Scale Disturbances Research Articles

Enhancing individual tree mortality mapping: The impact of models, data modalities, and classification taxonomy

Tree mortality is rapidly increasing as a result of more frequent and extensive droughts and forest fires across the globe. The increasing pace and scale of disturbance and resulting mortality necessitates the study of tree mortality at the scale at which it occurs (individual trees) to develop effective management strategies. Achieving this objective requires high-resolution aerial or satellite remote sensing data supported by field validation and efficient modeling. However, the optimal remote sensing data modalities and models for mapping overstory tree mortality remain uncertain and there is a lack of benchmark datasets for reproducible research, comparison, and model improvement. In this research, we propose a framework to generate tree mortality maps at the scale of individual trees and a labeled benchmark dataset using open-source high-resolution remote sensing data. Our benchmark dataset consists of over 15,000 image crops that have been manually labeled via multi-annotator majority for live, dead, mixed, and other classes in National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) RGB, NEON hyperspectral, and National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) RGBNIR imagery. Specifically, we present a multi-class classification framework that categorizes lidar-derived tree segments as live, dead, mixed, or other. We compared the performance of different machine learning models, remote sensing data modalities and their associated spatial resolution, spectral depth, and orthorectification using our benchmark dataset. Among various models, we found Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models outperformed all other models with the highest accuracies and F1 scores across all data modalities. Similarly, among remote sensing data modalities, NEON RGB data at 0.1 m resolution performed best due to its high spatial resolution and high quality orthorectification. The overall accuracy of 87.27% with a macro F1 score of 0.76 was achieved using the RGB data with the CNN model. Our framework can be applied to any forest ecosystem in which lidar and raster imagery are available. We applied the framework using the best performing model and data modality to produce an individual tree mortality map over the Teakettle Experimental Forest in the southern Sierra Nevada. The framework and high-resolution mortality map can be valuable resources for forest managers and provide an invaluable basis for studying potential mortality drivers of dominant trees, forest inventory, selective logging, fire disturbance, and succession modeling.

Abstract 12661: Area Deprivation Index, Symptoms, and Biomarkers Among Black and African Americans Living With Heart Failure

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a complex chronic condition that disproportionally affects Black adults. Social determinants of health, such as the lived environment and socioeconomic status, contribute to higher incidence and poorer outcomes, including higher stress and poorer sleep in this population. This study aims to examine the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage with symptoms, and inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers in Black adults living with HF. Methods: A secondary analysis of a pilot study that enrolled self-identified Black adults living with HF was performed (N=41, 57 ± 11 years of age, 66% women). Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was measured by Area Deprivation Index (ADI) national and state rankings generated from the Neighborhood Atlas; higher scores reflect higher neighborhood disadvantage. Questionnaires included Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and PROMIS Sleep Disturbance. Inflammatory and cardiometabolic biomarkers were measured via immunoassay. Spearman correlation analyses were performed. Results: Mean ADI scores were 61.23 ± 21.1 (national) and 5.7 ± 2.4 (state). National and State ADI scores were positively associated with both PSS (ρ=.584, p<.001; ρ=.551, p<.001) and PROMIS Sleep Disturbance (ρ=.486, p=.04; ρ =.551, p=<.001), respectively. Additionally, National and State ADI scores were positively associated with inflammatory cytokines IL-4 (ρ=.345, p=.031; ρ=.371, p=.020) and IL-18 (ρ=.408, p=.009; ρ=.392, p=.012). National and State ADI scores were also related to cardiometabolic biomarkers VCAM-1 (ρ=.360, p=.022; ρ=.363, p=.021) and C1QNTF1 (ρ=.483, p=.002; ρ=.447, p=.004). No significant association was found between ADI scores and demographics. Discussion: These findings suggest higher ADI scores are associated with higher perceived stress, sleep disturbance, and inflammatory and cardiometabolic biomarkers among Black adults living with HF. These results highlight the potential role neighborhood socioeconomic status contributes to adverse health outcomes in this population.Further research is warranted to identify mechanisms contributing to these relationships and to develop approaches to reduce the impact of health disparities in HF.

