Long-term Research Program Research Articles

The Long Lens of Forest History

The Long Lens of Forest History

Development of Solid Breeder Blanket at JAERI

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has been performing blanket development based on the long-term research program of fusion blankets in Japan, which was approved by the Fusion Council of Japan in 1999. The blanket development consists of out-pile R&D, In-pile R&D, TBM Neutronics and TPR Tests and Tritium Recovery System R&D. Based on the achievements of element technology development, the R&D program is now stepping to the engineering testing phase, in which scalable mockup tests will be performed for obtaining engineering data unique to the specific structure of the components, with the objective to define the fabrication specification of test blanket modules for ITER. This paper presents the major achievements of the element technology development of solid breeder blanket in JAERI.

Nutrition research on calcium homeostasis. II. Freshwater turtles (with recommendations)

This review reports on a decade of nutrition research into calcium (Ca) homeostasis in freshwater turtles, including research on non-nutritive factors that are essential for Ca homeostasis [i.e. ontogeny, environmental temperature and humidity, and ultraviolet (UV) light and photoreception]. Recommendations for future research include long-term research programmes in three specific areas: (1) photoreception, UV light and biosynthesis, (2) Ca homeostasis and vitamin and mineral supplementation, and (3) developmental indices, gut transit time (GTT) and energy requirements.

Environmental hazards posed by the Los Angeles Basin urban oilfields: an historical perspective of lessons learned

Urban encroachment into areas historically reserved for oil and gas field operations is an ever-present problem within the Los Angeles Basin. The recent frenzy in real estate development has only intensified what can be characterized as a conflict in land usage. Subsurface mineral rights are severed from surface ownership, often resulting in developments being approved without adequate consideration of the underlying oil and gas field consequences. Also, surface operations are frequently co-located within residential areas without consideration of the health and safety consequences of emissions of toxics to air. This paper presents a review of the environmental, health and safety hazards posed by urban oilfield operations, with an emphasis upon the lessons learned from the “L.A. Basin: Original Urban Oilfield Legend” (see Castle and Yerkes 1976; Denton and others 2001; Endres and others 2002; Kouznetsov and others 1994; Katz and others 1994; Schumacher and Abrams 1994; and Schoell 1983). The Los Angeles Basin has provided the authors with one of the largest natural laboratories in the world for studying the consequences of these issues. The results presented are part of a long-term research program based upon the application of geoscience and petroleum engineering principles in obtaining a fundamental understanding of the root causes of the environmental hazards posed. Topics addressed include: (1) vertical migration of gas to the surface along faults and improperly completed or abandoned wellbores (e.g., due to poor cementing practices), (2) subsidence caused by the fluid production and declining reservoir pressures, (3) soil and groundwater contamination resulting from historic oil and gas field operations, and (4) air toxics resulting from surface operations. A number of case histories are discussed that illustrate the seriousness of the problem. A clear case is made for the urgent need for closer coordination and education by the petroleum industry of the local government planning departments. These departments have the principal role in determining land use policies, acting as the lead agency in performing environmental site assessments (e.g., under the California Environmental Quality Act), and in establishing mitigation measures for dealing with the long-term environmental hazards. This paper establishes prudent practices on the part of oilfield operators for the monitoring and mitigation of these hazards.

Forests in time: the environmental consequences of 1,000 years of change in New England

The Eastern Hemlock, massive and majestic, has played a unique role in structuring northeastern forest environments, from Nova Scotia to Wisconsin and through the Appalachian Mountains to North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. A foundation influencing all the species in the ecosystem surrounding it, this iconic North American tree has long inspired poets and artists as well as naturalists and scientists. Five thousand years ago, the hemlock collapsed as a result of abrupt global climate change. Now this iconic tree faces extinction once again because of an invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Drawing from a century of studies at Harvard University's Harvard Forest, one of the most well-regarded long-term ecological research programs in North America, the authors explore what hemlock's modern decline can tell us about the challenges facing nature and society in an era of habitat changes and fragmentation, as well as global change.

