Assessing Technical Inefficiency in Ecosystem Service Provision from an Input Perspective in the Cross Timbers region, United States.

We modeled the efficiency of ecosystem service provision-specifically timber production, carbon sequestration, and water yield-in the Cross Timbers region of the United States using stochastic frontier analysis from an input perspective. Inputs considered included natural capital and control variables such as temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and natural disturbances, among others, that impact ecosystem service production. Inefficiency was modeled as a function of factors such as ownership, forest productivity, and natural disturbances.

Effectiveness of protected area revenue-sharing program: Lessons from the key informants of Nepal's buffer zone program.

Finding appropriate mechanism of sharing protected area (PA) benefit with local communities is a critical policy question in biodiversity conservation. The Buffer Zone (BZ) program, practiced in several countries, involves placing partial restrictions on land use in peripherical areas while sharing a portion of PA revenue with the communities therein. However, the effectiveness of this program in promoting conservation and development is unknown.

Novel tools to study cell-ECM interactions, cell adhesion dynamics and migration.

Integrin-mediated cell adhesion is essential for cell migration, mechanotransduction and tissue integrity. In vivo, these processes are regulated by complex physicochemical signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM). These nuanced cues, including molecular composition, rigidity and topology, call for sophisticated systems to faithfully explore cell behaviour.

Understanding behavioral intention of landowners to promote wildlife richness and biodiversity in the Southern Great Plains.

Ranchers have been conducting traditional management practices such as mono-species grazing and limited burning that focus on stocking rate maximization. This has resulted in negative environmental consequences such as woody plant encroachment, land use change, and species diversity loss. Recently, there has been a growing appreciation for alternative range management that simultaneously promotes biodiversity and agricultural productivity through fire and grazing interactions.

Economic returns and the perceived obstacles to adopting active management in the forest-grassland transition ecoregion in south-central USA.

Forest-grassland ecotones are a mosaic of grassland, savanna, and upland forest. As such, landowners may have opportunities to choose to manage their lands for multiple objectives. We estimated the economic returns from managing forest and rangeland in southeastern Oklahoma, USA to produce different combinations of timber, cattle forage, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) browse for a 40-year period.

Intentions of Landowners towards Active Management of Ecosystem for Deer Habitat.

Active management such as prescribed fire and thinning can restore savanna and prairie ecosystem to maintain a full suite of ecosystem services and create suitable habitat for wildlife species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Active management comes with the cost of management and acceptance of management tools. The south-central transitional ecoregion of the USA, which otherwise was a mixture of forest, savanna, and tallgrass prairie, is increasing in woody plant dominance due to the exclusion of fire and other anthropogenic factors.

Climate Change and Wetlands in the Southern Great Plains: How Are Managers Dealing with an Uncertain Future?

Little guidance is available to assist wetland managers in developing climate adaptation plans. To facilitate development of recommendations for adaptation strategies, it is essential to first determine if or how wetland managers are addressing these challenges. We used an online survey to solicit feedback from wetland managers and biologists in the Southern Great Plains of North America to gain information on perceptions of wetland managers regarding climate change; assess how the effects of climate change are being addressed through management; and identify barriers to implementing climate change adaptation.

Stakeholder perceptions of bird-window collisions.

Bird-window collisions are a major source of human-caused avian mortality for which many mitigation and prevention options are available. However, because very little research has characterized human perspectives related to this issue, there is limited understanding about the most effective ways to engage the public in collision reduction efforts. To address this research need, we: (1) evaluated how two stakeholder groups, homeowners and conservation practitioners, prioritize potential benefits and obstacles related to bird-window collision management, (2) compared priorities between these groups, and (3) evaluated potential conflicts and collective strength of opinions within groups.

Mapping and modeling the components of human tolerance for black bears in eastern Oklahoma.

In North America, challenges associated with human-black bear (Ursus americanus) interactions have increased in recent decades. We used the structural equation modeling framework to understand how psychological factors such as perceived benefits, risks, social trust, salient value similarities, and locus of control interacted and described human tolerance of black bears in Oklahoma. Our results suggested that trust in the state wildlife agency's ability to manage black bears significantly affected both risk and benefits perception.

Climate change, risk perception, and protection motivation among high-altitude residents of the Mt. Everest region in Nepal.

Mountain ecosystems are considered vulnerable to early impacts of climate change. Whether and how local residents of these areas perceive these changes, however, remain under-studied questions. By conducting a household survey in the Khumbu region of Nepal, this study assessed local residents' experience-based perception of changes in climate trends and patterns, perceived risk, and attitudes towards climate issues.

