bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The principle of the dignity of human person: a reading of the effectiveness of citizenship and human rights through the challenges put forward by globalization
Authors: Mezzaroba Orides , Oliveira da Silveira Vladmir
Published: March 2018

Even today concepts that should have been overcome are debated, for example, the belonging of an individual to a State and, consequently, to its laws. The process of globalization, and the constant immigration resulted thereof, have led to profound changes in the relationship between the individual and the State, and especially, in the field of international human rights law. This means that the human needs began to be manifested regionally and internationally, in order to achieve the principle of the dignity of the human being. Thus, this article intends to investigate the link between citizenship and human rights, from new perspectives, through literature studies and deductive method, in order to answer the following questions: what are the added values to the concept of citizenship? And what is the current dimensions of citizenship?
Separação de poderes e diálogos institucionais nos litígios envolvendo o direito à saúde
Authors: Avila Ana Paula Oliveira , Melo Karen Cristina Correa de
Published: March 2018

O presente estudo, de natureza interdisciplinar, foi conduzido por profissionais da área do direito e da saúde e tem por objetivo analisar a judicialização do direito à saúde pela perspectiva do necessário diálogo institucional. Empregou-se o método de revisão bibliográfica, documental e jurisprudencial, além observação empírica de práticas adotadas em alguns municípios - em todo caso documentadas em fontes de acesso público. O estudo identifica a enorme complexidade da área da saúde para demonstrar sua característica policêntrica e desnudar todos os interesses que atuam neste mercado econômico (pacientes, médicos, laboratórios farmacêuticos, advogados, ONGs e agentes reguladores) e situando a atividade do Judiciário em face desse complexo quadro. Em seguida, descreve-se como a teoria do diálogo institucional deixou o campo da abstração teórica para operar na prática, por meio da interação dos diversos órgãos responsáveis pela recuperação e promoção da saúde. Conclui-se pela transformação procedimental operada nos litígios envolvendo o direito à saúde e a importância das formas de comunicação interinstitucional para a democracia.
Diálogos sanitários interinstitucionais e a experiência de implantação do NAT-JUS
Authors: Mariano Cynara Monteiro , Albuquerque Felipe Braga , Furtado Emanuel Teófilo , Pereira Fabricia Helena Linhares
Published: March 2018

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o uso excessivo das prestações judiciais em matéria de efetivação do direito à saúde, inclusive os problemas decorrentes dele. Para tanto, utilizar-se-á de um estudo exploratório e descritivo, com base bibliográfica, documental, legislativa e jurisprudencial, com análise de obras de referência brasileira e internacionais, jurisprudência e legislação. Apontar-se-ão, na teoria e na prática, alternativas que visem ao mesmo fim de efetivar o direito fundamental à saúde, contudo que estejam atentas às limitações decorrentes da separação dos poderes. Apresentar-se-á então as teorias dos diálogos institucionais como ferramentas teóricas à disposição do Poder Judiciário para, reconhecendo suas limitações técnicas e institucionais, buscar junto aos poderes formuladores de políticas públicas soluções para concretizar direitos sociais sem que importe em ferir o equilíbrio na relação entre os poderes. Analisa-se ao final um exemplo prático que comprova a aplicabilidade das ideias levantadas na pesquisa: o caso da implantação dos Núcleos de Apoio Técnico ao Judiciário (NAT-JUS) que se promovem os diálogos interinstitucionais dentro do processo judicial.
Expediente
Authors: Masthead Jorunal
Published: March 2018

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Statistical methods for identifying anisotropy in the Spodoptera frugiperda spatial distribution
Authors: Nava Daniela T. , Nicolis Orietta , Uribe-Opazo Miguel A. , De Bastiani Fernanda
Published: March 2018