A comparison of oxygen decompression tables for use in hyperbaric tunnelling

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had a need to compare the effectiveness of a range of oxygen decompression tables for use in compressed air tunnelling and did this through the use of a mathematical model study. The results have been used to justify a more flexible approach to the statutory approval of decompression practices in the UK tunnelling industry. HSE has a long-term hyperbaric tunnelling research programme. This was used in 1996 to support the introduction of revised regulations for work in compressed air. More recently it was extensively used to inform and support the introduction of mandatory oxygen decompression in 2001. For convenience, oxygen decompression was introduced utilising a modified version of the Blackpool Tables. HSE recognised that the Blackpool Tables had been written for air-only decompression and therefore were not necessarily the most effective tables for oxygen decompression, so it undertook to conduct a comparative study of the effectiveness of a number of oxygen decompression tables and review the use of the modified Blackpool Tables in the light of that study. Using tables from another country gives an element of confidence that the tables, whilst not necessarily effective, are unlikely to be grossly unsafe. In addition, exposure data may be available and measures such as the Standardised Bends Ratio (CIRIA, 1992) can be used to make useful comparisons. The study involved the use of a physiological mathematical model. Typical results are shown in the paper along with tables ranking the performance of the modified Blackpool Tables relative to the other tables considered in the study. The effectiveness of the modified Blackpool Tables was found to be within the range of the other tables studied. No single table was best or worst overall. All were considered to be equally effective and would be acceptable for use in the UK. The study provided information, which subsequently allowed HSE to approve an application from a contractor to use German oxygen decompression tables - the first time that non-UK tables had been used on a UK contract. In assessing the effectiveness of decompression tables, the use of a range of techniques including Doppler and ultrasonic monitoring and mathematical modelling should be considered in addition to the traditional retrospective study of exposure data. (A). Reprinted with permission from Elsevier. For the covering abstract see ITRD E124500.

Ecosystem response to 15 years of chronic nitrogen additions at the Harvard Forest LTER, Massachusetts, USA

Humans have altered the global and regional cycles of nitrogen more than any other element. Alteration of N cycling patterns and processes in forests is one potentially negative outcome of accelerated N deposition worldwide. To assess potential impacts of N deposition on temperate forests, a series of chronic nitrogen additions in two contrasting forest types (red pine plantation and mixed hardwood stand) were designed as a core experiment of the Harvard Forest (HF) Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) program. This paper describes the chronic N experimental study site in detail and presents the long-term baseline measurements established at the beginning of treatments in 1988. Results reported here continue or accelerate trends presented in previous papers. Losses of inorganic N remain high in the high N plots (higher in pines than hardwoods) and low N plots in the pine stand also have measurable DIN losses. Foliar and fine root N concentrations are elevated significantly. Mortality of red pine reached 56% by 2002 in the pine high N plot, and biomass accumulation has stopped altogether. The high N hardwood stand shows increased ANPP, but excess N availability and a severe drought in 1995 contributed to mortality of 72% of red maple trees by 2002. Species importance and litterfall patterns were altered in several plots after 1995. Roots, foliage and wood have diminished as net sinks for added N, re-emphasizing the role of soils in N retention. Two mechanisms for large net retention of added N were suggested in a review paper in 1998. Of these, abiotic immobilization is supported by a growing set of papers, while assimilation and re-exudation by mycorrhizae is suggested by increased DON concentrations.

Questioning the Relationship between Consumption and Exchange:TheatreWorks' Flying Circus Project, December 2000

The FCP is decribed by TheatreWorks as follows: This multi-disciplinary, long-term research and development program in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and ritual has continued for six years, with laboratories consisting of classes, improvisation workshops and seminars...

