Estimated Biomass Loss Caused by the Vaia Windthrow in Northern Italy: Evaluation of Active and Passive Remote Sensing Options

Windstorms are a major disturbance factor for European forests. The 2018 Vaia storm, felled large volumes of timber in Italy causing serious ecological and financial losses. Remote sensing is fundamental for primary assessment of damages and post-emergency phase. An explicit estimation of the timber loss caused by Vaia using satellite remote sensing was not yet undertaken. In this investigation, three different estimates of timber loss were compared in two study sites in the Alpine area: pre-existing local growing stock volume maps based on lidar data, a recent national-level forest volume map, and an novel estimation of AGB values based on active and passive remote sensing. The compared datasets resemble the type of information that a forest manager might potentially find or produce. The results show a significant disagreement in the different biomass estimates, related to the methods used to produce them, the study areas characteristics, and the size of the damaged areas. These sources of uncertainty highlight the difficulty of estimating timber loss, unless a unified national or regional European strategy to improve preparedness to forest hazards is defined. Considering the frequent impacts on forest resources that occurred in the last years in the European Union, remote sensing-based surveys targeting forests is urgent, particularly for the many European countries that still lack reliable forest stocks data.

Self-coding: A method to assess semantic validity and bias when coding open-ended responses

Open-ended survey questions can provide researchers with nuanced and rich data, but content analysis is subject to misinterpretation and can introduce bias into subsequent analysis. We present a simple method to improve the semantic validity of a codebook and test for bias: a “self-coding” method where respondents first provide open-ended responses and then self-code those responses into categories. We demonstrated this method by comparing respondents’ self-coding to researcher-based coding using an established codebook. Our analysis showed significant disagreement between the codebook’s assigned categorizations of responses and respondents’ self-codes. Moreover, this technique uncovered instances where researcher-based coding disproportionately misrepresented the views of certain demographic groups. We propose using the self-coding method to iteratively improve codebooks, identify bad-faith respondents, and, perhaps, to replace researcher-based content analysis.

Who (or What) is an AI Artist?

The mainstream contemporary art world is suddenly showing interest in “AI art”. While this has enlivened the practice, there remains significant disagreement over who or what actually deserves to be called an “AI artist”. This article examines several claimants to the term and grounds these in art history and theory. It addresses the controversial elevation of some artists over others and accounts for these choices, arguing that the art market alienates AI artists from their work. Finally, it proposes that AI art's interactions with art institutions have not promoted new creative possibilities but have instead reinforced conservative forms and aesthetics.

Beyond Congruence: Evidential Integration and Inferring the Best Evolutionary Scenario

Molecular methods have revolutionised virtually every area of biology, and metazoan phylogenetics is no exception: molecular phylogenies, molecular clocks, comparative phylogenomics, and developmental genetics have collectively transformed our understanding of the evolutionary history of animals. Moreover, the diversity of methods and models within molecular phylogenetics has resulted in significant disagreement among molecular phylogenies as well as between these and traditional phylogenies. Here, I argue that tackling this multifaceted problem lies in integrating evidence to infer the best evolutionary scenario. I begin with an overview of recent developments in early metazoan phylogenetics, followed by a discussion of key conceptual issues in phylogenetics revolving around phylogenetic evidence and theory. I then argue that integration of different kinds of evidence is necessary for arriving at the best evolutionary scenario rather than the best-fitting cladogram. Finally, I discuss the prospects of this view in stimulating interdisciplinary cross-talk in early metazoan research and beyond.

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders in children and adolescents: prevalence and diagnostics

The significance of studying the prevalence, age- and sex-related differences and diagnostic aspects of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (F2 Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders) in pediatric and adolescent patients of mental health facilities is linked to the upcoming release of the International Classification of Diseases, Revision 11 (ICD-11). Its whole chapters have been updated, including disorders in the schizophrenia group. Diagnostic challenges posed by this debilitating group of mental disorders are associated with the diversity of clinical presentations, the incompleteness of psychopathological phenomena syndromes, and vague atypical symptoms. Changes in the prevalence of these disorders identified by the analysis of medical records at a mental health facility for children (a decline in the number of patients with F20, schizophrenia, and a surge in the number of patients with F21, schizotypal disorder) and significant disagreement about and disagreement about the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorders in children and adolescents, evaluation of their dynamics, outcomes, and the social functioning of the patient necessitate further prospective follow-up studies aimed at overcoming the identified difficulties in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of such patients.

The Death of May’s Law: Intra- and Inter-Party Value Differences in Britain’s Labour and Conservative Parties

Party competition in Great Britain increasingly revolves around social or ‘cultural’ issues as much as it does around the economic issues that took centre stage when class was assumed to be dominant. We use data from surveys of members of parliament, party members and voters to explore how this shift has affected the internal coalitions of the Labour and Conservative Parties – and to provide a fresh test of ‘May’s Law’. We find a considerable disconnect between ‘neoliberal’ Conservative members of parliament and their more centrist voters on economic issues and similarly significant disagreement on cultural issues between socially liberal Labour members of parliament and their more authoritarian voters. We also find differences in both parties between parliamentarians and their grassroots members, albeit that these are much less pronounced. May’s Law, not for the first time, appears not to be borne out in reality.

