Despite growing worldwide commitment to large‐scale ecosystem restoration, national public policies on restoration are few, and those that exist tend to be vague. Brazil and especially São Paulo ...state stand out. In a pioneering attempt to improve restoration projects and their outcomes, the Secretariat for the Environment of the State of São Paulo has enacted a legal instrument to drive planning and to assess whether the goals and targets of mandatory ecological restoration are being achieved. Regardless of the restoration techniques applied, the effectiveness of mandatory or public‐funded projects will henceforth be assessed by using three ecological indicators: (1) ground coverage with native vegetation; (2) density of native plants spontaneously regenerating; and (3) number of spontaneously regenerating native plant species. We analyze how this science‐based legal framework is expected to promote greater restoration success, improve cost‐effectiveness, and help bridge the all‐too‐familiar knowledge‐action gap in environmental policies. Notably, scientists, professionals, public agents, and stakeholders from different institutions have collaborated to advance the refinement and rolling out of this legal instrument. By 2037, it is expected that more than 300,000 restoration projects will be carried out in São Paulo state and monitored using this set of indicators. We also suggest that this approach could be usefully applied to the growing number of ecological restoration programs being carried out worldwide, especially in the context of offset policies intended to achieve serious compensation for environmental degradation or loss of biodiversity.
▶ Large-scale restoration requires a well-defined plan of action to be well succeeded. ▶ Different restoration strategies are needed in small and large farms. ▶ Socio-economic aspects of land use and ...tenure have to be considered by restoration. ▶ Active restoration is predominantly needed in human-modified tropical landscapes. ▶ High-diversity reforestations improve ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.
The complex interactions among endangered ecosystems, landowners’ interests, and different models of land tenure and use, constitute an important series of challenges for those seeking to maintain and restore biodiversity and augment the flow of ecosystem services. Over the past 10 years, we have developed a data-based approach to address these challenges and to achieve medium and large-scale ecological restoration of riparian areas on private lands in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Given varying motivations for ecological restoration, the location of riparian areas within landholdings, environmental zoning of different riparian areas, and best-practice restoration methods were developed for each situation. A total of 32 ongoing projects, covering 527,982
ha, were evaluated in large sugarcane farms and small mixed farms, and six different restoration techniques have been developed to help upscale the effort. Small mixed farms had higher portions of land requiring protection as riparian areas (13.3%), and lower forest cover of riparian areas (18.3%), than large sugarcane farms (10.0% and 36.9%, respectively for riparian areas and forest cover values). In both types of farms, forest fragments required some degree of restoration. Historical anthropogenic degradation has compromised forest ecosystem structure and functioning, despite their high-diversity of native tree and shrub species. Notably, land use patterns in riparian areas differed markedly. Large sugarcane farms had higher portions of riparian areas occupied by highly mechanized agriculture, abandoned fields, and anthropogenic wet fields created by siltation in water courses. In contrast, in small mixed crop farms, low or non-mechanized agriculture and pasturelands were predominant. Despite these differences, plantations of native tree species covering the entire area was by far the main restoration method needed both by large sugarcane farms (76.0%) and small mixed farms (92.4%), in view of the low resilience of target sites, reduced forest cover, and high fragmentation, all of which limit the potential for autogenic restoration. We propose that plantations should be carried out with a high-diversity of native species in order to create biologically viable restored forests, and to assist long-term biodiversity persistence at the landscape scale. Finally, we propose strategies to integrate the political, socio-economic and methodological aspects needed to upscale restoration efforts in tropical forest regions throughout Latin America and elsewhere.
It is essential to understand how ecological restoration (ER) improves human well‐being in order to justify more investments and upscaling in this emergent field of action. As part of a 22‐year‐old, ...80 ha ER project being carried out around a water reservoir that supplies drinking water to the city of Iracemápolis (population 19,700), in the mega‐diversity Atlantic Forest biome of Brazil, we assessed local community perceptions of the tangible and intangible benefits expected to arise from this project. A detailed questionnaire was completed for 292 members of the local community to gauge perceptions of benefits arising from various cultural and provisioning ecosystem services (ESs; especially safe and clean drinking water) provided by the 80 ha forest restoration project. A striking 94% of those interviewed wanted more ER projects in their community. Participants reported an appreciation for cultural ESs such as esthetic landscape improvement, tourism, recreation, as well as various religious, spiritual, and educational services. In addition, 87% of interviewees believed that the restoration project improved the quality of their drinking water, and 63% said they would agree to an increase in water tariffs if the proceeds were to be invested in more forest restoration. Judging from this study, investigation and subsequent communication of popular perceptions of the various benefits of ER projects could promote consensus‐building and support for projects among stakeholders, and inform governmental and societal investments in restoration.