A TEOTIHUACAN PRESENCE AT CHAC II, YUCATAN, MEXICO: Implications for early political economy of the Puuc region

A long-term research program at the Maya center of Chac (II) is providing extraordinary new information regarding architecture, mortuary populations, and foreign presence at the Puuc hills during the Early Classic period (a.d.300–600). The finding of numerous early substructures at monumental and residential contexts, unusual mortuary practices, and various artifacts showing central Mexican inspiration and/or origin has led to the serious realization that the center of Chac did not develop in cultural isolation. It is becoming increasingly evident that Teotihuacan played a significant role, either directly or via one of its surrogates, in the rise of urban centers in the Puuc region. This paper explores the evidence of foreign influences and contacts at Chac and discusses the larger implications for the early political economy of the Puuc hills region and the region's relationship to greater Mesoamerica.

Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation in Urban Environments: The Case of Baltimore, Maryland¶†

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm) has important effects in urban areas, including those on human health. Broadband UV-B radiation is monitored in Baltimore, MD, as part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a long-term ecological research program. We compare broadband UV-B irradiance in Baltimore with UV-B at two nearby locations: a more rural station 64 km southeast and a suburban station 42 km southwest. The monitoring station in Baltimore is on the roof of a 33-m-tall building; there are no significant obstructions to sky view. The U.S. Department of Agriculture UV-B Monitoring and Research Program provided all sensors, which were calibrated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Central UV Calibration Facility. UV-B irradiances at the three sites generally were similar. Over all conditions, Baltimore and the suburban site measured 3.4% less irradiance than the rural site. This difference is within the anticipated +/-3% calibration uncertainty of the pyranometers. On 59 days with cloud-free conditions at all three sites, average differences in measured UV-B among the three sites were even smaller; Baltimore measured 1.2% less irradiance than the rural site. High aerosol optical thickness strongly reduced daily UV-B dose, whereas [SO2] had no influence. Surface O3 increased with increasing UV-B dose when [NO2] exceeded 10 ppb.

NEEDED: A UNIFIED INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON PUBLIC LANDS

We have gone from the early day philosophy that if national parks were simply left alone they would survive forever (Botkin 1990, Sellars 1997, Parsons 2004) to the current situation where parks are jeopardized by serious environmental threats both within and outside of their borders (e.g., Pringle 2000). While science alone cannot solve the environmental problems facing public lands, it can lead us to ask the right questions and result in critical information for management and policy needs (e.g., National Research Council [NRC] 1992, Sellars 1997). Unfortunately, we lack a unified infrastructure that supports long-term scientific research on public lands and facilitates application of that science to management. We believe that long-term scientific research would provide essential knowledge for management of public lands, a viewpoint expressed by others as well (Callahan 1984, Likens 1989). Our goals in this commentary are to highlight: (1) the scope and magnitude of environmental problems facing U.S. public lands; (2) the lack of long-term scientific information available to identify and address these problems; and finally (3) the value of long-term research, by using a few examples from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Long-term Ecological Research Program. U.S. public lands are facing environmental problems of increasing scope and magnitude. The National Conservation Association (NPCA) recently began issuing an annual list of America's Ten Most Endangered National Parks to draw public attention to the endangered status of many park units (NPCA 2002a). Environmental challenges include air pollution, threats to water resources, and recreational impacts of snowmobiles. NPCA's third annual listing of endangered parks includes Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Ocmulgee National Monument, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and Yellowstone National Park. To highlight the impacts of air pollution, which are evident throughout the national park system, NPCA also established its Code Red list of Amer-

PROMOTING ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN NATIONAL PARKS—A SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

Pringle, C. M. 2000. Threats to U.S. public lands from cumulative hydrologic alterations outside of their boundaries. Ecological Applications 10:971-989. Risser. P. G., et al. 1993. Ten-year review of the National Science Foundation Long-term Ecological Research Program. National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, USA. Sellars, R. W. 1997. Preserving nature in the national parks: a history. Yale Univ rsity Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Yates, T. L., et al. 2002. The ecology and evolutionary history of an emergent disease: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. BioScience 52:989-998.

