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As demonstrated by Indigenous and rural scholars, participatory research approaches can facilitate capacity building, promote data accessibility, and accomplish community goals within complex hydro...

Significance For decades, Amazon indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have impeded deforestation and associated greenhouse gas emissions. While emissions inside indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs) remain well below levels outside, unsustainable forest clearing is on the rise across the nine-nation region. In addition, Amazon ITs and PNAs are increasingly vulnerable to the less conspicuous (and often-neglected) processes of forest degradation and disturbance, which diminish carbon storage and ecological integrity. The trend toward weakening of environmental protections, indigenous land rights, and the rule of law thus poses an existential threat to IPLCs and their territories. Reversing this trend is critical for the future of climate-buffering Amazon forests and the success of the Paris Agreement., Maintaining the abundance of carbon stored aboveground in Amazon forests is central to any comprehensive climate stabilization strategy. Growing evidence points to indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) as buffers against large-scale carbon emissions across a nine-nation network of indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs). Previous studies have demonstrated a link between indigenous land management and avoided deforestation, yet few have accounted for forest degradation and natural disturbances—processes that occur without forest clearing but are increasingly important drivers of biomass loss. Here we provide a comprehensive accounting of aboveground carbon dynamics inside and outside Amazon protected lands. Using published data on changes in aboveground carbon density and forest cover, we track gains and losses in carbon density from forest conversion and degradation/disturbance. We find that ITs and PNAs stored more than one-half (58%; 41,991 MtC) of the region’s carbon in 2016 but were responsible for just 10% (−130 MtC) of the net change (−1,290 MtC). Nevertheless, nearly one-half billion tons of carbon were lost from both ITs and PNAs (−434 MtC and −423 MtC, respectively), with degradation/disturbance accounting for >75% of the losses in 7 countries. With deforestation increasing, and degradation/disturbance a neglected but significant source of region-wide emissions (47%), our results suggest that sustained support for IPLC stewardship of Amazon forests is critical. IPLCs provide a global environmental service that merits increased political protection and financial support, particularly if Amazon Basin countries are to achieve their commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.

Indigenous Territories (ITs) with less centralized forest governance than Protected Areas (PAs) may represent cost-effective natural climate solutions to meet the Paris agreement. However, the literature has been limited to examining the effect of ITs on deforestation, despite the influence of anthropogenic degradation. Thus, little is known about the temporal and spatial effect of allocating ITs on carbon stocks dynamics that account for losses from deforestation and degradation. Using Amazon Basin countries and Panama, this study aims to estimate the temporal and spatial effects of ITs and PAs on carbon stocks. To estimate the temporal effects, we use annual carbon density maps, matching analysis, and linear mixed models. Furthermore, we explore the spatial heterogeneity of these estimates through geographic discontinuity designs, allowing us to assess the spatial effect of ITs and PAs boundaries on carbon stocks. The temporal effects highlight that allocating ITs preserves carbon stocks and buffer losses as PAs in Panama and Amazon Basin countries. The geographic discontinuity designs reveal that ITs’ boundaries secure more extensive carbon stocks than their surroundings, and this difference tends to increase towards the least accessible areas, suggesting that indigenous land use in neotropical forests may have a temporarily and spatially stable impact on carbon stocks. Our findings imply that ITs in neotropical forests support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Thus, Indigenous peoples must become recipients of countries’ results-based payments.

Small cryptic invertebrates (the cryptofauna) are extremely abundant, ecologically important, and species rich on coral reefs. Ongoing ocean acidification is likely to have both direct effects on the biology of these organisms, as well as indirect effects through cascading impacts on their habitats and trophic relationships. Naturally acidified habitats have been important model systems for studying these complex interactions because entire communities that are adapted to these environmental conditions can be analyzed. However, few studies have examined the cryptofauna because they are difficult to census quantitatively in topographically complex habitats and are challenging to identify. We addressed these challenges by using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) for sampling reef-dwelling invertebrates >2 mm in size and by using DNA barcoding for taxonomic identifications. The study took place in Papua New Guinea at two reef localities, each with three sites at varying distances from carbon dioxide seeps, thereby sampling across a natural gradient in acidification. We observed sharp overall declines in both the abundance (34–56%) and diversity (42–45%) of organisms in ARMS under the lowest pH conditions sampled (7.64–7.75). However, the overall abundance of gastropods increased slightly in lower pH conditions, and crustacean and gastropod families exhibited varying patterns. There was also variability in response between the two localities, despite their close proximity, as one control pH site displayed unusually low diversity and abundances for all invertebrate groups. The data illustrate the complexity of responses of the reef fauna to pH conditions, and the role of additional factors that influence the diversity and abundance of cryptic reef invertebrates.

