Facilitating Integration in Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from a South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project.

Interdisciplinary research is increasingly called upon to find solutions to complex sustainability problems, yet co-creating usable knowledge can be challenging. This article offers broad lessons for conducting interdisciplinary science from the South Florida Water, Sustainability, and Climate Project (SFWSC), a 5-year project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal was to develop a holistic decision-making framework to improve understanding of the complex natural-social system of South Florida water allocation and its threats from climate change, including sea level rise, using a water resources optimization model as an integration mechanism. The SFWSC project faced several challenges, including uncertainty with tasks, high task interdependence, and ensuring communication among geographically dispersed members. Our hypothesis was that adaptive techniques would help overcome these challenges and maintain scientific rigor as research evolved. By systematically evaluating the interdisciplinary management approach throughout the project, we learned that integration can be supported by a three-pronged approach: (1) Build a well-defined team and leadership structure for collaboration across geographic distance and disciplines, ensuring adequate coordination funding, encouraging cross-pollination, and allowing team structure to adapt; (2) intentionally design a process and structure for facilitating collaboration, creating mechanisms for routine analysis, and incorporating collaboration tools that foster communication; and (3) support integration within the scientific framework, by using a shared research output, and encouraging team members to adapt when facing unanticipated constraints. These lessons contribute to the international body of knowledge on interdisciplinary research and can assist teams attempting to develop sustainable solutions in complex natural-social systems.

Review of 5.5 Years' Experience Using E-mail-Based Telemedicine to Deliver Orthopedic Care to Remote Communities.

INTRODUCTION: The use of e-mail-based telemedicine has been demonstrated as an effective and low-cost way of delivering healthcare to patients in remote areas who have limited access to medical services. We established a novel teleorthopedic service for a catchment area encompassing 972,000 km2 using a commercial off-the-shelf e-mail application. Before the implementation of this program, patients with acute orthopedic injuries were required to travel by air up to 1,900 km for evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon. In the present study, we examined the patient demographics and consultation characteristics and calculated the cost savings associated with patient travel for this teleorthopedic service. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1,000 consecutive e-mail-based consults and radiographic images received for new patients with acute orthopedic injuries from January 2008 to June 2013. Seventy-nine consults were excluded due to incomplete documentation, leaving 921 available for analysis. The service records were examined to identify patient demographics, orthopedic diagnosis, the percentage of patients managed locally, and the medical indications for patients requiring transfer. As the travel costs for patients requiring transport to the university hospital center are borne by governmental health agencies, the savings accrued from treating patients in their home communities were also calculated. RESULTS: For the 921 consultations, the mean age of patients was 27 years (range, 3 months-88 years), with 40.7% of all patients being younger than 18 years. The most common diagnoses were ankle fractures (15.2%), clavicle fractures (11.2%), distal radius fractures (11.2%), and fractures of the foot (10.2%). One hundred ninety patients (20.6%) required transfer, whereas 731 patients (79.4%) were treated in their home communities. Of the patients who were transferred, 123 (64.7%) required surgery, 55 (28.9%) required clinical evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon, and 12 (6.4%) required CT or MRI. Cost savings related to return trip travel expenses were calculated to be $5,538,120 Canadian (CAD) for the review period. SUMMARY: Using an e-mail-based teleorthopedic service to manage acutely injured patients in remote communities allowed 79% of patients to be treated locally, with travel-related cost savings of $5,538,120 CAD.

Implications of a valuation study for ecological and social indicators associated with Everglades restoration.

The Everglades of south Florida, although degraded, imparts vital ecosystem benefits, including contributions to high quality drinking water supplies and habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species. Restoration of the Everglades can improve the provision of these benefits but also may impose tradeoffs with competing societal demands. This study focuses on understanding public preferences for Everglades restoration and estimating the willingness to pay (WTP) values for restored ecosystem services (ES) through the implementation of a discrete choice experiment (DCE). We collected data from 2302 respondents from the general public from an online survey designed to elicit WTP values for selected ecological and social attributes associated with Everglades restoration scenarios. We compare the findings to results from earlier studies (Milon et al., 1999; Milon and Scrogin, 2005), which also estimated WTP values among Floridians for Everglades restoration. For some attributes, WTP for Everglades restoration appears to have slightly increased while for others WTP appears to have decreased. We estimated statewide aggregate WTP values for components of species population restoration up to $2B over 10 years. Several factors impeded a direct comparison of current and historical WTP values, including time elapsed, different samples and sampling methods- which may have implications for integrating ecosystem service valuation studies into water management decisions.