Corn is a very important agricultural product, however, some pests may cause damage to the corn productivity such as Spodoptera frugiperda, which prevents the plant from growing in a regular manner. Since the indiscriminate use of the pesticide may cause an increasing resistance of the insect besides an environmental damage, it is important to estimate the areas and the dominant directions where the insect may propagate. The main aim of this work was to study the spreading of the fall armyworm in a commercial agricultural area in the South of Brazil. For this, we considered a set including the location of each corn plant attacked by the insect. In particular, we assumed that the spatial locations given by the geographic coordinates constitute a spatial point pattern following a stationary Poisson point process. In order to detect the presence of possible dominant directions in the distribution of the fall armyworm infestation we studied the anisotropic features of the data by using some second-order spatial point-pattern analysis techniques such as the K directional test, the wavelet-based test, and the quadrat counting test. All the results showed that spatial distribution of fall armyworm may follow a clustered Poisson point process with the presence of an evident anisotropy mainly due to the shape and the distance between corn plants of the experimental area. These preliminary results could be used for reducing and optimizing the use of pesticides with a consequent decrease of the environmental impact.
Upright versus recumbent position during first stage of labor among primipara women on labor outcomes
Authors: Emam Afaf Mohamed Mohamed , Al-Zahrani Ahlam Eidah
Published: March 2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of upright versus recumbent position during the active phase of first stage of labor among primipara women on labor outcomes in term of progress, duration of labor, method of delivery, neonatal outcome and maternal satisfaction with assumed position.Methods: Quasi experimental design was used. The study was conducted in the labor unit in obstetric department at Benha University Hospital. A purposive sample of 100 parturient women in 1st stage of labor were recruited in the study, they divided into two groups; upright group (50) and recumbent group (50). Data were collected through four main tools: Structured Interviewing questionnaire sheet, Structured Observational Checklist include (Partograph and Apgar score), Visual analogue pain intensity scale and maternal satisfaction with assumed position questionnaire.Results: It revealed that high statistical significant difference between the upright and recumbent groups in term of decreases interval and increases duration, frequency and intensity of uterine contraction, cervical dilatation and fetal head descent/fifth among the upright group. While the recumbent group showed less progress. Moreover, the recumbent group expressed more pain score, consume longer duration of 1st, 2nd, 3rd stage of labor than the upright group and statistical significant difference in Apgar score of the neonate during both first and fifth minute. In addition, the upright group had higher satisfaction scores compared to those assumed recumbent positions (p < .001).Conclusions: Upright position had positive effect on progress of labor, decreased duration of the three stages of labor, better neonatal outcomes and improving parturient women's satisfaction with assumed position. The study recommended that all parturient women in low-risk labor should be informed about the benefits of assuming upright positions during first stage of labor, and be encouraged and supported to use them.
The role of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic indicator in patients undergoing nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Grimes Nathan , Hannan Cathal , Tyson Matthew , Thwaini Ali
Published: March 2018

Introduction: Prognosis in patients with cancer is influenced by underlying tumour biology and also the host inflammatory response to the disease. There is limited evidence to suggest that an elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts a poorer prognosis in patients undergoing nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The aim of this paper is to investigate if patients undergoing nephrectomy for RCC with NLR ≤4 have a better overall and recurrence-free survival than patients with NLR >4.Methods: All patients who underwent nephrectomy at a single centre between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014 were identified. Patients were included if postoperative histology demonstrated RCC and if preoperative NLR was available. Patients were excluded if nephrectomy was not curative intent (i.e., cytoreductive nephrectomy), if primary tumour was graded to be T3b‒4 disease, if there was presence of nodal or metastatic disease on preoperative staging, or if adequate followup notes were not available. Primary and secondary outcomes were overall survival and recurrence-free survival, respectively.Results: A total of 154 patients were included in analysis of overall survival; 146 patients were included in analysis of recurrence-free survival. Patients with NLR ≤4 had a much better overall survival than patients with NLR >4 (95% vs. 78%; p=0.0219). Patients with NLR >4 also had higher rates of recurrence (p=0.0218).Conclusions: NLR may be a useful tool in identifying patients who may benefit from more frequent surveillance in the early postoperative period and may allow clinicians to offer surveillance schemes tailored to the individual patient.
Matrix Factorization Techniques for Context-Aware Collaborative Filtering Recommender Systems: A Survey
Authors: Abdi Mohamed Hussein , Okeyo George Onyango , Mwangi Ronald Waweru
Published: March 2018

Collaborative Filtering Recommender Systems predict user preferences for online information, products or services by learning from past user-item relationships. A predominant approach to Collaborative Filtering is Neighborhood-based, where a user-item preference rating is computed from ratings of similar items and/or users. This approach encounters data sparsity and scalability limitations as the volume of accessible information and the active users continue to grow leading to performance degradation, poor quality recommendations and inaccurate predictions. Despite these drawbacks, the problem of information overload has led to great interests in personalization techniques. The incorporation of context information and Matrix and Tensor Factorization techniques have proved to be a promising solution to some of these challenges. We conducted a focused review of literature in the areas of Context-aware Recommender Systems utilizing Matrix Factorization approaches. This survey paper presents a detailed literature review of Context-aware Recommender Systems and approaches to improving performance for large scale datasets and the impact of incorporating contextual information on the quality and accuracy of the recommendation. The results of this survey can be used as a basic reference for improving and optimizing existing Context-aware Collaborative Filtering based Recommender Systems. The main contribution of this paper is a survey of Matrix Factorization techniques for Context-aware Collaborative Filtering Recommender Systems.
In voor- en tegenspoed
Authors: Braat Eleni
Published: March 2018

For better or for worse: The marriage between parliament and intelligence and security

Secrecy complicates the relationship between intelligence and security services and their responsible ministers on the one hand, and members of parliament on the other. How can parliament deal constructively with intelligence and security services, despite the secrecy involved? This article presents a novel conceptual framework to analyse political relations influenced by secrecy, based on four recurring types of parliamentary reactions to intelligence and security services. The focus is a case study of the Dutch parliament and Security Service (BVD) between 1975 and 1995. The analysis demonstrates that constructive parliamentary dealings with secret services depend both on party-political responses to secrecy and strategic responses on the part of the secret services to ambiguous relationships with parliament. The presented typology of four recurring parliamentary reactions to intelligence and security services and the model for constructive parliamentary debate contribute to a better understanding of reasons and consequences of political and societal reactions to the new Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act (Wiv).
Zwijgen is zilver en spreken is goud
Authors: de Graaff Bob , Hijzen Constant
Published: March 2018

