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The article in Consumer Reports discusses various topics related to consumer concerns and questions. It addresses the levels of pesticides in fruits and vegetables, the effectiveness of peeling produce to remove pesticides, the accumulation of pesticides in the body, privacy precautions for home security systems, the safety of detergent pacs, the testing of natural cleaning products, the recommended water temperature for dishwashing, and the benefits of e-bikes. The article provides factual information and offers insights based on research and evaluations. [Extracted from the article]

Practicing physicians, especially primary care providers, are in a great deal of pain. Increasing workloads appear to be the only way to maintain income, and many have reached their limits. [...]

Physicians are dedicated to mastery of a substantial knowledge base as the stepping stone to professional competence. It is therefore no surprise that the desire to obtain education in the [...]

A model of individual tree growth using simple predictors in a managed black beech (Fuscospora solandri(Hook.f.) Heenan & Smissen) forest could provide a useful tool for predicting future stand characteristics. Data from permanent sample plots were used to develop a framework for modelling individual tree growth in Woodside forest, a managed black beech forest in north Canterbury (New Zealand). We tested three mixed-effect models to identify effects of sites, treatment (thinnings), individual tree size and competition on tree growth rates. A power function amended with variables specifying stand basal area and thinning treatment was best suited for black beech, explaining about 55% of the variation in growth rates. Treatment history (thinnings), as well as the individual tree size and the stand basal area, strongly affected tree diameter growth. Only 3% of the variation in diameter growth rates was explained by plot-specific effect which was less than observed in earlier studies. All predictor variables (management history, individual tree diameter and stand basal area) are quite simple to measure in the field and could be easily used to predict diameter increments in managed or unmanaged forests. A limitation of our study was that available growth data in Woodside were from small plots, focused on a small number of trees and a narrow range of diameters. However, our results are a good starting point, providing a promising framework for further modelling of tree growth in Woodside forest from new permanent plot data.

Allowing patents on business practices or business methods has become an important trend in patent law. The growing number of patents on business methods--and even on the systems used by [...]

Cyclone Gabrielle triggered more destructive forestry "slash" - NZ must change how it grows trees on fragile land. This is because the erosion from the clear-felled forest is outweighed by the reduced erosion once the replanted trees cover the land. It has become clear that we need to manage forests differently from this large-scale "efficient" model to reduce the risk of erosion and slash from erosion-prone forests. [Extracted from the article]

In this column, members of the College's Vantage Council review books that they have identified as being of interest and value to the medical management profession. Reviews from other sources are included in Physician Executive as space permits., David A. Kindig, MD, and Anthony R. Kovner, Phd, Editors. The Role of the Physician Executive: Cases and Commentary. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Health Administration Press, 1992. 268 pages. $30. This [...]

Benson, D. Measuring Outcomes in Ambulatory Care. Chicago, American Hospital Publishing, Inc., 1992. 192 pages. $49.95 ($39.95 for AHA members). This excellent effort begins with the premise that an ambulatory [...]

The Fundamental Soil Layers (FSL) serve historically as New Zealand’s primary source of soil information. They contain a range of New Zealand’s soil attribute information held in a spatial database. Despite their wide use in a range of applications, few direct assessments of the accuracy of FSL attribute information have been undertaken to date. This study aims to provide an assessment of the accuracy of the FSL by comparing observed data for Profile Available Water (PAW) and Potential Rooting Depth (PRD) with FSL estimates for these two attributes. Two datasets were used to conduct the tests. The first dataset (n=35) contained measured observations for PAW and PRD. A second dataset (n=173) contained measured observations for PRD only. A regression model found a weak relationship between measured values and FSL estimates for PAW and PRD (correlations ranged from –0.08 to 0.17). Additional FSL estimates provided in the form of class intervals were tested by calculating the proportion of observed values within the specified FSL class interval. The effect of estimate lineage (underlying data and estimation method) on the accuracy of the class intervals was assessed using a logistic regression. Overall the FSL estimates for PRD and PAW were inaccurate, and allowance for data lineage did not improve the accuracy of the FSL estimates.

One sure thing about planting a forest is that the world will be a different place when that forest is ready to harvest. The mature plantations that now make up [...]

SummaryIn order to find the optimal subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) scheduling for mature triploid Populus tomentosaplantations in the North China Plain, a field experiment was conducted in 2010 and 2011 to investigate the effects of SDI at different soil water potential (SWP) thresholds on the growth and transpiration of a P. tomentosaplantation when it was six and seven years old. The experiment included three SWP treatments, which initiated irrigation when the SWP at 20 cm depth and 10 cm distance from a drip emitter reached −25 (T25), −50 (T50) and −75 (T75) kPa, respectively. A control non-irrigation treatment (CK) was also included. Long-term SWP, soil water content (SWC), transpiration, tree growth, meteorological factors and groundwater level were monitored. Results showed that SDI influenced the SWC only in 0–80 cm of soil. From April to July, on average, the cumulative stand-level transpiration on a ground area basis (E) and growth of basal area at breast height accounted for 81% and 93% of their corresponding whole-season values, while the cumulative reference crop potential evapotranspiration (ET0) was 43% higher than the rainfall. In contrast, from August to October, the growth rate of P. tomentosawas very slow, while the cumulative rainfall was 36% higher than ET0and the average groundwater level was relatively high (125 cm). Relative to CK, the Eunder the SWP treatments was significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 20–73%. Decreasing the SWP irrigation threshold from −25 to −50 kPa significantly reduced Eby 31% (P < 0.05), but decreasing the threshold from −50 to −75 kPa did not further reduce P. tomentosa E. Relative to CK, T25, T50and T75increased the annual above-ground dry biomass (ADB) increment by 54% (P < 0.05), 34% (P < 0.05) and 24% (P> 0.05) in 2010, and by 28% (P> 0.05), 29% (P> 0.05) and 32% (P< 0.05) in 2011, respectively. However, no significant difference in ADB increment was detected among the SWP treatments. Based on these results, it can be concluded that when planting P. tomentosaat sites with similar characteristics to ours in the North China Plain: (1) SDI could be promoted in the cultivation of P. tomentosato improve tree growth; (2) a range of −50 to −75 kPa at a depth of 20 cm and 10 cm distant from a drip emitter is recommended as the irrigation threshold for scheduling SDI in P. tomentosaplantations and (3) irrigation should be applied between April and July, while drainage should be implemented between August and October.

Callused, non-rooted Leyland cypress (× Cupressocyparis leylandii) stem cuttings were treated with different wounding treatments (no, single and double wound) and solutions of indolebutyric acid (IBA) (0,5000, and 10 000 ppm). Double wound and 10 000 ppm IBA resulted in the highest percentage of rooted cuttings compared with all other treatments. Wounding had no effect on the number of primary roots produced per rooted cutting, however, cuttings treated with 10 000 ppm IBA formed significantly more roots than non-treated cuttings (4.5 and 2.6, respectively).

Excellence in Ambulatory Care: A Practical Guide to Developing Effective Quality Assurance Programs. Benson and Townes present a concise definition, description, and structural framework for the quality assurance function in [...]

Discusses the impact of growing patents in business practices or business methods on the operations of banks and the financial services industry. Competitive advantage that financial institutions can gain from patent protection; Global implications of business method patents; Effect of U.S. patent laws and regulations on Latin American countries.