Family presence during resuscitation: A randomised controlled trial of the impact of family presence

Introduction: This study was undertaken to determine effects on relatives of family presence in an emergency resuscitation room during resuscitation. Methods: This study was undertaken using a randomised controlled trial using survey methodology. The setting of the study was the emergency department of a major tertiary referral teaching hospital in Queensland. Participants were relatives over 18 years of age, related to patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Relatives were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The control group followed the established procedure of placement in the relatives' waiting room, while the experimental group was given the option to be present during the resuscitation with a supportive officer for assistance. Results: An association was found between those who were present (and their relative survived) and their belief that their presence was beneficial to the patient. Demographic data identified characteristics of the relatives. Conclusions: This work has identified that relatives find it beneficial to be present in the resuscitation room. Their presence helped with communication between staff and family, and helped relatives to cope with the situation

The arthropod complex associated with Ips typograpfius (L.) (Coleoptera, Scolytidae): species composition, phenology, and impact on bark beetle productivity

The biology of forest arthropods associated with the bark beetle lps typographus and the impact of these associates on bark beetle productivity were investigated in the field. Arthropods were allowed access to spruce bolts for different lengths of time, 0, 1, 4, and 8 weeks, following onset of attack by lps typograplus, after which time the bolts were moved to a nonforested area and caged. Arthropods were collected as they emerged from the bolts in autumn and the following spring. At least 32 arthropod species were collected, of which 17 are known to feed on bark beetle brood. The longer the exposure period the more bark beetle enemies and the fewer lps typographus emerged. Natural enemies were estimated to have reduced bark beetle productivity by 83%. Arrival and emergence patterns and relative impact on bark beetle productivity of different species are discussed

Natural versus National boundaries

Applying biogeographical insights to the regulation of production forestry and the determination of forest reserve strategies is expected to increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation actions. Here, we assess the extent to which such applications take place. By using Sweden as a case study, we demonstrate fundamental differences among biogeographical regions in natural patterns and processes, past land-use, and anthropogenic impacts that need to be better incorporated into strategic conservation planning and decisions. Furthermore, assessment of specific forestry regulations and biogeographical variation in a number of other countries/provinces embracing boreal and temperate biomes also indicate that natural boundaries are insufficiently considered in forest management policies. We suggest that a substantial potential exists to better align conservation priorities with biogeographical characteristics. To illustrate the application of such an approach, we present a decision support model on how forest conservation policies that rest on natural boundaries and ecological processes can be developed

Coarse woody debris legacies and their dynamics in retained forest patches

Retaining trees in small patches at final harvest is a common forest conservation measure to maintain structural and biological diversity through the young forest phase. Long-term studies of coarse woody debris (CWD, breast height diameter ≥ 10 cm) changes in retention patches remain uncommon, especially in relation to different types of patches with varying tree species composition, ground moisture, size, shape, and exposure. In the present study we re-inventoried CWD three times (1–3, 5–7 and 18–20 years after harvesting) in 60 small tree retention patches (0.03–0.54 ha) of six commonly created retention patch types, in central boreal Sweden. Most retention patch types, despite being very small (3 ha−1 and buffer zones to rocky outcrop the highest average volume of 32 m3 ha−1, when summarised over the whole study period. Very few patch-level environmental variables (except type) related to the amount of CWD in retention patches; only the retained living tree volume of patches during creation was clearly positively correlated with higher post-harvest CWD volumes. Patch characteristics such as size and shape index did not relate to the CWD volumes in retention patches, and patch exposure only related to higher CWD volumes within the first 1–3 years after harvest. Retention patches generally supported a variety of living trees, CWD volumes and qualities over time. Several retention patch types; such as free-standing coniferous and deciduous patches, rocky outcrop buffers, wet forest patches and buffers to water, supported average CWD volumes between 19–41 m3 ha−1 after 18–20 years, under remaining canopy cover. Our findings challenge the traditional management principles aimed at minimizing severe windthrow and CWD input (i.e., creating larger patches (>0.5–1 ha), choosing topographically sheltered areas, selecting specific tree species and ground conditions). However, our study was too small in scale to investigate multiple within-patch-type interacting environmental variables. Future larger-scale studies over extended time periods are needed to disentangle such interactions for the dynamics of CWD and associated biodiversity in retention patches

Release of retained oaks in Norway spruce plantations. A 10-year perspective on oak vitality, spruce wood production and ground vegetation