Silence is silver, speaking is gold

Although traditionally, it has been argued that intelligence and security services can barely be discussed in public – a veil of secrecy makes a thorough and informed debate almost impossible, the outside world is ignorant, say the insiders – we argue that today’s mature civil society does not accept that anymore. Although the government has struggled to address social anxiety and political criticism in the past decades, communication and strategic discussions have never received proper attention. Due to the technological changes, affecting the intelligence practice as well as daily life of citizens, the authors argue that the positioning of intelligence and security services in the broader democratic state should receive structural attention and sustainable communication efforts.
Translating web multimodalities: Towards inclusive web localization
Authors: Tercedor Sánchez Maribel
Published: March 2018

This paper addresses the role of the translator in web localization within the e-inclusion paradigm. We argue that multimodality and forms of accessibility should be offered in an integrated way. Additionally, the aspects that shape the concept of e-inclusion need to be researched from a cognitive and linguistic perspective in the web localization scenarios.
Examination of enrichment using space and food for African elephants (Loxodonta africana) at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Authors: Hacker CE , Miller LJ , Schulte BA
Published: March 2018

Concern for elephant welfare in zoological facilities has prompted a number of exhibit and management modifications, including those involving enrichment. Knowledge of how these changes impact indicators of welfare, such as elephant movement and behaviour, is crucial for continued improvement of elephant husbandry and care. The present study used observations and GPS-collected data to determine the effects of available space and food presentation on the walking distance and behaviour of thirteen African elephants (Loxodonta africana), which had a dominance structure ascertained by animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (SDZSP). This facility has two exhibits of approximately equal size. Three treatments were created to assess the effects of food and space enrichment: (i) access to half of the exhibit with food (Half); (ii) access to the entire exhibit with food in one yard (Both/Half); and (iii) access to the entire exhibit with food in both yards (Both). For Half and Both/Half, food was presented in each yard for an equal number of trials. Significant differences across treatments were revealed for average total walking distances but this was not found between any two given treatments. Walking distance varied among elephants belonging to different dominance groups, with middle-ranked elephants taking the most advantage of a larger available space. Behaviour did not differ across treatments, but the change in behavioural diversity from one treatment to another was significant for subordinate elephants. The information obtained from this study has direct implications for the management of the SDZSP elephants and for other facilities looking to increase walking distance or subordinate behavioural diversity.
Les Pays d’en haut, un espace en mal d’histoire ?
Authors: Havard Gilles
Published: March 2018

L’historiographie des Pays d’en haut, comme objet en soi, peut paraître relativement balbutiante. Il se peut que l’appellation « Pays d’en haut » ait été perçue comme trop molle ou trop floue, géographiquement comme conceptuellement, et que les historiens aient préféré, pour investir l’histoire de l’Ontario, du Michigan ou du Manitoba, l’usage d’autres catégories géographiques (Nouvelle-France, Canada, Grands Lacs, Prairie) ou de grilles plus clairement analytiques (frontière,hinterland, périphérie). L’expression mérite pourtant d’être valorisée dans la mesure où elle a servi de cadre mental et géographique de longue durée. Comme tel, elle constitue un objet de recherche en soi qui peut favoriser une étude renouvelée des processus historiques à l’oeuvre dans les espaces concernés, duxviieauxixesiècle. Cette définition des Pays d’en haut comme objet d’histoire ne va certes pas de soi : elle passe d’abord par une réflexion sur l’objet « Pays d’en haut » dans l’histoire, autrement dit sur la façon dont ce cadre s’est construit historiquement, à travers les pratiques, les représentations et les imaginaires des acteurs sociaux. La pleine légitimation de cette approche passe ensuite par l’analyse de la façon dont l’historiographie a tour à tour ignoré, délaissé ou, au contraire, mis en relief ladite appellation comme l’espace qu’elle désigne.
Réseaux sociaux catholiques et construction identitaire dans les Pays d’en haut : l’exemple du fort Michilimackinac (1741-1821)
Authors: Pigeon Émilie
Published: March 2018

Cet article explore le rôle clé qu’ont joué les femmes dans la construction de réseaux sociaux catholiques en marge du commerce des fourrures dans les Pays d’en haut entre 1741 et 1821. Nous constatons que le rite du baptême au fort Michilimackinac devint à la fois un outil religieux et économique. En mariant l’histoire sociale aux humanités numériques, nous observons, par l’entremise de graphes, la construction de liens idéologiques et commerciaux au sein de nombreux réseaux sociaux historiques. Nous dépassons la métaphore du réseau en utilisant un logiciel d’analyse de réseaux sociaux (nommévisone) qui permet de voir et de comprendre comment une femme en particulier, Louise Dubois, se servit du catholicisme pour améliorer sa situation sociale dans la région des Grands Lacs. Les femmes autochtones et allochtones devinrent marraines à plusieurs reprises dans les Pays d’en haut. Ce faisant, elles tissèrent des liens stratégiques, se rapprochant des communautés autochtones avoisinantes grâce au baptême, premier sacrement d’initiation à la religion catholique.
Les sentiers battus de l’ethnogenèse métisse au Québec
Authors: Rivard Étienne
Published: March 2018