Zimbabwe tourism destination brand positioning and identity through media: A tourist's perspective

Purpose: The study was based on understanding how media can be used to select Zimbabwe tourism destination brands against other brands by the tourists. Further, it examined the role of media in improving Zimbabwe tourism brand identity. Factors to use in positioning the Zimbabwe tourism brand were also established. Research Methodology: A quantitative to the qualitative sequential mixed method was used to get research data. The respondents and participants to the study were tourism operators, media organizations and tourists (n=452). Results: The study's findings informed that tourism and media organizations in Zimbabwe are failing to understand the best ways to use media to attract tourists. There was a significant disagreement in the views of tourists and organizations, especially based on choosing a tourism destination brand using media. Even on improving Zimbabwe tourism destination brand identity and positioning, both parties agreed that media could help improve brand identity. Limitations: Getting opinions and views of tourists is difficult considering the divergence in their perceptions. A mixed-methods could help in improving objectivity. Contribution: The study, therefore, recommended an intensive tourism media audit, considering media as a strategic brand identity tool and a nationwide survey to come up with brand positioning elements specifically for Zimbabwe tourism destinations.

12 Protection Against Expropriation, Nationalization, and Dispossession

This chapter examines the investment treaty protections against expropriation, nationalization, and dispossession. Because the investment treaty movement arose during a period when many expropriations and nationalizations had taken place and states exhibited significant disagreement about the applicable international law, one of the primary goals of capital-exporting countries in promoting investment treaties was to protect their investors and investments from acts of expropriation, nationalization, and dispossession by host governments. As a result, virtually all investment treaties contain a provision concerning the expropriation or nationalization of covered investments; however, the nature of those provisions, their scope, and the limitations they place on governmental action, vary among treaties. The chapter then examines the scope of coverage of expropriation provisions as they apply to direct and indirect takings of investor property by a state. It also considers the various conditions and limitations that treaties place upon such state actions, including the obligation to pay compensation.

Consensus-based perioperative protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVEDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, quaternary-care facilities continue to provide care for patients in need of urgent and emergent invasive procedures. Perioperative protocols are needed to streamline care for these patients notwithstanding capacity and resource constraints.METHODSA multidisciplinary panel was assembled at the University of California, San Francisco, with 26 leaders across 10 academic departments, including 7 department chairpersons, the chief medical officer, the chief operating officer, infection control officers, nursing leaders, and resident house staff champions. An epidemiologist, an ethicist, and a statistician were also consulted. A modified two-round, blinded Delphi method based on 18 agree/disagree statements was used to build consensus. Significant disagreement for each statement was tested using a one-sided exact binomial test against an expected outcome of 95% consensus using a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Final triage protocols were developed with unblinded group-level discussion.RESULTSOverall, 15 of 18 statements achieved consensus in the first round of the Delphi method; the 3 statements with significant disagreement (p < 0.01) were modified and iteratively resubmitted to the expert panel to achieve consensus. Consensus-based protocols were developed using unblinded multidisciplinary panel discussions. The final algorithms 1) quantified outbreak level, 2) triaged patients based on acuity, 3) provided a checklist for urgent/emergent invasive procedures, and 4) created a novel scoring system for the allocation of personal protective equipment. In particular, the authors modified the American College of Surgeons three-tiered triage system to incorporate more urgent cases, as are often encountered in neurosurgery and spine surgery.CONCLUSIONSUrgent and emergent invasive procedures need to be performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consensus-based protocols in this study may assist healthcare providers to optimize perioperative care during the pandemic.

Comparison of Two Novel Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Devices to A Partial Coherence Interferometry-Based Biometer

Purpose To evaluate the repeatability and agreement of cornea and biometry measurements obtained with two swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) and a partial coherence interferometry-based device.METHODS This is a cross-sectional study. Forty-eight eyes of 48 patients had three consecutive measurements for ANTERION (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany), CASIAII (Tomey, Japan) and IOLMaster500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, USA) on the same visit. Mean keratometry (Km), central cornea thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and axial length (AL) were recorded. Corneal astigmatic measurements were converted into vector components – J0 and J45. Intra-device repeatability and agreements of measurements amongst the devices were evaluated using repeatability coefficients (RCs) and Bland-Altman plots, respectively. RESULTS All devices demonstrated comparable repeatability for Km (p≥0.138). ANTERION had the lowest RC for J0 amongst the devices (p≤0.039). Systematic difference was found for the Km and J0 obtained with IOLMaster500 compared to either SSOCTs (p≤0.010). The ACD and AL measured by IOLMaster500 showed a higher RC compared with either SSOCTs (p<0.002). Systematic difference was found in CCT and ACD between the two SSOCTs (p<0.001), and in AL between ANTERION and IOLMaster500 (p<0.001), with a mean difference of 1.6 µm, 0.022mm and 0.021 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Both SSOCTs demonstrated smaller test-retest variability for measuring ACD and AL compared with IOLMaster500. There were significant disagreement in keratometry and AL measurements between the SSOCTs and PCI-based device; their measurements should not be considered as interchangeable but the disagreement could be refined by readjustment of intraocular lens constant in clinical practice.