bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In-situ appraisal of near-bed and water-column particle transport on MBES backscatter
Authors: Montereale-Gavazzi G , De Bisschop J , Roche M , Degrendele K , Baeye M , Francken F , Van Lancker V
Published: September 2017

Within the European legislation and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the substrate composition is the backbone of many environmental indicators. To assess its type and extent, seabed mapping by multibeam echosounding (MBES) is increasingly used.
Nonetheless, to monitor the environmental status of the seafloor, evaluations are needed on the precision, sensitivities and repeatability of the acoustic observations; taking into account the factors other than those exclusively related to the seabed that may influence the MBES backscatter (BS)
level from one survey to another. This is especially the case for MBES BS since its decibel values' ranges, being a proxy of seabed type, depend on a range of instrumental and environmental parameters that need quantification before individual data products can be compared from one survey to
another, even at small spatio-temporal scales. Results relate to assessing the effect of tide-related phenomena, including suspended particulate matter concentration (SPMC) and near-bed sediment load on MBES BS of the seabed. During a 13h tidal cycle MBES BS was collected in combination with
oceanographic data using a benthic lander equipped with sensors such as current and turbidity meters a particle-sizer and sediment traps. Overall, a difference of over 3 dB (across all incidence angles 0-75°) and around 2dB (for the oblique incidence angles 30-50°) was found over the tidal
cycle which is significantly higher than the acceptable 1 dB variability given by the manufacturer. Most striking was the more reflective character of MBES BS during slack tide and near the peak currents at high flood water, whilst the signal was more absorbed during peak ebb phase. Slack conditions
may be associated with flocculation, leading to increased reflectivity, whilst the MBES BS reflective character at peak flood currents may be due to higher SPMC. On the other hand, increased absorption during the ebb phase is related to the increased SPMC concentrations in the near-bed. Whilst the
deciphering of the driving hydro-meteorological forces is still on-going, it is clear that the observed variation in decibel range needs accounting for when evaluating changes in MBES BS in a monitoring context (e.g., MSFD related). This will be most critical in areas with high sediment dynamics.
Ideally, synchronous measurements of MBES BS and water column properties are conducted and appropriate correcting factors established.
Mapping of ecological functions on the Flemish Cap (northwest Atlantic)
Authors: Nurillo F J , Kenchington E , Bouchard Marmen M , Koen-Alonso M , Sacau M , Duran Muñoz P
Published: September 2017

Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries (EAF) are seen as essential for sustaining fish stocks and fisheries over the long-term, and require the integration of ecosystem components, typically through multivariate and multifunction analyses. Large scale functional maps
showing the distribution of organisms with particular biological traits (e.g., deposit feeders, filter feeders, biogenic engineers, carbon sequesters, etc.) can provide a detailed spatial framework for incorporating benthic ecosystem function into an ecosystem services framework.
Building on this experience, here we propose that combining biological traits analyses (BTA) with seabed mapping can be used to identify areas according to dominant ecological function, which can provide a detailed spatial framework for considering ecosystem services within the overall EAF.
Furthermore, identification of the environmental determinants for each function could allow evaluating responses of the function to fishing and future climate change.
Based on the epibenthic invertebrate fauna from a bottom trawl research survey targeting groundfish in the Flemish Cap area (northwest Atlantic), functional maps with particular biological traits have been elaborated. The different ecological functions or ecosystem services represented on these maps
can be used, for example, to identify areas where biogenic process could represent an important regulator and driver of overall benthic productivity versus areas where physical factors may be more relevant for driving overall benthic production or they can help to identify areas where ecosystem
changes may have happened. These types of maps can be incorporated into the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Roadmap as part of the assessment of ecosystem sustainability to achieve an EAF.
An indirect approach to classify backscatter data for soft bottom habitat mapping
Authors: Pazzini A , Proietti R , Agnesi S , Annunziatellis A , Nicoletti L
Published: September 2017