Efficacy and Safety of Dupilumab for the Treatment of Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Clinical Practice: A Single Center Experience

BackgroundDupilumab is a new targeted therapy for severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with limited real-world evidence. ObjectiveExplore our experience with dupilumab for AD in clinical practice at a tertiary care center. Material and methodUnicentric observational retrospective study including adult and pediatric patients with severe AD receiving dupilumab between December 2017 and December 2021. The Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score, Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (P-NRS) and Sleep disturbance Numerical Rating Scale (S-NRS) were recovered to assess severity and response. ResultsFifty-nine patients received dupilumab: 52, 48, 26 and 13 patients reached 6, 12, 24 and 36 months of treatment, respectively. The EASI-75 response rates were 94.2%, 95.8%, 92.3% and 100% at months 6, 12, 24 and 36. The EASI-90 response rates were 63.5%, 72.9%, 84.6% and 92.3% at months 6, 12, 24 and 36. The EASI <7 response rates were 92.3%, 91.7%, 88.5% and 100% at months 6, 12, 24 and 36. The P-NRS ≥4 reduction rates were 86%, 87.5%, 92.3% and 100% at months 6, 12, 24 and 36. The S-NRS ≥4 reduction rates were 82.7%, 85.4%, 100% and 100% at months 6, 12, 24 and 36. Adverse events were mild and occurred in 20.3% of patients, all of them adults. ConclusionOur findings support dupilumab's favorable efficacy and tolerability profile in clinical practice. Dupilumab offers a rapid and sustained response, regardless of combined therapy. Longer follow-ups are still required to adequately assess its performance.

A Combined Deep Learning and Prior Knowledge Constraint Approach for Large-Scale Forest Disturbance Detection Using Time Series Remote Sensing Data

The scale and severity of forest disturbances across the globe are increasing due to climate change and human activities. Remote sensing analysis using time series data is a powerful approach for detecting large-scale forest disturbances and describing detailed forest dynamics. Various large-scale forest disturbance detection algorithms have been proposed, but most of them are only suitable for detecting high-magnitude forest disturbances (e.g., fire, harvest). Conversely, more continuous, subtle, and gradual lower-magnitude forest disturbances (e.g., thinning, pests, and diseases) have been subject to less focus. Deep learning (DL) can distinguish subtle differences in information within time series data, offering new opportunities to capture forest disturbances in a complete and detailed way. This study proposes an approach for analyzing forest dynamics across large areas and long time periods by combining DL time series classification and prior knowledge constraint. The approach consists of two stages: (1) an improved self-attention model used for time series classification to identify sequences with forest disturbance characteristics; (2) developed skip-disturbance recovery index (S-DRI) characterizing the temporal context, using prior knowledge constraint to identify forest disturbance years in time series with disturbance characteristics. In this study, the year of forest disturbances in five study areas located in the United States, Canada, and Poland from 2001 to 2020 was mapped. A total of 3082 manually interpreted test data with different disturbance causal agents (such as fire, harvest, conversion, hurricane, and pests) were sampled from five research areas for validation. Our approach was also evaluated against two forest disturbance benchmark datasets derived from LandTrendr and the Global Forest Change (GFC) dataset. The results demonstrate that our approach achieved an overall accuracy of 87.8%, surpassing the accuracy of LandTrendr (84.6%) and the Global Forest Change dataset (81.4%). Furthermore, our approach demonstrated lower omission rates (ranging from 10.0% to 67.4%) in detecting subtle to severe causal agents of forest disturbance, in comparison to LandTrendr (with a range of 18.0% to 81.6%) and GFC (with a range of 15.0% to 88.8%). This study, which involved mapping large-scale and long-term forest disturbance in multiple regions, revealed that our approach can be applied to new areas without a requirement for complex parameter adjustments. These results demonstrate the potential of our approach in generating comprehensive and detailed forest disturbance data, thus providing a new and effective method in this domain.