Avec la reconnaissance en 2003 des droits autochtones de la communauté métisse de Sault-Sainte-Marie, en Ontario, partie intégrante de l’espace francophone historique ontarien, la Cour suprême du Canada a créé une onde de choc ressentie tous azimuts à l’échelle du pays. Non seulement cette décision a-t-elle encouragé la mobilisation métisse et engendré une pléiade de causes juridiques nouvelles, elle a aussi profondément bouleversé l’image du Métis aux yeux des Canadiens – laquelle image collait jusque-là essentiellement aux provinces de la Prairie – et jette ainsi un éclairage nouveau sur les phénomènes culturels et migratoires qui peuplent l’histoire de la francophonie canadienne. Pourtant, cette décision n’est rien d’autre que la reconnaissance juridique de plusieurs décennies de recherche fondamentale en ethnogenèse, un champ d’études justement né du besoin de traiter cette « myopie de la rivière Rouge » qui affectait les études métisses depuis longtemps. À la suite de ce jugement, on assiste toutefois à un changement de situation qui n’est pas sans soulever quelques inquiétudes. Dans les cours de justice, la recherche fondamentale est largement remplacée par une démarche scientifique qui vise avant tout à répondre à ce qu’on appelle maintenant le « test Powley ». La communauté de Sault-Sainte-Marie est en quelque sorte devenue le modèle métis par excellence, faussant ainsi largement la vision de la diversité du fait métis et, avec lui, de la francophonie. C’est sur ces prémisses que s’appuie le regard critique que nous posons ici sur l’intégration récente des études métisses dans l’univers juridique. Nos arguments reposent en bonne partie sur notre expérience en tant que témoin expert pour les intimés dans la causeCorneauau Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
De la périphérie au centre : une problématique pour la reconnaissance des individus anglo-dominants d’héritage francophone
Authors: Gauthier Rachelle
Published: March 2018

Cet article se veut une amorce à la discussion portant sur les individus anglo-dominants d’héritage francophone, ces personnes des « générations perdues » qui souhaitent se réapproprier la langue et la culture de leurs ancêtres. Cette réflexion cherche à présenter les enjeux juridiques et éducatifs entourant ces individus. Elle propose que les communautés francophones en milieu minoritaire fassent preuve d’ouverture envers ce groupe. Les concepts de reconnaissance, d’identité et de langue forment la toile de fond de cette discussion.
Francophonies d’Amérique, acteur important et témoin privilégié de l’évolution de l’étude des francophonies nord-américaines
Authors: Normand Martin
Published: March 2018

Avec le numéro inaugural de Francophonies d’Amérique, son premier directeur, Jules Tessier, souhaitait répondre à un besoin urgent, celui de créer un outil de diffusion du savoir permettant de sortir les francophonies nord-américaines et les chercheurs qui les étudient de leur isolement. Force est d’admettre que cet objectif a été atteint. Mais en posant un regard rétrospectif sur les vingt-cinq dernières années, on peut dire que Francophonies d’Amérique a aussi participé à la légitimation des études sur les francophonies nord-américaines tout en étant le reflet de certains défis qui sont propres à ce champ d’études. La démonstration s’effectue d’abord en faisant un retour sur la notion de champ scientifique et sur son utilité pour rendre compte de la légitimation d’un champ d’étude. Ensuite nous examinons les textes de présentation des numéros signés par les anciens directeurs de la revue et présentons une analyse quantitative des articles scientifiques. Finalement, nous proposons un regard rétrospectif et prospectif sur la revue, sur ses défis et sur son avenir, et proposons quelques idées susceptibles de permettre à la revue de conserver sa pertinence.
The reliability of conditional Granger causality analysis in the time domain
Authors: Franciotti Raffaella , Falasca Nicola Walter
Published: March 2018

Background. Brain function requires a coordinated flow of information among functionally specialized areas. Quantitative methods provide a multitude of metrics to quantify the oscillatory interactions measured by invasive or non-invasive recording techniques. Granger causality (G-causality) has emerged as a useful tool to investigate the directions of information flows, but challenges remain on the ability of G-causality when applying on biological data. In addition it is not clear if G-causality can distinguish between direct and indirect influences and if G-causality reliability was related to the strength of the neural interactions. Methods. In this study time domain G-causality connectivity analysis was performed on simulated electrophysiological signals. A network of 19 nodes was constructed with a designed structure of direct and indirect information flows among nodes, which we referred to as a ground truth structure. G-causality reliability was evaluated on two sets of simulated data while varying one of the following variables: the number of time points in the temporal window, the lags between causally interacting nodes, the connection strength between the links, and the noise. Results. Results showed that the number of time points in the temporal window affects G-causality reliability substantially. A large number of time points could decrease the reliability of the G-causality results, increasing the number of false positive (type I errors). In the presence of stationary signals, G-causality results are reliable showing all true positive links (absence of type II errors), when the underlying structure has the delays between the interacting nodes lower than 100 ms, the connection strength higher to 0.1 time the amplitude of the driver signal and good signal to noise ratio. Finally, indirect links were revealed by G-causality analysis for connection strength higher than the direct link and lags lower than the direct link. Discussion. Conditional multivariate vector autoregressive model was applied to 19 virtual time series to estimate the reliability of the G-causality analysis on the identification of the true positive link, on the presence of spurious links and on the effects of indirect links. Simulated data revealed that weak direct but not weak indirect causal effects could be identified by G-causality analysis. These results demonstrate a good sensitivity and specificity of the conditional G-causality analysis in the time domain when applied on covariance stationary, non-correlated electrophysiological signals.
Health assessment of a marginal reef site in Southeastern Brazil: integrating ecological indicators and anthropogenic pressures to guide management decisions
Authors: Casares Fernanda , Carlos Junior Lélis , Creed Joel Christopher , Oigman-Pszczol Simone Siag
Published: March 2018