The availability of wide area habitat maps is a key aspect for several marine assessment scenarios. The development of innovative, quick and low cost methods to produce such maps is therefore crucial to overcome the actual knowledge gap. Multibeam echosounder
(MBES) backscatter data acquisition is largely used to collect geophysical data which are then post processed versus in situ data (sediment and/or biological samples) to classify the acoustic response (hereafter direct method). However, many parameters as roughness, porosity, presence of gas seeps,
etc. strongly affect the results. In fact, a number of recent works highlight that the availability of backscatter and sediment data is not sufficient to evaluate the relationship between acoustic response and seabed substratum (De Falco et al., 2010; Ferrini and Flood, 2006; Goff et al., 2000;
Sutherland et al., 2007). This is particularly true in big areas, which are often characterized by wide depth range and heterogeneous substrata and where in situ data can be insufficient. In order to exceed these critical aspects in backscatter data elaboration, a new procedure (indirect method) is
presented in this work. The proposed classification method can be synthetized as follows: (1) MBES backscatter data cleaning and homogenization, (2) identification of "disturbed" areas (i.e. trawled areas, dredging areas, etc.), (3) MBES backscatter data clustering with identification of a high
number of acoustic facies (a multiple of the sediment classes recorded by in situ samples), (4) association of different acoustic facies to a specific sampled sediment class.
This procedure was tested in a study area located in the North Latium coast in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. This area extends 30 square kilometres with a depth range between 40 and 100 metres, mainly characterized by soft bottom.
The application of the proposed method classifies six groups of acoustic facies allowing adequate control of the difference in backscatter response (i.e. due to attenuation with depth). Furthermore, this method provides encouraging results also in areas with a very low number of in situ samples.
The comparison between direct and indirect methods confirms the usefulness of this approach for the identification of soft bottom habitats in wide areas.
The influence of the scale of enquiry and estimated biological parameters on the biological signal obtained from underwater video data
Authors: Pearman T R R , Bates A , Robert K , Callaway A , Lo Iacono C , Hall R , Huvenne V A
I
Published: September 2017

Accurate spatial representation of communities and species diversity is integral to elucidating factors that drive spatial structure and habitat distributions. Spatial structure results from the complex interplay of species responses to environmental drivers and
spatial autocorrelation generated by community dynamics. These processes act over multiple scales. However, the scales at which datasets are obtained for benthic studies are often constrained by technological capabilities, rather than reflecting scales at which phenomena are suspected to operate.
Studies of benthic assemblages have demonstrated that the biological parameters chosen and scale of enquiry can influence the patterns obtained. Submarine canyons are heterogeneous environments characterised by high species turn over, where few species are shared between patches. Consequently,
canyon settings could be more susceptible to these methodological biases.
This study utilised ROV video data from the Whittard Canyon, collected during the JC125 expedition funded by the ERC CODEMAP project (Starting Grant no 258482) and the NERC MAREMAP programme. Video analysis was conducted to identify, enumerate and georeference mega benthos utilising OFOP 3.3.7a
software. Transect data was subdivided into segments of different lengths within which species records were consolidated and diversity parameters estimated. The subsequent patterns in diversity produced by different segmentation lengths and diversity parameters were compared to assess 1) if the
scale of enquiry and biological parameters estimated affect the spatial patterns of diversity obtained from ROV video data and 2) which parameters are most appropriate for representing the biological structure within heterogeneous canyon settings.
The results from this study will feed into conceptual models for subsequent predictive habitat modelling within the canyon.
Evaluating nearshore mapping capabilities of an autonomous kayak
Authors: Pilegard T , Dohner S , Trembanis A
Published: September 2017

Deep drafted survey vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles, and expensive aerial LiDAR surveys have limitations when conducting bathymetric surveys in the nearshore, shallow, turbid conditions. These limitations are overcome with lightweight, shallow drafted
autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs).
Here, an autonomous kayak is tested as a practical, nearshore bathymetric survey platform, particularly in response to storm events. The accuracy and functionality of the autopilot aboard the kayak was evaluated, and the preliminary results show the on-track variability to be within 10% of the
error of the autopilot's GPS. The autonomy of the system allows for repeatable and comparable data sets over the same area.
A storm in January 2017 allowed for a storm response survey in which the kayak was deployed three days before and six days after a storm event occurred at Broadkill Beach, Sussex County, DE. These surveys further proved the viability of such a platform for not only nearshore coastal surveys but
storm response bathymetric surveys as well.
The quality of bathymetric and side-scan data recorded by two different single beam echo sounder/side-scan units have also been compared and evaluated, allowing for a cost-benefit analysis of the platform's payload. The preliminary budget for the kayak platform, including a single beam echo
sounder/side-scan unit is relatively inexpensive at $3000. Based upon the early results of accuracy, cost, and modularity of this system, it is a viable platform for nearshore bathymetric surveying.
How to homogeneously map adjacent backscatter datasets at regional scale - a case study from the southern Adriatic Sea (Italy)
Authors: Prampolini M , Foglini F , Angeletti L , Campiani E , Grande V , Mercorella A
Published: September 2017

