bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Call for Global Responsible Inter-Generational Leadership
Authors: Puaschunder Julia
Published: September 2016

Global systemic risks of climate change, over-indebtedness in the aftermath of the 2008/09 World Financial Crisis and the need for pension reform in the wake of an aging Western world population, currently raise attention for inter-generational fairness. Pressing social dilemmas beyond the control of singular nation states call for corporate social activities to back governmental regulation in crisis mitigation. The following chapter therefore promotes the idea of inter-generational equity in the corporate world to find an inclusive solution comprised by the public and private sectors. In the given literature on global responsible leadership in the corporate sector and contemporary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) models, inter-generational equity appears to have been neglected. While the notion of sustainability has been integrated in CSR models, inter-generational equity has hardly been touched on as for being a more legal case for codifying the triple bottom line. Advocating for integrating inter-generational equity concerns in CSR models in academia and practice holds untapped advantages of economically influential corporate entities, corporate adaptability and independence from voting cycles. Integrating a temporal dimension in contemporary CSR helps imbuing a longer-term perspective into the corporate world alongside advancing tax ethics and global governance crises prevention. Practical implications for the financing of an inter-generational harmonious solution on climate change burden sharing are proposed. Future research avenues comprise of investigating situational factors influencing inter-generational leadership in the international arena in order to advance the idea of corporations tackling the most pressing contemporary challenges of mankind.
Education, Extension, and Training for Climate Change
Authors: Bekele Isaac , Ganpat Wayne G.
Published: September 2016

This chapter details the education, extension, and training interventions that are needed in this changing global climate situation, with a focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS); new content will have to be taught, and innovative education and extension methods will have to be embraced. Actions will be needed at the highest levels of government to build capacity in all sectors and funding will have to match programmes and projects. SIDS are by nature not well-endowed with financial resources, and as such, there will be challenges with the training of teachers and extension staff and the conduct of public education activities. Notwithstanding, creative ways can be developed by governments, community leaders, and all civic-minded persons in SIDS to access such funds and undertake the appropriate actions that are needed to educate and train resource persons in these areas.
Optimization of Natural Gas Liquefaction Process
Authors: Khan Mohd Shariq , Lee Moonyong
Published: September 2016

This chapter provides a brief review of the developments in the optimization of Natural gas (NG) liquefaction techniques since 2001. NG liquefaction is energy intensive and small improvements in liquefaction efficiency brings huge cost benefits thus optimization is needed. To tackle the NG liquefaction optimization problem, two different optimization philosophies, i) deterministic and ii) stochastic, have been adopted. The limitations of the deterministic approach have paved the way for derivative-free stochastic approaches. Although both techniques work well for the reported problem, their application is limited to the specific problems and generalization is quite difficult. Therefore to overcome this problem, a third of the so called knowledge-inspired class have been evolved for NG liquefaction optimization. Thus, this chapter covers the major development that took place in NG liquefaction area and after reviewing the trends future research directions are given.
Flipping the Paradigm of Education
Authors: Russell Donna
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this chapter is to define a prototype for a comprehensive educational program that integrates virtual immersive learning environments into traditional educational settings to develop innovative educational programs. The Future of Learning (FoL) protocol combines an integrative curriculum guide providing educators with thematic modular units of study that are designed based on problem-based learning principles and a FoL learning management system where online learning environments are structured to be integrated into p-12 educational settings and provide a login protected interface for educators and learners to access all the aspects of the FoL protocol including 1) a home page for the educational program linking all aspects of the protocol, 2) a learner home page, 3) a learning analytic system and 4) access to a 3d simulation world. The comprehensive and modular design of the Future of Learning protocol means that it can be integrated in a multitude of p-12 educational programs and define the future of learning.
Media Literacy as a Pathway to Bridge the Digital and STEM Divides
Authors: Smith Lesley K. , Rooney-Varga Juliette N. , Gold Anne U. , Oonk David J. , Morrison Deb
Published: September 2016

One of today's equity challenges is the need to increase media literacy among all students, especially traditionally marginalized students. Media literacy is defined by the way that particular student groups are limited in their engagement with digital resources that promote critical thinking and problem solving. This chapter provides implementation models for seven different types of media projects focused on climate change science that have been successfully piloted with 78 secondary students primarily from impoverished backgrounds. Results show that students' experiences while participating in these projects were transformational. Both the digital and STEM divides were bridged by including science-focus media projects.
Taking Action from Awareness
Authors: Stevenson Carolyn N.
Published: September 2016