Science Lectures in the Arctic's "Science City": Barrow, Alaska

... Beginning in spring 2002, the Science division of the Utqiagvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), Barrow's local village corporation, took over the renovated original powerhouse building at the Northern Arctic Research Laboratory, formerly the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL). The newly named UIC Science Center, about three miles north of Barrow, has become the venue for a number of programs. One is the Barrow Schoolyard lecture series, funded under the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) program of the National Science Foundation, which includes a science-education outreach component. Toolik Station, an LTER base on Alaska's North Slope, did not have a community associated with it. Under the urging of Dr. Jerry Brown, Barrow was appointed as the location for the Schoolyard Project. The program teams scientists with local teachers for public presentations of the researchers' projects or areas of interest, and is administered by the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC). ... A main objective of the Schoolyard Project talks is to make them attractive to students. The Schoolyard funds have also been used to sponsor an ongoing series of tundra experiments involving small greenhouses and fertilizers, similar to those being run at Toolik Lake. ... While it is too soon to measure results, clearly the injection of high-quality science into the community will have a positive effect on science education in the local schools. The hope of NSF and the local scientists is to make science accessible and useful to the community and to stimulate young people to consider a career in science.

Using Artificial Life to assess the typicality of terrestrial life

The extent to which extraterrestrial life questions can be confidently addressed rests in large measure on the extent to which terrestrial life is representative of life in general since we will have to draw from terrestrial life knowledge. This paper outlines a long-term research program that could inform the extent to which terrestrial life is representative of life more generally, which might then help inform our level of confidence in applying terrestrial life knowledge to extraterrestrial life issues. The approach involves appealing to the relatively new field of Artificial Life to: (1) use minimal characterizations of life in (2) a large number of open-ended Artificial Life computer experiments to generate “life possibility spaces” (3) the results of which can be examined for their plausibility within the context of relevant constraining knowledge, so that (4) the remaining results can be examined for variability relative to terrestrial life, where low variability might suggest that terrestrial life is typical of life in general, and high variability could be interpreted to suggest that terrestrial life might be atypical.

Design and technology development of solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water in Japan

This paper presents results of conceptual design activities and associated R&D of a solid breeder blanket system for demonstration of power generation fusion reactors (DEMO blanket) cooled by supercritical water. The Fusion Council of Japan developed the long-term research and development programme of the blanket in 1999. To make the fusion DEMO reactor more attractive, a higher thermal efficiency of more than 40% was strongly recommended. To meet this requirement, the design of the DEMO fusion reactor was carried out. In conjunction with the reactor design, a new concept of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was proposed and design and technology development of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was performed.By thermo-mechanical analyses of the first wall, the tresca stress was evaluated to be 428 MPa, which clears the 3Sm value of F82H. By thermal and nuclear analyses of the breeder layers, it was shown that a net TBR of more than 1.05 can be achieved. By thermal analysis of the supercritical water power plant, it was shown that a thermal efficiency of more than 41% is achievable. The design work included design of the coolant flow pattern for blanket modules, module structure design, thermo-mechanical analysis and neutronics analysis of the blanket module, and analyses of the tritium inventory and permeation. Preliminary integration of the design of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was achieved in this study.In parallel with the design activities, engineering R&D was conducted covering all necessary issues, such as development of structural materials, tritium breeding materials, and neutron multiplier materials; neutronics experiments and analyses; and development of the blanket module fabrication technology. Upon developing the fabrication technology for the first wall and box structure, a hot isostatic pressing bonded F82H first wall mock-up with embedded rectangular cooling channels was successfully fabricated. It withstood the high heat flux test at 2.7 MW m−2. Also, a correlation parameter of the Li2TiO3 pebble bed made by the sol–gel method was verified by measurement of the thermal conductivity of the breeder pebble bed, which is one of the most important design data.