Coastal marine ecosystems provide important services yet have been under increased local and global anthropogenic pressures worldwide. Hence, health assessment studies are necessary to guide management actions ensuring biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services. We applied a protocol previously developed by our group for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assess the health of a marginal reef ecosystem at Armação dos Búzios, Southeastern Brazil - a touristic destination that has experienced a rapid urbanization since the last decades. The protocol evaluates temporal trends in Ecological Indicators (diversity, singularity and species substitution) and an Environmental Pressure Index. Quantitative benthic and pressure data obtained for 11 sites in 2000/2001 were used as the baseline and compared to data generated in 2016/2017. Most sites showed a decreased singularity and increased diversity over time. This suggests sites are becoming more homogenous in terms of species composition. Despite some variability among sites, the Environmental Pressure Index exhibited almost the same pattern as ten years ago with the same sites ranked as the least and the most subjected to anthropogenic pressures. Differences among sites were mainly driven by urban development. This study represents an important tool for the ecosystem management of the area.
Spread, circulation and predominance of chikungunya virus East/Central/South African genotype in Northeast and Southeast Brazil
Authors: Freitas André R R , Paulino-Ramírez Robert , Angerami Rodrigo N , Alarcón-Elbal Pedro Mª
Published: March 2018

Two recent researches described the spread of East/Central/South African (ECSA) lineage of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the Northeastern and Southeastern Brazil (Charlys da Costa et al. 2017, Cunha et al. 2017) . Initial studies in Northern Brazil, as observed in Caribbean, identified the Asian as the circulating lineage of the chikungunya. However, da Charlys da Costa et al. and Cunha et al. reported the exclusive occurrence of ECSA in two different Brazilian regions: Northeast as well as in Rio de Janeiro State (Charlys da Costa et al. 2017, Cunha et al. 2017) , suggesting that the ECSA is the predominant lineage in highly populated Brazilian areas. Despite the well-described vector competence of Aedes mosquitoes for CHIKV transmission, Aedes(Stegomyia)albopictus seems to have a greater competence for transmission of ECSA lineage compared to the Asian lineage (Vega-Rúa et al. 2015) , particularly when variable temperatures mimicking daily fluctuations of temperate climate (Vega-Rúa et al. 2015) . This statement is consistent with the fact that A albopictus has not been denounced as a vector of large outbreaks of chikungunya caused by the Asian genotype. This invasive species have capability of cold-tolerant diapausing eggs, it is paramount to establishment in temperate areas (Mitchell 1995) and new regions are invaded each year (Kraemer et al. 2015) . The predominance of the ECSA lineage in Brazil represents a potential risk of CHIKV dispersion to areas where Ae. albopictus has a broader distribution, particularly in temperate climates, including United States and Europe (Kraemer et al. 2015) , territories with intense commercial and touristic relationship with Brazil. Furthermore, the predominance of ECSA in Brazil can contributes to a better comprehension of the current distinct epidemiological scenarios between Caribbean - where explosive epidemics occurred with Aedes(Stegomyia) aegypti and Asian lineage predominated - and Brazil - with an apparent slower dispersion of CHIKV, where Ae.aegypti predominate but ECSA was prevalent linage. Both studies highlighted the importance of virological surveillance for analysis of current epidemiological scenarios and prediction of potential patterns of spreading of arboviral diseases, locally and worldwide.
Using passive acoustics for long-term, continuous measurements of fish biodiversity in estuarine systems
Authors: Caretti Olivia N , Eggleston David B , Bohnenstiehl DelWayne R
Published: March 2018

Assessing the biodiversity of underwater habitats can be challenging; traditional sampling methods do not record all fish species, and are often conducted intermittently. As a result, fish diversity, ecosystem health, and resulting conservation decisions are often inferred through incomplete “snapshots” in time. Passive acoustic recordings can be conducted with high spatiotemporal resolution, and can provide data on species of ecological and economic importance that are missed by traditional sampling. This information is vital to understanding fish behavior, including when and where certain species are spawning, which is key to habitat conservation. We investigated the use of soundscapes as a tool to monitor fish biodiversity on oyster reefs in Pamlico Sound, NC, by coupling soundscape surveys with traditional biodiversity sampling. Fish vocalizations were detected in the soundscape especially at night when traditional biodiversity sampling would not normally occur, and during short periods of activity which may be missed by periodic sampling. In addition, soundscape composition changed over time, and was related to changes in biological community composition. When coupled with traditional biodiversity sampling methods, soundscape monitoring may provide a more complete understanding of spatiotemporal patterns in fish biodiversity and ecosystem health, which will inform future habitat conservation efforts in coastal ecosystems.
Helminth eggs as parasitic indicators of fecal contamination in agricultural irrigation water, biosolids, soils and pastures
Authors: Campos María Claudia , Beltrán Milena , Fuentes Nancy , Moreno Gerardo
Published: March 2018