Increasing awareness of climate change issues is a critical issue for all individuals in today's society. Environmental education is important to not only creating awareness of these issues, but taking action towards fostering positive change. Pre-university students have a strong voice on environmental issues that needs to be heard. Environmental education programs such as SeaTrust Institute's AWARE (Action Within a Resilient Environment) assist teens in learning about issues that directly impact their communities. AWARE combines environmental education with hands-on experiential learning projects in their communities. This program also connects high school students with other high school and college students enrolled in SeaTrust Institute's Global Internship.
On the Use of Different Presentation Formats in an Exhibit at a Science Center to Communicate Sea Level Rise
Authors: Ramanathan Subramaniam , Feinstein Kenneth
Published: September 2016

This study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the different presentation formats (text, photographs; video and simulations) used in an exhibit at a science center in Singapore to communicate the message of sea level rise, an important manifestation of climate change. Interviews with visitors were used to obtain their views on the exhibit, the influence the message behind the exhibit had on them, and the implications of sea level rise for the tiny island state. The findings suggest that simulations are more effective in communicating abstract phenomena, provided the objectification is rendered effectively.
Climate Change Education through Art and Science Collaborations
Authors: Gough Phillip , Dunn Kate , de Bérigny Caitilin
Published: September 2016

This chapter introduces three arts projects that employ different collaborative methods to promote climate change awareness through community-based environmental education. The artworks provide new access points to climate change information, rather than acting as a representative for the discipline of science. This allows different ways of knowing about climate change through the experience of the artworks. The artworks were created through collaboration between scientists and creative practitioners, such as artists or designers, who has expertise in communicating information to a non-expert audience. The collaboration is aided through the creation of a boundary object, which allows creative practitioners to develop their understanding of the science they are presenting to their audience. The artworks also act as a boundary object between the scientist and the general public, allowing both groups to understand and transform their knowledge about climate change.
Research-Based Climate Change Public Education Programs
Authors: Hartman Mary Beth
Published: September 2016

Despite widespread natural disasters being linked to a warming planet, Americans continue to be a nation divided on climate change-related issues. This division and resulting disengagement stand between the implementation of new and effective policies. There is a critical need to move beyond the gridlocked debate on global warming to a place where decision makers can begin to develop effective strategies to make our communities and future more resilient. An informed and engaged public is necessary to implement change. Utilizing the research behind science communication, opinion leadership, and issue framing, effective public education programs and campaigns can be developed to build public understanding and engagement. This is explored in this chapter.
U.S. Public Support to Climate Change Initiatives?
Authors: Schmeida Mary , McNeal Ramona Sue
Published: September 2016

The Obama Administration Climate Action Plan is enforcing goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2020, regulating both stationary and mobile sources of pollution. As energy-related carbon dioxide emissions account for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, the plan proposed carbon pollution standards for both new and existing plants. Impacts related to upgraded regulations have been projected as both favorable and not, with public and political opinions showing support among some groups and among other interests a concern. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze factors predicting which groups are supportive and non-supportive on setting stricter carbon dioxide emission limits on coal-fired electricity generating power plants. This topic is explored using multivariate regression analysis and individual level data. Findings suggest that comprehension of the policy area and individual financial situation are the most important factors in predicting support for stricter emission limits.
The Place of Concerns for Posterity in the Global Education for Sustainable Development Agenda
Authors: Vladimirova Katia
Published: September 2016

Education is a powerful tool to alter unsustainable values and mindsets. But in order for it to be used most efficiently it is crucial to have a clear understanding of what values should be advanced, changed, or developed. This chapter aims to clarify some conceptual difficulties with the value of future generations in education for sustainable development. Future generations are embedded in the definition of sustainable development and can be reasonably expected to be at the heart of education for sustainable development. This chapter explores this assumption and analyzes how future-oriented concerns are formulated and advanced in the global educational agenda put forward during the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) led by UNESCO. This analysis compares conceptual foundations of ESD against key developments in climate and environmental ethics on the treatment of posterity. This chapter can contribute to the disciplines of environmental education, philosophy of education, and to climate ethics.
Sowing Political Capital and Harvesting Economic Regression
Authors: Matambirofa Francis
Published: September 2016