Benthic habitat mapping is a field of marine research highly developed in a small time-span. Classification of backscatter data constitutes a key approach, and one of the most widespread approaches, for seabed and benthic habitat mapping and a large number of
methodologies are described in literature. The first method used is the visual interpretation of backscatter imagery, but it is subjective and time-consuming. Then, taking inspiration from the terrestrial remote sensing, automatic classifications have been developed based both on signal (e.g. ARA)
and/or image analysis (e.g. TexAn, Principal Component Analysis, Neural Network). Image analysis is the most applied approach, both for supervised and unsupervised classification because it describes large-scale organizations of seafloor substrate and benthic habitats better than backscatter signal
analysis. However, any type of image segmentation based on pixels as units of analysis may lead to some disadvantages such as noisy results, uni-scale approach, texture considerations, context and shape and, finally, pixels are not true geographical objects. For this reason Object-Based Image
Analysis (OBIA) is getting more and more success since it is devoted to segment the backscatter image in "meaningful image objects" and should be able to overcome the differences among backscatter datasets acquired with different instruments.
In the last ten years, a large amount of high resolution bathymetry, backscatter data and seafloor samples have been acquired in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Italy), a physiographically complex basin hosting a variety of benthic habitats. The latter constitutes an ideal laboratory for integrated
methodologies aiming at habitat mapping at different scales, in different seafloor settings and including heterogeneous datasets. The most challenging aspect of benthic habitat mapping is given by the necessity to produce an integrated map that could unify different datasets, showing comparable
results. Within this framework, we present the classification of the backscatter data of some key areas of the Adriatic seafloor: we chose to apply the OBIA classification since it could be the most suitable approach in order to overcome the differences in backscatter intensity and imagery due the
use of different devices.
Correlating high-resolution multibeam sonar backscatter with benthic sediment grain-size distributions to aid numerical modeling in the Mississippi Bight
Authors: Quas L , Church I , O'Brien S J , Wiggert J D
Published: September 2017

Multibeam acoustic backscatter intensity data can serve as a proxy for the composition and distribution of surficial seabed sediments, but without calibration and realistic seabed models there can be uncertainty in the analysis. Mosaics of the acoustic response
of the seabed normalized to a fixed grazing angle provide an indication of spatial variations in seabed scattering and, therefore, an estimate of general grain-size distributions. These characteristics, along with multibeam bathymetry and sediment ground truth, can be used to inform numerical model
development, like the high resolution biogeochemical/lower trophic level synthesis model being developed as part of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative's (GoMRI) CONsortium for oil spill exposure pathways in COastal River-Dominated Ecosystems (CONCORDE) project.
One of the necessary model inputs is bottom sediment characterization that influences local sediment transport and resuspension. To obtain this input parameter, a Teledyne Reson SeaBat 7125 SV2 multibeam sonar was operated to collect seafloor acoustic backscatter data. Surficial sediment cores and
grain-size analyses were performed at select locations along the CONCORDE observational corridors to constrain the backscatter data, produce acoustically- derived sediment distribution maps, and provide sediment type input parameters for the biogeochemical model. The numerical model simulations are
used to assess sediment transport in the river-dominated, coastal environment of the Mississippi Bight region on hourly to daily timescales. The sediment distribution corridor maps developed as part of this project will further our understanding of the benthic and demersal ecosystems within the
Mississippi Bight.
Distinguishing between two canopy-forming kelp species (Macrocystis sp. and Nereocystis sp.) on the central coast of British Columbia using object-based image analysis with WorldView-2 pansharpened imagery
Authors: Reshitnyk L Y , Rubidge E M
Published: September 2017

Canopy-forming kelp, which include giant kelp (Macrocystis integrifolia) and bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) have been identified as ecologically significant species on the coast of British Columbia (BC). Giant kelp and bull kelp provide crucial habitat for
multiple fish and invertebrate species, and they play a key role in nearshore nutrient and flow regimes. The spatial distribution of both kelp species is a crucial and currently missing input for marine protected area network planning and long-term ecological research.
An ongoing collaboration between the Hakai Institute, based on the Central Coast of BC, and the Pacific Region of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, seeks to examine the application of satellite imagery for mapping kelp extent on the BC coast. A primary objective of this research is to determine whether
object-based image analysis (OBIA) could be used to differentiate and delineate the extent of both giant and bull kelp using high resolution satellite imagery.
A subset of pansharpened WorldView-2 imagery (0.5 m resolution) was selected for a region (McMullin Island group) on the Central Coast of BC where both species are known to be present. Knowledge of the region is extended via available field data and local ecological knowledge. While bull kelp and
giant kelp have very similar spectral signatures (both are brown algae), they have very different morphologies. These morphological differences indicate that texture analysis would be best for species differentiation. Using recursive feature elimination, image feature variables (both spectral and
textural) showed high differentiation between species. These variables were used as inputs for OBIA using eCognition software to test four scales of image segmentation and three different image classifiers.
The results of our study demonstrate high classification accuracy for mapping bull and giant kelp. We obtained user's and producer's accuracies greater than 90% for both kelp species using a random forest classifier. We also observed an effect of the scale of image segmentation on the results of
the classifications. Overall, these methods and results demonstrate a first and novel instance of the application of OBIA for mapping multiple co-occurring species of canopy-forming kelp. Future research will include examining the effects of tide height and geographical location as well as
developing methods for modelling kelp biomass.
Insights from the PharmaDEEP Expedition to the South Shetland Trench in the sub-Antarctic
Authors: Stewart H A , Jamieson A J
Published: September 2017

