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Climate change and biodiversity loss are two global challenges that can be addressed simultaneously through reforestation of previously cleared land. However, carbon markets can encourage reforestations that focus on maximizing carbon storage, potentially at the expense of biodiversity conservation. To identify opportunities to optimize reforestation design and management to meet both goals, we examined the forest stand features associated with carbon stocks in biomass and soil, as well as bird abundance and diversity, in remnant and restored riparian forest stands in central California, U.S.A. Within three decades of reforestation, both planted and naturally regenerating riparian forest stands provided significantly greater carbon storage and avian biodiversity benefits compared to baseline conditions. They were also similar to a remnant riparian forest stand. We identified a synergy between carbon storage and biodiversity benefits in their positive associations with understorey cover, but we also identified a trade‐off in their relationships to forest stand density. Biomass carbon stocks were strongly positively related to stand density, while bird density and diversity suffered at the highest stand densities. The variability in understorey cover across forest stands indicates an opportunity for further enhancement of carbon and biodiversity benefits in areas where understorey cover is low, while the variability in stand density suggests an opportunity to re‐examine reforestation goals and consider thinning to achieve those goals. Synthesis and applications. We identified synergies and trade‐offs between carbon storage and biodiversity in their relationships to forest stand features, indicating opportunities to optimize reforestation design and management to achieve multiple goals. Our approach can be adapted to other reforestation efforts intended to simultaneously address the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Foreign Language Resumen El cambio climatico y la pérdida de biodiversidad son dos problemas globales que se pueden enfrentar con la reforestación de tierras previamente degradadas. Sin embargo, los mercados de carbon promueven reforestaciones enfocadas en maximizar el almacenamiento de carbon, posiblemente a cuestas de la conservación de la biodiversidad. Para identificar oportunidades de diseño y gestión de programas de reforestación enfocados en estos dos objetivos, evaluamos las características de rodales de bosques que determinan las medias de carbon en la biomasa y en los suelos, y que también determinan la abundancia y diversidad de aves en rodales de bosques riparios remanentes y restaurados en el centro de California, Estados Unidos. En tres décadas de reforestación, los rodales de bosques riparios sembrados y regenerados naturalmente incrementaron de manera significativa el almacenamiento de carbono y los beneficios para la biodiversidad de aves comparado con condiciones de referencia. Los rodales de bosques riparios también mostraron características similares a un rodal de bosque ripario remanente. Hemos identificado una sinergia entre el almacenamiento de carbono y beneficios a la biodiversidad porque estan positivamente asociadas con la cobertura del sotobosque, pero también identificamos una compensación con la densidad del rodal de bosque. Las reservas de carbono en la biomasa demostraron una fuerte relación positiva con la densidad del rodal, mientras que la densidad y la diversidad de las aves sufrieron en las densidades más altas del rodal. La variabilidad en la cobertura del sotobosque en los rodales de bosque indica una oportunidad para augmentar beneficios de carbon y de biodiversidad en áreas donde la coberatura esté baja, mientras que la variabilidad en la densidad de los rodales sugiere una oportunidad para reexaminar las metas de reforestación posiblemente considerando el raleo para alcanzar las metas. Síntesis y aplicaciones. Identificamos sinergias y compensaciones entre el almacenamiento de carbono y la biodiversidad con las características de rodales de bosque, indicando oportunidades para optimizar el diseño y la gestión de programas de reforestación para lograr objetivos múltiples. Nuestro enfoque se puede adaptar a otros esfuerzos de reforestación dedicados a enfrentar simultáneamente los problemas globales de cambio climatico y la pérdida de biodiversidad. We identified synergies and trade‐offs between carbon storage and biodiversity in their relationships to forest stand features, indicating opportunities to optimize reforestation design and management to achieve multiple goals. Our approach can be adapted to other reforestation efforts intended to simultaneously address the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The Laplace equation points to the importance of ventricular wall stress as a factor in heart failure development and progression. Based on animal and clinical experience with active and passive cardiomyoplasty, a synthetic passive constraint was proposed as a means of reducing excessive wall stress, and thus assuaging disease progression. The Acorn CorCap CSD Cardiac Support Device was designed to provide passive diastolic support and serve as a constraint against chronic cardiac dilation in heart failure. Basic and uncomplicated in appearance, the device nevertheless incorporates numerous sophisticated structural and functional features intended maximize therapeutic value. The device is fabricated from medical grade multifilament polyester yarn, in a specific knit construction chosen to provide structural integrity, low physical profile, pliability for intimate contact with the epicardial surface, ease of manipulation during implantation, and anisotropic compliance characteristics to encourage beneficial reverse remodeling.

