Planting hedgerows: Biomass carbon sequestration and contribution towards net-zero targets.

Agroforestry practices, such as hedgerow planting, are widely encouraged for climate change mitigation and there is an urgent need to assess their contribution to national 'net-zero' targets. This study examined the impact that planting hedgerows at different rates could make to UK net-zero goals over the next 40 years, with a focus on 2050. We analysed the carbon (C) content of native hedgerow species and determined hedge aboveground biomass (AGB) C stock via destructive sampling of hedges of known ages.

Removal of mesh track on an upland blanket peatland leads to changes in vegetation composition and structure.

Mesh tracks on peatlands are often granted permits on a temporary basis under the presumption that the tracks are either removed at the end of their permitted use or remain unused in situ. However, the fragility of peatland habitats and poor resilience of the specialist plant communities within them, mean that these linear disturbances may persist post-abandonment or post-removal. We removed sections of mesh track, abandoned five years earlier, from a blanket peatland using two different removal treatment methods (mown and unprepared) and studied a third treatment with sections left in place over a period of 19 months.

Surface structure on abandoned upland blanket peatland tracks.

Temporary permissions are often granted for track use on peatlands. However, even when peatland track designs attempt to minimise environmental impacts via use of mesh systems, such linear disturbances may have persistent impacts. We evaluated the surface peatland structure of five abandoned tracks (four with a mesh surface, one unsurfaced) with varying past usage frequencies, at an upland site in northern England.

Soil carbon sequestration potential of planting hedgerows in agricultural landscapes.

Realising the carbon (C) sequestration capacity of agricultural soils is needed to reach Paris Climate Agreement goals; thus, quantifying hedgerow planting potential to offset anthropogenic CO emissions is crucial for accurate climate mitigation modelling. Although being a widespread habitat in England and throughout Europe, the potential of hedgerows to contribute to net-zero targets is unclear. This is the first study to quantify the soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rate associated with planting hedgerows.

Arable fields as potential reservoirs of biodiversity: Earthworm populations increase in new leys.

Managing soil to support biodiversity is important to sustain the ecosystem services provided by soils upon which society depends. There is increasing evidence that functional diversity of soil biota is important for ecosystem services, and has been degraded by intensive agriculture. Importantly, the spatial distribution of reservoirs of soil biota in and surrounding arable fields is poorly understood.

Overriding water table control on managed peatland greenhouse gas emissions.

Global peatlands store more carbon than is naturally present in the atmosphere. However, many peatlands are under pressure from drainage-based agriculture, plantation development and fire, with the equivalent of around 3 per cent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases emitted from drained peatland. Efforts to curb such emissions are intensifying through the conservation of undrained peatlands and re-wetting of drained systems.

Non-Binary and Binary Gender Identity in Australian Trans and Gender Diverse Individuals.

Many trans and gender diverse (TGD) people have gender identities that are not exclusively male or female but instead fall in-between or outside of the gender binary (non-binary). It remains unclear if and how those with non-binary gender identity differ from TGD individuals with binary identities. We aimed to understand the sociodemographic and mental health characteristics of people with non-binary identities compared with binary TGD identities.

Effect of earthworms on soil physico-hydraulic and chemical properties, herbage production, and wheat growth on arable land converted to ley.

Effects of earthworms on soil physico-hydraulic and chemical properties, herbage production and wheat growth in long-term arable soils following conversion to ley were investigated. Seven intact soil monoliths were collected from each of four arable fields. One monolith per field served as a control.

Adsorption at Confined Interfaces.

We describe measurements of adsorption between two flat plates when the plates are separated by 0-65 nm. The objective is to examine how adsorption is affected by confinement in very thin films. It is well known that adsorption of simple ions can change with the thickness of a thin film (charge regulation); here, we describe a direct method to measure adsorption as a function of confinement and results for one example.

Improved automation of dissolved organic carbon sampling for organic-rich surface waters.

In-situ UV-Vis spectrophotometers offer the potential for improved estimates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes for organic-rich systems such as peatlands because they are able to sample and log DOC proxies automatically through time at low cost. In turn, this could enable improved total carbon budget estimates for peatlands. The ability of such instruments to accurately measure DOC depends on a number of factors, not least of which is how absorbance measurements relate to DOC and the environmental conditions.

Potential risk effect from elevated levels of soil heavy metals on human health in the Niger delta.

An analysis of the soil quality in the Niger Delta Area (NDA) was carried out to determine the severity of soil contamination. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) risk assessment model was used in determining the potential health risk due to lifetime exposure (by means of ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation) of the population to heavy metal contents in the soil. Substantial levels of contamination were found indicating elevated levels of heavy metals above background concentrations from controlled samples in the areas.