Introducción. La disposición de las aguas residuales y de los biosólidos provenientes de los sistemas de depuración es una práctica común en la agricultura debido a su alta concentración de nutrientes, lo cual mejora el rendimiento de las cosechas. Sin embargo, la presencia en ellos de microorganismos patógenos de origen fecal genera riesgos sanitarios para los agricultores y los consumidores.Objetivo. Determinar la presencia y la concentración de huevos de helmintos en aguas utilizadas para riego agrícola, así como en biosólidos, suelos y pasto.Materiales y métodos. Se recolectaron y analizaron muestras de agua, biosólidos, suelos y pasto, para la detección y el conteo del total de huevos de helmintos y de huevos viables, y para la evaluación de su comportamiento en aguas utilizadas en el riego agrícola y el cultivo de pasto para ganado lechero en los que se habían utilizado biosólidos como enmienda orgánica.Resultados. En las aguas se encontraron concentraciones totales de 0,1 a 3 huevos de helmintos por litro y de 0,1 a 1 huevos viables de helmintos por litro. En biosólidos y suelos, hubo entre 3 y 22 huevos de helmintos por 4 g de peso seco, y entre 2 y 12 huevos viables por 4 g de peso seco. En los pastos, hubo un número total de menos de 2 a 9 huevos de helmintos por g de peso fresco y menos de 1 a 3 huevos viables por g de peso fresco. La permanencia en cada una de las matrices varió de días a meses, lo cual puede representar un riesgo sanitario para la población que trabaja en los cultivos ypara los consumidores.Conclusiones. La presencia de huevos de helmintos en las matrices evaluadas confirmó el riesgo sanitario de este tipo de entornos, por lo cual es importante su control e inclusión en las normas sobre el uso de aguas residuales y biosólidos en la agricultura.
Ocular Surface Burn – Can it be Cured?
Authors: Jain Rajat , Mohan Neha , Sangwan Virender S.
Published: March 2018

A 9 year old girl presented with decreased vision and whiteness on the cornea 9 months after a chemical injury induced after burst chuna packet. Total unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency was managed by performing single stage simple limbal stem cell transplantation (SLET) combined with large graft penetrating keratoplasty, cataract surgery and posterior chamber intra-ocular lens implantation. She regained 20/80 vision at 3 months. The ocular surface was stable and the cornea was clear. Further visual gain was limited due to anterior capsular opacification and amblyopia. Treatment of unilateral corneal blindness following ocular surface burns, once considered incurable, gives rewarding results. Early visual rehabilitation is essential to prevent amblyopia.
Early Spontaneous Reduction of Subsensory Fluid in A Case of Optic Disc Pit: A Rare Entity
Authors: Mehrotra Navneet , Nagpal Manish , Jain Hardik , Jain Ashish
Published: March 2018

To report a case of spontaneous resolution of a serous macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit, leading to significant visual improvement. A 17 years old male presented to the outpatient department with chief complaints of blurring of vision in the left eye for 13 days, with some improvement in last 3 days. The patient had consulted elsewhere 10 days back and was noted to have a visual acuity of 6/60 in the left eye and was diagnosed to have an Optic disc pit with serous retinal detachment involving the macula. He was advised pars plana vitrectomy with gas tamponade but he preferred to wait for some time. The patient presented to us with improvement of the visual acuity to 6/9 in the left eye. Detailed fundus examination showed a large disc with a pit at the temporal disc margin with serous detachment seen temporal to the fovea. The patient was advised against any intervention and asked for regular follow up.

We report a exhibited spontaneous regression of serous macular detachment in a case of optic disc pit within 13 days with significant improvement in visual acuity in a 17 year old patient.
Sudden Onset Proptosis: Frontal Sinus Mucocele Could Be a Cause
Authors: Salam Jayshree , Kujur Swati , Sachdeo Sushil , Garg M. L.
Published: March 2018

Proptosis is one of the commonest clinical manifestations of orbital pathology. Apart from orbital pathology, paranasal sinus mucocele could be a cause of progressive, unilateral, and gradual onset of proptosis. Herein, we discuss a case of sudden onset of non axial unilateral proptosis with diminution of vision. CECT showed heterogeneous enhancing mass lesions causing expansion and destruction of roof of the left orbit and inferomedial displacement of eyeball. Endoscopic sinus surgery was done under general anaesthesia, followed by reduction in proptosis and normalization of eyeball position
The RING domain of RING Finger 11 (RNF11) protein binds Ubc13 and inhibits formation of polyubiquitin chains
Authors: Budhidarmo Rhesa , Zhu Jingyi , Middleton Adam J. , Day Catherine L.
Published: March 2018

