Successive Decades Research Articles

Scale-dependent changes in ecosystem temporal stability over six decades of succession.

A widely assumed, but largely untested, tenet in ecology is that ecosystem stability tends to increase over succession. We rigorously test this idea using 60-year continuous data of old field succession across 480 plots nested within 10 fields. We found that ecosystem temporal stability increased over succession at the larger field scale (γ stability) but not at the local plot scale (α stability). Increased spatial asynchrony among plots within fields increased γ stability, while temporal increases in species stability and decreases in species asynchrony offset each other, resulting in no increase in α stability at the local scale. Furthermore, we found a notable positive diversity-stability relationship at the larger but not local scale, with the increased γ stability at the larger scale associated with increasing functional diversity later in succession. Our results emphasize the importance of spatial scale in assessing ecosystem stability over time and how it relates to biodiversity.

Effectiveness of piperonyl butoxide and pyrethroid-treated long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) versus pyrethroid-only LLINs with and without indoor residual spray against malaria infection: third year results of a cluster, randomised controlled, two-by-two factorial design trial in Tanzania

BackgroundAfter decades of success in reducing malaria through the scale-up of pyrethroid long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), the decline in the malaria burden has stalled, coinciding with the rapid spread of pyrethroid resistance. In a previously reported study, nets treated with a pyrethroid and a synergist, piperonyl butoxide (PBO), demonstrated superior efficacy compared to standard pyrethroid LLINs (std-LLINs) against malaria. Evidence was used to support the public health recommendation of PBO-Pyrethroid-LLIN by the World Health Organization in 2018. This study looks at the third year of rollout of these nets in Muleba district, Tanzania to inform whether policy guidelines need to be updated.MethodsA four-group cluster randomized trial (CRT) using a two-by-two factorial design was carried out between January 2014 and December 2017. A total of 48 clusters, were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to the following treatment groups, each intervention being provided once in 2015: 1/std-LLIN; 2/PBO-pyrethroid LLIN; 3/std-LLIN + Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and 4/PBO-Pyrethroid-LLIN + IRS. During the third year follow-up, malaria infection prevalence in 80 children per cluster, aged 6 months to 14 years, was measured at 28- and 33-months post-intervention and analysed as intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP). Mosquito collections were performed monthly in all clusters, using CDC light traps in 7 randomly selected houses per cluster.ResultsAt 28 and 33 months, study net usage among household participants was only 47% and 31%, respectively. In ITT analysis, after 28 months malaria infection prevalence among 7471 children was 80.9% in the two std-LLIN groups compared to 69.3% in the two PBO-Pyrethroid-LLIN (Odds Ratio: 0.45, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.21–0.95, p-value: 0.0364). After 33 months the effect was weaker in the ITT analysis (prevalence 59.6% versus 49.9%, OR: 0.60, 95%CI:0.32–1.13, p-value: 0.1131) but still evident in the PP analysis (57.2% versus 44.2%, OR: 0.34, 95%CI: 0.16–0.71, p-value: 0.0051). Mean number of Anopheles per night collected per house was similar between PBO-Pyrethroid-LLIN groups (5.48) and std-LLIN groups (5.24) during the third year.ConclusionsDespite low usage of PBO- Pyrethroid LLIN, a small impact of those nets on malaria infection prevalence was still observed in the 3rd year with the most protection offered to children still using them. To maximize impact, it is essential that net re-distribution cycles are aligned with this LLIN lifespan to maintain maximum coverage.Trial registration: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number NCT02288637).

The expansion of China’s market margins: Navigating contingencies and conjunctures

In this exchange piece, I engage with Weber’s critical analysis, destabilizing the ideological dichotomy of the big bang approach versus experimental gradualism. I suggest that China’s past decades of conspicuous economic success are attributed to the political tactics of navigating the variegated sociospatial contingencies, as well as the conjunctures of new rounds of spatial division of labor globally in the 1980s. In sum, I point to the role of the arts of governmentality in reconfiguring domestic economic geography to sustain and facilitate the expansion of market margins for the growth of state power.

