Inclusion is a process and practice that involves working with diversity as a resource. In inclusive organizations and societies, people of all identities and many styles can be fully themselves ...while also contributing to the larger collective, as valued and full members. Working toward inclusion in diverse organizations and societies can often be experienced as polarizing and presents many challenges and tensions. These tensions can productively be understood and addressed from a paradox perspective. This article discusses three core paradoxes of inclusion: those involving self-expression and identity, boundaries and norms, and safety and comfort. The manifestations of and approaches to managing each paradox are discussed.
A
bstract
Across the tropics, climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, exposing tropical forests to the risk of shifting into an open vegetation state. A recent satellite ...analysis of the Amazon basin suggests this might happen first in floodplains where forests are particularly fragile. We studied floodplain landscapes of the middle Rio Negro, covering ~ 4100 km
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at the Central Amazon region, where forest ecosystems are dominant. We used Landsat images to map 40 years of wildfire history and test the hypothesis that repeatedly burnt forests fail to regenerate and can be replaced by white-sand savanna ecosystems. In the field, using a chronosequence of ‘time after the first fire’, we assessed changes in tree species composition, herbaceous cover and topsoil properties. Here we show that when these forests are repeatedly disturbed by wildfires, their soil gradually loses clay and nutrients and becomes increasingly sandy. In synchrony, native herbaceous cover expands, forest tree species disappear and white-sand savanna tree species become dominant. This drastic ecosystem shift happened within 40 years, likely accelerated by topsoil erosion. When recurrent fires maintain floodplain forests in an open vegetation state, topsoil erosion intensifies, transforming clay-rich soils into white-sand soils that may favour savanna tree species. Our findings reveal that white-sand savannas may expand through seasonally flooded ecosystems at the core of the Amazon, facilitated by wildfires.
Tropical forests are complex systems containing myriad interactions and feedbacks with their biotic and abiotic environments, but as the world changes fast, the future of these ecosystems becomes ...increasingly uncertain. In particular, global stressors may unbalance the feedbacks that stabilize tropical forests, allowing other feedbacks to propel undesired changes in the whole ecosystem. Here, we review the scientific literature across various fields, compiling known interactions of tropical forests with their environment, including the global climate, rainfall, aerosols, fire, soils, fauna, and human activities. We identify 170 individual interactions among 32 elements that we present as a global tropical forest network, including countless feedback loops that may emerge from different combinations of interactions. We illustrate our findings with three cases involving urgent sustainability issues: (1) wildfires in wetlands of South America; (2) forest encroachment in African savanna landscapes; and (3) synergistic threats to the peatland forests of Borneo. Our findings reveal an unexplored world of feedbacks that shape the dynamics of tropical forests. The interactions and feedbacks identified here can guide future qualitative and quantitative research on the complexities of tropical forests, allowing societies to manage the nonlinear responses of these ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
Tropical forests are complex systems containing myriad interactions and feedbacks with their biotic and abiotic environments, but as the world changes fast, the future of these ecosystems becomes increasingly uncertain. Our findings reveal an unexplored world of feedbacks that shape the dynamics of tropical forests. The interactions and feedbacks identified can guide future qualitative and quantitative research on the complexities of tropical forests, allowing societies to manage the nonlinear responses of these ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
The aim of this study was to obtain estimates of changes in perioperative outcomes and utilization of bariatric surgery in the United States from 1993 to 2016.
Bariatric surgery has evolved over the ...past 2 decades. Nationally representative information on changes of perioperative outcomes and utilization of surgery in the growing eligible population (class III obesity or class II obesity with comorbidities) is lacking.
Adults with obesity diagnosis who underwent primary bariatric surgery in the United States from 1993 to 2016 were identified in the National Inpatient Sample database. Estimates of the yearly number, types and cost of surgeries, patients' and hospital characteristics, complications and mortality rates were obtained. Prevalence of obesity and comorbidities were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and changes in utilization of surgery were estimated.
An estimated 1,903,273 patients underwent bariatric surgery in the United States between 1993 and 2016. Mean age was 43.9 years (79.9% women, 70.9% white race, 70.7% commercial insurance); these and other characteristics changed over time. Surgeries were exclusively open operations in 1993 (n = 8,631; gastric bypass and vertical banded gastroplasty, 49% each) and 98% laparoscopic (n = 162,969; 69.8% sleeve gastrectomy and 27.8% gastric bypass) in 2016. Complication and mortality rates peaked in 1998 (11.7% and 1%) and progressively decreased to 1.4% and 0.04% in 2016. Utilization increased from 0.07% in 1993 to 0.62% in 2004 and remained low at 0.5% in 2016.