Since 2000, Zimbabwe has embarked on an unplanned “land reform” referred to as the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). The tumult experienced in its wake has infamously become known as the crisis in Zimbabwe. This chapter dissects and interrogates issues relating to competing variables such as land restorative and redistributive moral considerations, “hypocritical” political expedience, and, related to the latter, indigenous economic empowerment considerations that government used to justify FTLRP. The central hypothesis is that the economic and political crisis that FTLRP spawned was not, strictly speaking, “land reform,” but, by a figure of speech, only some aspirin that was meant to ease people's pain caused by economic and political challenges for which government did not have a solution. Adopting a stance of victim, underdog triumphalism, FTLRP was essentially a mischievous pretext for the ZANU(PF) government to coercively retain political power while sacrificing the economy, which inexorably imploded.
Foreign Land Acquisition
Authors: Ajiboye Olanrewaju E. , Yusuff Olabisi S.
Published: September 2016

Land grabs, a recent phenomena, have been documented to have effects on the activities of the indigenous farmers. This chapter examines the impact of foreign land acquisitions on food security and food chain in Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were adopted. A total number of 250 respondents were included in the quantitative sample, and 20 In-Depth Interviews (IDI) were conducted with opinion leaders. The study found the nexus of interaction between foreign land acquisition, commercialization of agriculture, food security, and food chains in Nigeria. The study recommended that the government should not make the process of land acquisition too cumbersome for interested people or agencies to acquire; the government should make efforts to encourage interested local investors in large-scale farming to allow competition to increase food production as well as to sustain the agricultural sector of the national economy.
Sodium Benzoate, a Food Additive and a Metabolite of Cinnamon, Enriches Regulatory T Cells via STAT6-Mediated Upregulation of TGF-β
Authors: Kundu Madhuchhanda , Mondal Susanta , Roy Avik , Martinson Jeffrey L. , Pahan Kalipada
Published: September 2016

Upregulation and/or maintenance of regulatory T cells (Tregs) during autoimmune insults may have therapeutic efficacy in autoimmune diseases. Earlier we have reported that sodium benzoate (NaB), a metabolite of cinnamon and a Food and Drug Administration–approved drug against urea cycle disorders, upregulates Tregs and protects mice from experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. However, mechanisms by which NaB increases Tregs are poorly understood. Because TGF-β is an important inducer of Tregs, we examined the effect of NaB on the status of TGF-β. In this study, we demonstrated that NaB induced the expression of TGF-β mRNA and protein in normal as well as proteolipid protein–primed splenocytes. The presence of a consensus STAT6 binding site in the promoter of the TGF-β gene, activation of STAT6 in splenocytes by NaB, recruitment of STAT6 to the TGF-β promoter by NaB, and abrogation of NaB-induced expression of TGF-β in splenocytes by small interfering RNA knockdown of STAT6 suggest that NaB induces the expression of TGF-β via activation of STAT6. Furthermore, we demonstrated that blocking of TGF-β by neutralizing Abs abrogated NaB-mediated protection of Tregs and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. These studies identify a new function of NaB in upregulating TGF-β via activation of STAT6, which may be beneficial in MS patients.
Knockdown of RIPK1 Markedly Exacerbates Murine Immune-Mediated Liver Injury through Massive Apoptosis of Hepatocytes, Independent of Necroptosis and Inhibition of NF-κB
Authors: Suda Jo , Dara Lily , Yang Luoluo , Aghajan Mariam , Song Yong , Kaplowitz Neil , Liu Zhang-Xu
Published: September 2016

Receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK)1 has an essential role in the signaling pathways triggered by death receptors through activation of NF-κB and regulation of caspase-dependent apoptosis and RIPK3/mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL)-mediated necroptosis. We examined the effect of RIPK1 antisense knockdown on immune-mediated liver injury in C57BL/6 mice caused by α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), a specific activator for invariant NKT cells. We found that knockdown of RIPK1 markedly exacerbated αGalCer-mediated liver injury and induced lethality. This was associated with increased hepatic inflammation and massive apoptotic death of hepatocytes, as indicated by TUNEL staining and caspase-3 activation. Pretreatment with zVAD.fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor, or neutralizing Abs against TNF, almost completely protected against the exacerbated liver injury and lethality. Primary hepatocytes isolated from RIPK1-knockdown mice were sensitized to TNF-induced cell death that was completely inhibited by adding zVAD.fmk. The exacerbated liver injury was not due to impaired hepatic NF-κB activation in terms of IκBα phosphorylation and degradation in in vivo and in vitro studies. Lack of RIPK1 kinase activity by pretreatment with necrostatin-1, a RIPK1 kinase inhibitor, or in the RIPK1 kinase-dead knock-in (RIPK1D138N) mice did not exacerbate αGalCer-mediated liver injury. Furthermore, RIPK3-knockout and MLKL-knockout mice behaved similarly as wild-type control mice in response to αGalCer, with or without knockdown of RIPK1, excluding a switch to RIPK3/MLKL-mediated necroptosis. Our findings reveal a critical kinase-independent platform role for RIPK1 in protecting against TNF/caspase-dependent apoptosis of hepatocytes in immune-mediated liver injury.
Mechanisms of Invariant NKT Cell Activity in Restraining Bacillus anthracis Systemic Dissemination
Authors: Le Gars Mathieu , Haustant Michel , Klezovich-Bénard Maria , Paget Christophe , Trottein François , Goossens Pierre L. , Tournier Jean-Nicolas
Published: September 2016