The PharmaDeep Expedition was a EUROFLEETS2 funded project that combined traditional marine biological and geological exploration with the search for new bacterial 'extremophile' communities in the quest for the next generation of pharmaceuticals.
The South Shetland Trench, located near the Antarctic Peninsula, is one of the few cryogenic, deep-sea trenches in the world. The Expedition aimed to collect marine organisms from deep-and-cold-water habitats which may prove valuable pharmaceutical potential; to perform the first known biological
and geological survey of the South Shetland Trench; and to compare the fauna and drivers controlling their distribution to other trench ecosystems.
Between the 13th and 29th December 2015, 14 researchers from a range of disciplines sailed on the Spanish research vessel BIO Hesperides. The operational scientific days allocated to the project totaled 6 days during which time 4 baited lander deployments, 8 gravity core sites, 2 multi-cores, 3 beam
trawls, 10 zooplankton hauls and 19 phytoplankton hauls were conducted. Additionally, 3148 km2 of multibeam echosounder data and around 600 line kilometres of Topas sub-bottom data were acquired covering part the southern flank and trench floor of the study area.
Although the expedition objectives were met, this was not without its challenges, including permitting, a shortage of bunks, weather, sampling troubles, an inordinate number of icebergs and Christmas.
We will present some of the technical and logistical challenges encountered working in this remote environment and summarize some of the key findings from the expedition.
Novel method to predict hypoxia in shallow, complex archipelagoes
Authors: Virtanen E , Norkko A , Viitasalo M
Published: September 2017

Hypoxia is a common phenomenon in marine areas characterized by strong water stratification and high organic production. These conditions are common in archipelagoes and estuaries around the world, especially in semi-enclosed marine areas, such as the Baltic Sea,
the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
In complex archipelagoes, restricted water exchange is one of the main reasons for hypoxia. We tested if hypoxia can be predicted through a limited number of simple topographical features in the marine landscape. We modelled the potential for hypoxic bottoms and hypoxic-prone areas in the northern
Baltic Sea, in a complex Finnish archipelago. Hypoxia was largely explained by enclosed topography and limited wave-force.
The modelling results show that large part of the variation of oxygen can be predicted without any knowledge of oceanographic parameters, temperature development, nutrient loading, biological communities, or biogeochemical processes in the sediment. Our model was validated with benthos samples with
good results, matching with areas with poor bottom-fauna diversity. Our approach shows that areas prone to hypoxia can be identified by using simple topographic information. The method can also be used to assess where hypoxia is naturally occurring and where it is human-induced, and the potential
for occurring in the future if environment resulting in hypoxia changes. Information can be used for deciding where eutrophication mitigation actions should be placed in a cost-effective way.
Seabed mapping: critical needs and potential application in China offshore
Authors: Yin P , Cao K , Liu J Q , Ye S Y
Published: September 2017

China has an 18,000 km continental coastline, more than 6500 islands and the marginal seas have wide continental shelves. In addition, large rivers such as the Yellow River, Yangtze River and Pearl River, and other small rivers, discharge around 1.39x109 tons of
suspended sediment into the China Sea making the coast and continental shelf a prime fishery and host a variety of ecosystems.
Anthropogenic impacts, including through fishing activities, have dramatically changed the Chinese coastal and offshore ecosystem in the last 50 years. Trawlers used in offshore benthic fishing, affect the seabed surface and as a result the recovery of the benthic ecosystem is under threat. It is
estimated that sea-grass coverage has decreased by over half, the dominant benthic species has changed and biomass has decreased even though the biodiversity has stayed relatively stable. China has setup sixty-nine state marine natural reserves and forty-five marine special reserves during the past
thirty years and most of them focus on the ecosystem protection. Artificial reefs were deployed to help the rehabilitation of benthic biomass near the coast and islands, although the practices need further assessment for better implementation in the future.
The China Geological Survey is conducting a coastal and offshore mapping program intended to support the development of coastal and offshore resources and environment protection, including ecosystem assessment and recovery. Seabed mapping combining geological and biological methodologies should be
taken into account, especially in those areas with intensive anthropogenic activities, such as fishing, land reclamation, and coastal and seabed engineering projects. The East China Sea coast and offshore areas are a key study area for geological and biological seabed mapping, and also face the
challenge of high turbidity of sediments in the water column. Suitable seabed mapping tools and technologies need to be selected and implemented in the offshore mapping project. The interpretation and knowledge transfer to society beyond geology should also be implemented in the
future.
Significance of finding benign endometrial cells in women 40–45 versus 46 years or older on Papanicolaou tests and histologic follow-up
Authors: Colletti Shanna M. , Tranesh Ghassan A. , Nassar Aziza
Published: September 2017

Background:

The 2014 Bethesda System recommends reporting the finding of benign-appearing, exfoliated endometrial cells on Papanicolaou (Pap) tests in women aged 45 years and older. We aimed to determine the significance of normal endometrial cells on liquid-based Pap tests in women aged 40 years and older and to correlate this finding with clinical factors and cytologic/histologic follow-up.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively identified all women aged 40 years and older who had benign endometrial cells (BECs) on Pap tests at our institution during a 6-year period. Histologic follow-up and outcomes were evaluated.

