Abstract:Volunteer observations can scale mortality mapping if bias is understood. We link geotagged mobile reports with annual orthomosaic color indices across a drought-impacted watershed. Agreement improves when training filters remove duplicate submissions near access roads, yielding a hybrid layer that catches scattered mortality missed by spectral thresholds alone.
Abstract:Ambiguous forest boundaries undermine benefit-sharing agreements in collectively managed woodlands. We pilot an open-source mobile workflow where local enumerators digitize agreed boundary walks, resource-use points, and disputed segments during facilitated mapping sessions. Accuracy assessed against differential GPS improves when elders validate polygon vertices before upload, demonstrating a low-cost method for documenting customary tenure ahead of formal registration programs.
Abstract:Synthetic preservatives face regulatory pressure, motivating plant-derived alternatives with documented fungitoxic activity. We screen polar and non-polar extracts from six native shrubs against brown-rot and white-rot fungi in mini-block assays. Two species yield consistent mass-loss reductions at concentrations achievable by hot-water maceration, though leaching tests show performance drops unless paired with low-toxicity fixatives compatible with indoor joinery applications.
Abstract:National inventories increasingly trial lightweight laser scanners, but volume equations calibrated on aerial platforms may bias uneven-aged stands with multi-layered crowns. We fuse UAV-LiDAR height metrics with field taper samples across three management regimes. Random-forest volume models outperform single-height regressions when percentile metrics above the seventy-fifth height quantile are included, supporting operational adoption where ground crews face access constraints on steep slopes.
Abstract:Climate-driven treeline advance may reorganize belowground food webs before canopy composition fully shifts. We sample Collembola and Oribatida assemblages at six elevations along a spruce-fir transect and relate abundance to litter chemistry and snowpack duration. Beta diversity increases above the mid-elevation moisture optimum, indicating that conservation planning should track soil fauna turnover—not only vascular species lists—when designing connectivity corridors.
Abstract:Acoustic tools grade standing timber and sawn boards yet signal interpretation depends on moisture-dependent cell-wall mechanics. We instrument small clear specimens across a fiber-saturation gradient and record emission bursts during three-point bending. Feature vectors trained on burst energy and rise time separate failure modes linked to earlywood bands versus latewood bridges, offering calibration guidance for portable acoustic graders used in small sawmill yards.
Abstract:Fine biochar is often blended into container media to improve water holding, but effects on nutrient leaching during daily irrigation are poorly quantified. We compare three particle-size fractions against peat-perlite controls in a factorial leaching trial with oak and maple seedlings. Coarse fractions reduce ammonium losses without elevating electrical conductivity, whereas fine dust increases surface sealing and runoff, informing procurement specs for operational nurseries.
Abstract:Selective harvesting is promoted to retain structural complexity yet canopy closure rates vary with residual basal area and skid-trail density. We track hemispherical leaf area index across forty-two permanent plots for six growing seasons after partial cuts. Recovery curves bifurcate when residual crowns occupy less than forty percent of pre-harvest leaf area, suggesting minimum retention thresholds for maintaining understory microclimate without delaying regeneration of shade-tolerant species.
Abstract:Background Metabolic disorders could make an individual more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and platelet activation. Visfatin plays important part in accelerated atherosclerosis, however, it is not determined the serum visfatin levels and its association with platelet activation in patients with metabolic disorders. Here, we aimed to explore the serum visfatin levels and its possible relationship with platelet activation in patients with metabolic disorders. Methods We enrolled 50 consecutive patients with metabolic disorders. Clinical parameters, fasting glucose and lipid profile, hemoglobin, white blood cell, platelets, mean platelet volume (MPV) and visfatin levels were measured. Results There were no diabetic patients in the control group. Serum visfatin levels were higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS) than controls (P=0.006). Likewise, the mean levels of MPV were also higher in MS participants compared with subjects without MS(P=0.003). Both visfatin and MPV were positively related to the presence of MS (P=0.005 and P=0.009 respectively). No correlation was observed between visfatin and MPV in MS patients (r=0.188; P=0.369). However, there is a negative association between visfatin and MPV in participants without MS (r=-0.409; P=0.042). In MS patients, visfatin was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (r=0.451; P=0.024) while MPV was negatively associated with hemoglobin (r=-0.545; P=0.005) and platelets (r=-0.444; P=0.026). In individuals without MS, visfatin and MPV were positively and negatively correlated with fasting glucose respectively (r=0.555; P=0.004 and r=-0.550; P=0.004). A negative correlation was discovered between visfatin and total cholesterol (r=-0.404; P=0.045). Conclusions The levels of visfatin and MPV were increased in MS patients. Visfatin was negatively associated with platelet activation among participants without diabetic metabolic disorders, but not among those with MS.
Abstract:Hydrogel dips are marketed to reduce transplant shock yet effects on symbiont establishment are inconsistent. We quantify colonization percent on pine and spruce seedlings across three gel formulations and outplanting sites. Moderate water-retention polymers accelerate early Hartig net development on coarse soils but suppress colonization on already moist nursery media, guiding formulation choice by bed moisture regime.