scholarly journals The Invasive Species Assessment Protocol: A Tool for Creating Regional and National Lists of Invasive Nonnative Plants that Negatively Impact Biodiversity

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Randall ◽  
Larry E. Morse ◽  
Nancy Benton ◽  
Ron Hiebert ◽  
Stephanie Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Nonnative Plants ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Negative Impacts

AbstractWe developed a protocol for categorizing nonnative plants according to their negative impacts on biodiversity in a large area such as a state, nation, or ecological region. Our objective was to provide a tool that makes the process of identifying, categorizing, and listing nonnative plants that cause negative impacts to biodiversity analytic, transparent, and equitable and that yields lists that are useful to researchers, land managers, regulators, consumers, and commercial interests such as the nursery industry. The protocol was designed to distinguish between species that cause high, medium, low, or insignificant negative impacts to native biodiversity within the state, region, or nation of interest. It consists of 20 multiple-choice questions grouped into four sections, which each address a major aspect of a species' total impact and when combined yield an overall “Invasive Species Impact Rank” or “I-Rank” (high, medium, low, or insignificant). The nonprofit organization NatureServe is now using this protocol to assess the estimated 3,500 nonnative vascular plant species that are established in the United States to create a national list prioritized by negative impact on biodiversity. The protocol and additional information are available on the Internet athttp://www.natureserve.org/getData/plantData.jsp, and over 500 completed species assessments are available through NatureServe Explorer (http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/).

China and the Greater Middle East: Globalization No Longer Equals Westernization

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 389-416
Author(s):  
Kurt Radtke
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Large Area ◽  
The Us ◽  
Security Relations ◽  
Historical Memories ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe reshaping of the domestic social, political, and economic structures all over East Asia takes place in the context of a restructuring of the international (security) order. Despite China's increasing acceptance of international institutions and regimes the divergence of vital security interests of the United States (US) and Japan vis-a-vis those of China has raised the specter of increased polarization. This article will seek to answer the question of whether China is about to consciously challenge the power of the US and its allies not only in Asia, but also in the Greater Middle East (GME), mainly through China's impact on the economics, political, and social structure of those countries rather than through rivalry in the field of military power. China's conceptualization of the current global order is also shaped by historical memories of an age in which China was merely an object of Great Power politics which also directly affected the wider region, including the heartland of Eurasia, Southeast Asia, and in particular Japan and the Korean peninsula with their direct impact on China's security equation. To some Chinese strategists the Indian Ocean and countries of the GME have acquired a vital importance not only with regard to the supply of raw materials (including those obtained from Africa). Continuing Western strategic dominance in this large area would also have an important negative impact on China's global strategic position. For the first time in its history, China has become critically dependent on the acquisition of foreign resources—raw materials, investment and technology, as well as earnings from exports. China's economic activities in near neighbors such as Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, ailand, and Iran are also strategically important due to the impact on domestic and international politics of these countries. The US tends to interpret such influence in terms of Chinese power projection. This article interprets the linkages between domestic events and international strategies on the network of global (security) relations in terms of neogeopolitics rather than mainstream US scholarship.

scholarly journals The Prevalence and Negative Impacts of Substance Use Disorders among People with HIV in the United States: A Real-Time Delphi Survey of Key Stakeholders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan R. Garner ◽  
Heather J. Gotham ◽  
Hannah K. Knudsen ◽  
Brittany A. Zulkiewicz ◽  
Stephen J. Tueller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The U.S

AbstractAlthough HIV and substance use disorders (SUDs) constitute a health syndemic, no research to date has examined the perceived negative impacts of different SUDs for people with HIV (PWH). In May 2019, 643 stakeholders in the U.S., representing clients of AIDS service organizations (ASOs), ASO staff, and HIV/AIDS Planning Council members, participated in an innovative Stakeholder-Engaged Real-Time Delphi (SE-RTD) survey focused on the prevalence and individual-level negative impact of five SUDs for PWH. The SE-RTD method has advantages over conventional survey methods by efficiently sharing information, thereby reducing the likelihood that between-group differences are simply due to lack of information, knowledge, and/or understanding. The population-level negative impacts were calculated by weighting each SUD’s individual-level negative impact on indicators of the HIV Care Continuum and other important areas of life by the perceived prevalence of each SUD. Overall, we found these SUDs to have the greatest population-level negative impact scores (possible range 0–24): alcohol use disorder (population-level negative impact = 6.9; perceived prevalence = 41.9%), methamphetamine use disorder (population-level negative impact = 6.5; perceived prevalence = 3.2%), and opioid use disorder (population-level negative impact = 6.4; perceived prevalence = 34.6%). Beyond further demonstration of the need to better integrate SUD services within HIV settings, our findings may help inform how finite funding is allocated for addressing the HIV-SUD syndemic within the U.S. Based on our findings, such future efforts should prioritize the integration of evidence-based treatments that help address use disorders for alcohol, methamphetamine, and opioids.