The response of lichens inhabiting exposed wood of spruce logs to post-hurricane disturbances in Western Carpathian forests

We investigated which of the following environmental factors: the number of years since the windthrow of the tree (the age of dead wood), the phytocenosis (the type of forest community), altitude, exposure, wood hardness and the spatial scale of forest disturbances (small gaps with a few fallen spruces vs large-area windthrows) contributed to the diversity and abundance of lichens inhabiting the exposed wood of windthrown spruce trees in Polish Western Carpathian forests. Both Shannon H index and sum of coverage coefficients rose with increasing age of the wood, levelling off after 11–14 y (diversity) and 14–17 y (abundance). This factor appeared to be the most important for this group of lichens, but the significant positive impact of large-area windthrows on the lichen abundance was also demonstrated by using a GLM model. The age of the wood we precisely determined on the basis of data on Norway spruce mortality collected annually in permanent plots of the Gorce National Park since 2000. Using the Shore durometer we linked the course of the wood-inhabiting lichen succession with wood decay more precisely than before. The largest number of species was associated with medium hard wood, i.e., 51 < x ≤ 80 on the Shore scale. Based on the NMDS analysis, we distinguished four age groups of logs, differing in lichen abundance and defined by the dominance of distinctive species. A large number of usually corticolous lichen species used the wood of windthrown spruce logs as an optional habitat to survive large-scale, post-hurricane forest disturbances.

Deep-sea benthic megafauna hotspot shows indication of resilience to impact from massive turbidity flow

Sediment density flows are large scale disturbances that can have dramatic impacts on seafloor animal communities in the deep sea. Seafloor imagery collected in Kaikōura Canyon (New Zealand), before and after a sediment density flow event that included debris and turbidity flows triggered by a 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake, shows the recovery trajectory of the animal community in the canyon head in the weeks, months, and years following the disturbance. The canyon community appears resilient to this event, with models estimating full recovery within a minimum of 4.5–5.1 years and as long as 12 years. The implications of the resilience of this deep-sea community are discussed in the context of the local marine protected area, the surrounding fishery, and global seabed mining.

A Self-Learning Based Dynamic Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm for Resilient Scheduling Problems in Steelmaking Plants

Scheduling is one of the most important missions for plant-wide optimization in steelmaking manufacturing systems. In the context of dynamic scheduling, the decision-maker should simultaneously minimize economic objectives within the decision space and violation penalty out of the decision space. In this study, we introduce a resilient scheduling model in steelmaking plants, which provides flexible decisions, including buffering times in between stages and controllable processing speeds in the casting stage, to enable the solution to absorb random disturbances and recover quickly. We formulate the dynamic steelmaking scheduling problem with resilient responding strategies, which is a variant of dynamic multi-objective optimization problems (DMOP), and propose a resilient scheduling optimization framework to solve it over time. First, we employ a vector with problem-specific knowledge to map the whole decision space to sub-schedules in the casting stage, which contains casting priority, casting speed and scaling ratio. Next, we form a multi-objective linear programming model to evaluate these problem-specific vectors. Last but not least, we develop a self-learning based dynamic multi-objective differential evolutionary algorithm to solve the variant DMOP, in which a hypothesis-testing technique is used to detect and identify environmental changes. The sensitivity analysis and algorithm comparisons are performed on a wide range of problem instances under dynamic environments. Experimental evidence validates that the proposed resilient model and the optimization framework is effective to solve the dynamic scheduling problem in steelmaking plants. Note to Practitioners—This paper investigates a dynamic scheduling problem that comes from steelmaking manufacturing systems and is extensively studied in existing works. Because a decision-maker only has incomplete knowledge about the realistic environments, this paper simultaneously considers that both the decision and objective space of a scheduling problem dynamically changed over time. We develop a resilient scheduling model which can absorb the different types or scales of disturbances caused by unforeseen events, and recover rapidly to the original state. We formulate the resilience scheduling model and propose a dynamic multi-objective algorithm based on the self-learning differential evolutionary algorithm to solve it. The effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm is validated via sensitivity analysis and comparison to other well-known algorithms. Furthermore, the resilient scheduling model and its optimization framework can also be applied to dynamic scheduling problems in other industries.