Results:

Among 18,850 Pap tests during the study period, 255 (1.4%) had findings of BECs and 159 (62.4%) of these women had follow-up Pap tests or subsequent tissue sampling by surgical procedures. Of the 159 cases, only 4 (2.5%) had significant endometrial pathologic processes, all endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma (three women had postmenopausal bleeding and 1 was perimenopausal with menorrhagia). No women between ages 40 and 45 years had significant pathologic findings and only one woman between 46 and 50 years (47 years) had an endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (1.5%). Women older than 47 years have higher odds (5.38) of having a significant endometrial lesion (P = 0.029) than those who are ≤47.

Conclusion:

Clinically significant endometrial lesions occurred predominantly in women older than 50 years (4.6%) and in only one woman between ages 46 and 50 years (1.5%). Therefore, endometrial sampling should be performed in women aged 47 years and older with BECs, especially when additional clinical indicators (e.g., postmenopausal bleeding) are recognized.
CT-guided radiofrequency ablation in osteoid osteoma: Result from a tertiary cancer centre in India
Authors: Kulkarni Suyash S , Shetty Nitin S , Polnaya Ashwin M , Janu Amit , Kumar Suresh , Puri Ajay , Gulia Ashish , Rangarajan Venkatesh
Published: September 2017

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation as a minimally invasive therapy for osteoid osteoma. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data of 43 symptomatic osteoid osteoma patients who were treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Forty out of 43 patients were naive cases and underwent primary treatment for osteoid osteoma with RFA, whereas 3 patients included in the study underwent RFA for local recurrence after having undergone surgical treatment. Diagnosis was based on clinical and characteristic imaging findings, and biopsy was done for cases with atypical presentation. Pre and post procedure Visual Analog Score (VAS) was documented in all cases. Monopolar RFA system was used in all patients, and the electrode was placed within the lesion nidus under CT guidance coaxially through 11G introducer needle. Ablation was performed at 90° C for 5 min. Results: Technical success rate of intranidal placement of electrode was 100%. The primary clinical success in our study was 97.7% (42 of 43), and the secondary clinical success was 100%.Pre and postprocedure VAS score in our study group was 7.8 and 0.4, respectively. Mean follow-up period in our study was 48 months (Range: 4–129 months).One patient had recurrence of pain 4 years after treatment and was treated successfully by a second session. Minor complications were seen in 3 patients with two cases of RF pad burns and one case of skin burn at the treatment site, and these were managed conservatively. No patients developed temporary/permanent neurological deficits, and no procedure-related mortality was seen in our study. Conclusion: CT-guided percutaneous RFA is a simple, safe, minimally invasive, and highly effective treatment option for osteoid osteoma with good long-term pain control and potentially low disease recurrence.
Prenatal diagnosis of nail patella syndrome: A case report
Authors: Padmanabhan L D , Yesodharan D , Nampoothiri S
Published: September 2017

The Nail Patella Syndrome (NPS) is an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder affecting the nails, skeletal system, kidneys and eyes. Here, we report a case of NPS detected at 19 weeks of gestation. The movements of the elbow and knee joints were restricted and there was rotational deformity of the knee joints. To our knowledge, this is the first report of in-utero restriction of limb movements in a fetus with NPS.
A note on the Lichnerowicz vanishing theorem for proper actions
Authors: Zhang Weiping
Published: September 2017

We prove a Lichnerowicz type vanishing theorem for non-compact spin manifolds admiting proper cocompact actions. This extends a previous result of Ziran Liu who proves it for the case where the acting group is unimodular.
Variability of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Lesions Is Not Associated with Genetic Diversity of Leishmania tropica in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan
Authors: Khan Nazma Habib , Llewellyn Martin S. , Schönian Gabriele , Sutherland Colin J.
Published: September 2017

Leishmania tropica is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan. Here, intraspecific diversity of L. tropica from northern Pakistan was investigated using multilocus microsatellite typing. Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were typed in 34 recently collected L. tropica isolates from Pakistan along with 158 archival strains of diverse Afro-Eurasian origins. Previously published profiles for 145 strains of L. tropica originating from different regions of Africa, Central Asia, Iran, and Middle East were included for comparison. Six consistently well-supported genetic groups were resolved: 1) Asia, 2) Morroco A, 3) Namibia and Kenya A, 4) Kenya B/Tunisia and Galilee, 5) Morocco B, and 6) Middle East. Strains from northern Pakistan were assigned to Asian cluster except for three that were placed in a geographically distant genetic group; Morocco A. Lesion variability among these Pakistani strains was not associated with specific L. tropica genetic profile. Pakistani strains showed little genetic differentiation from strains of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria (FST = 0.00–0.06); displayed evidence of modest genetic flow with India (FST = 0.14). Furthermore, genetic structuring within these isolates was not geographically defined. Pak–Afghan cluster was in significant linkage disequilibrium (IA = 1.43), had low genetic diversity, and displayed comparatively higher heterozygosity (FIS = −0.62). Patterns of genetic diversity observed suggest dominance of a minimally diverse clonal lineage within northern Pakistan. This is surprising as a wide clinical spectrum was observed in patients, suggesting the importance of host and other factors. Further genotyping studies of L. tropica isolates displaying different clinical phenotypes are required to validate this potentially important observation.
Identification of Risk Factors of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis by using Classification Tree Method
Authors: Tan Dixin , Wang Bin , Li Xuhui , Cai Xiaonan , Zhang Dandan , Li Mengyu , Tang Cong , Yan Yaqiong , Yu Songlin , Chu Qian , Xu Yihua
Published: September 2017