scholarly journals Impact of Fitspiration Content on Social Media among Followers in Singapore Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-78
Author(s):  
Jia Hui Shericia Poh ◽  
Ho Jin Chung
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Short Answer Questions ◽  
The Impact

Fitspiration content on social media has been popularized over the last few years, with the intention to influence users to lead healthy and fit lifestyles. The present study aimed to identify the impact of fitspiration content on social media among young adult followers in Singapore. Method: Participants were 124 university students in Singapore who completed a cross-sectional survey. The survey included 16 multiple choice questions, 4 short-answer questions and 8 open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics was adopted for quantitative data and content analysis was utilized for qualitative data. The perceived impact of fitspiration content was explained through three themes: 1) Positive impact of fitspiration content on social media, 2) Negative impact of fitspiration content on social media, and 3) Perceived impact of social media on self.  Three other themes were also developed for understanding the conditions influenced by fitspiration content on social media: 1) Evaluation and satisfaction with one’s fitness journey, 2) Motivational levels of participants, and 3) Diet restrictions. Results showed that positive impact were experienced by the majority of the participants, whereas some participants experienced negative impacts. It was concluded that fitspiration content on social media does inspire users to become a better version of themselves both physically and mentally. However, it is also dependent on the perceptions of the users and the extent to which they allowed such content to influence them.

Framing the concept of invasive species “impact” within a management context

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob N. Barney ◽  
Daniel R. Tekiela
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Management Context ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Conservation Organizations ◽  
Native Diversity ◽  
Invasive Species Impact

AbstractGovernments and conservation organizations worldwide are motivated to manage invasive species due to quantified and perceived negative ecological and economic impacts invasive species impose. Thus, determining which species cause significant negative impacts, as well as clear articulation of those impacts, is critical to meet conservation priorities. This process of determining which species warrant management can be straightforward when there are clear negative impacts, such as dramatic reductions in native diversity. However, the majority of changes to ecosystem pools and fluxes cannot be readily categorized as ecologically negative or positive (e.g., lower soil pH). Additionally, diverse stakeholders may not all agree on impacts as negative. This complexity challenges our ability to simply and uniformly determine which species cause negative impact, and thus which species merit management, especially as we expand invader impacts to encompass a more holistic ecosystem perspective beyond biodiversity and consider stakeholder perspectives and priorities. Thus, we suggest impact be evaluated in a context that is dictated by governing policies or conservation/land management missions with the support of scientists. In other words, within each jurisdiction, populations are identified as causing negative impact based on the hierarchical governing policies and mission of that parcel. Framing negative impact in a management context has the advantages of (1) easily scaling from individual landscapes to geopolitical states; (2) better representing how managers practice, (3) reflecting invasive species as spatially contextual, not universal, and (4) allowing for flexibility with dynamic ecosystems undergoing global change. We hope that framing negative impact in an applied context aids management prioritization and achieving conservation goals.

Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-315
Author(s):  
G. Lehmpfuhl
Keyword(s):  
Electron Diffraction ◽  
Diffraction Pattern ◽  
Crystal Surface ◽  
Diffraction Spot ◽  
Crystal Thickness ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Microscopic Investigations

Introduction In electron microscopic investigations of crystalline specimens the direct observation of the electron diffraction pattern gives additional information about the specimen. The quality of this information depends on the quality of the crystals or the crystal area contributing to the diffraction pattern. By selected area diffraction in a conventional electron microscope, specimen areas as small as 1 µ in diameter can be investigated. It is well known that crystal areas of that size which must be thin enough (in the order of 1000 Å) for electron microscopic investigations are normally somewhat distorted by bending, or they are not homogeneous. Furthermore, the crystal surface is not well defined over such a large area. These are facts which cause reduction of information in the diffraction pattern. The intensity of a diffraction spot, for example, depends on the crystal thickness. If the thickness is not uniform over the investigated area, one observes an averaged intensity, so that the intensity distribution in the diffraction pattern cannot be used for an analysis unless additional information is available.

Health Communication: Implications for Diverse Populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Amy Hasselkus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Health Care Decisions ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Health Related

The need for improved communication about health-related topics is evident in statistics about the health literacy of adults living in the United States. The negative impact of poor health communication is huge, resulting in poor health outcomes, health disparities, and high health care costs. The importance of good health communication is relevant to all patient populations, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Efforts are underway at all levels, from individual professionals to the federal government, to improve the information patients receive so that they can make appropriate health care decisions. This article describes these efforts and discusses how speech-language pathologists and audiologists may be impacted.