This study explores the decade-long effects of release cutting around old retained oaks (Quercus robur L.) in a Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) stand that was 33 year old when thinned. The impacts on both nature conservation values and spruce wood production were evaluated in a randomized block design. To release oaks from competition, stems of Norway spruce were cut around 33 oaks, in three different treatments: high release (HR), medium release (MR) and no release (NR). Trees within a circular sample plot (15 m radius from the oak) were measured at time of treatment and 10 years after. The treatment effects on stand development, oak vitality and understory vegetation were evaluated after ten years, using tree diameter, height measurements, oak crown and tree structure estimates as well as ground vegetation surveys. Release cutting did not impact spruce production within the sample plot, and given that there were no other obvious sources of spruce suppression in the stand, we speculate that release cutting has little to no impact at the stand scale. Oak crowns in the control plots (NR) became smaller after ten years, while the crowns expanded and colonized the gap in the release treatments. Simultaneously, the amount of dead wood in the crown increased among oaks in the control treatment, indicating dieback. Cover and species richness of vascular plants in the understory were significantly higher in the HR and MR treatments compared to NR. These results suggest that the creation of relatively wide gaps (greater than 2 m) around retained oak crowns is one efficient approach to maintain their conservation values in a spruce dominated stand on a longer time frame. This will allow oaks to expand their crowns, increase their vitality and increase species richness and diversity of plants under the canopy. The economic loss of creating large gaps instead of no gaps may be negligible since the overall spruce production was not affected within 15 m of each oak

Density of dispersal sources affects to what extent restored habitat is used: A case study on a red-listed wood-dependent beetle

When restoring habitats, an important question is whether the spatial distribution of habitat affects its contribution to biodiversity conservation. In Sweden, high-cut stumps are routinely created at forestry operations. By counting the number of exit holes of a red-listed beetle, Peltis grossa, we assessed occurrence, colonisations and extinctions per high-cut stump and beetle density per clear-cut. We found a threshold, at which the form of the relationship between density of the beetle and density of high-cut stumps per clear-cut changes abruptly. The beetle density was considerably higher where the density of high-cut stumps exceeded 4.5 per hectare. Such thresholds can be explained by colonisation-extinction processes. Observed colonisation-extinction dynamics were consistent with metapopulation theory. For instance, there was a positive relationship between colonisation rate and a connectivity measure that considered beetle abundance and distance for each high-cut stump in the surrounding area. However, the relationship disappeared when using a connectivity measure solely based on the distance of the high-cut stumps. The observed threshold implies that P. grossa benefits from aggregating the same total number of created high-cut stumps into fewer clear-cuts. This is because the total area with a density of high-cut stumps exceeding the threshold increases, and this expands the number and size of dispersal sources. Therefore, P. grossa and other species that reveal thresholds in their distribution patterns, are favoured when conservation measures are more spatially aggregated than what is resulting from current Swedish policy

Upscaling of methane exchange in a boreal forest using soil chamber measurements and high-resolution LiDAR elevation data

Forest soils are generally considered to be net sinks of methane (CH4), but CH4 fluxes vary spatially depending on soil conditions. Measuring CH4 exchange with chambers, which are commonly used for this purpose, might not result in representative fluxes at site scale. Appropriate methods for upscaling CH4 fluxes from point measurements to site scale are therefore needed. At the boreal forest research site, Norunda, chamber measurements of soils and vegetation indicate that the site is a net sink of CH4, while tower gradient measurements indicate that the site is a net source of CH4. We investigated the discrepancy between chamber and tower gradient measurements by upscaling soil CH4 exchange to a 100 ha area based on an empirical model derived from chamber measurements of CH4 exchange and measurements of soil moisture, soil temperature and water table depth. A digital elevation model (DEM) derived from high-resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data was used to generate gridded water table depth and soil moisture data of the study area as input data for the upscaling. Despite the simplistic approach, modeled fluxes were significantly correlated to four out of five chambers with R>0.68. The upscaling resulted in a net soil sink of CH4 of -10 mu mol m(-2) h(-1), averaged over the entire study area and time period June-September, 2010). Our findings suggest that additional contributions from CH4 soil sources outside the upscaling study area and possibly CH4 emissions from vegetation could explain the net emissions measured by tower gradient measurements. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Nitrous oxide emissions from five fertilizer treatments during one year-High-frequency measurements on a Swedish Cambisol