Calendering is the common compaction process for lithium-ion battery electrodes and has a substantial impact on the pore structure and therefore the electrochemical performance of Lithium-ion battery cells. For a targeted determination of the performance-optimized pore structure, it is of decisive importance to be able to comprehensively control the compaction process. Thus, during continuous calendering of graphite anodes and lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) cathodes the applied line load is tracked and varied at different speeds to compact the electrode to several coating densities. The generated pore structures are measured via mercury intrusion, resulting in quite similar porosities, while the densities of graphite and NCM diverge greatly. The porosities, measured via mercury intrusion, are compared to geometrical determined data, identifying compaction resistant closed pores in the NCM. On the basis of the measured porosity reduction the compaction behavior of the line load was found to be describable by an exponential model equation. The model parameters quantify the different compaction resistances of the cathodes and anodes in converging to a maximal density, respectively minimal porosity. This substantial difference could be traced to the closer packing of the spherical and harder NCM particles. The calendering speed showed only an insignificant impact up to speeds of 5 m/min.

To date, numerous public- and private-sector efforts, commitments, and initiatives to reduce commodity-driven deforestation have emerged. In and of themselves, these elements&mdash, namely REDD+ programs, jurisdictional approaches (JAs), and private sector commitments&mdash, are necessary, but they are not sufficient to reduce deforestation. When operating together, however, these efforts have the potential to significantly reduce commodity-driven deforestation. This research aimed to determine whether and where REDD+ programs, JAs, and private sector commitments overlap in what are termed &ldquo, trifecta jurisdictions&rdquo, Considering that each element possesses features that can enhance and complement those of the others, the authors hypothesized that&mdash, but did not ascertain whether&mdash, trifecta jurisdictions present the greatest potential to reduce commodity-driven deforestation. A total of 13 trifecta jurisdictions and six bifecta jurisdictions&mdash, where two of the three elements are present&mdash, were identified by: compiling a dataset of REDD+ programs, JAs, and private sector commitments, evaluating all potential options against established criteria, and categorizing them according to trifecta or bifecta jurisdiction status. The fact that a majority of trifecta and bifecta jurisdictions are located in countries with the most tropical tree cover loss is also significant in that it highlights the presence of these elements where most needed, and how high deforestation rates might be attracting REDD+ program, JA, and private sector commitment activities. Although many of the REDD+ programs, JAs, and private sector commitments are relatively nascent and their ability to collectively reduce deforestation is not yet clearly evident, this article posited that synergistic potential is greatest in trifecta and bifecta jurisdictions and that efforts should be made to greater align these elements.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) presents the idea of Zero Deforestation Zones (ZDZs) as a solution to implement private sector deforestation-free supply chain commitments by leveraging synergies between Jurisdictional REDD+, private sector initiatives, and governmental laws and regulations. Companies would source commodities that meet their deforestation commitments from jurisdictions implementing REDD+ programs, government monitoring systems, and functioning private sector initiatives. A definition of “zero deforestation” would be created through a multistakeholder process considering a number of different elements. ZDZs would align incentives between actors, generating multiple benefits for companies, governments, and local communities—including reduced costs of monitoring deforestation, low-risk areas for long-term investment, increased legal compliance, and conflict resolution between companies and local communities. Environmental integrity would also be improved because a larger area of forest w...

