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Urban forests are important components of societal interactions with nature. We focused on urban forest patches, a distinct and underexplored subset of the urban forest that spans land uses and ownerships, and requires silvicultural practices to address their unique biophysical characteristics and management regimes. Our goal was to elucidate multi-scalar urban forest patch governance arrangements as they translated to on-the-ground management in four urban areas (Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore) within the eastern United States. A transdisciplinary knowledge co-production framework was used to guide identification of the prominent management challenge or dilemma motivating change to forest patch management in each location, and to describe the dynamic interplay of decision-making and governance processes across locations as they advanced toward desired forest conditions. A common management goal existed across all four locations: multi-age, structurally complex forests dominated by regionally native species. Ecological and social concerns affected by local context and city capacity served as starting points prompting management action and new collaborations. Disparate governance arrangements including top-down municipal resources, regional conservation facilitated by landowners, and grass-roots community-driven stewardship led to diverse support-building processes and innovative strategies that served as forces initiating and shaping new management actions. Science and iterative learning and adaptation influenced change in all locations, reinforcing new management arrangements and practices. Among the four study areas, the earliest management of urban forest patches started in the 1980 s, historically lacking embeddedness in urban forest management more broadly, and experiencing challenges with integration into existing governance infrastructure. Ultimately, new management and governance approaches to urban forest patches in all four study areas have evolved uniquely and organically, driven by place-based historical legacies and ongoing socio-ecological feedbacks. The generalization of findings for broader urban forest management guidelines, such as for trees and park, would lead to misguided outcomes.

We introduce a conceptual model of the urban forest patch as a complex social-ecological system, incorporating cross-scale interactions. We developed this model through an interdisciplinary process engaging social and ecological scientists and urban land management decision makers, with a focus on temperate forest social-ecological systems. In this paper, we place the production and management of urban forest patches in historical perspective, present a conceptual model of urban forest patches within a broader regional context, and identify a series of research questions to highlight future directions for research on urban forest patches. This conceptual model identifies how spatial and temporal social-ecological drivers interact with patch-level conditions at multiple scales. Our integrative approach can provide insights into the role of social-ecological drivers in shaping forest health, biodiversity, and benefits forest patches provide to people in urban and urbanizing regions, with direct implications for decision-making to improve management outcomes.

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Long-term impacts of an urban farming youth internship were evaluated in Brooklyn, New York. Alumni surveyed 1 to 9 years after program completion were enrolled in college or graduate school at higher rates than their peers and reported connections to the environment and healthy eating. Participants reported learning job skills through the internship, including farming practices, time and money management, teamwork, and public speaking. In addition, participants reported an increased sense of responsibility, high levels of self-confidence, and strong connections with their community. The amount of time spent in the internship positively affected attitudes and behaviors regarding communication and decision-making.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are primarily designed to prevent HPV-associated cancers that typically occur years to decades after exposure to HPV-16 and -18. Three prophylactic HPV vaccines are available in [...]

Offers a review of literature on the construct of dominance from sociobiological, psychological, and interpersonal perspectives. Advances a broader conceptualization of dominance that focuses on dominance as an interpersonal communication construct. Reports two alternative measurement strategies and initial validational work on undergraduate students, and offers recommendations for operationalizing dominance in communication work. (SR)

Rock filters used to treat effluents from waste stabilization ponds do not remove ammonia as they are anoxic. A pilot- scale aerated rock filter was investigated, in parallel with all unaerated control, over an 18-month period to determine whether aeration provided conditions within the rock filter for nitrification to occur. Facultative pond effluent containing ~10 mg NH4-N/L was applied to the filters at a hydraulic loading rate of 0.15 [m.sup.3]/[m.sup.3] day during the first 8 months and at 0.3 [m.sup.3]/[m.sup.3] day thereafter. The results show that the ammonia and nitrate concentrations in the effluent from the aerated filter were CE Database subject headings: Aeration: Ammonia: Bacteria: Effluents; Filters: Rocks: Waste stabilization ponds: Abatement and removal.