The Really Interesting New Gene (RING) Finger protein 11 (RNF11) is a subunit of the A20 ubiquitin‐editing complex that ensures the transient nature of inflammatory responses. Although the role of RNF11 as a negative regulator of NF‐κB signalling is well‐documented, the molecular mechanisms that underpin this function are poorly understood. Here, we show that RNF11 binds both Ubc13 and the Ubc13~ubiquitin conjugate tightly and with similar affinity, but has minimal E3 ligase activity. Remarkably, RNF11 appears to bind Ubc13 so tightly that it outcompetes the E1 and an active E3 ligase. As a consequence, RNF11 may regulate the activity of E3s that rely on Ubc13 for ubiquitin chain assembly by limiting the availability of Ubc13 and its conjugate.
DNA‐binding properties of MafR, a global regulator of Enterococcus faecalis
Authors: Ruiz‐Cruz Sofía , Moreno‐Blanco Ana , Espinosa Manuel , Bravo Alicia
Published: March 2018

Global transcriptional regulators play key roles during bacterial adaptation to environmental fluctuations. Protein MafR from Enterococcus faecalis was shown to activate the transcription of many genes on a genome‐wide scale. We proposed that MafR is a global regulator of the Mga/AtxA family. Here, we purified an untagged form of the MafR protein and found that it binds to linear double‐stranded DNAs in a nonsequence‐specific manner. Moreover, multiple MafR units (likely dimers) bind sequentially to the DNA molecule generating multimeric complexes. On DNAs that contain the promoter of the mafR gene, MafR recognizes a potentially curved DNA region. We discuss that a characteristic of the Mga/AtxA regulators might be their ability to recognize particular DNA shapes across the bacterial genomes.
The eMLR(C*) Method to Determine Decadal Changes in the Global Ocean Storage of Anthropogenic CO2
Authors: Clement Dominic , Gruber Nicolas
Published: March 2018

The determination of the decadal change in anthropogenic CO2 in the global ocean from repeat hydrographic surveys represents a formidable challenge, which we address here by introducing a seamless new method. This method builds on the extended multiple linear regression (eMLR) approach to identify the anthropogenic CO2 signal, but in order to improve the robustness of this method, we fit C∗ rather than dissolved inorganic carbon and use a probabilistic method for the selection of the predictors. In order to account for the multiyear nature of the surveys, we adjust all C∗ observations of a particular observing period to a common reference year by assuming a transient steady state. We finally use the eMLR models together with global gridded climatological distributions of the predictors to map the estimated change in anthropogenic CO2 to the global ocean. Testing this method with synthetic data generated from a hindcast simulation with an ocean model reveals that the method is able to reconstruct the change in anthropogenic CO2 with only a small global bias (<5%). Within ocean basins, the errors can be larger, mostly driven by changes in ocean circulation. Overall, we conclude from the model that the method has an accuracy of retrieving the column integrated change in anthropogenic CO2 of about ±10% at the scale of whole ocean basins. We expect that this uncertainty needs to be doubled to about ±20% when the change in anthropogenic CO2 is reconstructed from observations.
Assessing Phytoplankton Nutritional Status and Potential Impact of Wet Deposition in Seasonally Oligotrophic Waters of the Mid‐Atlantic Bight
Authors: Sedwick P. N. , Bernhardt P. W. , Mulholland M. R. , Najjar R. G. , Blumen L. M. , Sohst B. M. , Sookhdeo C. , Widner B.
Published: March 2018

To assess phytoplankton nutritional status in seasonally oligotrophic waters of the southern Mid‐Atlantic Bight, and the potential for rain to stimulate primary production in this region during summer, shipboard bioassay experiments were performed using natural seawater and phytoplankton collected north and south of the Gulf Stream. Bioassay treatments comprised iron, nitrate, iron + nitrate, iron + nitrate + phosphate, and rainwater. Phytoplankton growth was inferred from changes in chlorophyll a, inorganic nitrogen, and carbon‐13 uptake, relative to unamended control treatments. Results indicated the greatest growth stimulation by iron + nitrate + phosphate, intermediate growth stimulation by rainwater, modest growth stimulation by nitrate and iron + nitrate, and no growth stimulation by iron. Based on these data and analysis of seawater and atmospheric samples, nitrogen was the proximate limiting nutrient, with a secondary limitation imposed by phosphorus. Our results imply that summer rain events increase new production in these waters by contributing nitrogen and phosphorus, with the availability of the latter setting the upper limit on rain‐stimulated new production.
Snowmelt‐Driven Trade‐Offs Between Early and Late Season Productivity Negatively Impact Forest Carbon Uptake During Drought
Authors: Knowles John F. , Molotch Noah P. , Trujillo Ernesto , Litvak Marcy E.
Published: March 2018