Perioperative safety of bariatric surgery improved over the last quarter-century. Despite growth in number of surgeries, utilization has only marginally increased. Addressing barriers for utilization may allow for greater access to surgical therapy.
Amazonian floodplain forests are particularly vulnerable to wildfires that spread during extreme droughts, causing large‐scale forest dieback. After a second wildfire, these forests persist trapped ...with low tree cover and empty seed banks, yet the mechanisms that could explain this arrested succession remain unknown.
Here we use a 4‐year field experiment to test whether tree recruitment failures in burnt floodplain forests are caused by environmental filtering, limiting early seedling emergence and establishment. We sowed seeds and planted seedlings of six floodplain trees with contrasting life strategies, and tested the roles of environmental filters by comparing tree seedling performances under different habitats (i.e. unburned forest, forest edge with burnt site, forest burnt once and forest burnt twice), and by manipulating soil root mats and herbaceous cover.
Our results show that seedling emergence was around 15% across all habitats. In general, seedlings performed best in burnt forests. Seedling growth was highest in forests burnt once, possibly because of high nutrient availability after fire. In forests burnt twice, tree seedlings grew relatively less, as nutrients become limiting due to flood erosion; yet, seedlings survived longer, possibly because of lower competition with sparse, naturally recruiting trees. We found similar patterns for seedlings that emerged in the field from sowed seeds.
Synthesis. Our experimental evidence suggests that environmental filtering related to soil nutrient limitations may slow down forest recovery after repeated wildfires. Yet, our findings showing that floodplain trees are able to germinate from seeds and establish successfully in twice burnt forests suggest that seed limitation may be the reason why forest recovery fails persistently. A corollary to the problem is that repeatedly burnt forests seem to be trapped by a self‐reinforcing feedback, in which low tree cover reduces seed dispersal and consequently seed availability, keeping tree cover low. Overall, our findings indicate that active restoration initiatives based on seeding native tree species may help accelerating the recovery of degraded floodplain forests after repeated wildfires.
Resumo
As florestas de igapó na Amazônia são particularmente vulneráveis a incêndios que se espalham durante secas extremas, causando a morte de árvores em grande escala. Após um segundo incêndio, essas florestas persistem com baixa cobertura de árvores e bancos de sementes vazios, porém os mecanismos que poderiam explicar essa sucessão aprisionada permanecem desconhecidos.
Aqui usamos um experimento de campo de quatro anos para testar se as falhas de recrutamento de árvores em florestas de igapó queimadas são causadas por filtros ambientais, limitando a germinação e o estabelecimento de plântulas. Semeamos e plantamos mudas de seis espécies árvores de igapó com distintas estratégias de vida e testamos os papéis dos filtros ambientais, comparando o desempenho das mudas em diferentes habitats (ou seja, floresta não queimada, borda da floresta com local queimado, floresta queimada uma vez e floresta queimada duas vezes), e pela manipulação do tapete de raízes do solo e cobertura herbácea.
Nossos resultados mostram que a germinação de plântulas foi de aproximadamente 15% em todos os habitats. Em geral, as mudas tiveram melhor desempenho em florestas queimadas. O crescimento das mudas foi maior em florestas queimadas uma vez, possivelmente devido à alta disponibilidade de nutrientes após o fogo. Em florestas queimadas duas vezes, as mudas de árvores cresceram relativamente menos, pois os nutrientes se tornaram limitantes devido à erosão pelas inundações; no entanto, as mudas sobreviveram por mais tempo, possivelmente devido à menor competição com árvores de recrutamento natural. Encontramos padrões semelhantes para mudas que germinaram no campo a partir de semeadura.
Síntese. Nossa evidência experimental sugere que a erosão dos nutrientes do solo pode retardar a recuperação da floresta após repetidos incêndios florestais. No entanto, nossos resultados mostrando que as árvores de igapó são capazes de germinar a partir de sementes e se estabelecerem com sucesso em florestas queimadas duas vezes sugerem que a limitação de sementes pode ser a razão principal pela qual a recuperação florestal falha persistentemente. Um corolário do problema é que florestas queimadas repetidamente parecem estar presas por um mecanismo de retro‐alimentação, no qual a baixa cobertura de árvores reduz a dispersão de sementes e, conseqüentemente, a disponibilidade de sementes, mantendo a cobertura de árvores baixa. No geral, nossos resultados indicam que iniciativas de restauração ativa com base na semeadura de espécies de árvores nativas podem ajudar a acelerar a recuperação de florestas de igapó degradadas por incêndios florestais repetidos.
