System-level PHN practice facilitator interventions successfully translated clinical obesity guidelines into interprofessional use in health care organizations. The Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes reliably measured system-level outcomes.

It has been hypothesized that elevated levels of atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ) may facilitate the encroachment of woody plants into grasslands by reducing water stress. In eastcentral Minnesota, sandy soils frequently create drought conditions for plants, and water limitation inhibits the establishment of oaks into old fields situated on these soils. Some have argued that eCO 2 should slow secondary succession by favoring fast-growing early successional species. However, if oak encroachment into old fields is being inhibited by water stress, then eCO 2 could accelerate old-field succession in this region. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that eCO 2 will increase the establishment success of oak seedlings in an old field environment. The study was conducted with CO 2 levels controlled by free air CO 2 enrichment (FACE). In May 1999, four oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) acorns were planted in each of 24 plots in each of six experimental FACE rings (n 5 576), three of which received elevated levels (550 ppm) of CO 2 . Half the plots in each ring were weeded during the first three summers of the experiment. In summer 2000, water input was manipulated during a 3.5-week period, during which half the plots received regular watering while the other half received no water. Summer 2001 was dry, receiving 35% less rainfall than the mean level. Under hot and dry conditions, eCO 2 increased soil water levels in unweeded plots and enhanced oak establishment (survival and growth) in weeded plots. In 2006, after the eighth growing season following planting, survival was five times greater under elevated than ambient CO 2 . The results showed that under hot and dry conditions, eCO 2 can act like a nurse plant for tree seedlings growing in bare and unshaded areas, increasing seedling survival and growth, and thereby expanding the establishment window for trees encroaching into a grassland environment.

Objective The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of administrators and clinicians regarding a public health facilitated collaborative supporting the translation into practice of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) Adult Obesity Guideline. Design and Sample This qualitative study was conducted with ten healthcare organizations participating in a voluntary, interprofessional obesity management collaborative. A purposive sample of 39 participants included two to three clinicians and an administrator from each organization. Interview analysis focused on how the intervention affected participants and their practices. Results Four themes described participant experiences of obesity guideline translation: 1) a shift from powerlessness to positive motivation, 2) heightened awareness coupled with improved capacity to respond, 3) personal ownership and use of creativity, and 4) a sense of the importance of increased interprofessional collaboration. Conclusions The investigation of interprofessional perspectives illuminates the feelings and perceptions of clinician and administrator participants regarding obesity practice guideline translation. These themes suggest that positive motivation, improved capacity, personal creative ownership, and interprofessional collaboration may be conducive to successful evidence-based obesity guideline implementation. Further research is needed to evaluate these findings relative to translating the ICSI obesity guideline and other guidelines into practice in diverse clinical settings.