Future projections of declining snowpack and increasing potential evaporation are predicted to advance the timing of snowmelt in mountain ecosystems globally with unknown implications for snowmelt‐driven forest productivity. Accordingly, this study combined satellite‐ and tower‐based observations to investigate the forest productivity response to snowpack and potential evaporation variability between 1989 and 2012 throughout the Southern Rocky Mountain ecoregion, United States. Our results show that early and late season productivity were significantly and inversely related and that future shifts toward earlier and/or reduced snowmelt could decrease snowmelt water use efficiency and thus restrict productivity despite a longer growing season. This was explained by increasing snow aridity, which incorporated evaporative demand and snow water supply, and was modified by summer precipitation to determine total annual productivity. The combination of low snow accumulation and record high potential evaporation in 2012 resulted in the 34 year minimum ecosystem productivity that could be indicative of future conditions.
Regional Climate Sensitivity‐ and Historical‐Based Projections to 2100
Authors: Hébert Raphaël , Lovejoy Shaun
Published: March 2018

Reliable climate projections at the regional scale are needed in order to evaluate climate change impacts and inform policy. We develop an alternative method for projections based on the transient climate sensitivity (TCS), which relies on a linear relationship between the forced temperature response and the strongly increasing anthropogenic forcing. The TCS is evaluated at the regional scale (5° by 5°), and projections are made accordingly to 2100 using the high and low Representative Concentration Pathways emission scenarios. We find that there are large spatial discrepancies between the regional TCS from 5 historical data sets and 32 global climate model (GCM) historical runs and furthermore that the global mean GCM TCS is about 15% too high. Given that the GCM Representative Concentration Pathway scenario runs are mostly linear with respect to their (inadequate) TCS, we conclude that historical methods of regional projection are better suited given that they are directly calibrated on the real world (historical) climate.
Volcanic Thunder From Explosive Eruptions at Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska
Authors: Haney Matthew M. , Van Eaton Alexa R. , Lyons John J. , Kramer Rebecca L. , Fee David , Iezzi Alexandra M.
Published: March 2018

Lightning often occurs during ash‐producing eruptive activity, and its detection is now being used in volcano monitoring for rapid alerts. We report on infrasonic and sonic recordings of the related, but previously undocumented, phenomenon of volcanic thunder. We observe volcanic thunder during the waning stages of two explosive eruptions at Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, on a microphone array located 60 km away. Thunder signals arrive from a different direction than coeruptive infrasound generated at the vent following an eruption on 10 June 2017, consistent with locations from lightning networks. For the 8 March 2017 eruption, arrival times and amplitudes of high‐frequency thunder signals correlate well with the timing and strength of lightning detections. In both cases, the thunder is associated with lightning that continues after significant eruptive activity has ended. Infrasonic and sonic observations of volcanic thunder offer a new avenue for studying electrification processes in volcanic plumes.
The 4D‐var Estimation of North Korean Rocket Exhaust Emissions Into the Ionosphere
Authors: Ssessanga Nicholas , Kim Yong Ha , Choi Byungyu , Chung Jong‐Kyun
Published: March 2018

We have developed a four‐dimensional variation data assimilation technique (4D‐var) and utilized it to reconstruct three‐dimensional images of the ionospheric hole created during Kwangmyongsong‐4 rocket launch. Kwangmyongsong‐4 was launched southward from North Korea Sohae space center (124.7°E, 39.6°N) at 00:30 UT on 7 February 2016. The data assimilated were Global Positioning System total electron content from the South Korean Global Positioning System‐receiver network. Due to lack of publicized information about Kwangmyongsong‐4, the rocket was assumed to inherit its technology from previous launches (Taepodong‐2). The created ionospheric hole was assumed to be made by neutral molecules, water (H2O) and hydrogen (H2), deposited in exhaust plumes. The dispersion model was developed based on advection and diffusion equation, and a simple asymmetric diffusion model assumed. From the analysis, using the adjoint technique, we estimated an ionospheric hole with the largest depletion existing around 6–7 min after launch and gradually recovering within ~30 min. These results are in agreement with temporal total electron content analyses of the same event from previous studies. Furthermore, Kwangmyongsong‐4 second stage exhaust emissions were estimated as 1.9 × 1026 s−1 of which 40% was H2 and the rest H2O.
Source Energy Spectrum of the 17 May 2012 GLE
Authors: Pérez‐Peraza Jorge , Márquez‐Adame Juan C. , Miroshnichenko Leonty , Velasco‐Herrera Victor
Published: March 2018

Among the several GLEs (ground level enhancements) that have presumptuously occurred in the period 2012–2015, the 17 May 2012 is that which is more widely accepted to be a GLE, in view of the high number of high‐latitude neutron monitor stations that have registered it. In spite of the small amplitude, it was more prominent of the predicted GLE's of the present decade (Pérez‐Peraza & Juárez‐Zuñiga, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/27). However, the lack of latitude effect makes it difficult to study the characteristics of this event in the high‐energy extreme of the spectrum. Nevertheless, several outstanding works have been able to derive observational spectra at the top of the Earth atmosphere for this peculiar GLE. Some of these works find that the flow of protons is characterized by two components. Quite a great number of works have been published in relation with observational features obtained with different instrumentation, but the source phenomena, regarding the generation processes and source physical parameters, have not been scrutinized. The main goal of this work is to look at such aspects by means of the confrontation of the different approaches of the observational spectra with our analytical theoretical spectra based on stochastic acceleration and electric field acceleration from reconnection processes. In this way, we derive a set of parameters which characterize the sources of these two GLE components, leading us to propose possible scenarios for the generation of particles in this particular GLE event.