Relationships between postpartum depression, sleep, and infant feeding in the early postpartum: An exploratory analysis.

The study objectives were to determine the relationships between postpartum depression and maternal and infant sleep parameters and to examine the impact of infant feeding method on infant and maternal sleep and postpartum depression symptomatology. Participants were 61 new mothers aged 18 to 45 years old, and their full-term, normal birth-weight, singleton infants. Participants were recruited from a large teaching hospital in northeast England. Data collection took place in participants' homes. The study used a prospective longitudinal design, with data collected at six, 12 and 18 weeks postpartum. We collected data on total sleep time, longest sleep period, wake after sleep onset, and night waking for mothers and infants objectively from actigraphic records and subjectively from maternal sleep logs. Participants reported on sleep disturbances using the General Sleep Disturbances Scale, on maternal sleepiness, and on depression symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and General Sleep Disturbances Scale were consistently correlated with each other (6 weeks r = 0.452, p < 0.01; 12 weeks r = 0.317, p < 0.05; 18 weeks r = 0.493, p < 0.01), and did not correlate with objective measures or subjective reports of maternal or infant sleep. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores at six, 12 and 18 weeks were predicted by General Sleep Disturbances Scale, prior Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score, or both, but not by sleep parameters. With regard to infant feeding method, EPDS score was not higher among exclusively breastfeeding than among exclusively formula-feeding participants at any time point (6 weeks t = 0.306, p = 0.762; 12 weeks t = 0.343, p = 0.733; 18 weeks t = 0.426; p = 0.673). Different pathways emerged to predict Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score for exclusively breastfeeding and exclusively formula-feeding women. Postpartum depression may be associated with disturbed sleep due to negative perception of sleep among depressed women, rather than disrupted sleep causing postpartum depression. With regard to infant feeding method, exclusively breastfeeding women are not more likely to suffer from postpartum depression, and different pathways may predict development of postpartum depression symptoms in exclusively breastfeeding and exclusively formula feeding women.

Experimental investigation of instability inception on a transonic compressor under various radial distributions of loading

The radial distribution of blade loading could be various due to the inlet distortion, the change of rotor speed or mismatching between stages, which is a key factor affecting the flow stability. In this paper, the instability inceptions under the various radial distribution of loading are experimentally investigated on a transonic compressor. The research subject is chosen as a 1.5-stage transonic axial flow compressor in which three types of instability inceptions were previously detected, including spike-type inception initiated at the rotor tip under the low speed, partial surge initiated at the stator hub under the high speed, and hub instability when the slot casing treatment was mounted. In order to facilitate the conversion of the compressor instability inception, the rotating speed is selected (17,160 r/min in this study) at which the blade loading at both the stator hub and rotor tip reach the critical value near the rotating stall. Furthermore, the variation of radial distribution of loading is induced by the radial non-uniformity of total pressure. Meanwhile, the high-response dynamic test points are mounted to measure static pressures at rotor tips and total pressures at stator trailing edges during the experiments. To detect the system response, an additional high response sensor is installed on the plenum inner wall. As demonstrated by the WFT and filtering methods, the results indicate that the instability evolution varies gradually with the radial distribution of loading at the inlet. The partial surge instability converts into the spike with the increase of tip loading intensity. With the increase of hub loading intensity, the partial surge instability converts into the hub instability. For the hub instability, a special process is that a sudden decrease of total pressure occurs at the stator hub. Furthermore, the short-length scale disturbance occurs at the rotor tip, and leads to the final compressor stall.

Impact of taste/smell disturbances on dietary intakes and cachexia-related quality of life in patients with advanced cancer.