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a major public health problem. We tried to apply the classification tree model in building and evaluating a risk prediction model for MDR-TB. In this case–control study, 74 newly diagnosed MDR-TB patients served as the case group, and 95 patients without TB from the same medical institution served as the control group. The classification tree model was built using Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detectormethod and evaluated by income diagram, index map, risk statistic, and the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Four explanatory variables (history of exposure to TB patients, family with financial difficulties, history of other chronic respiratory diseases, and history of smoking) were included in the prediction model. The risk statistic of misclassification probability of the model was 0.160, and the area under ROC curve was 0.838 (P < 0.01). These suggest that the classification tree model works well for predicting MDR-TB. Classification tree model can not only predict the risk of MDR-TB effectively but also can reveal the interactions among variables.
Increased Mortality in Seasonal H3N2 Patients Compared with those with Pandemic 2009 H1N1 in Taiwan, 2009–2010
Authors: Huang Shi-Yu , Huang Wen-Chi , Chen Yi-Chun , Tsai Ching-Yen , Lee Ing-Kit
Published: September 2017

We conducted a retrospective study to compare clinical and laboratory findings between 1) severe influenza A and mild influenza A and 2) pandemic 2009 H1N1 (pdm09 A/H1) and seasonal H3N2 (A/H3) from 2009 to 2010. A total of 526 (mean age, 13.6 years; 447 pdm09 A/H1, 79 seasonal A/H3) patients were included, 41 (7.8%) with severe influenza (mean age, 28.1 years; 26 pdm09 A/H1, 15 seasonal A/H3). Influenza-associated complications were pneumonia (75.6%), meningoencephalitis (14.6%), acute kidney injury (14.6%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (12.2%). Patients with seasonal A/H3 were significantly less likely to experience sore throat (P < 0.001), malaise (P < 0.001), and muscle pain (P < 0.001); they were significantly more likely to have hypertension (P < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.001), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P < 0.001), delayed hospital presentation (P = 0.001), delayed oseltamivir treatment (P < 0.001), and higher in-hospital mortality (P = 0.02) than patients with pdm09 A/H1. Further comparison between severe pdm09 A/H1 and severe seasonal A/H3 revealed that severe seasonal A/H3 patients (median age, 71 years) were significantly older than patients with severe pdm09 A/H1 (median age, 7 years) (P < 0.001). Comparison between severe influenza and mild influenza, regardless of influenza A subtypes, by multivariate analysis, found that tachypnea (odds ratio [OR] = 44.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 15.7–124.6) and delayed oseltamivir therapy ≧ 48 hours after illness onset (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.3–10.5) were independent risk factors for severe influenza. The findings of this study will improve the understanding of the clinical differences between pdm09 A/H1 and seasonal A/H3, and of influenza-associated complications and predictors for severe outcomes that can help to direct clinicians toward the most effective management of influenza patients to reduce the preventable mortality and morbidity.
Strategies to Improve Management of Acute Watery Diarrhea during a Military Deployment: A Cost Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Schrader Andrew J. , Tribble David R. , Riddle Mark S.
Published: September 2017

To inform policy and decision makers, a cost-effectiveness model was developed to predict the cost-effectiveness of implementing two hypothetical management strategies separately and concurrently on the mitigation of deployment-associated travelers’ diarrhea (TD) burden. The first management strategy aimed to increase the likelihood that a deployed service member with TD will seek medical care earlier in the disease course compared with current patterns; the second strategy aimed to optimize provider treatment practices through the implementation of a Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline. Outcome measures selected to compare management strategies were duty days lost averted (DDL-averted) and a cost effectiveness ratio (CER) of cost per DDL-averted (USD/DDL-averted). Increasing health care and by seeking it more often and earlier in the disease course as a stand-alone management strategy produced more DDL (worse) than the base case (up to 8,898 DDL-gained per year) at an increased cost to the Department of Defense (CER $193). Increasing provider use of an optimal evidence-based treatment algorithm through Clinical Practice Guidelines prevented 5,299 DDL per year with overall cost savings (CER −$74). A combination of both strategies produced the greatest gain in DDL-averted (6,887) with a modest cost increase (CER $118). The application of this model demonstrates that changes in TD management during deployment can be implemented to reduce DDL with likely favorable impacts on mission capability and individual health readiness. The hypothetical combination strategy evaluated prevents the most DDL compared with current practice and is associated with a modest cost increase.
Hair Mercury Level is Associated with Anemia and Micronutrient Status in Children Living Near Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon
Authors: Weinhouse Caren , Ortiz Ernesto J. , Berky Axel J. , Bullins Paige , Hare-Grogg John , Rogers Laura , Morales Ana-Maria , Hsu-Kim Heileen , Pan William K.
Published: September 2017