Sensitivity of Optical Satellites to Estimate Windthrow Tree-Mortality in a Central Amazon Forest

Windthrow (i.e., trees broken and uprooted by wind) is a major natural disturbance in Amazon forests. Images from medium-resolution optical satellites combined with extensive field data have allowed researchers to assess patterns of windthrow tree-mortality and to monitor forest recovery over decades of succession in different regions. Although satellites with high spatial-resolution have become available in the last decade, they have not yet been employed for the quantification of windthrow tree-mortality. Here, we address how increasing the spatial resolution of satellites affects plot-to-landscape estimates of windthrow tree-mortality. We combined forest inventory data with Landsat 8 (30 m pixel), Sentinel 2 (10 m), and WorldView 2 (2 m) imagery over an old-growth forest in the Central Amazon that was disturbed by a single windthrow event in November 2015. Remote sensing estimates of windthrow tree-mortality were produced from Spectral Mixture Analysis and evaluated with forest inventory data (i.e., ground true) by using Generalized Linear Models. Field measured windthrow tree-mortality (3 transects and 30 subplots) crossing the entire disturbance gradient was 26.9 ± 11.1% (mean ± 95% CI). Although the three satellites produced reliable and statistically similar estimates (from 26.5% to 30.3%, p < 0.001), Landsat 8 had the most accurate results and efficiently captured field-observed variations in windthrow tree-mortality across the entire gradient of disturbance (Sentinel 2 and WorldView 2 produced the second and third best results, respectively). As expected, mean-associated uncertainties decreased systematically with increasing spatial resolution (i.e., from Landsat 8 to Sentinel 2 and WorldView 2). However, the overall quality of model fits showed the opposite pattern. We suggest that this reflects the influence of a relatively minor disturbance, such as defoliation and crown damage, and the fast growth of natural regeneration, which were not measured in the field nor can be captured by coarser resolution imagery. Our results validate the reliability of Landsat imagery for assessing plot-to-landscape patterns of windthrow tree-mortality in dense and heterogeneous tropical forests. Satellites with high spatial resolution can improve estimates of windthrow severity by allowing the quantification of crown damage and mortality of lower canopy and understory trees. However, this requires the validation of remote sensing metrics using field data at compatible scales.

Количественная оценка глобального потепления

The paper presents a summary table of global warming energy patterns calculated using historical natural data accumulated by the world science. The analysis shows that in each successive decade contribution of the positive feedbacks to global warming is increasing as compared to the preceding decade. Each kilowatt-hour of energy produced and used by the humanity warms up our planet through the human-caused greenhouse effect by 18 kWh. The dependence functions of the radiative temperature equilibrium on the content of the three main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been derived. We propose functions for the dependence of the amount of accumulated thermal energy in the Earth's climatic system and the duration of global warming on the amount of the man-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A forecast of the global sea level rise and the marginal frequency of natural disasters over time is provided. If the mankind has halved greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, the global warming will progress for about 210 years until it reaches the radiation equilibrium temperature of 4,2°C. By following this scenario, it will be possible to prevent a possible additional warming of the atmosphere by about 4,7°C in the future.

In the Shadow of Peace

Abstract Despite decades of success, abuse has pervaded UN peacekeeping. This article argues that there has been a combination of incremental, conditional, and tenuous accountability for UN peacekeeping personnel accused of perpetrating sexual exploitation and abuse against civilians. This article argues that the relationship with accountability has been shaped by the reliance on troop-contributing countries to supply peacekeepers. This has limited the ability and desire of the UN to institute full accountability for peacekeeper actions. Looking at examples and trends of abuse and punishment, the article demonstrates that there has been a push-pull relationship of accountability between the media and nongovernmental organization reporting on one side and UN reliance on troop-contributing countries and institutional reluctance on the other side.

A decade of grassroots pathway programming: Saturday Academy at New York University College of Dentistry.