A primary technical requirement of the climate change mitigation mechanism, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), is to calculate emissions factors, that is, the amount of CO2 emissions or removals per hectare from land use and land-use change. Emissions factors are calculated from baseline estimates of the aboveground biomass (AGB) stored in different vegetation types. Ground-based methods for estimating AGB, such as forest inventories, despite being relatively accurate and necessary for calibrating remotely sensed data such as satellite or airborne Light Detection and Ranging, tend to be expensive and time-consuming. Thus, calls have been made to improve the cost-efficiency of these methods within the context of REDD+. Also as part of REDD+, there have been calls for the legitimate inclusion of indigenous peoples and rural communities in various aspects of the mechanism. To address both of these issues, we devised a participatory, rapid, forest inventorying method and tested it across the heterogeneous forest landscape of Darien, Panama. This effort took place within a project that was administratively and logistically managed entirely by an indigenous organization working in collaboration with indigenous authorities in Darien, with funding from the World Bank. A group of 24 indigenous technicians were trained on forest inventorying methods. They established and measured thirty 1-ha plots under our direct supervision. We tested for various sources of error in tree diameter and height measurements. We also tested the scalability of our tree-level biomass estimates to the plot level by comparing our results with simulations conducted on the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha permanent plot data. Results indicate that our rapid, participatory, forest inventorying method effectively captures plot-level AGB, while guaranteeing the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples. The benefits of our method in terms of cost-efficiency and access to remote forest areas are discussed, as well as those accrued by indigenous peoples.

Summary of recent ATLAS measurements of jet and photon production using proton-proton (pp) collisions from the Large Hadron Collider. The charged-particle multiplicity in jets, and jet charge measurements are presented using 8 TeV pp collisions. Differential measurements of jet and photon cross-sections are shown for 7, 8 and 13 TeV pp collisions., 9 pages, 9 figures. Proceeding for The Fourth Annual Conference on Large Hadron Collider Physics, Lund, Sweden 13 June - 18 June 2016

Background: Epidemiological studies have assessed T-wave alternans (TWA) as a possible mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias related to air pollution in high-risk subjects and have reported associations with increased TWA magnitude. Objective: In this controlled human exposure study, we assessed the impact of exposure to concentrated ambient particulate matter (CAP) and ozone (O3) on T-wave alternans in resting volunteers without preexisting cardiovascular disease. Methods: Seventeen participants without preexisting cardiovascular disease were randomized to filtered air (FA), CAP (150 μg/m3), O3 (120 ppb), or combined CAP + O3 exposures for 2 hr. Continuous electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded at rest and T-wave alternans (TWA) was computed by modified moving average analysis with QRS alignment for the artifact-free intervals of 20 beats along the V2 and V5 leads. Exposure-induced changes in the highest TWA magnitude (TWAMax) were estimated for the first and last 5 min of each exposure (TWAMax_Early and TWAMax_Late respectively). ΔTWAMax (Late–Early) were compared among exposure groups using analysis of variance. Results: Mean ± SD values for ΔTWAMax were –2.1 ± 0.4, –2.7 ± 1.1, –1.9 ± 1.5, and –1.2 ± 1.5 in FA, CAP, O3, and CAP + O3 exposure groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed between pollutant exposures and FA. Conclusion: In our study of 17 volunteers who had no preexisting cardiovascular disease, we did not observe significant changes in T-wave alternans after 2-hr exposures to CAP, O3, or combined CAP + O3. This finding, however, does not preclude the possibility of pollution-related effects on TWA at elevated heart rates, such as during exercise, or the possibility of delayed responses.

We construct various classes of low-density parity-check codes using point-line incidence structures in the classical projective plane PG(2,q). Each incidence structure is based on the various classes of points and lines created by the geometry of a conic in the plane. For each class, we prove various properties about dimension and minimum distance. Some arguments involve the geometry of two conics in the plane. As a result, we prove, under mild conditions, the existence of two conics, one entirely internal or external to the other. We conclude with some simulation data to exhibit the effectiveness of our codes.

Recent QCD results from ATLAS taken at 7 TeV center-of-mass energy using the LHC are presented, including: dijet production, isolated photon production, isolated photon production associated with jets, jet shapes in top-quark pair events, the production cross-section of the phi(1020) meson, and underlying event in jet events. Good agreement with theory predictions is seen, in particular with those made by next-to-leading-order generators. These measurements highlight the importance of precision QCD measurements for improving state-of-the-art theoretical tools and searching for new physics., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Proceeding for The Second Annual Conference on Large Hadron Collider Physics, Columbia University, New York, U.S.A 2 June - 7 June 2014