Our experimental evidence suggests that soil nutrient limitations may slow down forest recovery after repeated wildfires in Amazonian floodplains. Yet, because floodplain trees are able to germinate from seeds and establish successfully in twice burnt forests, seed limitation seems to be the reason why forest recovery fails persistently. Seeding native tree species may hence be the best strategy to restore these degraded forests.
Human-food feedback in tropical forests Flores, Bernardo M.; Levis, Carolina
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
06/2021, Volume:
372, Issue:
6547
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Ancient interaction between humans and edible plants can boost tropical food security
The image of tropical forests as harsh environments devoid of large human populations has held sway in Western ...minds for centuries. Since the 1980s, researchers began to learn how these landscapes have been transformed by Indigenous peoples, who developed diverse forest-based food production systems. How did these apparently natural forests come to be dominated by plant species so closely associated with humans? Perhaps ancient societies decided to settle where forests were already abundant in food and medicine, or maybe they were the ones who enriched their homes (
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)—but it is probably a bit of both.
Deforestation and drought are among the greatest environmental pressures on the Amazon rainforest, possibly destabilizing the forest-climate system. Deforestation in the Amazon reduces rainfall ...regionally, while this deforestation itself has been reported to be facilitated by droughts. Here we quantify the interactions between drought and deforestation spatially across the Amazon during the early 21st century. First, we relate observed fluctuations in deforestation rates to dry-season intensity; second, we determine the effect of conversion of forest to cropland on evapotranspiration; and third, we simulate the subsequent downwind reductions in rainfall due to decreased atmospheric water input. We find large variability in the response of deforestation to dry-season intensity, with a significant but small average increase in deforestation rates with a more intense dry season: with every mm of water deficit, deforestation tends to increase by 0.13% per year. Deforestation, in turn, has caused an estimated 4% of the recent observed drying, with the south-western part of the Amazon being most strongly affected. Combining both effects, we quantify a reinforcing drought-deforestation feedback that is currently small, but becomes gradually stronger with cumulative deforestation. Our results suggest that global climate change, not deforestation, is the main driver of recent drying in the Amazon. However, a feedback between drought and deforestation implies that increases in either of them will impede efforts to curb both.
Because of their immunomodulatory and engraftment-promoting properties, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been tested in the clinical setting both to facilitate haematopoietic recovery and to ...treat steroid-resistant acute GVHD. More recently, experimental findings and clinical trials have focused on the ability of MSCs to home to damaged tissue and to produce paracrine factors with anti-inflammatory properties, resulting in functional recovery of the damaged tissue. The mechanisms through which MSCs exert their therapeutic potential rely on some key properties of the cells: the ability to secrete soluble factors capable of stimulating survival and recovery of injured cells; the capacity to home to sites of damage and the ability to blunt exaggerated immune responses. These fundamental properties are being tested within a novel therapeutic field defined as Regenerative Medicine. This review deals with recent research on the anti-inflammatory/reparative properties of MSCs and considers the possible mechanisms of function responsible for these effects. Moreover, current and potential clinical applications of MSC-based treatment strategies in the context of Regenerative Medicine are being discussed. Key issues such as optimal timing of MSC administration, cell dose and schedule of administration, advantages and disadvantages of using autologous or allogeneic cells are still open. Nonetheless, MSCs promise to represent a revolution for many severe or presently untreatable disorders.
This paper reports a rapid and sensitive sensor for the detection and quantification of the COVID-19 N-protein (N-PROT) via an electrochemical mechanism. Single-frequency electrochemical impedance ...spectroscopy was used as a transduction method for real-time measurement of the N-PROT in an immunosensor system based on gold-conjugate-modified carbon screen-printed electrodes (Cov-Ag-SPE). The system presents high selectivity attained through an optimal stimulation signal composed of a 0.0 V DC potential and 10 mV RMS−1 AC signal at 100 Hz over 300 s. The Cov-Ag-SPE showed a log response toward N-PROT detection at concentrations from 1.0 ng mL−1 to 10.0 μg mL−1, with a 0.977 correlation coefficient for the phase (θ) variation. An ML-based approach could be created using some aspects observed from the positive and negative samples; hence, it was possible to classify 252 samples, reaching 83.0, 96.2 and 91.3% sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, respectively, with confidence intervals (CI) ranging from 73.0 to 100.0%. Because impedance spectroscopy measurements can be performed with low-cost portable instruments, the immunosensor proposed here can be applied in point-of-care diagnostics for mass testing, even in places with limited resources, as an alternative to the common diagnostics methods.
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