood properties across southeastern USA was demonstrated here.
Abstract
Authors:   none
Published: April 2024

The article contains all poster abstracts from the Economic Resilience of Forest Enterprise track of the 2012 Society of American Foresters National Convention.
Abstract
Authors:   none
Published: April 2024

The article contains all poster abstracts from the Geospatial Applications track of the 2012 Society of American Foresters National Convention.