A pilot study: Alternative biomaterials in critical sized bone defect treatment.

BACKGROUND: Critical-sized bone defects are a significant challenge with limited effective reconstructive options. The Masquelet Technique (MT) offers a solution to help restore form and function. Although this technique has produced promising results; a clear mechanism has not been determined. Theories include that the induced membrane has osteogenic potential or the membrane acts as a physical barrier to prevent fibrous tissue ingrowth. We hypothesize the induced membrane acts primarily as a physical barrier and that a synthetic non-biological membrane will allow a comparable amount of bone volume in the defect site. METHODS: Ten New Zealand rabbit forelimbs (n=10) were divided into three study groups. A critical sized defect of 3.5cm in the ulna was created. In the control group, a traditional MT was performed (n=4). The experimental arm varied by replacement of the PMMA with a non-porous (n=3) or porous (150um) (n=3) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filled with allograft. Micro-CT analysis was done to compare bone volume to tissue volume ratios (BV/TV). Defect sections were examined histologically with alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and von kossa (VK) staining. RESULTS: MicroCT analysis comparing BV/TV between the control and experimental arms showed no difference. BV/TV of the MT was 7.77%±2.34 compared to porous 9.12%±3.66 and nonporous 9.76%±1.57 PTFE membranes (p1=0.761, p2=0.572, respectively). Histological sections from both samples stained for ALP and TRAP displayed osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity. There was a higher amount of ALP and TRAP positively stained cells near the native bone ends in comparison to the center of the defect, in both sample types. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Replacing the induced membrane from the MT with a synthetic PTFE membrane illustrated that the membrane acts primarily as a functional barrier. Compared to the induced membrane, the PTFE membrane was able to display similar osteointegrative properties. These results allow for future optimization of the technique with the potential to further streamline towards a single stage procedure.

Influence of water management and natural variability on dissolved inorganic carbon dynamics in a mangrove-dominated estuary.

High-resolution time series measurements of temperature, salinity, pH and pCO2 were made during the period October 2014-September 2015 at the midpoint of Shark River, a 15km tidal river that originates in the freshwater Everglades of south Florida (USA) and discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. Dissolved inorganic carbon dynamics in this system vary over time, and during this study could be classified into three distinct regimes corresponding to October 2014-February 2015 (a wet to dry season transition period), March-May 2015 (dry period) and July-September 2015 (wet period). Average net longitudinal dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes and air-water CO2 fluxes from the Shark River estuary were determined for the three periods. Net DIC fluxes to the coast were estimated to vary between 23.2 and 25.4×105mold-1 with an average daily DIC flux of 24.3×105mold-1 during the year of study. CO2 emissions ranged between 5.5 and 7.8×105mold-1 with an average daily value of 6.4×105mold-1 during the year. The differences in estuarine carbon fluxes during the study period are attributed to differences in the relative importance of hydro-climatological drivers. Results suggest that, during months characterized by reduced rainfall, carbon fluxes are affected by water management via control structures in the upstream Everglades marshes. During months with high rainfall, when culverts are closed and rainfall events are more frequent, carbon fluxes depend more on other forcings, such as rainfall and groundwater discharge.

Ecological-economic assessment of the effects of freshwater flow in the Florida Everglades on recreational fisheries.

This research develops an integrated methodology to determine the economic value to anglers of recreational fishery ecosystem services in Everglades National Park that could result from different water management scenarios. The study first used bio-hydrological models to link managed freshwater inflows to indicators of fishery productivity and ecosystem health, then link those models to anglers' willingness-to-pay for various attributes of the recreational fishing experience and monthly fishing effort. This approach allowed us to estimate the foregone economic benefits of failing to meet monthly freshwater delivery targets. The study found that the managed freshwater delivery to the Park had declined substantially over the years and had fallen short of management targets. This shortage in the flow resulted in the decline of biological productivity of recreational fisheries in downstream coastal areas. This decline had in turn contributed to reductions in the overall economic value of recreational ecosystem services enjoyed by anglers. The study estimated the annual value of lost recreational services at $68.81 million. The losses were greater in the months of dry season when the water shortage was higher and the number of anglers fishing also was higher than the levels in wet season. The study also developed conservative estimates of implicit price of water for recreation, which ranged from $11.88 per AF in November to $112.11 per AF in April. The annual average price was $41.54 per AF. Linking anglers' recreational preference directly to a decision variable such as water delivery is a powerful and effective way to make management decision. This methodology has relevant applications to water resource management, serving as useful decision-support metrics, as well as for policy and restoration scenario analysis.

