A comparison of Tier 1, 2, and 3 methods for quantifying nitrous oxide emissions from soils amended with biosolids.

Municipal biosolids are a nitrogen (N)-rich agricultural fertilizer which may emit nitrous oxide (NO) after rainfall events. Due to sparse empirical data, there is a lack of biosolids-specific NO emission factors to determine how land-applied biosolids contribute to the national greenhouse gas inventory. This study estimated NO emissions from biosolids-amended land in Canada using Tier 1, Tier 2 (Canadian), and Tier 3 (Denitrification and Decomposition model [DNDC]) methodologies recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Perspectives on peak liquid manure temperature with implications for methane emissions.

Methane emissions from liquid manure storage are currently estimated with a methane conversion factor (MCF) based on manure temperature inputs or air temperatures as a substitute in the 2019 IPCC Tier 2 method. However, differences between peak manure temperature and peak air temperature (T ) in warm seasons are likely to occur and result in poor estimates of MCF and methane emissions. To address this concern, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the T and ratio of manure surface area to manure volume (R ) using a mechanistic model and by analyzing farm-scale measurement studies across Canada.

How Modelers Model: the Overlooked Social and Human Dimensions in Model Intercomparison Studies.

There is a growing realization that the complexity of model ensemble studies depends not only on the models used but also on the experience and approach used by modelers to calibrate and validate results, which remain a source of uncertainty. Here, we applied a multi-criteria decision-making method to investigate the rationale applied by modelers in a model ensemble study where 12 process-based different biogeochemical model types were compared across five successive calibration stages. The modelers shared a common level of agreement about the importance of the variables used to initialize their models for calibration.

A gap in nitrous oxide emission reporting complicates long-term climate mitigation.

Nitrous oxide (NO) is an important greenhouse gas (GHG) that also contributes to depletion of ozone in the stratosphere. Agricultural soils account for about 60% of anthropogenic NO emissions. Most national GHG reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change assumes nitrogen (N) additions drive emissions during the growing season, but soil freezing and thawing during spring is also an important driver in cold climates.

Global evaluation of inhibitor impacts on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils: A meta-analysis.

Inhibitors are widely considered an efficient tool for reducing nitrogen (N) loss and improving N use efficiency, but their effectiveness is highly variable across agroecosystems. In this study, we synthesized 182 studies (222 sites) worldwide to evaluate the impacts of inhibitors (urease inhibitors [UI], nitrification inhibitors [NI] and combined inhibitors) on crop yields and gaseous N loss (ammonia [NH ] and nitrous oxide [N O] emissions) and explored their responses to different management and environmental factors including inhibitor application timing, fertilization regime, cropping system, water management, soil properties and climatic conditions using subgroup meta-analysis, meta-regression and multivariate analyses. The UI were most effective in enhancing crop yields (by 5%) and reducing NH volatilization (by 51%), whereas NI were most effective at reducing N O emissions (by 49%).

Evaluating the 2019 IPCC refinement for estimating methane conversion factors in Canada.

Methane emissions from liquid manure management in Canada are an important greenhouse gas source. A wide range of seasonal temperatures, distribution of livestock farms, and various management practices in Canada means that regional methane conversion factors (MCF) that account for spatially discrete climate and management should be used. This study explores the impacts of using the 2019 IPCC Refinement methodology on estimates of MCFs across Canada.

Greenhouse gas emissions following biosolids application to farmland: Estimates from the DeNitrification and DeComposition model.

Municipal wastewater sludge may be processed into biosolids and applied to farmland for crop production, rather than be disposed of in landfills. Biosolids supply plant nutrients and increase soil organic carbon but also contribute to the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Computational models must therefore be refined to estimate the contribution of these gases to national GHG inventories.

Effectiveness of using representative subsets of global climate models in future crop yield projections.

Representative subsets of global climate models (GCMs) are often used in climate change impact studies to account for uncertainty in ensemble climate projections. However, the effectiveness of such subsets has seldom been assessed for the estimations of either the mean or the spread of the full ensembles. We assessed two different approaches that were employed to select 5 GCMs from a 20-member ensemble of GCMs from the CMIP5 ensemble for projecting canola and spring wheat yields across Canada under RCP 4.

Economic and environmental nitrate leaching consequences of 4R nitrogen management practices including use of inhibitors for corn production in Ontario.

Nitrate (NO) leaching has negative human and environmental health consequences that can be attributed to and mitigated by agricultural decision making. The purpose of this study is to examine the economic and environmental nitrogen (N) leaching reduction from 4R (Right Rate, Right Source, Right Time, Right Placement) agricultural management practices, including application methods, timing and rates, and the use of nitrification and urease inhibitors, for Ontario corn production. This study employed an integrated biophysical and economic GIS-based simulation model considering corn yields, prices, and production costs, and environmental losses, under historical weather scenarios, with NO leaching constraints.

Multimodality imaging in delineation of complex sinus venosus defects and treatment outcomes over the last decade.

Background: Diagnosis of sinus venosus defects, not infrequently associated with complex anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, may be delayed requiring multimodality imaging.

Methods: Retrospective review of all patients from February 2008 to January 2019.

Results: Thirty-seven children were diagnosed at a median age of 4.

Exercise prescription improves exercise tolerance in young children with CHD: a randomised clinical trial.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to ascertain if a structured intervention programme can improve the biophysical health of young children with congenital heart disease (CHD). The primary end point was an increase in measureable physical activity levels following the intervention.

Methods: Patients aged 5-10 years with CHD were identified and invited to participate.