Methodological and theoretical issues on psychological traditionality and modernity research in an Asian society: In response to Kwang‐Kuo Hwang and beyond

Three objectives are addressed in the present study. First, the methodological and conceptual aspects of my long‐term research program on psychological (individual) traditionality and modernity in Taiwan are briefly reviewed to provide a background for systematically responding to Kwang‐Kuo Hwang's critique of the research program. Second, my reply to Hwang is made in terms of five major issues, viz. the methodological approach adopted, the theoretical or conceptual basis, the explanation of the discontinuity between individual traditionality and modernity, the semantic opposites and psychological opposites, and the conceptual evaluation of the traditionality and modernity items. Third, a plea is made for conducting more and better studies on individual traditionality and modernity in developing Asian countries. Methodological and theoretical issues are further discussed and clarified for the sake of conducting methodologically and theoretically sounder research in this area.

Research on leadership in a cross-cultural context: Making progress, and raising new questions

It is almost cliché to say that there has been an explosion in the amount of research on leadership in a cross-cultural context. In this review, we describe major advances and emerging patterns in this research domain over the last several years. Our starting point for this update is roughly 1996–1997, since those are the dates of two important reviews of the cross-cultural leadership literature [specifically, House, Wright, and Aditya (House, R. J., Wright, N. S., & Aditya, R. N. (1997). Cross-cultural research on organizational leadership: A critical analysis and a proposed theory. In: P. C. Earley, & M. Erez (Eds.), New perspectives on international industrial/organizational psychology (pp. 535–625). San Francisco, CA) and Dorfman (Dorfman, P. W. (1996). International and cross-cultural leadership research. In: B. J. Punnett, & O. Shenkar (Eds.), Handbook for international management research, pp. 267–349, Oxford, UK: Blackwell)]. We describe the beginnings of the decline in the quest for universal leadership principles that apply equivalently across all cultures, and we focus on the increasing application of the dimensions of culture identified by Hofstede [Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values (Abridged ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage] and others to describe variation in leadership styles, practices, and preferences. We also note the emergence of the field of cross-cultural leadership as a legitimate and independent field of endeavor, as reflected in the emergence of publication outlets for this research, and the establishment of long-term multinational multi-investigator research programs on the topic. We conclude with a discussion of progress made since the two pieces that were our departure point, and of progress yet to be made.

Research on leadership in a cross-cultural context: Making progress, and raising new questions

It is almost cliché to say that there has been an explosion in the amount of research on leadership in a cross-cultural context. In this review, we describe major advances and emerging patterns in this research domain over the last several years. Our starting point for this update is roughly 1996–1997, since those are the dates of two important reviews of the cross-cultural leadership literature [specifically, House, Wright, and Aditya (House, R. J., Wright, N. S., & Aditya, R. N. (1997). Cross-cultural research on organizational leadership: A critical analysis and a proposed theory. In: P. C. Earley, & M. Erez (Eds.), New perspectives on international industrial/organizational psychology (pp. 535–625). San Francisco, CA) and Dorfman (Dorfman, P. W. (1996). International and cross-cultural leadership research. In: B. J. Punnett, & O. Shenkar (Eds.), Handbook for international management research , pp. 267–349, Oxford, UK: Blackwell)]. We describe the beginnings of the decline in the quest for universal leadership principles that apply equivalently across all cultures, and we focus on the increasing application of the dimensions of culture identified by Hofstede [Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values (Abridged ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage] and others to describe variation in leadership styles, practices, and preferences. We also note the emergence of the field of cross-cultural leadership as a legitimate and independent field of endeavor, as reflected in the emergence of publication outlets for this research, and the establishment of long-term multinational multi-investigator research programs on the topic. We conclude with a discussion of progress made since the two pieces that were our departure point, and of progress yet to be made.