The impacts of prescribed moorland burning on water colour and dissolved organic carbon: a critical synthesis.

Discolouration of natural surface waters due to the humic component of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a costly problem for water supply companies. This paper reviews what is known about the impacts of prescribed moorland vegetation burning on water colour. Relevant research has taken place at three scales: laboratory experiments on peat cores, plot scale sampling of soil waters and catchment scale sampling of stream waters.

Citation-related reliability analysis for a pilot sample of underground coal mines.

The scrutiny of underground coal mine safety was heightened because of the disasters that occurred in 2006-2007, and more recently in 2010. In the aftermath of the 2006 incidents, the U.S.

A nonverbal learning disability in a case of central hypoventilation syndrome without a PHOX2B gene mutation.

This study examines the neuropsychological profile of a boy with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) without a paired-like homeobox gene (PHOX2B) mutation. CCHS is a rare disorder of autonomic nervous system development characterized by an impaired ventilatory response to hypercarbia and hypoxemia. Mild intellectual deficits are common but a specific cognitive profile is not established in CCHS.

The use of GIS and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) to identify agricultural land management practices which cause surface water pollution in drinking water supply catchments.

Diffuse pollution poses a threat to water quality and results in the need for treatment for potable water supplies which can prove costly. Within the Yorkshire region, UK, nitrates, pesticides and water colour present particular treatment problems. Catchment management techniques offer an alternative to 'end of pipe' solutions and allow resources to be targeted to the most polluting areas.

The effect of the amelogenin fraction of enamel matrix proteins on fibroblast-mediated collagen matrix reorganization.

Enamel matrix proteins (EMP), extracted from developing porcine teeth, promote not only periodontal regeneration but also cutaneous wound healing presumably via the amelogenin fraction. Because it is unclear whether the effect of EMP can be ascribed to amelogenins, we compared EMP with recombinant amelogenin in the relaxed dermal equivalent (DE) in vitro model for early wound contraction. EMP and recombinant porcine amelogenin (rP172) at 1 mg/ml were incorporated into DEs composed of human dermal fibroblasts and a type I collagen matrix.

Disease and illness in U.S. mining, 1983-2001.

Objectives: We describe inconsistencies in disease and illness reporting in U.S. mining, identify under-reporting of disease and illness in U.

Investigating phosphorus interactions with bed sediments in a fluvial environment using a recirculating flume and intact soil cores.

Phosphorus uptake by bed sediments in surface drains can reduce phosphorus exports from irrigated land. This paper reports on an investigation into the effects of velocity and water depth on phosphorus uptake by bed sediments, which consisted of eight sequential flow events conducted in a recirculating flume as well as a concurrent experiment using sediment cores. For the heavy clay bed sediment discussed in this paper, velocity and depth of water column had no significant effect on net phosphorus uptake and the rates of phosphorus uptake in either the cores or the recirculating flume.

Serum ghrelin levels in response to glucose load in obese subjects post-gastric bypass surgery.

Objective: We sought to elucidate further the mechanisms leading to weight loss after gastric bypass (GBP) surgery in morbidly obese individuals. Ghrelin is a gastroenteric appetite-stimulating peptide hormone, fasting levels of which decrease with increasing adiposity and increase with diet-induced weight loss. In addition, ghrelin levels rapidly decline postprandially.

Reliability, validity, and preliminary normative data for the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version.

Objective: To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version (CAS-T), which was designed to assess severity and frequency of aggressive, as distinct from nonaggressive, disruptive behaviors.

Method: The CAS-T has 23 items representing five domains: Verbal aggression, Aggression against objects and animals, Provoked physical aggression, Unprovoked physical aggression, and Use of weapons. The CAS-T was completed for 273 nonreferred boys and 67 clinically referred children (60 boys; 7 girls).

Activation of human matrix metalloproteinase 2 by gingival crevicular fluid and Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Aim: To assess the potential of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from adult periodontitis patients and Porphyromonas gingivalis proteases to activate matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) in vitro.

Material And Methods: GCF samples were collected from each of 15 adult periodontitis patients, from a clinically healthy site, a deep (>6 mm) bleeding site, and a deep nonbleeding site. The GCF samples were examined for general proteolytic activity, gelatinolytic activity and ability to activate pro-MMP-2 by zymography.

Intravenous nicotine reduces cerebral glucose metabolism: a preliminary study.

Nicotine is self-administered by smoking tobacco products, and enhances positive mood (at least in smokers). Since most drugs of abuse decrease regional cerebral metabolic rate(s) for glucose (rCMRglc) in human subjects, we posited that administration of nicotine would similarly reduce rCMRglc. Positron emission tomography (PET) with [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose was used to assess the effects of intravenous nicotine (1.