Anemia has been widely studied in global health contexts because of severe nutritional deficiency, and more recently, inflammatory status, but chemical exposures are rarely considered. Until recently, “anemia” was used synonymously with “iron deficiency anemia (IDA)” in global health settings. However, only 50% of anemia cases worldwide are IDA. Environmental toxicology studies of anemia risk have generally focused on populations in developed countries, albeit with high exposure to environmental toxicants, such as lead or cadmium. In the developing world, toxicant exposures commonly coexist with other risk factors for anemia. In particular, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) communities are at risk for dietary methylmercury exposure through contaminated fish consumption, and for anemia due to food insecurity and infectious and chronic diseases. Here, we report analysis of total hair mercury content, hemoglobin, and serum micronutrient levels in children < 12 years of age (N = 83) near ASGM in the Peruvian Amazon. Forty-nine percent (N = 29/59) of those aged < 5 years were anemic (< 11 g/dL) and 52% (N = 12/23) of those aged 5–11 years (< 11.5 g/dL). Few children were stunted, wasted, or micronutrient deficient. Median total hair mercury was 1.18 μg/g (range: 0.06–9.70 μg/g). We found an inverse association between total mercury and hemoglobin (β = −0.12 g/dL, P = 0.06) that persisted (β = −0.14 g/dL, P = 0.04) after adjusting for age, sex, anthropometrics, and vitamin B12 in multivariate regression. This study provides preliminary evidence that methylmercury exposure is associated with anemia, which is especially relevant to children living near ASGM.
A High Burden of Asymptomatic Gastrointestinal Infections in Traditional Communities in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Horwood Paul F. , Soli Kevin W. , Maure Tobias , Naito Yuichi I. , Morita Ayako , Natsuhara Kazumi , Tadokoro Kiyoshi , Baba Jun , Odani Shingo , Tomitsuka Eriko , Igai Katsura , Larkins Jo-Ann , Siba Peter M. , Pomat William , McBryde Emma S. , Umezaki Masahiro , Greenhill Andrew R.
Published: September 2017

Stool samples were collected from 148 healthy adults living a traditional subsistence lifestyle in Papua New Guinea and screened for enteric pathogens using real-time RT-PCR/PCR assays. Enteric pathogens were detected in a high proportion (41%) of individuals. Clear differences were observed in the detection of pathogens between highland and lowland communities. In particular, there was a marked difference in detection rates of norovirus GII (20% and 0%, respectively) and Shigella sp. (15% and 0%, respectively). Analysis of the relationship between enteric pathogen carriage and microbial community composition of participants, using box plots to compare specific normal flora population numbers, did not suggest that gut microbial composition was directly associated with pathogen carriage. This study suggests that enteric pathogens are common in healthy individuals in Papua New Guinean highland communities, presumably acting as a reservoir of infection and thus contributing to a high burden of gastrointestinal illnesses.
Comparison of Platforms for Testing Antibody Responses against the Chlamydia trachomatis Antigen Pgp3
Authors: Gwyn Sarah , Cooley Gretchen , Goodhew Brook , Kohlhoff Stephan , Banniettis Natalie , Wiegand Ryan , Martin Diana L.
Published: September 2017

Antibody responses to Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) antigens may be useful tools for surveillance of trachoma by estimating cumulative prevalence of infection within a population. Data were compared from three different platforms—multiplex bead array (MBA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lateral flow assay (LFA)—measuring antibody responses against the CT antigen protein plasmid gene product 3 (Pgp3). Sensitivity was defined as the proportion of specimens testing antibody positive from a set of dried blood spots from Tanzanian 1–9-year olds who were positive for CT nucleic acid of all nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-positive individuals (N = 103). The sensitivity of the LFA could not be determined because of the use of dried blood spots for this test; this specimen type has yet to be adapted to LFA. Specificity was defined as the proportion of sera from U.S. and Bolivian 1–9-year olds that had previously tested negative by the Chlamydia microimmunofluorescence (MIF) assay testing negative to Pgp3-specific antibodies (N = 154). The sensitivity for MBA and ELISA was the same—93.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.3–98.1). Specificity ranged across platforms from 96.1 (95% CI: 91.8–98.2) to 99.4% (95% CI: 98.2–100). ELISA performance was similar regardless of whether the plates were precoated or freshly coated with antigen. Sensitivity and specificity of control panels were similar if the cutoff was determined using receiver operator curves or a finite mixture model, but the cutoffs themselves differed by approximately 0.5 OD using the different methodologies. These platforms show good sensitivity and specificity and show good agreement between tests at a population level, but indicate variability for ELISA outcomes depending on the cutoff determination methodology.
Case Report: Histoplasmosis in Himachal Pradesh (India): An Emerging Endemic Focus
Authors: Mahajan Vikram K. , Raina Rashmi Kaul , Singh Suman , Rashpa Rattan Sagar , Sood Anuradha , Chauhan Pushpinder S. , Mehta Karaninder S. , Rawat Ritu , Sharma Vikas
Published: September 2017