Successful pathway programs require early and sustained support of student participants. We present the history and outcomes of a successful decade of continuous, grassroots, pathway programming at an individual dental institution. Programmatic data were used to evaluate information on program participant demographics, academic pursuits, and career interests. Descriptive analyses were used to report on program enrollment as well as alumni academic and career outcomes. Between the years of 2013 and 2022, 346 high-school students participated in Saturday Academy at NYU Dentistry. Of the 240 college-aged and older program alumni, 72% (n=172) have shared their academic and career plans after high-school. At the time of publication, 78% (134/172) of alumni that have maintained contact with Saturday Academy and have expressed interest in pursuing a career in the health professions. Of the 172 alumni, 14% (n=24) have enrolled in or graduated from a health professional program (dental hygiene, nursing, accelerated dental or medical program, dental or medical school, or other health professional program). Of these alumni (24/172), half (n=12) have pursued education in the dental professions, specifically. Saturday Academy at NYU Dentistry is an example of a sustainable and impactful pathway program in dental education and its outcomes support the merit of calls for increased institutional commitment and support of similar initiatives.

Acupuncture in Addiction Medicine: Its History, Evidence, and Possibilities.

Substance-use disorders (SUDs) and drug addiction are not only national, but also global health concerns that have worsened during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Acupuncture augments the endogenous opioid system and, therefore, has a theoretical basis as a treatment for opioid use disorders (OUDs). The basic science of acupuncture, its clinical research in addiction medicine, and decades of success of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol offer positive findings supporting this protocol's utility for treating SUDs. Considering the mounting opioid/substance-use concerns and deficiencies in SUD treatment availability in the United States, acupuncture can be a safe, feasible treatment option and adjunct in addiction medicine. Furthermore, large governmental agencies are lending support to acupuncture for treating acute and chronic pain, which, in turn, could translate to prevention of SUDs and addictions. This article is a narrative review of the background, the basic science and clinical research, and future direction of acupuncture in addiction medicine.

CAGE Final Report 2017–2023

After a successful decade as a Centre of Excellence funded by the Norwegian Research Council, the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) will draw to a close at the end of February 2023. In this final report, we reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments, impacts, and legacy from the second phase of CAGE (2017-2023). The first phase of the Centre (2013-2017) was reported in the CAGE Annual 2016 Report.

Overview of Walking Rates, Walking Safety, and Government Policies to Encourage More and Safer Walking in Europe and North America

Walking is the most sustainable means of daily travel for short trip distances and is a key component of the overall transport system. This paper documents variation in walking rates among countries, cities in the same country, and in different parts of the same city. Our international analysis of official government statistics shows that walking rates are highest for short trips, higher for women than for men, decline with increasing income, and remain constant as age increases. Walking fatality rates are much higher in the USA compared with the other countries we examined, both per capita and per km walked. Government policies that would increase walking rates while improving pedestrian safety include: integrated networks of safe and convenient walking infrastructure; roadways and intersections designed for the needs of pedestrians; land-use regulations that encourage mixed uses and short trip distances; lower city-wide speed limits and traffic calming in residential neighborhoods; reduced supply and increased price of parking; traffic laws that give priority to pedestrians; improved traffic education for motorists and non-motorists; tax surcharges on large personal vehicles; and strict enforcement of laws against drink and distracted driving. Five decades of success with these policies in many European cities provide practical examples for car-oriented cities to follow, especially in North America.

Mechanisms of vegetation restoration at landslides caused by a catastrophic earthquake in Central Taiwan