Issue Title: Special Issue: The Acorn Cardiac Support Device The Laplace equation points to the importance of ventricular wall stress as a factor in heart failure development and progression. Based on animal and clinical experience with active and passive cardiomyoplasty, a synthetic passive constraint was proposed as a means of reducing excessive wall stress, and thus assuaging disease progression. The Acorn CorCapTM CSD Cardiac Support Device was designed to provide passive diastolic support and serve as a constraint against chronic cardiac dilation in heart failure. Basic and uncomplicated in appearance, the device nevertheless incorporates numerous sophisticated structural and functional features intended maximize therapeutic value. The device is fabricated from medical grade multifilament polyester yarn, in a specific knit construction chosen to provide structural integrity, low physical profile, pliability for intimate contact with the epicardial surface, ease of manipulation during implantation, and anisotropic compliance characteristics to encourage beneficial reverse remodeling.

Moisture can present significant challenges in the operation of fly ash handling systems, even at low levels. In traditional fly ash materials, moisture is the \"glue\" that holds ash particles together via capillary forces thereby enhancing the cohesive bonds between particles. This causes the ash to bridge and rathole and become difficult to discharge from bins, hoppers and vessels. This article will discuss the practical effects of dry scrubber byproducts and other dry sorbents on ash handling, especially in the presence of moisture. When designing ash handling equipment for non-scrubbed fly ash applications, considerations were given to the physical properties of the ash, such as cohesive strength, permeability and density. These properties played a major role in the conveying, storage and discharge of the fly ash material. Understanding not only the physical properties of the material but also the chemical properties of the fly ash can help in designing a system with less cementing and caking problems. This understanding will lead to a more reliable fly ash conveying system.

80% of arable land in Africa has low soil fertility and suffers from physical soil problems. Additionally, significant amounts of nutrients are lost every year due to unsustainable soil management practices. This is partially the result of insufficient use of soil management knowledge. To help bridge the soil information gap in Africa, the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) project was established in 2008. Over the period 2008-2014, the AfSIS project compiled two point data sets: the Africa Soil Profiles (legacy) database and the AfSIS Sentinel Site database. These data sets contain over 28 thousand sampling locations and represent the most comprehensive soil sample data sets of the African continent to date. Utilizing these point data sets in combination with a large number of covariates, we have generated a series of spatial predictions of soil properties relevant to the agricultural management--organic carbon, pH, sand, silt and clay fractions, bulk density, cation-exchange capacity, total nitrogen, exchangeable acidity, Al content and exchangeable bases (Ca, K, Mg, Na). We specifically investigate differences between two predictive approaches: random forests and linear regression. Results of 5-fold cross-validation demonstrate that the random forests algorithm consistently outperforms the linear regression algorithm, with average decreases of 15-75% in Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) across soil properties and depths. Fitting and running random forests models takes an order of magnitude more time and the modelling success is sensitive to artifacts in the input data, but as long as quality-controlled point data are provided, an increase in soil mapping accuracy can be expected. Results also indicate that globally predicted soil classes (USDA Soil Taxonomy, especially Alfisols and Mollisols) help improve continental scale soil property mapping, and are among the most important predictors. This indicates a promising potential for transferring pedological knowledge from data rich countries to countries with limited soil data.

Soils are widely recognized as a non-renewable natural resource and as biophysical carbon sinks. As such, there is a growing requirement for global soil information. Although several global soil information systems already exist, these tend to suffer from inconsistencies and limited spatial detail. We present SoilGrids1km--a global 3D soil information system at 1 km resolution--containing spatial predictions for a selection of soil properties (at six standard depths): soil organic carbon (g kg-1), soil pH, sand, silt and clay fractions (%), bulk density (kg m-3), cation-exchange capacity (cmol+/kg), coarse fragments (%), soil organic carbon stock (t ha-1), depth to bedrock (cm), World Reference Base soil groups, and USDA Soil Taxonomy suborders. Our predictions are based on global spatial prediction models which we fitted, per soil variable, using a compilation of major international soil profile databases (ca. 110,000 soil profiles), and a selection of ca. 75 global environmental covariates representing soil forming factors. Results of regression modeling indicate that the most useful covariates for modeling soils at the global scale are climatic and biomass indices (based on MODIS images), lithology, and taxonomic mapping units derived from conventional soil survey (Harmonized World Soil Database). Prediction accuracies assessed using 5-fold cross-validation were between 23-51%. SoilGrids1km provide an initial set of examples of soil spatial data for input into global models at a resolution and consistency not previously available. Some of the main limitations of the current version of SoilGrids1km are: (1) weak relationships between soil properties/classes and explanatory variables due to scale mismatches, (2) difficulty to obtain covariates that capture soil forming factors, (3) low sampling density and spatial clustering of soil profile locations. However, as the SoilGrids system is highly automated and flexible, increasingly accurate predictions can be generated as new input data become available. SoilGrids1km are available for download via http://soilgrids.org under a Creative Commons Non Commercial license.