We describe four cases of histoplasmosis indigenous to Himachal Pradesh (India) that will be of considerable public health interest. A 48-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative man with cervical and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, adrenal mass, and bone marrow involvement was treated as disseminated tuberculosis without benefit. Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis was diagnosed from the fungus in smears from adrenal mass. Another 37-year-old HIV-positive man was on treatment of suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. He developed numerous erythema nodosum leprosum-like mucocutanous lesions accompanied by fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, and weight loss. Pulmonary histoplasmosis with cutaneous dissemination was diagnosed when skin lesions showed the fungus in smears, histopathology, and mycologic culture. Both were successfully treated with amphotericin B/itraconazole. Third patient, a 46-year-old HIV-negative man, had oropharyngeal lesions, cervical lymphadenopathy, intermittent fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and deteriorating general health. Progressive disseminated oropharyngeal histoplasmosis was diagnosed from the fungus in smears and mycologic cultures from oropharyngeal lesions and cervical lymph node aspirates. He died despite initiating treatment with oral itraconazole. Another 32-year-old man 3 months after roadside trauma developed a large ulcer with exuberant granulation tissue over left thigh without evidence of immunosuppression/systemic involvement. He was treated successfully with surgical excision of ulcer under amphotericin B/itraconazole coverage as primary cutaneous histoplasmosis confirmed pathologically and mycologically. A clinical suspicion remains paramount for early diagnosis of histoplasmosis particularly in a nonendemic area. Most importantly, with such diverse clinical presentation and therapeutic outcome selection of an appropriate and customized treatment schedule is a discretion the treating clinicians need to make.
Making the incommensurable comparable: a comparative approach to pluralist economics education
Authors: Dimmelmeier Andreas , Heussner Frederick , Pürckhauer Andrea , Urban Janina
Published: September 2017

Demands for pluralism in economics education have been widespread in recent years. As change in the universities is slow and piecemeal, we present a comparative approach to economics which builds the intellectual basis for the online learning platform Exploring Economics (www.exploring-economics.org). This approach is committed to a vision of theoretical and methodological pluralism and is grounded in concepts derived from biology, the history of economic thought, the philosophy of science and international political economy. We find central categories in which the ten schools of economic thought selected show meta-theoretical patterns which may not only serve as a guide to economics education but may also be relevant for economics research.
Fashion Buying
Authors: Shaw David , Koumbis Dimitri
Published: September 2017

Fashion Buying: From Trend Forecasting to Shop Floor uniquely looks at what fashion buying entails in terms of the activities, processes and people involved – from the perspective of the fashion buyer. It breaks down the five key areas of buying activity for those wishing to pursue a career in the industry; crucially exploring the role of the fashion buyer, sources of buying inspiration, sourcing and communication, merchandise planning, and trends in fashion buying.

The book features insightful interviews with successful fashion creatives alongside business case studies, putting the contents of each chapter into professional context and perspective. Exercises and activities also enable you to apply your knowledge of the subject as you work through the book. Fully illustrated with inspiring imagery, Fashion Buying is an invaluable go-to handbook for fashion design, marketing, buying and merchandising students, written by industry experts.
The use of social media for campus safety
Authors: Haupt, MEd Brittany , Kapucu, PhD Naim , Morgan, MA Jeffrey
Published: September 2017

As public safety communication evolved, each disaster or emergency presented unique challenges for emergency managers and others response to disasters. Yet, a foundational focus is the timely dissemination of accurate information to keep communities informed and able to prepare, mitigate, respond, and recover. For the campus community, the increase in bomb threats, active shooter incidents, and geographic-based natural disasters call for the discovery of reliable and cost-effective solutions for emergency information management. Social media is becoming a critical asset in this endeavor. This article examines the evolution of public safety communication, the unique setting of the campus community, and social media's role in campus disaster resilience. In addition, an exploratory study was done to better understand the perception of social media use for public safety within the campus community. The findings provide practical recommendations for campus emergency management professions; however, future research is needed to provide specific, actionable ways to achieve these goals as well as understand how diverse universities utilize a variety of platforms.