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a strong greenhouse gas, and the emissions from managed soils are increasing. Emissions of N2O are highly variable in time and space, and there are potential triggers for emission peaks both in crop season and no-crop season. The aim of this study was to compare how fertilizer treatments, differing in rate and source of nitrogen (N), influence direct N2O emissions from soil, in crop season as well as in no-crop season, with the use of automated, high-frequency chamber measurements. Emissions were measured from cereal production on a Swedish clay-rich soil fertilized with biogas digestate, pig slurry and two levels of mineral N, as well as from control plots receiving no fertilizer N. The results showed that N2O emissions per unit area were low in all treatments, compared to other studies. Emissions from the treatment with mineral fertilizers at recommended rates were similar to the emissions from the control (0.65 and 0.48 kg N2O-N ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively). One-year cumulative emissions from a mineral N input rate 50 % higher than recommended were about three times higher than the control. Emissions of N2O from the pig slurry and biogas digestate treatments per unit area were of the same magnitude as from the high mineral N treatment. While the emissions from the high mineral N treatment were associated with elevated concentrations of nitrate in the drainage water, the high emissions from the organic fertilizer treatments were probably a result of large input of ammonium and degradable organic matter both in the year studied and in the preceding year. Most (approximately 75 %) of the N2O emissions occurred between harvest in autumn and sowing in spring, mainly in periods of freeze-thaw cycles. The relative differences between treatments were roughly the same during crop season and no-crop season. This study concludes that it is possible to combine high yields with very low N2O emissions -even on a clay soil in a semi-humid climate -when using mineral fertilizers at recommended rates

Granbarkborren och dess fienders övervintring i stående träd vintern 2021/2022

Granbarkborren övervintrar antingen i barken i de träd de har utvecklats i, eller i förnan kring stambasen av träden. Tidigare studier visar att knappt hälften av barkborrarna övervintrar under bark i dödade träd i Småland, medan i norra Svealand och Norrland så är denna andel betydligt lägre. Den lägre andelen i norr är sannolikt en anpassning till de kallare vintrarna där barkborrarna riskerar att frysa ihjäl om de inte lämnar träden. Det har tidigare saknats data på andelen övervintrande granbarkborrar i bark för stora delar av Svealand.I denna studie togs barkprover från träd inom 10 områden från södra Götaland till mellersta Norrland. Som en indikator på hur kärvt vinterklimatet är användes odlingszon, enligt Riksförbundet Svensk Trädgård. Målet var att undersöka variationen mellan träd och områden i andelen granbarkborrar som övervintrar i barken samt vilka faktorer som kan förklara denna variation. Detta är viktigt att veta när man bedömer bekämpningseffekten av att avverka angripna träd under vintern. Dessutom undersöktes tätheten av granbarkborrar och deras fiender på olika höjder av trädet för att därmed kunna uppskatta hur barkprovtagning på standardhöjden 4 m avspeglar insektstätheter i hela trädet. På varje träd (n=134) togs ett barkprov på 4 m höjd. Ytterligare två barkprover togs på cirka vart tredje träd (n=48), på 37,5 procent och 62,5 procent av trädets totala höjd.I medeltal övervintrade 53 procent av granbarkborrarna i bark vid 4 m höjd. Andelen övervintrande granbarkborrar i bark avtog längs stammen från 4 m och uppåt och det uppskattade medelvärdet per träd var, 43 procent, det vill säga 10 procentenheter lägre än vad barkprovet vid 4 m visade. Det fanns tydliga skillnader för flera andra variabler mellan barkprover på olika höjd. Antal producerade granbarkborrar per m2, granbarkborrens förökningskvot samt tätheten av styltflugelarver sjönk med ökande höjd. Tätheten av parasitstekellarver och kokonger var högre längre upp på stammen än vid 4 m. Mer än 40 procent av variationen i andelen övervintrande granbarkborrar i bark vid 4 m kunde förklaras av fyra variabler. Den klart viktigaste variabeln var barktjocklek som ensam förklarade 23 procent av variationen. Ju tjockare bark desto högre andel övervintrande i bark. Träd med bruna kronor (indikation på tidigt angrepp) hade lägre andel övervintrande granbarkborrar än träd som fortfarande hade en del gröna barr (sena angrepp). Träd i kanter (nästan en hyggeskant) hade lägre andel övervintrande granbarkborrar i bark än träd inne i bestånd. Träd i odlingszon VI och VII (norra Värmland och Jämtland) hade lägre andel övervintrande granbarkborrar än träd i odlingszoner II-IV (Götaland och södra och mellersta Svealand). Det fanns inte några skillnader i andelen övervintrande granbarkborrar i bark mellan odlingszonerna II, III och IV där nuvarande utbrott av granbarkborre pågår