Abstract Background Numerous studies demonstrate associations between serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and a variety of common disorders, including musculoskeletal, metabolic, cardiovascular, malignant, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. Although a causal link between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and many disorders has not been clearly established, these associations have led to widespread supplementation with vitamin D and increased laboratory testing for 25(OH)D in the general population. The benefit-risk ratio of this increase in vitamin D use is not clear, and the optimal vitamin D intake and the role of testing for 25(OH)D for disease prevention remain uncertain. Objective To develop clinical guidelines for the use of vitamin D (cholecalciferol [vitamin D3] or ergocalciferol [vitamin D2]) to lower the risk of disease in individuals without established indications for vitamin D treatment or 25(OH)D testing. Methods A multidisciplinary panel of clinical experts, along with experts in guideline methodology and systematic literature review, identified and prioritized 14 clinically relevant questions related to the use of vitamin D and 25(OH)D testing to lower the risk of disease. The panel prioritized randomized placebo-controlled trials in general populations (without an established indication for vitamin D treatment or 25[OH]D testing), evaluating the effects of empiric vitamin D administration throughout the lifespan, as well as in select conditions (pregnancy and prediabetes). The panel defined “empiric supplementation” as vitamin D intake that (a) exceeds the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and (b) is implemented without testing for 25(OH)D. Systematic reviews queried electronic databases for publications related to these 14 clinical questions. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to assess the certainty of evidence and guide recommendations. The approach incorporated perspectives from a patient representative and considered patient values, costs and resources required, acceptability and feasibility, and impact on health equity of the proposed recommendations. The process to develop this clinical guideline did not use a risk assessment framework and was not designed to replace current DRI for vitamin D. Results The panel suggests empiric vitamin D supplementation for children and adolescents aged 1 to 18 years to prevent nutritional rickets and because of its potential to lower the risk of respiratory tract infections; for those aged 75 years and older because of its potential to lower the risk of mortality; for those who are pregnant because of its potential to lower the risk of preeclampsia, intra-uterine mortality, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age birth, and neonatal mortality; and for those with high-risk prediabetes because of its potential to reduce progression to diabetes. Because the vitamin D doses in the included clinical trials varied considerably and many trial participants were allowed to continue their own vitamin D–containing supplements, the optimal doses for empiric vitamin D supplementation remain unclear for the populations considered. For nonpregnant people older than 50 years for whom vitamin D is indicated, the panel suggests supplementation via daily administration of vitamin D, rather than intermittent use of high doses. The panel suggests against empiric vitamin D supplementation above the current DRI to lower the risk of disease in healthy adults younger than 75 years. No clinical trial evidence was found to support routine screening for 25(OH)D in the general population, nor in those with obesity or dark complexion, and there was no clear evidence defining the optimal target level of 25(OH)D required for disease prevention in the populations considered; thus, the panel suggests against routine 25(OH)D testing in all populations considered. The panel judged that, in most situations, empiric vitamin D supplementation is inexpensive, feasible, acceptable to both healthy individuals and health care professionals, and has no negative effect on health equity. Conclusion The panel suggests empiric vitamin D for those aged 1 to 18 years and adults over 75 years of age, those who are pregnant, and those with high-risk prediabetes. Due to the scarcity of natural food sources rich in vitamin D, empiric supplementation can be achieved through a combination of fortified foods and supplements that contain vitamin D. Based on the absence of supportive clinical trial evidence, the panel suggests against routine 25(OH)D testing in the absence of established indications. These recommendations are not meant to replace the current DRIs for vitamin D, nor do they apply to people with established indications for vitamin D treatment or 25(OH)D testing. Further research is needed to determine optimal 25(OH)D levels for specific health benefits.

President Carter knew of Bert Lance's problems with overdrafts at the Calhoun First National Bank in Georgia before he announced his seelection of Lance to head the Office of Management and Budget, administration officials said yesterday.

Pediatric therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (tMN) occur in children after exposure to cytotoxic therapy and have a dismal prognosis. The somatic and germline genomic alterations that drive these myeloid neoplasms in children and how they arise have yet to be comprehensively described. We use whole exome, whole genome, and/or RNA sequencing to characterize the genomic profile of 84 pediatric tMN cases (tMDS: n  = 28, tAML: n  = 56). Our data show that Ras/MAPK pathway mutations, alterations in RUNX1 or TP53 , and KMT2A rearrangements are frequent somatic drivers, and we identify cases with aberrant MECOM expression secondary to enhancer hijacking. Unlike adults with tMN, we find no evidence of pre-existing minor tMN clones (including those with TP53 mutations), but rather the majority of cases are unrelated clones arising as a consequence of cytotoxic therapy. These studies also uncover rare cases of lineage switch disease rather than true secondary neoplasms. Paediatric therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (tMN) have a dismal prognosis and have not been comprehensively profiled. Here the authors characterise the molecular landscape of 84 paediatric tMN patients, and find that, unlike adult tMNs, these do not emerge from pre-existing clones and that MECOM dysregulation is frequent.

NEW YORK, Aug. 12 -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy ripped into Ronald Reagan tonight and transformed a dispirited Democratic National Convention into a cheering mass with a prediction that the Democratic Party will reunite and \"march toward a Democratic victory in 1980.\"