Legal constraints and opportunities for biochar: a case analysis of EU law

This article addresses biochar from a legal point of view. It analyses different policies and regulations from a European (Flemish) point of view and provides a first and general insight in what potential legal constraints the development of a biochar industry might face and what opportunities lie ahead. This is due to the fact that biochar is a recent product and a lot of scientific uncertainty still exists regarding the consequences of its application. From the analysis it appears a multitude of policies and legislative measures influence the development of the biochar industry. Hence, it is important that all these policies and legislative measures are analyzed in an appropriate manner. Moreover, considerable lobbying, negotiating and cooperation between different disciplines (legal, scientific, economical, etc.) will be required so as to develop a feasible and safe biochar framework.     

Interrelation of Sport Participation,Physical Activity,Social Capital and Mental Health in Disadvantaged Communities: A SEM-Analysis

Background

The Health through Sport conceptual model links sport participation with physical, social and psychological outcomes and stresses the need for more understanding between these outcomes. The present study aims to uncover how sport participation, physical activity, social capital and mental health are interrelated by examining these outcomes in one model.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine disadvantaged communities in Antwerp (Belgium). Two hundred adults (aged 18–56) per community were randomly selected and visited at home to fill out a questionnaire on socio-demographics, sport participation, physical activity, social capital and mental health. A sample of 414 adults participated in the study.

Results

Structural Equation Modeling analysis showed that sport participation (β = .095) and not total physical activity (β = .027) was associated with better mental health. No association was found between sport participation and community social capital (β = .009) or individual social capital (β = .045). Furthermore, only community social capital was linked with physical activity (β = .114), individual social capital was not (β = -.013). In contrast, only individual social capital was directly associated with mental health (β = .152), community social capital was not (β = .070).

Conclusion

This study emphasizes the importance of sport participation and individual social capital to improve mental health in disadvantaged communities. It further gives a unique insight into the functionalities of how sport participation, physical activity, social capital and mental health are interrelated. Implications for policy are that cross-sector initiatives between the sport, social and health sector need to be supported as their outcomes are directly linked to one another.     

Differences in Energy Balance-Related Behaviours in European Preschool Children: The ToyBox-Study

Background

The aim of the current study was to compare levels of energy balance-related behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and dietary behaviours (more specifically water consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and unhealthy snacking)) in four- to six-year-old preschoolers from six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain) within the ToyBox cross-sectional study.

Methods

A sample of 4,045 preschoolers (4.77 ± 0.43 years; 52.2% boys) had valid physical activity data (steps per day), parents of 8,117 preschoolers (4.78 ± 0.46 years; 53.0% boys) completed a parental questionnaire with questions on sedentary behaviours (television viewing, computer use, and quiet play), and parents of 7,244 preschoolers (4.77 ± 0.44 years; 52.0% boys) completed a food frequency questionnaire with questions on water consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and unhealthy snacking.

Results

The highest levels of physical activity were found in Spain (12,669 steps/day on weekdays), while the lowest levels were found in Bulgaria and Greece (9,777 and 9,656 steps/day on weekdays, respectively). German preschoolers spent the least amount of time in television viewing (43.3 min/day on weekdays), while Greek preschoolers spent the most time in television viewing (88.5 min/day on weekdays). A considerable amount of time was spent in quiet play in all countries, with the highest levels in Poland (104.9 min/day on weekdays), and the lowest levels in Spain (60.4 min/day on weekdays). Belgian, German, and Polish preschoolers had the lowest intakes of water and the highest intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages. The intake of snacks was the highest in Belgian preschoolers (73.1 g/day) and the lowest in Greek preschoolers (53.3 g/day).

Conclusions

Across six European countries, differences in preschoolers’ energy balance-related behaviours were found. Future interventions should target European preschoolers’ energy balance-related behaviours simultaneously, but should apply country-specific adaptations.     

Atlantic forest bird communities provide different but not fewer functions after habitat loss

Habitat loss often reduces the number of species as well as functional diversity. Dramatic effects to species composition have also been shown, but changes to functional composition have so far been poorly documented, partly owing to a lack of appropriate indices. We here develop three new community indices (i.e. functional integrity, community integrity of ecological groups and community specialization) to investigate how habitat loss affects the diversity and composition of functional traits and species. We used data from more than 5000 individuals of 137 bird species captured in 57 sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a highly endangered biodiversity hotspot. Results indicate that habitat loss leads to a decrease in functional integrity while measures of functional diversity remain unchanged or are even positively affected. Changes to functional integrity were caused by (i) a decrease in the provisioning of some functions, and an increase in others; (ii) strong within-guild species turnover; and (iii) a replacement of specialists by generalists. Hence, communities from more deforested sites seem to provide different but not fewer functions. We show the importance of investigating changes to both diversity and composition of functional traits and species, as the effects of habitat loss on ecosystem functioning may be more complex than previously thought. Crucially, when only functional diversity is assessed, important changes to ecological functions may remain undetected and negative effects of habitat loss underestimated, thereby imperiling the application of effective conservation actions.     