Taste and smell are used to enjoy meals; however, impairments of these sensory perceptions seriously impact health and eating habits. This study is aimed at investigating the impact of taste and smell disturbances on dietary intakes and cachexia-related quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced cancer. Using a self-report questionnaire, we surveyed patients with advanced cancer undergoing treatment at 11 palliative care centers. Multivariate analyses were conducted to explore the impact of taste and smell disturbances on dietary intakes and cachexia-related QOL. Dietary intakes were assessed using the Ingesta-Verbal/Visual Analog Scale, while taste and smell disturbances were assessed using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Cachexia-related QOL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy Anorexia Cachexia Subscale (FAACT ACS). Overall, 378 patients provided consent to participate. After excluding patients with missing data, data were analyzed for 343 patients. Among them, 35.6% (n = 122; 95% [confidence interval (CI)] 0.28-0.38) and 20.9% (n = 72; 95% CI 0.17-0.25) experienced disturbances in taste (NRS ≥ 1) and smell (NRS ≥ 1), respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that, independent of performance status and cancer cachexia, taste and smell disturbances were significantly associated with worse dietary intakes and deteriorating FAACT ACS scores. More severe taste and smell disturbances were associated with poorer dietary intakes and cachexia-related QOL. Diagnosing and treating such disturbances may improve dietary intakes and cachexia-related QOL, regardless of performance status and cachexia.

Depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in late pregnancy: Associations with experience of induction of labor with a catheter

ObjectiveDepressive symptoms and sleep disturbances have been found to be associated with negative labor experiences, particularly an increased level of pain. However, the associations between maternal depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances and the experience of induction of labor (IOL) remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated these associations with balloon catheter IOL. Study designA prospective study was conducted on 106 women with planned IOL. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with The Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and sleep disturbances with the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ) at the beginning of IOL. The IOL experience was investigated both during the IOL and postpartum with the same nine visual analogue scale (VAS) questions. ResultsRegarding sleep disturbances, during the IOL, women with worse general sleep quality were less satisfied (P = 0.019), less relaxed (P = 0.008), experienced more pain in general (P = 0.002) and reported higher contraction frequency (P = 0.003). Furthermore, women who experienced difficulties falling asleep were less relaxed (P = 0.009), reported more general pain (P < 0.001) and contraction pain (P = 0.005), while those with more daytime sleepiness reported less contraction pain (P = 0.033). In postpartum, women with worse general sleep quality reported more general pain (P = 0.003), while women with longer sleep duration and those with higher sleep loss reported more anxiety (P = 0.009 and P = 0.024, respectively). Additionally, women who woke up too early in the morning were less satisfied (P = 0.042), less relaxed (P = 0.004) and reported more general pain (P = 0.018). However, those who experienced more frequent nocturnal awakenings reported being more relaxed (P = 0.014) and having less general pain (P = 0.033). Higher depressive symptoms were associated with a higher frequency of contractions during IOL (P = 0.030), but with less general pain in postpartum (P = 0.027). ConclusionsWomen with sleep disturbances during pregnancy were more likely to report more negative experiences during the IOL. Specifically, they reported more pain, feeling less relaxed and they were less satisfied with IOL. Conversely, the association between depressive symptoms and the experience of IOL seemed weaker. Thus, the quality of sleep of pregnant women is important for a better experience of IOL.