Photosynthetic characteristics in canopies of Quercus rubra, Quercus prinus and Acer rubrum differ in response to soil water availability.

Photosynthesis and related leaf characteristics were measured in canopies of co-occurring Quercus rubra L. (red oak), Quercus prinus L. (chestnut oak) and Acer rubrum L. (red maple) trees. Mature (20+ m tall) trees were investigated at sites of differing soil water availability within a catchment (a drier upper site and a wetter lower site). Leaf photosynthetic characteristics differed significantly between species and in response to site and position in the canopy. Photosynthetic capacity (A max) was significantly greater at the wetter site in all canopy strata in A. rubrum but not in Q. rubra or Q. prinus. Our findings for A. rubrum are generally consistent with those predicting that species with higher specific leaf area (SLA) will have higher A max per unit leaf nitrogen (N) and that species with leaves with lower SLA (e.g. Q. rubra and Q. prinus) will have shallower slopes of the A max-N relationship. Importantly, the relationships between A max and N area (and by implication photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency, PNUE) differed in A. rubrum between the sites, with PNUE significantly lower at the drier site. The lower photosynthetic capacity and PNUE must substantially reduce carbon acquisition capacity in A. rubrum under these field conditions. Maximum stomatal conductance (g smax) differed significantly between species, with g smax greatest in Q. rubra and Q. prinus. In Q. rubra and Q. prinus, g smax was significantly lower at the upper site than the lower site. There was no significant response of g smax to site in A. rubrum. These stomatal responses were consistent with the C i/C a ratio, which was significantly lower in leaves of Q. rubra and Q. prinus at the upper site, but did not differ between sites in A. rubrum. Leaf δ13C was significantly lower in A. rubrum than in either Q. rubra or Q. prinus at both sites. These findings indicate differences in stomatal behaviour in A. rubrum which are likely to contribute to lower water use efficiency at both sites. Our results support the hypothesis that the two Quercus species, in contrast to A. rubrum, maintain photosynthetic capacity at the drier site whilst minimising transpirational water loss. They also suggest, based primarily on physiological evidence, that the ability of A. rubrum to compete with other species of these deciduous forests may be limited, particularly in sites of low moisture availability and during low rainfall years.

Growth CO2 concentration modifies the transpiration response of Populus deltoides to drought and vapor pressure deficit.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) trees grown for 9 months in elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) showed significant increases in height, leaf area and basal diameter relative to trees in a near-ambient [CO2] control treatment. Sample trees in the CO2 treatments were subjected to high and low atmospheric vapor pressure deficits (VPD) over a 5-week period at both high and low soil water contents (SWC). During these periods, transpiration rates at both the leaf and canopy levels were calculated based on sap flow measurements and leaf-to-sapwood area ratios. Leaf-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments when soil water was not limiting. In contrast, during drought stress, canopy-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments, indicating that leaf-level fluxes during drought stress were reduced in elevated [CO2] by a factor equal to the leaf area ratio of the two canopies. The shift from equivalent leaf-level transpiration to equivalent canopy-level transpiration with increasing drought stress suggests maximum water use rates were controlled primarily by atmospheric demand at high SWC and by soil water availability at low SWC. Changes in VPD had less effect on transpiration than changes in SWC for trees in both CO2 treatments. Transpiration rates of trees in both CO2 treatments reached maximum values at a VPD of about 2.0 kPa at high SWC, but leveled off and decreased slightly in both canopies as VPD increased above this value. At low SWC, increasing VPD from approximately 1.4 to 2.5 kPa caused transpiration rates to decline slightly in the canopies of trees in both treatments, with significant (P = 0.004) decreases occurring in trees in the near-ambient [CO2] treatment. The transpiration responses at high VPD in the presence of high SWC and throughout the low SWC treatment suggest some hydraulic limitations to water use occurred. Comparisons of midday leaf water potentials of trees in both CO2 treatments support this conclusion.