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Shrub willow (Salix spp. and hybrids) is a biomass crop well adapted to the northeastern United States. We assessed the biomass productivity of six willow cultivars in a 14.5-ha field in Pennsylvania through two rotation cycles of 3 yr each, comparing the realized and biophysical yield potential. We also evaluated the relationship of yield with plant density and the harvest efficiency. The realized yield of the best cultivars was about 8 Mg ha-1 yr-1, well below the calculated harvestable potential of 14 Mg ha-1 yr-1. Uniform stands of willow without planting gaps may maximize yield with 8 x 10³ plants ha-1, but upright cultivars may benefit from higher densities. Harvest is relatively slow at 1 ha h-1 or 20 Mg h-1 in the longest rows with optimal ground conditions, which makes the harvest cost per hour high. Biotic stresses built up gradually during the 7 yr of the experiment affecting two cultivars severely. The cultivar S. miyabeana x S. viminalis 'Preble' was defoliated by a growing population of willow leaf beetle (Plagiodera versicolora), whereas the cultivar S. purpurea 'Fish Creek' was affected by two fungal diseases and suffered a major stand loss in the winter of 2019/2020. Both examples justify breeding for insects and diseases resistance. The moderate harvestable yield and high harvest cost imply that in the northeastern United States, the viability of willow for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage as a tool to reduce CO2 emissions may depend on the provision and monetization of additional ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has examined the relative valence (positivity or negativity) of ethnophaulisms (ethnic slurs) targeting European immigrants to the United States. However, this relied on contemporary judgments made by American researchers. The present study examined valence judgments made by citizens from the countries examined in previous work. Citizens of 17 European nations who were fluent in English rated ethnophaulisms targeting their own group as well as ethnophaulisms targeting immigrants from England. American students rated ethnophaulisms for all 17 European nations, providing a comparison from members of the host society. Ratings made by the European judges were (a) consistent with those made by the American students and (b) internally consistent for raters' own country and for the common target group of the English. Following discussion of relevant methodological issues, the authors examine the theoretical significance of their results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a summary of practical recommendations for the prehospital and early management of patients with acute heart failure syndromes. These recommendations were developed from a meeting of experts in cardiology, emergency medicine, and intensive care medicine from Europe and the U.S. These are based on a clinical classification system considering the initial systolic blood pressure and other symptoms.