The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (Energy Alliance) is a nonprofit economic development agency dedicated to helping Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities reduce energy consumption. The Energy Alliance has launched programs to educate homeowners, commercial property owners, and nonprofit organizations about energy efficiency opportunities they can use to drive energy use reductions and financial savings, while extending significant focus to creating/retaining jobs through these programs. The mission of the Energy Alliance is based on the premise that investment in energy efficiency can lead to transformative economic development in a region. With support from seven municipalities, the Energy Alliance began operation in early 2010 and has been among the fastest growing nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. The Energy Alliance offers two programs endorsed by the Department of Energy: the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program for homeowners and the Better Buildings Performance Program for commercial entities. Both programs couple expert guidance, project management, and education in energy efficiency best practices with incentives and innovative energy efficiency financing to help building owners effectively invest in the energy efficiency, comfort, health, longevity, and environmental impact of their residential or commercial buildings. The Energy Alliance has raised over $23 million ofmore » public and private capital to build a robust market for energy efficiency investment. Of the $23 million, $17 million was a direct grant from the Department of Energy Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP). The organization’s investments in energy efficiency projects in the residential and commercial sector have led to well over $50 million in direct economic activity and created over 375,000 hours of labor created or retained. In addition, over 250 workers have been trained through the Building Performance Training Center, a program that was developed and funded by the Energy Alliance and housed at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Nearly 100 residential and commercial contractors currently participate in the Energy Alliance’s two major programs, which have together served over 2,800 residential and 100 commercial customers. Additionally, the Energy Alliance established loan programs for homeowners, nonprofits and commercial businesses. The GC-HELP program was established to provide up to ten year low interest, unsecured loans to homeowners to cover the energy efficiency products they purchased through the Energy Alliance approved contractor base. To date the Energy Alliance has financed over $1 million in energy efficiency loans for homeowners, without any loans written off. The nonprofit business community is offered five year, fixed-interest rate loans through the Building Communities Loan Fund of $250,000. Additionally, the Energy Alliance has developed GC-PACE, a commercial financing tool that enables buildings owners to finance their energy upgrades through voluntary property assessments deploying low-interest extended-term capital from the bond market. The Energy Alliance and its partners are actively evaluating additional market-based financing solutions.« less

A brief summary of the hadronic calorimeter calibration systems and performance results, in the ATLAS detector at the LHC is given., Comment: 3 pages, 8 figures. Proceeding to LHCP 2013: First Large Hadron Collider Physics Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 13-18 May 2013

Biodiversity informatics plays a central enabling role in the research community's efforts to address scientific\ud conservation and sustainability issues. Great strides have been made in the past decade establishing a framework\ud for sharing data, where taxonomy and systematics has been perceived as the most prominent discipline involved.\ud To some extent this is inevitable, given the use of species names as the pivot around which information is\ud organised. To address the urgent questions around conservation, land-use, environmental change, sustainability,\ud food security and ecosystem services that are facing Governments worldwide, we need to understand how the\ud ecosystem works. So, we need a systems approach to understanding biodiversity that moves significantly beyond\ud taxonomy and species observations. Such an approach needs to look at the whole system to address species\ud interactions, both with their environment and with other species.\ud It is clear that some barriers to progress are sociological, basically persuading people to use the technological\ud solutions that are already available. This is best addressed by developing more effective systems that deliver\ud immediate benefit to the user, hiding the majority of the technology behind simple user interfaces. An\ud infrastructure should be a space in which activities take place and, as such, should be effectively invisible.\ud This community consultation paper positions the role of biodiversity informatics, for the next decade, presenting\ud the actions needed to link the various biodiversity infrastructures invisibly and to facilitate understanding that can\ud support both business and policy-makers. The community considers the goal in biodiversity informatics to be full\ud integration of the biodiversity research community, including citizens’ science, through a commonly-shared,\ud sustainable e-infrastructure across all sub-disciplines that reliably serves science and society alike.

This paper analyzes changes in gender employment rate (GER) differentials for whites and blacks in the United States from 1950 to 2008. We document the evolution of the GER gap, which narrows considerably within both racial groups and turns slightly negative for blacks. We document the changing employment levels that drive these patterns as well as compositional shifts in each gender-race population. Among whites, nearly all of the narrowing is attributable to increasing employment rates among women. For blacks, a large component of the narrowing is explained by declining employment rates among men. Black employment rates decline precipitously for the least educated and post-1980 are reduced further by increased institutionalization and declining marriage rates. In an analysis of state-level interdecade changes in female outcomes, we find that a worsening of black male employment prospects is associated with an increase in female education and a decline in marriage and fertility rates.