Sleep quality, emotional and behavioral disturbances, and eating behavior in adolescents with obesity: a network analysis-based model

To attempt to identify persistent associations between sleep quality, symptoms of emotional and behavioral disturbances, and characteristics of eating behavior in obese adolescents based on a network analysis. The study included 194 adolescents, aged 12-17 years (76 girls, 118 boys), with a confirmed diagnosis of obesity due to excess calories (ICD-10 code E66.0). Sleep quality was studied on the basis of the Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale (ASWS), emotional and behavioral disturbances were assessed with the Achenbach Youth Self-Report for Ages 11-18 (YSR), eating behavior - with the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Network analysis was used to identify the most significant and stable associations between the studied indicators. The association of poor sleep quality with manifestations of disinhibited behavior in the form of violations of the rules of behavior, aggressiveness, and impaired attention was revealed. Positive correlations between the manifestations of disinhibited behavior (primarily, rule-breaking behavior) and emotional eating behavior, which, in turn, had a positive relationship with external and a negative relationship with restrictive eating behavior, were noted. The disinhibited adolescent behavior is linked with uncontrolled food intake, which can contribute to the development of obesity. Impaired sleep quality, symptoms of emotional and behavioral disorders, and eating disorders in obese adolescents present a stable and specific clinical pattern that should be taken into account when justifying therapy.

Impacts of the first deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide mining excavation tests on benthic communities

Japan undertook the first ever tests of deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) excavation in 2017 in the Okinawa Trough. This study examines infauna from several nearby stations before and up to 3 yr after disturbance. Distance from excavation, current direction, seafloor topography, and modeled and observed deposition were used to classify the level of impact of each station. Metal concentrations were analyzed, as were nanofauna (2-32 µm), meiofauna (32-300 µm), and macrofauna (&gt;300 µm). Elevated Cd, Pb, Hg, Zn, Fe, and Cu were confirmed as indicators of sedimentation from the SMS extraction. Benthic communities appeared altered by the disturbance test, with different size classes showing different levels of response and recovery. Nanofaunal and meiofaunal abundances appeared to take several weeks to show impacts from the disturbance and may have returned to pre-test levels within 1 yr, but changes to nematode community structure persisted longer. In contrast, macrofaunal abundances and diversity appeared to decrease immediately, and possibly remained depressed compared to pre-test levels at impacted sites at least 3 yr later. In addition, meiofaunal nematode:copepod ratio and macrofaunal percent composition of polychaetes, along with several nematode taxa, may serve as useful bioindicators of SMS mining. The small scale of disturbance requires caution when extrapolating to full-scale mining, but these results suggest current direction and topography greatly influence the extent of mining impacts; in addition, several metals may be useful for identifying the mining footprint. Biological results indicate that larger macroinfauna may be less resistant and resilient to mining impacts than smaller meiofauna and impacts from even small-scale mining activities may persist for at least 3 yr.

Chatter-Free Non-Singular Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control of Interleaved Boost Converter

In this brief, a global non-singular fast terminal sliding mode controller (NSFTSMC) is proposed to stabilize the output voltage of an interleaved boost converter which is affected by disturbances such as variations in supply voltage, load resistance, and system parameter uncertainties. First, the converter model is transformed into a simplified form to make the controller design process simple. Second, the two-time scale disturbance estimation technique is adopted to estimate the matched, unmatched disturbances, and un-modeled system dynamics. Then, a nonlinear controller based on the sliding mode algorithm is developed to achieve guaranteed large-signal stability. Unlike other controllers, the proposed one ensures global stability and features a fast dynamic response with accurate output voltage tracking ability over wide variations in operating range. Both simulations and experimentations verify the robustness and feasibility of the proposed controller.

Impacts of sedimentation and dam failure on the macroinvertebrate community in a tropical stream

Changes in land use due to human activities lead to disturbances related to sedimentation in aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, the construction of dams in streams raises concerns about their safety, and the rupture of these structures implies significant impacts. Thus, this article assessed the effects of sedimentation and dam failure on the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in a tropical stream and verified its influence on the structural and functional composition of this assemblage of organisms. Water physical-chemical parameters and macroinvertebrate fauna data were obtained from monitoring data for both the pre- and post-rupture period. Macroinvertebrates were identified at the family level and classified according to functional feeding groups. Structural and functional biological indexes were applied, and data were analyzed using comparison tests, correla¬tion matrix, correspondence, and cluster analysis. The results showed that sedimentation resulted in the impoverishment of macroinvertebrate fauna, with the loss of important functional feeding groups, indicating a low environmental quality. Dam failure changed the composition of the fauna, leading to the disappearance of important orders, the appearance of organisms belonging to the order Coleoptera, and the loss of feeding groups with consequent loss of ecological functions. The dam failure was not the only stressor for the studied stream, because it already suffered from small and medium scale disturbances related to sedimentation. However, the rupture of the structure resulted in greater environmental losses, and is considered large scale, implying the need to implement recovery measures in the area.