•What is current knowledge?∘Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing epidemic.∘Thiazolidinediones are the only class of diabetes therapies with ...proven beneficial liver effects.∘The effect of newer diabetes therapies on markers of NAFLD is uncertain.•What is new here?∘SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with significantly greater reductions in ALT compared to incretin therapies.∘This association for SGLT2 inhibitors, but not for incretin medications, was independent of weight and A1c change. A similar association between SGLT2 inhibitors and ALT change persisted in a propensity score weighted analysis that balanced baseline characteristics between treatment groups.∘A significant dose-response relationship was observed for ALT reduction with SGLT2 inhibitors at higher baseline ALT levels.
The impact of new classes of glucose lowering medications on markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been inconsistent in their magnitude and independence. This large retrospective study investigates changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels among subjects initiated on newer classes of T2D medications in comparison to a reference control group.
We studied people with T2D from a large Canadian diabetes register, who had canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, liraglutide, sitagliptin or no further treatment added to their diabetes treatments. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the association of A1c and weight change on ALT. Propensity score weighting was used to balance baseline characteristics between treatment groups.
A total of 3667 subjects met study criteria. ALT levels (mean follow-up 4.8 months) were lower after treatment with sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, canagliflozin (−4.3U/L, P<0.01) and dapagliflozin (−3.5U/L, P<0.01), compared to incretin agents, liraglutide (−2.1U/L, P<0.01) and sitagliptin (−1.8U/L, P<0.01), each greater than the control group. Only the SGLT2 inhibitor treatment groups maintained a significant ALT reduction vs. control following multivariable adjustment and propensity score weighting. Greater ALT reductions were seen with higher baseline ALT for both the SGLT2 inhibitor treatment groups.
SGLT2 inhibitors canagliflozin and dapagliflozin resulted in a weight and A1c-independent reduction of ALT levels compared to incretin agents, with a dose-response observed at higher baseline ALT levels. Further studies investigating the differential effects of these drug classes on NAFLD, and insulin/glucagon levels as potential mechanism explaining these differences, should be performed.
Over 140 Mha of restoration commitments have been pledged across the global tropics, yet guidance is needed to identify those landscapes where implementation is likely to provide the greatest ...potential benefits and cost-effective outcomes. By overlaying seven recent, peer-reviewed spatial datasets as proxies for socioenvironmental benefits and feasibility of restoration, we identified restoration opportunities (areas with higher potential return of benefits and feasibility) in lowland tropical rainforest landscapes. We found restoration opportunities throughout the tropics. Areas scoring in the top 10% (i.e., restoration hotspots) are located largely within conservation hotspots (88%) and in countries committed to the Bonn Challenge (73%), a global effort to restore 350 Mha by 2030. However, restoration hotspots represented only a small portion (19.1%) of the Key Biodiversity Area network. Concentrating restoration investments in landscapes with high benefits and feasibility would maximize the potential to mitigate anthropogenic impacts and improve human well-being.
Measurements of midrapidity charged-particle multiplicity distributions, dNch/dη, and midrapidity transverse-energy distributions, dET/dη, are presented for a variety of collision systems and ...energies. Included are distributions for Au+Au collisions at sNN=200, 130, 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 14.5, and 7.7 GeV, Cu+Cu collisions at sNN=200 and 62.4 GeV, Cu+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, U+U collisions at sNN=193 GeV, d+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, and p+p collisions at sNN=200 GeV. Centrality-dependent distributions at midrapidity are presented in terms of the number of nucleon participants, Npart, and the number of constituent quark participants, Nqp. For all A+A collisions down to sNN=7.7 GeV, it is observed that the midrapidity data are better described by scaling with Nqp than scaling with Npart. Also presented are estimates of the Bjorken energy density, BJ, and the ratio of dET/dη to dNch/dη, the latter of which is seen to be constant as a function of centrality for all systems.
