Joel Embiid is expected to play this week for the Philadelphia 76ers - barring another setback, and there is always that chance with the 7-footer - after he won Olympic gold, signed a contract extension, slogged through a knee injury, was the root of two NBA investigations, scuffled with a columnist and was hit with a technical foul for waving a towel from the bench.

The World Health Organization said mpox cases in the region of Congo where a new and more infectious variant was first detected appear to be "plateauing," even as the virus continues to increase in other regions of the country, as well as in Burundi and Uganda.

The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) network has the aim to measure and compare plants, terrestrial mammals, ground-dwelling birds and climate using a standard methodology in a range of tropical forests, from relatively pristine places to those most affected by people. TEAM currently operates in sixteen tropical forest sites across Africa, Asia and Latin America supporting a network of scientists committed to standardized methods of data collection to quantify how plants and animals respond to pressures such as climate change and human encroachment.

A recent TEAM network paper published in PLOS Biology deals with the standartization of methods in assessing biodiversity trends in tropical forest protected areas.

Abstract: 

Are protected areas working when it comes to promoting biodivesity? A new study, published in Nature Communications, shows that local biodiversity is actually higher within, rather than outside protected areas.

Abstract: 

Protected areas are widely considered essential for biodiversity conservation. However, few global studies have demonstrated that protection benefits a broad range of species. Here, using a new global biodiversity database with unprecedented geographic and taxonomic coverage, we compare four biodiversity measures at sites sampled in multiple land uses inside and outside protected areas. Globally, species richness is 10.6% higher and abundance 14.5% higher in samples taken inside protected areas compared with samples taken outside, but neither rarefaction-based richness nor endemicity differ significantly. Importantly, we show that the positive effects of protection are mostly attributable to differences in land use between protected and unprotected sites. Nonetheless, even within some human-dominated land uses, species richness and abundance are higher in protected sites. Our results reinforce the global importance of protected areas but suggest that protection does not consistently benefit species with small ranges or increase the variety of ecological niches.

Original Source:

The original article is openly accessible at:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12306

A new EU BON derived paper, publsihed recently in the journal Remote Sensing, introduces eHabitat+, a habitat modelling service supporting the European Commission’s Digital Observatory for Protected Areas.

Abstract:

Protected areas (PAs) need to be assessed systematically according to biodiversity values and threats in order to support decision-making processes. For this, PAs can be characterized according to their species, ecosystems and threats, but such information is often difficult to access and usually not comparable across regions. There are currently over 200,000 PAs in the world, and assessing these systematically according to their ecological values remains a huge challenge. However, linking remote sensing with ecological modelling can help to overcome some limitations of conservation studies, such as the sampling bias of biodiversity inventories. The aim of this paper is to introduce eHabitat+, a habitat modelling service supporting the European Commission’s Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, and specifically to discuss a component that systematically stratifies PAs into different habitat functional types based on remote sensing data. eHabitat+ uses an optimized procedure of automatic image segmentation based on several environmental variables to identify the main biophysical gradients in each PA. This allows a systematic production of key indicators on PAs that can be compared globally. Results from a few case studies are illustrated to show the benefits and limitations of this open-source tool.

Original Source: 

Martínez-López, J.; Bertzky, B.; Bonet-García, F.J.; Bastin, L.; Dubois, G. Biophysical Characterization of Protected Areas Globally through Optimized Image Segmentation and Classification. Remote Sens. 2016, 8, 780. DOI: 0.3390/rs8090780

“It's a real shame for sufferers of PTSD and CPTSD, who can greatly benefit from therapy with these substances,” one respondent said.

The post Voters rejected Question 4. Here’s why readers are ‘disappointed.’ appeared first on Boston.com.

Periods of music are often hotly contested and accompanied by the notion that over-night one period of music magically transformed into the next. Imagine falling ... Read more

The post Characteristics of Classical Music: An introduction appeared first on CMUSE.

“This looks a lot more like 2016 to me than 2020,” NBC’s Chuck Todd said, a reference to Trump’s victory that year over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The post Unexpectedly, news outlets wind up having a relatively traditional election night experience appeared first on Boston.com.

How do you approach politics on dating apps? Share your experience with us.

The post Tell us: How has the 2024 election season impacted your dating life? appeared first on Boston.com.

"Here's a little fun fact: That guy right there grabbing Mookie Betts' glove was my friend in college."

The post Rob Gronkowski said he knows Yankees fan who was ejected from World Series game for interference appeared first on Boston.com.

The US opioid epidemic is a major public health crisis that has affected many communities across the United States. We’ll hear from an expert in addiction psychiatry who thinks that doctors bear much of the blame.

Also: What do you do if opioid drugs don't stop the pain? Acupuncture may be the answer; We look at how supervised injection is already saving the lives of heroin users; the Toronto police department launched a social media campaign, reminding people that marijuana is legal in Canada and not a cause for emergency calls; the US and Mexico join forces to crack down on the illicit drug trade; and the story of Steve Hupp's transformation from bank robber to shaman.