Native and invasive bunchgrasses have different responses to trail disturbance on California coastal prairies

Ecosystems often experience small-scale disturbances through recreational foot and bike traffic. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that frequent disturbances in grasslands can negatively impact native species and lead to invasion by disturbance-adapted, non-native species. Disturbance studies often examine intentional or unintended larger scale disturbances, but do not commonly focus on common small-scale disturbances such as those caused by trampling along trails. As such, we were interested in how trail disturbance affects the vegetative growth and reproductive output of in situ native (Danthonia californica Bol. and Stipa pulchra Hitchc.) and invasive (Dactylis glomerata L. and Holcus lanatus L.) perennial bunchgrasses commonly found on California coastal prairies. We measured the basal circumference and seed production of plants located on-trail and off-trail on five coastal prairies in Santa Cruz, CA, USA. We hypothesized that native grasses located on-trail would have lower growth and reproductive output and non-native grasses would be unaffected. We found that native and non-native plants had differences in growth and reproductive output on-trail and off-trail. S. pulchra had lower reproductive potential (via culm sterility) with trail disturbance, whereas both native grasses showed evidence of compensatory growth on-trail. Invasive non-native D. glomerata and H. lanatus growth was unaffected by trail disturbance, but H. lanatus had lower reproductive output on-trail. Results suggest that it may be prudent to restore trails with disturbance tolerant species like D. californica and use less tolerant species like S. pulchra further into the central habitat space.

Reconstruction of the dynamics of the dark coniferous forests of the Teberdinsky Nature Reserve and prospects for their natural recovery after mass drying out

A study was made of the mass drying of the eastern spruce (Picea orientalis (L.) Link) in the Teberdinsky Nature Reserve (North Caucasus). The main cause of the drying was an outbreak of the number of bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) whose mass reproduction occurred in the hot seasons of 2012 and 2015. The existing undergrowth was not affected. By 2019, 7 years after the beginning of the mass drying of spruce, most of the groups of drying had died out, single active bark beetle foci were noted. There are almost no live spruces of the upper tiers left. In small numbers, they have been preserved in the Dombai forestry in mixed stands of Picea orientalis (L.) Link, Abies nordmanniana (Stev.) Spach and Fagus orientalis Lipsky. As our study showed, the stands of two of the four forest areas of the reserve originated in a treeless space (250 and 350 years ago). Subsequently, three of the four underwent one strong, but local disturbance during their existence. Reconstruction of the history of dark coniferous stands of the surveyed forest areas shows a high ability for natural self-healing of the Teberdinsky fir-spruce forests after massive disturbances. In the near future (after the fall of dead wood, which is already happening), the stands of sample plots will be a sparse forest from Abies or Abies with Fagus, and most of the sample plots will become open stands with single Abies trees. The modern mass drying of the eastern spruce as a result of bark-borne epiphytotics has a much larger scale of disturbances both in the area and in the degree of destruction of the stand. This is fundamentally different from the disturbances of the past. In such a situation, the shortage of seeds will have a particularly negative impact. Therefore, the preservation of preliminary coniferous undergrowth is especially important.