Exploring management strategies to improve yield and mitigate nitrate leaching in a typical radish field in northern China.

It is currently uncertain whether process-based models are capable of assessing crop yield and nitrogen (N) losses while helping to investigate best management practices from vegetable cropping systems. The objectives of this study were to (1) calibrate and evaluate the Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model in simulating crop growth and nitrate leaching in a typical field radish system; (2) optimize management practices to improve radish yield and mitigate nitrate leaching under 20-year climate variability. A five-season in-situ field experiment of spring and autumn radish in northern China was established in the autumn of 2017 and measurements of radish yield, N uptake, soil temperature, soil moisture, drainage, and nitrate leaching were obtained under different N usage.

Regional climate influences manure temperature and methane emissions - A pan-Canadian modelling assessment.

This study explores the variation of liquid manure temperature (T) and CH emissions associated with contrasting regional climates, inter-annual weather variation, and manure storage emptying. As a case-study, six regions across Canada were used, spanning 11°32' latitude and 58°30' longitude. Annual average air temperatures ranged from 3.

Ensemble modelling, uncertainty and robust predictions of organic carbon in long-term bare-fallow soils.

Simulation models represent soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in global carbon (C) cycle scenarios to support climate-change studies. It is imperative to increase confidence in long-term predictions of SOC dynamics by reducing the uncertainty in model estimates. We evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process-based C models by comparing simulations to experimental data from seven long-term bare-fallow (vegetation-free) plots at six sites: Denmark (two sites), France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Global Research Alliance N O chamber methodology guidelines: Summary of modeling approaches.

Measurements of nitrous oxide (N O) emissions from agriculture are essential for understanding the complex soil-crop-climate processes, but there are practical and economic limits to the spatial and temporal extent over which measurements can be made. Therefore, N O models have an important role to play. As models are comparatively cheap to run, they can be used to extrapolate field measurements to regional or national scales, to simulate emissions over long time periods, or to run scenarios to compare mitigation practices.

The Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ): A Measure of Violent Behavior for Research in Forensic and Non-Forensic Settings and Populations.

The measurement of violent behavior presents serious challenges for research on violence. In the current article, we present initial tests of the construct validity of scores on the Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ), which consists of a series of interpersonal conflict vignettes with response options in a multiple-choice format designed to measure current violent behavior. Violent responses on the initial version of the VBVQ generally corresponded to independent indicators of physical aggressiveness and violent behavior among male university students, men in the community, and incarcerated male offenders.

Modelling climate change impacts on maize yields under low nitrogen input conditions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) currently grow rainfed maize with limited inputs including fertilizer. Climate change may exacerbate current production constraints. Crop models can help quantify the potential impact of climate change on maize yields, but a comprehensive multimodel assessment of simulation accuracy and uncertainty in these low-input systems is currently lacking.

Towards an improved methodology for modelling climate change impacts on cropping systems in cool climates.

Assessment of the impact of climate change on agricultural sustainability requires a robust full system estimation of the interdependent soil-plant-atmospheric processes coupled with dynamic farm management. The simplification or exclusion of major feedback mechanisms in modelling approaches can significantly affect model outcomes. Using a biogeochemical model, DNDCv.

Modifying fertilizer rate and application method reduces environmental nitrogen losses and increases corn yield in Ontario.

Nitrogen (N) use in corn production is an important driver of nitrous oxide (NO) emissions and 4R (Right source, Right rate, Right time and Right place) fertilizer practices have been proposed to mitigate emissions. However, combined 4R practices have not been assessed for their potential to reduce NO emissions at the provincial-scale while also considering trade-offs with other N losses such as leaching or ammonia (NH) volatilization. The objectives of this study were to develop, validate, and apply a Denitrification-Decomposition model framework at 270 distinct soil-climate regions in Ontario to simulate corn yield and NO emissions across eleven fertilizer management scenarios during 1986-2015.

Successful use of VV ECMO in managing negative pressure pulmonary edema.

The indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are expanding. Postobstructive pulmonary edema, also known as negative pressure pulmonary edema, can result in severe respiratory compromise and acute respiratory distress syndrome. We present a case of a 26-year-old female with laryngeal papillomatosis and laryngospasm after direct laryngoscopy, who developed severe NPPE refractory to mechanical ventilator support, which was successfully treated with veno-venous ECMO.

Assessment of the "Weekend Effect" in Lower Extremity Vascular Trauma.

Background: Studies suggest that patients admitted on weekends may have worse outcomes as compared with those admitted on weekdays. Lower extremity vascular trauma (LEVT) often requires emergent surgical intervention and might be particularly sensitive to this "weekend effect." The objective of this study was to determine if a weekend effect exists for LEVT.

Pathologic Factors Affecting Colorectal Cancer Survival in a Jamaican Population-the UHWI Experience.

Objective: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Jamaica. Globally, CRC mortality rates have been decreasing in developed countries; however, CRC mortality rates are trending upwards in low-income or developing countries. Our objectives are to estimate the overall 5-year survival and to determine the pathologic factors associated with overall survival of colorectal adenocarcinoma after surgery at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

Assessing the Impacts of Climate Variability on Fertilizer Management Decisions for Reducing Nitrogen Losses from Corn Silage Production.

There is an incentive for dairy farmers to maximize crop production while minimizing costs and environmental impacts. In cold climates, farmers have limited opportunity to balance field activities and manure storage requirements while limiting nutrient losses. A revised DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC) model for simulating tile drainage was used to investigate fertilizer scenarios when applying dairy slurry or urea on silage corn ( L.