Over the past 150 years, Brazil has played a pioneering role in developing environmental policies and pursuing forest conservation and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. In particular, ...the Brazilian Forest Act, first drafted in 1934, has been fundamental in reducing deforestation and engaging private land owners in forest restoration initiatives. At the time of writing (December 2010), however, a proposal for major revision of the Brazilian Forest Act is under intense debate in the National Assembly, and we are deeply concerned about the outcome. On the basis of the analysis of detailed vegetation and hydrographic maps, we estimate that the proposed changes may reduce the total amount of potential areas for restoration in the Atlantic Forest by approximately 6 million hectares. As a radically different policy model, we present the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP), which is a group of more than 160 members that represents one of the most important and ambitious ecological restoration programs in the world. The AFRP aims to restore 15 million hectares of degraded lands in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome by 2050 and increase the current forest cover of the biome from 17% to at least 30%. We argue that not only should Brazilian lawmakers refrain from revising the existing Forest Law, but also greatly step up investments in the science, business, and practice of ecological restoration throughout the country, including the Atlantic Forest. The AFRP provides a template that could be adapted to other forest biomes in Brazil and to other megadiversity countries around the world.
In this paper, we present the first measurement of elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow in high-multiplicity 3He+Aucollisions at √sNN=200 GeV. Two-particle correlations, where the particles have a ...large separation in pseudorapidity, are compared in 3He+Au and in p+p collisions and indicate that collective effects dominate the second and third Fourier components for the correlations observed in the 3He+Ausystem. The collective behavior is quantified in terms of elliptic v2 and triangular v3 anisotropy coefficients measured with respect to their corresponding event planes. The v2 values are comparable to those previously measured in d+Au collisions at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy. Comparisons with various theoretical predictions are made, including to models where the hot spots created by the impact of the three 3He nucleons on the Au nucleus expand hydrodynamically to generate the triangular flow. Finally, the agreement of these models with data may indicate the formation of low-viscosity quark-gluon plasma even in these small collision systems.
•Scaling-up restoration implies increasing the number and average size of projects.•Restoration demands: technology, training, clear laws and economic instruments.•Restoration needs a broad network ...of stakeholders in both public and private forums.•Restoration involves both economic and social investments over a long period.
Ongoing conversion of tropical forests makes it urgent to invest in ecological restoration on grand scales in order to promote biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. The 4-year old Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP) aims to restore 15,000,000ha of tropical forest in 40 years. The approaches and lessons learned appear transferable, and could help achieve the global restoration targets. Fundamental prerequisites for success include: effective technology undergoing continuous improvement, ongoing teaching, outreach and capacity-building efforts, presence of local intelligentsia, maintaining a clear and transparent legal environment, and presence of effective economic instruments and incentives for landowners. These prerequisites can be achieved by expanding and strengthening the network of stakeholders both in public and private forums that must be aware of macro-economic and social/cultural shifts and trends which may provide opportunities and impose constraints to further restoration activities. Finally, environmental regulations imposing habitat protection and restoration are usually beyond individual land-owners’ possibilities and level of interest. Therefore, forest restoration, even in a biodiversity hotspot, must be approached as a potentially sustainable economic activity. Otherwise, private landowners, and most other stakeholders, will not persevere.
To evaluate PSA levels and kinetic cutoffs to predict positive bone scans for men with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital ...(SEARCH) cohort.
Retrospective analysis of 531 bone scans of 312 clinically CRPC patients with no known metastases at baseline treated with a variety of primary treatment types in the SEARCH database. The association of patients' demographics, pathological features, PSA levels and kinetics with risk of a positive scan was tested using generalized estimating equations.
A total of 149 (28%) scans were positive. Positive scans were associated with younger age (odds ratio (OR)=0.98; P=0.014), higher Gleason scores (relative to Gleason 2-6, Gleason 3+4: OR=2.03, P=0.035; Gleason 4+3 and 8-10: OR=1.76, P=0.059), higher prescan PSA (OR=2.11; P<0.001), shorter prescan PSA doubling time (PSADT; OR=0.53; P<0.001), higher PSA velocity (OR=1.74; P<0.001) and more remote scan year (OR=0.92; P=0.004). Scan positivity was 6, 14, 29 and 57% for men with PSA<5, 5-14.9, 15-49.9 and ⩾ 50 ng ml(-1), respectively (P-trend <0.001). Men with PSADT ⩾ 15, 9-14.9, 3-8.9 and <3 months had a scan positivity of 11, 22, 34 and 47%, correspondingly (P-trend <0.001). Tables were constructed using PSA and PSADT to predict the likelihood of a positive bone scan.
PSA levels and kinetics were associated with positive bone scans. We developed tables to predict the risk of positive bone scans by PSA and PSADT. Combining PSA levels and kinetics may help select patients with CRPC for bone scans.
PDF