Effects of environmental factors on the distribution of flagship species in Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Kumawu, Ghana: Implications for conservation and ecotourism development

AbstractSustainable ecotourism development and conservation depend on understanding factors that affect flagship species. This study analysed environmental factors and their effects on flagship species: African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), red‐river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), olive baboon (Papio anubis), duiker (Cephalophus spp.), and crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) distribution in Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS). Secondary data (camp reports 2017–2019) showed flagship species distribution across four vegetation types in 14 sites. Field observations were used to reconstruct camp report information using GPS coordinates to show animal distribution. Environmental factors were assessed based on the scope and severity of their threats to the species. PAST ver.3.06 was used to analyse animal and vegetation data. A total of 995 individual animals were recorded. Riverine forest (n = 325) had the highest, followed by semi‐deciduous (n = 316), and woodland Savanna (n = 192). Bushfire was the major predictive factor on animal distribution, followed by grazing pressure, farming activities, elevation, and erosion. These findings imply that an increased scale of disturbances reduces the chance of sighting flagship animals. A higher concentration of these species in riverine and semi‐deciduous forests calls for increased patrols as a conservation measure. Constructing viewing platforms and hiking trails in areas of higher animal activity would improve ecotourism development.

Relationship between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and mental health in shift female nurses

The nurses work long hours and in various shifts, and often accompanied by depression, fatigue, and sleep disorders. Many studies have found that 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is related to mental health. We aimed to investigate the relationship between depression, sleep problems, fatigue, and serum 25(OH)D levels in shift nurses. We recruited 34 day-shift, 30 evening-shift and 31 night-shift nurses. The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Numerical Rating Scale and General Sleep Disturbance Scale to evaluate the levels of depression, sleep problems, fatigue. Blood samples (20 ml) were collected under a fasting state to determine basic biochemistry and inflammatory parameters. In central of Taiwan, approximately 96.1% of shift nurses had deficient (< 20 ng/ml) (45 females and 1 male) and inadequate (20–29 ng/ml) (39 females and 2 male) 25(OH)D levels. Approximately 84.2% of shift nurses experienced fatigue. In sleep disturbance, night-shift nurses experienced significantly more severe sleep disturbance than day-shift and evening-shift nurses. However, no significant correlation was observed between 25(OH)D levels and mental health when the 25(OH)D level was categorized. 25(OH)D deficiency, sleep disturbance, depression, and fatigue were common in shift female nurses, but it was not possible to demonstrate the impact of 25(OH)D deficiency on the mental health of shift nurses in Taiwan.

Experiment investigation on the effect of inlet circumferential non-uniformity on the stall behaviours in a transonic axial compressor with axisymmetric stall precursor

The circumferential non-uniformity is becoming a high risk for jet engines in the future with cutting-edge intake design and undesirable inflow, like crosswind and highly turbulence. This leads to the requirement of a well-designed non-uniformity-tolerant compressor. In those research, the test rigs are mainly low-speed compressors whose stalls are triggered by small length scale disturbance of several blade pitches. The load achieves its maximum value at the trailing edge of the distortion, and spikes tend to emerge from this region. Thus, the circumferential non-uniformity usually deteriorates the stall margin. Unlike the spike, the partial surge shows axisymmetric features in both phase and amplitude since the embryonic period. It is interesting to find out the influence of circumferential uniformity of local disturbance at the hub on the propagation of partial surge. Thus, this paper implemented an experimental method on a transonic axial compressor with an axisymmetric stall precursor originating from the hub, partial surge. The non-uniformity patterns are varied by adjusting the distortion sector with different angles. The stall margin decreased with the sector angle of 90 degrees. In contrast, an unexpected result indicated that the stall margin increased with the sector angle of 120 degrees and 180 degrees, which were affected by two mechanisms, i.e., partial-surge-suppression and embryo-stall-cells-motivation. First, when the sector angle was 90 degrees and 120 degrees, the non-uniformity suppressed the partial surge and the formation of embryo rotating stall cells in the distorted region. With the development of partial surge, the embryo rotating stall cells in the undistorted region grew larger than those in the uniform case. Secondly, the partial surge inception disappeared when the sector angle was further enlarged to 180 degrees. The embryo rotating stall cells at the rotor tip emerged from the distorted region and died out in the undistorted region.