Lack of evidence of a beneficial effect of azathioprine in dogs treated with prednisolone for idiopathic immune-mediated hemolytic anemia: a retrospective cohort study

Background  

Azathioprine is used as an immunosuppressant in canine immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), but this potentially toxic and carcinogenic drug has not been proven to be beneficial. The aim of this study was to determine the difference in outcome and survival of dogs with idiopathic IMHA treated with a protocol that included azathioprine and prednisolone versus a protocol that included prednisolone alone.     

Seasonal timing of inundation affects riparian plant growth and flowering: implications for riparian vegetation composition

Changes to the timing of peak river flows caused by flow regulation affect riparian vegetation composition, but the mechanisms driving such vegetation changes are not well understood. We investigated experimentally the effects of timing of inundation on riparian plant growth and flowering. We collected 168 sods from 14 sites across five lowland rivers in south-eastern Australia. Plant cover and flowering within the sods were surveyed each season for a year. During this period, sods were inundated for 6 weeks in either early spring or in summer. Terrestrial plant taxa (which included most exotic species) senesced in response to inundation, regardless of its timing. In contrast, native amphibious species (particularly amphibious forbs) responded favourably to inundation in spring, but were unaffected by inundation in summer. Native and exotic emergent macrophytes responded favourably to inundation regardless of timing, and flowered frequently in both the spring- and the summer-inundation treatments. In contrast, many native annuals flowered only in the spring-inundation treatment, while more exotic grasses flowered in the summer-inundation treatment. In temperate climates, inundation in early spring followed by non-flooded conditions is likely to be important for promoting the growth of amphibious forbs and the recruitment and flowering of riparian annuals. Without inundation in spring, many terrestrial exotic weeds may flourish and set seed prior to any subsequent inundation (e.g. in summer). We contend that natural seasonal timing (i.e. winter-early spring) of flow peaks is important for the maintenance of native riverbank vegetation and reducing the extent of terrestrial exotic species within the riparian zone.     

Angiovision: Aortic stent-graft placement by augmented angionavigation

The endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (EVAR - EndoVascular Aneurism Repair) has become an alternative therapy to conventional open surgery. The objective of Angiovision project was to contribute to the improvement of EVAR procedures in terms of accuracy and customization of the interventional strategy. Our approach was mainly based on the use of patient-specific data, computer-aided endovascular navigation and numerical simulation. We proposed a new FEM-based patient-specific simulation solution to estimate the deformations caused by the introduction of stiff endovascular devices. We developed and implemented an original endovascular navigation system to augment the intraoperative fluoroscopy with the visualization of deformed preoperative aorto-iliac structure, and related information concerning vessel wall (calcifications), as well as stent-graft virtual deployment. The proposed solution, that requires only lightweight computer equipment, can be used in a standard operating room in order to optimize device placement (from a single angle of incidence). Evaluation is currently under way.     

Hydraulic redistribution affects modeled carbon cycling via soil microbial activity and suppressed fire

Hydraulic redistribution (HR) of water from moist to drier soils, through plant roots, occurs world‐wide in seasonally dry ecosystems. Although the influence of HR on landscape hydrology and plant water use has been amply demonstrated, HR's effects on microbe‐controlled processes sensitive to soil moisture, including carbon and nutrient cycling at ecosystem scales, remain difficult to observe in the field and have not been integrated into a predictive framework. We incorporated a representation of HR into the Community Land Model (CLM4.5) and found the new model improved predictions of water, energy, and system‐scale carbon fluxes observed by eddy covariance at four seasonally dry yet ecologically diverse temperate and tropical AmeriFlux sites. Modeled plant productivity and microbial activities were differentially stimulated by upward HR, resulting at times in increased plant demand outstripping increased nutrient supply. Modeled plant productivity and microbial activities were diminished by downward HR. Overall, inclusion of HR tended to increase modeled annual ecosystem uptake of CO₂ (or reduce annual CO₂ release to the atmosphere). Moreover, engagement of CLM4.5′s ground‐truthed fire module indicated that though HR increased modeled fuel load at all four sites, upward HR also moistened surface soil and hydrated vegetation sufficiently to limit the modeled spread of dry season fire and concomitant very large CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere. Historically, fire has been a dominant ecological force in many seasonally dry ecosystems, and intensification of soil drought and altered precipitation regimes are expected for seasonally dry ecosystems in the future. HR may play an increasingly important role mitigating development of extreme soil water potential gradients and associated limitations on plant and soil microbial activities, and may inhibit the spread of fire in seasonally dry ecosystems.