Mobilized by Injustice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Walker
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Racial Boundaries ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Depth Interviews

Springing from decades of abuse by law enforcement and an excessive criminal justice system, members of over-policed communities lead the current movement for civil rights in the United States. Activated by injustice, individuals protested police brutality in Ferguson, campaigned to end stop-and-frisk in New York City, and advocated for restorative justice in Washington, D.C. Yet, scholars focused on the negative impact of punitive policy on material resources, and trust in government did not predict these pockets of resistance, arguing instead that marginalizing and demeaning policy teaches individuals to acquiesce and withdraw. Mobilized by Injustice excavates conditions under which, despite otherwise negative outcomes, negative criminal justice experiences catalyze political action. This book argues that when understood as resulting from a system that targets people based on race, class, or other group identifiers, contact can politically mobilize. Negative experiences with democratic institutions predicated on equality under the law, when connected to a larger, group-based struggle, can provoke action from anger. Evidence from several surveys and in-depth interviews reveals that mobilization as result of negative criminal justice experiences is broad, crosses racial boundaries, and extends to the loved ones of custodial citizens. When over half of Blacks and Latinos and a plurality of Whites know someone with personal contact, the mobilizing effect of a sense of injustice promises to have important consequences for American politics.

Accidental Sustainability

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Jones
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Whole Foods

This chapter examines the scaling and diffusion of green entrepreneurship between 1980 and the present. It explores how entrepreneurs and business leaders promoted the idea that business and sustainability were compatible. It then examines the rapid growth of organic foods, natural beauty, ecological architecture, and eco-tourism. Green firms sometimes grew to a large scale, such as the retailer Whole Foods Market in the United States. The chapter explores how greater mainstreaming of these businesses resulted in a new set of challenges arising from scaling. Organic food was now transported across large distances causing a negative impact on carbon emissions. More eco-tourism resulted in more air travel and bigger airports. In other industries scaling had a more positive impact. Towns were major polluters, so more ecological buildings had a positive impact.

scholarly journals Reserved Bed Program Reduces Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit Capacity Strain: An Implementation Study

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-138
Author(s):  
Christopher D Shank ◽  
Nicholas J Erickson ◽  
David W Miller ◽  
Brittany F Lindsey ◽  
Beverly C Walters
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Implementation Study ◽  
Service Line ◽  
Hospital Units ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Operational Issues

Abstract BACKGROUND Neurosciences intensive care units (NICUs) provide institutional centers for specialized care. Despite a demonstrable reduction in morbidity and mortality, NICUs may experience significant capacity strain with resulting supraoptimal utilization and diseconomies of scale. We present an implementation study in the recognition and management of capacity strain within a large NICU in the United States. Excessive resource demand in an NICU creates significant operational issues. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a Reserved Bed Pilot Program (RBPP), implemented to maximize economies of scale, to reduce transfer declines due to lack of capacity, and to increase transfer volume for the neurosciences service-line. METHODS Key performance indicators (KPIs) were created to evaluate RBPP efficacy with respect to primary (strategic) objectives. Operational KPIs were established to evaluate changes in operational throughput for the neurosciences and other service-lines. For each KPI, pilot-period data were compared to the previous fiscal year. RESULTS RBPP implementation resulted in a significant increase in accepted transfer volume to the neurosciences service-line (P = .02). Transfer declines due to capacity decreased significantly (P = .01). Unit utilization significantly improved across service-line units relative to theoretical optima (P < .03). Care regionalization was achieved through a significant reduction in “off-service” patient placement (P = .01). Negative externalities were minimized, with no significant negative impact in the operational KPIs of other evaluated service-lines (P = .11). CONCLUSION Capacity strain is a significant issue for hospital units. Reducing capacity strain can increase unit efficiency, improve resource utilization, and augment service-line throughput. RBPP implementation resulted in a significant improvement in service-line operations, regional access to care, and resource efficiency, with minimal externalities at the institutional level.

scholarly journals 307 A systems approach to understanding biosecurity decision-making

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 43-43
Author(s):  
Scott C Merrill ◽  
Christopher Koliba ◽  
Gabriela Bucini ◽  
Eric Clark ◽  
Luke Trinity ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
African Swine Fever Virus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Livestock Industry ◽  
Diarrhea Virus ◽  
Operational Level

Abstract Disease and its consequences result in social and economic impacts to the US animal livestock industry, ranging from losses in human capital to economic costs in excess of a billion dollars annually. Impacts would dramatically escalate if a devastating disease like Foot and Mouth Disease or African Swine Fever virus were to emerge in the United States. Investing in preventative biosecurity can reduce the likelihood of disease incursions and their negative impact on our livestock industry, yet uncertainty persists with regards to developing an effective biosecurity structure and culture. Here we show the implications of human behavior and decision making for biosecurity effectiveness, from the operational level to the owner/managerial level and finally to the systems level. For example, adjustments to risk messaging strategies could double worker compliance with biosecurity practices at the operational level. The improvement of our risk communication strategy may increase willingness to invest in biosecurity. Furthermore, the adaptation of policies could nudge behavior so that we observe a short disease outbreak followed by a quick eradication instead of a pandemic. Our research shows how the emergence of now-endemic diseases, such as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, cannot be adequately modeled without the use of a human behavioral component. Focusing solely on any one sector or level of the livestock system is not sufficient to predict emergent disease patterns and their social and economic impact on livestock industries. These results provide insight toward developing more effective risk mitigation strategies and ways to nudge behavior toward more disease resilient systems.

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