Between-gel reproducibility of the human cerebrospinal fluid proteome.

This manuscript describes the between-gel reproducibility of the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of the human lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome. This reproducibility study is a necessary component for our long-term research program that uses comparative proteomics to analyze lumbar CSF samples in a study of human idiopathic low back pain. A Protein-Plus Dodeca Cell electrophoresis apparatus and PDQuest software were used to measure the level of between-gel reproducibility of the CSF proteome. One pooled CSF sample was used to evaluate the level of within-sample, between-gel reproducibility, and a set of seven different CSF samples (CSF-1 to 7) was used to test the level of within-group and between-group variability. Differentially expressed proteins (six CSF samples versus the designated control, CSF-3) were characterized with mass spectrometry. The number of spots found in the pooled CSF sample was 490 +/- 30 (n = 10 gels); the percentage of protein spots found in those 10 gels was 92 +/- 6%, with a coefficient of variation of 6%; and a positive coefficient of correlation (r = 0.82) was found. In order to test the proof-of-principle, that set of seven CSF samples served as a test of our ability to perform reproducibility comparative proteomics, and to detect differentially expressed proteins within that set of test samples. One sample (CSF-3) served as the control for the other six to locate the differentially expressed proteins. A comparison of fifteen differentially expressed proteins found in that set of test CSF samples correlated with pathology. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry were used to characterize thirteen of those fifteen differentially expressed proteins. These results (reproducibility, protein characterization, set of test samples, and proof-of-principle) suggest that the analysis of human CSF two-dimensional gels can achieve a high level of within-sample and between-sample reproducibility, and that PDQuest software can measure the relative protein abundance in the human CSF proteome.

Consistency of remission and outcome in bipolar and unipolar mood disorders: a 10-year prospective follow-up

Background: Previous studies of the natural course of bipolar disorder have suggested that relapse and psychosocial impairment are more common than many would expect during treatment under routine conditions. The present research sought to identify patterns of consistency in longitudinal recovery after an index manic or depressive episode in patients formerly hospitalized for major affective disorders. The data extend prior findings from the Chicago Follow-up Study involving four successive assessments of course and outcome for bipolar and unipolar patients over a 10-year follow-up interval. Methods: Thirty-four RDC bipolar I manic, 17 psychotic unipolar depressed, and 72 nonpsychotic unipolar depressed patients were assessed at index hospitalization and prospectively followed-up at 2, 4.5, 7.5 and 10 years. Psychosocial functioning, rehospitalization, and overall outcome were rated by standardized instruments. Patterns of consistent remission or impairment in functioning were compared across follow-up periods. Results: Consistently good functioning was observed more often among patients with unipolar nonpsychotic depression than bipolar disorder or unipolar psychotic depression. Psychosis at index hospitalization was not associated with poorer outcomes for either the bipolar or unipolar groups, although it significantly predicted psychosis at follow-up more robustly for unipolar than bipolar patients. Less than half of the bipolar cohort had good work performance at each follow-up, while unipolar nonpsychotic depressed patients had consistently better work functioning. Rehospitalization was more common for the bipolar than unipolar patients at the 4.5- and 7.5-year assessments. Sustained remission across follow-ups was associated with remission at subsequent follow-ups regardless of diagnostic polarity at index hospitalization. Limitations: The observational design, small sample size, and naturalistic treatment of subjects in this protocol prompts caution when interpreting treatment outcome findings. The availability of a bipolar cohort with relatively low attrition over a 10-year period may limit the generalizability of the current findings to patients who remain engaged in sustained contact with a long-term research program. Conclusions: Over a 10-year follow-up period, about half of bipolar patients show sustained remissions or patterns of improvement, while 30–40% experience some functional decline. The degree of consistency in remission patterns over time may hold greater prognostic significance than the polarity of an index affective episode in anticipating subsequent levels of psychosocial adjustment in severe mood disorders.