The vegetation restoration of a large-scale landslide, triggered by the catastrophic earthquake on 21 September 1999, in Jiujiu Peaks, Central Taiwan with an impacted area of 821 ha recovered 80% by 2020 was studied using self-organizing map (SOM) coupled with multi-temporal SPOT satellite images and a terrain-based distribution index for a 20-year period. Although disturbed by several typhoons during two decades of natural vegetation succession, the landslide restoration rate has reached 87.5% with the invasion or regrowth of vegetation gradually. A predicted logarithmic model with statistically significant difference was derived to estimate the restoration trend of the landslide in the studied area. Most of the poorly vegetated areas are located along the ridgelines, as verified by field surveys. Landslide restoration was carried out in three stages, (1) vulnerable landslides and fast-growing invasive vegetation (1999/9 - 2005/9); (2) stabilized landslides and slow-growing vegetation toward the vegetated strips (2005/9 - 2009/11); and (3) more stabilized landslides and vegetation toward secondary forest (2009/11–2020/2). Topographic location, water supply, typhoon disturbance, invasive or residual vegetation patterns and succession time are the main factors of landslide restoration. The evaluated results indicate that nature itself is a complex ecological balance system with a strong capacity for vegetation recovery at landslides, and can be used by government agencies to add in the recovery of landslide areas.

Cancer Immunology Research: A Decade of Illumination and Innovation

<i>Cancer Immunology Research</i>: A Decade of Illumination and Innovation

Research on the Change of Cultural Values in Clothing Company Brand Slogans

The brand slogan change is an important measure to adjust the brand image and maintain the brand’s vitality in the fierce market competition. Clothing is both a product of culture and a carrier of culture, and changes in clothing company brand slogans are closely related to changes in consumer culture. This study selects clothing company brand slogans that have changed in the Chinese market in the last 20 years (2000-2019) and adopts a combination of statistical analysis and content analysis to discuss the trends and characteristics of brand slogans in the process of change from the perspective of cultural values. It was found that: (1) the individualism, collectivism, and high power distance presented by Chinese clothing companies’ brand slogans increased significantly between the two successive decades during the change process; the low uncertainty avoidance presented by them decreased significantly between the two successive decades; while low power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and feminism did not change significantly. (2) Among the cultural value claims, the claim “Succorance” in collectivism is found to have increased significantly, while the claim “Plain” in low power distance has decreased significantly. The remaining 28 demands did not change significantly. This paper enriches the discussion of brand slogan change from the perspective of cultural values. When designing a new brand slogan, clothing companies need to anticipate the current consumer culture in the context of the times to develop a brand slogan that is in line with consumer values.

Additive Manufacturing in Metal Jewelry Industry: Analytical Study

With the diversity and multiplicity of materials used in the production of jewelry throughout history and the development of jewelry design in successive ages and decades, metal still the basic raw material for jewelry production

ЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ ОСОБЕННОСТЕЙ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО ПОТЕПЛЕНИЯ И ЕГО ПОСЛЕДСТВИй

The summary table of global warming energy patterns calculated using accumulated natural data accumulated by the world science is presented. The analysis shows that in each successive decade the contribution of positive feedbacks to global warming increases relative to the preceding decade. Each kilowatt hour of energy produced and used by humanity warms our planet through the anthropogenic greenhouse effect by 20 kWh. The functions of dependence of the radiative temperature equilibrium on the content in the atmosphere of the three main greenhouse gases have been derived. We propose functions for the dependence of the amount of accumulated thermal energy in the Earth’s climatic system and the duration of global warming on the content of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A forecast of the global sea level rise and the marginal frequency of natural disasters over time is provided. If mankind has halved greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, global warming will progress for about 170 years until it reaches a radiative equilibrium temperature of 4,2° C.

A Nimble Review of the Development Path of Sierra Leone Stock Market

Economies with more active stock markets develop faster over successive decades. Such development remains attainable even after adjusting for various other factors underlying economic growth. Sierra Leone is one country whose stock market is now more than a decade old but remains poorly active. The number of listings as well as participation in the stock market remains low and insignificant. The study made a light review of the development path of the stock market in an effort to identify the derailing issues and suggesting ways to resolve. Through the review, it was obtained that there exist combinations of factors hindering the growth of the stock market. Inadequate support from the government has been identified, the privatisation concept was never implemented to the expected level, nature of business in the economy being mainly family-oriented and single proprietors, low levels of awareness of the general populace to issues of stock exchanges, limited participation by foreign investors, and high levels of corruption all are impacting factors. Significant reforms have to be made in the regulatory environment. Privatisation journey should be pursued effectively to improve listing by large firms. Foreign participation in the stock market elevated to some significant levels. The economy should continue to address issues of corruption so as to minimise its impact to institutional development. Public awareness should be enhanced to improve stock market participation by natives. Policies that promote foreign direct investment should be implemented. Management of political climate remains crucial for investors to have confidence and trust in their investments thereby attracting more for further development. Policy makers should walk the talk and demonstrate highest levels of commitment.

