Forests are important ecosystems that are under increasing pressure from human use and environmental change, and have a significant ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and are therefore the focus of policy efforts aimed at reducing deforestation and degradation as well as increasing afforestation and reforestation for climate mitigation. Critical to these efforts is the accurate monitoring, reporting and verification of current forest cover and carbon stocks. For planning, the additional step of modeling is required to quantitatively estimate forest carbon sequestration potential in response to alternative land-use and management decisions. To be most useful and of decisionrelevant quality, these model estimates must be at very high spatial resolution and with very high accuracy to capture important heterogeneity on the land surface and connect to monitoring efforts. Here, we present results from a new forest carbon monitoring and modeling system that combines high-resolution remote sensing, field data, and ecological modeling to estimate contemporary aboveground forest carbon stocks, and project future forest carbon sequestration potential for the state of Maryland at 90 m resolution. Statewide, the contemporary above-ground carbon stock was estimated to be 110.8 Tg C (100.3-125.8 Tg C), with a corresponding mean above-ground biomass density of 103.7 Mg ha −1 which was within 2% of independent empirically-based estimates. The forest aboveground carbon sequestration potential for the state was estimated to be much larger at 314.8 Tg C, and the forest above-ground carbon sequestration potential gap (i.e. potential-current) was estimated to be 204.1 Tg C, nearly double the current stock. These results imply a large statewide potential for future carbon sequestration from afforestation and reforestation activities. The high spatial resolution of the model estimates underpinning these totals demonstrate important heterogeneity across the state and can inform prioritization of actual afforestation/reforestation opportunities. With this approach, it is now possible to quantify both the forest carbon stock and future carbon sequestration potential over large policy relevant areas with sufficient accuracy and spatial resolution to significantly advance planning.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is widespread and leads to death and disability in millions of individuals around the world each year. Overall incidence and prevalence of TBI are likely to increase in absolute terms in the future. Tackling the problem of treating TBI successfully will require improvements in the understanding of normal cerebral anatomy, physiology, and function throughout the lifespan, as well as the pathological and recuperative responses that result from trauma. New treatment approaches and combinations will need to be targeted to the heterogeneous needs of TBI populations. This article explores and evaluates the research evidence in areas that will likely lead to a reduction in TBI-related morbidity and improved outcomes. These include emerging assessment instruments and techniques in areas of structural/chemical and functional neuroimaging and neuropsychology, advances in the realms of cell-based therapies and genetics, promising cognitive rehabilitation techniques including cognitive remediation and the use of electronic technologies including assistive devices and virtual reality, and the emerging fi eld of complementary and alternative medicine. Keywords: traumatic brain injury, assessments, treatments Traumatic brain injury future prospectsTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is an extremely common condition, accounting for 50,000 deaths and 235,000 hospitalizations yearly (Langlois et al 2004). The prevalence of individuals with chronic TBI-related problems in the US is 5.3 million (Cohen et al 2007; Thurman et al 1999) with many manifesting a combination of physical, cognitive and behavioral problems. Although this fi gure is extremely large, it may underestimate the true burden of TBI, as many individuals with milder injuries are often unknown to the medical system (Krause and Arthur 1999). This is partly because physical impairments, which are easily detectable, are frequently mild or absent after TBI, while the more common disabling problems of cognitive and behavioral impairments are often overlooked or misdiagnosed by medical professionals. However, it is the latter group of problems that prevent participation in expected and desired societal roles and result in the greatest burden associated with TBI. In the coming decades, the aging population will make this problem even worse, as older individuals are at increased risk of TBI and generally have poorer outcomes. This will greatly increase the overall prevalence of TBI and add to the societal burden presented by more individuals requiring both medical and custodial care.Although considerable strides have been made in decreasing overall TBI-related mortality by the application of evidence-based medicine, many individuals develop chronic problems, often resulting in life-long disability. While some pilot projects have reported promising fi ndings, such as decreasing 30-day mortality with progesterone (Wright et al 2007), most studies examining effectiveness of post-acute interventions have failed to defi nitively demonstrate a thera...
Prophylactic anticoagulation during rehabilitation seemed safe for TBI patients whose physicians deemed it appropriate, but did not conclusively reduce venous thromboembolism. Given the number of DVTs present before rehabilitation, screening and prophylaxis during acute care may be more important.
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