(Boston Calling producer Daniel Ofman stands next to a bus stop advertisement of Naloxone, a nasal spray that can counteract and potentially save someone from an opioid overdose. Credit: Diego Lopez/The World)

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular.

The post Trump expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state appeared first on Boston.com.

There was once a time when the Boston Red Sox never had to worry about losing a prized free agent to an American League Central team, but that time may have passed. The Kansas City Royals appear to be leading the charge, having spent over $100 million in free-agent contracts last winter. This winter, the Royals look to be active again, already inking starting pitcher Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million extension. Perhaps their next move could be to pilfer a big bat from the Boston lineup.

Few of us can say we were planning on the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting lockdowns of 2020. Let’s be honest—the coronavirus pandemic was unexpected. I know I speak for most when I say we weren’t planning on the heightened health protocols and stay-at-home orders that ensued. One of the consequences many encountered in the months of the pandemic was closed churches. Instead of the regular Sunday morning family outing to our local parish, we grew accustomed to the intimate setting of our...

The American Concrete Institute announced its 2024-2025 president, vice president and four board members. Michael J. Paul has been elected to serve as president of the institute for 2024-2025 and Scott M. Anderson has been elected as ACI Vice President for a two-year term.

Chaney Enterprises, a ready-mix concrete, aggregates, custom blends, and related construction supplies provider, announced its customer, Eastern Bay Management Corporation completed the first multi-story, multi-use commercial insulated concrete form (ICF) building on the Eastern Shore in Maryland.

Westlake Royal Building Products has been named 2022 Vendor of the Year by Carter Lumber, one of the nation’s top building materials retailers. Despite industry shifts and challenges, the partnership has remained strong, allowing both companies to continue meeting the needs of customers.

In early September, the Structural Engineers Association of California inducted Jeff Ellis, S.E., director of strengthening at Simpson Strong-Tie, into its prestigious College of Fellows. The organization’s highest honor, the SEAOC College of Fellows recognizes members for their distinguished service and outstanding contributions to structural engineering.

On July 16, Deputy EPA Administrator Janet McCabe announced the EPA’s grant selections for a $160 million grant program that supports efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products.

The Gloucestershire road includes 22 residential homes and two mixed-use buildings

State transportation agencies in North Carolina and Tennessee are still assessing damage from the storm, forecasting a months-long effort to repair hard-hit critical arteries such as Interstate-40. 

The Brainy Insights estimates that the $5.1 billion drywall repair services market will reach $10.22 billion by 2033. Rapid urbanization and strategic initiatives by the private players in the global market may fuel the growth of the drywall repair services market.

After successfully completing the Programming and Schematic design phases of the project in collaboration with the Long Beach City College District team, user group and bond management team BCA Architects continues their partnership with the LBCCD.

After a comprehensive selection process, BCA Architects was selected to design the new 400-seat performing arts center for Pioneer Valley High School.

Innovation drives progress. And in Amarillo, Texas, there is a new hub for innovation on the campus of Amarillo College. It is called Innovation Outpost, and the building’s renovation nods to the past with an eye on the future.

This weekend’s event is offering more than a million volunteering opportunities through its app

Washington – OSHA expects to issue highly anticipated proposed rules for its Silica and Injury and Illness Prevention Program standards within the next few months, according to the Spring Regulatory Agenda, published July 3.

Philadelphia – Staffing agencies that hire temporary workers need to be regulated more vigorously, and employers that use those agencies should carry a heavier load of responsibility for workers’ safety, a trio of Temple University law students concluded in a recent report examining how staffing agencies and host employers may “pass the buck” to get around proper safety training and other requirements.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has set a deadline of Sept. 30 for certified medical examiners to submit the results of physical qualification exams of commercial truck and bus drivers that were completed while the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners was offline from Dec. 1, 2017, through Aug. 13, 2018.

San Diego — Eating within set times while not skipping meals can reduce the cardiovascular health risks of firefighters and other shift workers, results of a recent study show.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency once again has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would create stronger standards for workers who handle “restricted use” pesticides.

Washington – California should strengthen its process safety management regulations for refineries, the Chemical Safety Board stated in a final report on a fire at a Chevron refinery in 2012.

To say that security professionals’ plates are full at the moment would be an understatement. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the industry has stepped up to play a vital role in keeping people safe, secure and even healthy through uncertain and scary times.

A state trooper dispatched to a burglar alarm activation at a warehouse leads to litigation over whether or not the defendant was legally apprehended.

At Alarm.com, we have more than 1 million homes signed on to our Connected Home platform, giving us plenty of insight about the power of connecting all the home’s critical devices together through a single technology platform.

Cell phone use has become part of the culture we live in, but no phone call or text is worth a life.

Are you worried about your employees driving distracted or using their cell phone behind the wheel?