A case study: temporal trends of environmental stressors and reproductive health of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from a site in the Potomac River Watershed, Maryland, USA

Decades of poor reproductive success and young-of-the-year survival, combined with adult mortality events, have led to a decline in the smallmouth bass (SMB; Micropterus dolomieu) population in sections of the Potomac River. Previous studies have identified numerous biologic and environmental stressors associated with negative effects on SMB health. To better understand the impact of these stressors, this study was conducted at the confluence of Antietam Creek and the Potomac River from 2013 to 2019 to identify temporal changes associated with SMB reproductive health. Surface water samples were collected and analyzed for over 300 organic contaminants, including pesticides, phytoestrogens, pharmaceuticals, hormones and total estrogenicity (E2Eq). Adult SMB were collected and sampled for multiple endpoints, including gene transcripts associated with reproduction (molecular), histopathology (cellular), and organosomatic indices (tissue). In males, biomarkers of estrogenic endocrine disruption, including testicular oocytes (TO) and plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) were assessed. Numerous agriculture-related contaminants or land use patterns were associated with gene transcript abundance in both male and female SMB. Positive associations between pesticides in the immediate catchment with TO severity and E2Eq with plasma Vtg in males were identified. In males, the prevalence of TO and detectable levels of plasma Vtg, liver vitellogenin transcripts (vtg) and testis vtg were high throughout the study. Peaks of complex mixtures of numerous contaminants occurred during the spring/early summer when spawning and early development occurs and to a lesser extent in fall/winter during recrudescence. Management practices to reduce exposure during these critical and sensitive periods may enhance reproductive health of these economically important sportfishes.

Implants with over a decade of clinical success

Implants with over a decade of clinical success

Implants with over a decade of clinical success

Implants with over a decade of clinical success

Understanding Community Perceptions of the St. Kitts’ “Monkey Problem” by Adapting Harm Reduction Concepts and Methods

Wicked problems in One Health are associated with dynamicity and uncertainty that require experts, authorities and community members to reach for innovative means of collective inquiry, and collaborative interventions to address the deep social issues at the root of interspecies problems. In this study we explore the value of harm reduction concepts to understand a hundreds of year old issue, the St. Kitts’ “monkey problem,” which involves the invasive African green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) as the cause of deleterious effects on agriculture, but concurrent positive effects on tourism and biomedical research. The harm reduction approach, a systems and settings-based approach with decades of success in public health, can serve as a framework to produce action on persistent societal problems. Harm reduction concepts and methods and participatory epidemiology were used to uncover local perceptions about human-monkey interactions and “meet people where they are” by asking the research question: Are there commonalities in perceptions and values linked to the St. Kitts’ “monkey problem” that are shared across diverse representatives of society that can act as a common starting place to launch collaborative responses to this invasive species? Through a series of focus group activities and interviews we found that the Kittitian “monkey problem” is a contentious and dichotomous problem pervasive in most of society that has no single stakeholders nor one solution. Harm reduction helped to map the island’s human-monkey system and elucidated an entry point toward tackling this problem through the identification of shared values, and also provided a model for incremental gains that may be achieved. Likening the St. Kitts “monkey problem” to a wicked problem enabled stakeholders to seek more options to manage the problem rather than to conclusively solve it. Frequently mentioned shared values including the protection of farmer crops and backyard harvests likely represent strong entry points to this problem and a jumping-off point to begin collective action toward future improvements.