Cell Derived Matrix Fibulin-1 Associates With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor to Inhibit Its Activation, Localization and Function in Lung Cancer Calu-1 Cells.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a known promoter of tumor progression and is overexpressed in lung cancers. Growth factor receptors (including EGFR) are known to interact with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which regulate their activation and function. Fibulin-1 (FBLN1) is a major component of the ECM in lung tissue, and its levels are known to be downregulated in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).

Predicting Kudzu (Pueraria montana) spread and its economic impacts in timber industry: A case study from Oklahoma.

Quantifying the economic impacts of invasive species is an essential step in developing and prioritizing invasive species management. In particular, kudzu, Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr.

The ecological and economic determinants of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment in grassland and forested ecosystems: A case study from Oklahoma.

Frequent fires were used as a management tool to maintain prairies, savannas, and woodlands in the southern Great Plains of the United States. However, fire exclusion beginning in the mid-1900s allowed for the establishment and growth of fire-intolerant species such as eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana: ERC) beyond their naturally occurring habitats. Apart from the reduction in burning, wide soil and climate adaptability, and seed dispersal by birds have facilitated the expansion of ERC in the southern Great Plains.

The Paradox of Declining Female Work Participation in an Era of Economic Growth.

The past three decades have seen the advent of major transformations in the Indian economy. The economy has achieved average growth rates of 5-9 per cent, education has risen sharply for both men and women, fertility rates have declined, and infrastructure facilities, particularly access to electricity, cooking gas and piped water, have improved. All these factors are expected to reduce the demand for women's time spent in domestic chores and increase their opportunities for paid work.

Perceptions of Government and Research Expert Groups and Their Implications for Watershed Management in Oklahoma, USA.

The collaborative approach for sustainable management of watersheds is built on engagement of diverse stakeholders. Climate variability and anthropogenic activities increasingly impose challenges to successful management, as do contrasts in stakeholder perceptions about those processes. To assess differences in perceptions about watershed issues, we conducted a focus group meeting of expert stakeholder groups from research institutions, and state and federal agencies in the management of Cimarron River Watershed, Oklahoma.

Stakeholder opinions on scientific forest management policy implementation in Nepal.

Despite its widespread recognition as a successful model of participatory forest management, the community forestry program in Nepal is often criticized for its protection-oriented emphasis. Recognizing the need for more active timber management, the government of Nepal recently adopted a scientific forest management (SFM) policy in the lowland tropical region. In this study, strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat analytical hierarchical process criteria were employed to understand stakeholder perceptions concerning SFM implementation in Nepal.

Solid surface chemical and physical effects on the adsorption of recombinant Factor VIII.

The adsorption of a recombinant Factor VIII to silica surfaces coated to present different hydrophilic/hydrophobic, electrostatic and steric characteristics was monitored in situ, with ellipsometry. rFVIII adsorption affinity was high for hydrophobic surfaces and hydrophilic, charged surfaces. A lower affinity was recorded between rFVIII and a neutral hydrophilic surface, with substantial reduction in rFVIII adsorption to electronically neutral surfaces presenting pendant poly[ethylene oxide] chains.

Adsorption and function of recombinant Factor VIII at the air-water interface in the presence of Tween 80.

The air-water surface tension kinetic and steady state behavior exhibited by a recombinant Factor VIII were recorded in the presence of the surfactant Tween 80. The rate of surface tension decrease was determined to be greater for rFVIII-Tween mixtures than for Tween acting alone, at all Tween concentrations studied (8-108 ppm). In addition, steady state interfacial behavior was determined to be governed entirely by surfactant adsorption in mixtures with Tween concentrations greater than or equal to about 18 ppm.

Adsorption behavior of lysozyme and Tween 80 at hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica-water interfaces.

Nonionic surfactants such as Tween 80 are used commercially to minimize protein loss through adsorption and aggregation and preserve native structure and activity. However, the specific mechanisms underlying Tween action in this context are not well understood. Here, we describe the interaction of the well-characterized, globular protein lysozyme with Tween 80 at solid-water interfaces.

Adsorption and function of recombinant factor VIII at solid-water interfaces in the presence of Tween-80.

The adsorption, structural alteration and biological activity of a recombinant Factor VIII was investigated in the presence of the surfactant Tween-80, at hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid-water interfaces. Hydrophilic and silanized, hydrophobic silica surfaces were used as substrates for protein and surfactant adsorption, which was monitored in situ, with ellipsometry. At the hydrophobic surface, the presence of Tween in the protein solution resulted in a reduction in amount of protein adsorbed, while rFVIII adsorption at the hydrophilic surface was entirely unaffected by the presence of Tween.