Exogenous activation of invariant NKT (iNKT) cells by the superagonist α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) can protect against cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infections. In the current study, we investigated the effect of α-GalCer against Bacillus anthracis infection, the agent of anthrax. Using an experimental model of s.c. B. anthracis infection (an encapsulated nontoxigenic strain), we show that concomitant administration of α-GalCer delayed B. anthracis systemic dissemination and prolonged mouse survival. Depletion of subcapsular sinus CD169-positive macrophages by clodronate-containing liposome was associated with a lack of iNKT cell activation in the draining lymph nodes (dLNs) and prevented the protective effect of α-GalCer on bacterial dissemination out of the dLNs. Production of IFN-γ triggered chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 synthesis and recruitment of neutrophils in the dLNs, leading to the restraint of B. anthracis dissemination. Our data highlight a novel immunological pathway leading to the control of B. anthracis infection, a finding that might lead to improved therapeutics based on iNKT cells.
Treated for psychosis and presenting with prominent speech and language abnormalities: A case report of an adult with a frontal lobe teratoma
Authors: Lippi Gian , Naude Elna
Published: September 2016

We report on a rare case of an adult presenting with psychotic symptoms, including prominent thought form disorder and an aphasia. Further investigation revealed the presence of a mature teratoma in the left frontal lobe, which could have played a pathophysiological role in the development of both the psychosis and the language impairment.
Does ‘heparin-induced thrombocytopenia’ hit our minds?
Authors: Thangavel Arun , Mahajan Shalvi , Hazarika Amarjyoti
Published: September 2016

Unfractionated heparin is a widely used drug to prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli in patients at risk. With the advent of newer anticoagulants having lesser side effects, its use has diminished but not out of service. Here, we report a case of deep venous thrombosis, in a patient on prophylactic dose of heparin, which was later found to be a manifestation of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Thrombosis in the presence of heparin prophylaxis should be considered as HIT rather than a failure of anticoagulation.
Fusarium co-infection in a patient of tubercular meningitis
Authors: Kaur Ravinder , Panda Pragyan
Published: September 2016

Fusarium is a common soil fungus and it can cause serious illness in humans. Fusariosis is usually more invasive and disseminated in immune compromised individuals. We report a rare case of concomitant Fusarium meningitis in a patient with tubercular meningitis.
Disseminating clot burden post- craniotomy: The difficult balancing act of clot versus haemorrhage post-neurosurgery
Authors: Bowcock Emma , Morris Idunn , Lane Stuart
Published: September 2016

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common complication following craniotomy for neoplastic disease. Its occurrence is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality, and balancing the risks for the subsequent development of VTE versus intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) can lead to difficult management decisions for treating clinicians. We present a case of VTE following craniotomy for meningioma complicated by ICH in the presence of a disseminating clot burden that included pulmonary, intra-cardiac and paradoxical arterial embolic sequelae. Management strategies incorporated pharmacological, radiological and surgical methods. We discuss the evidence for VTE prevention and treatment, as well as the role of inferior vena cava filters and thrombectomy. We finally highlight the use of desmopressin as a potential risk factor for VTE, and encourage the need for an individualised approach to peri-operative risk stratification in the neurosurgical intensive care population.
Current Attitudes Toward the ACGME and Its Role: Perspectives of a National Multi-Specialty Panel of Residents and Fellows
Authors: Weida Nicholas , Jardine LCDR Dinchen , Kennedy Benjamin , Beane Amy , Daskivich Timothy
Published: September 2016

Background 

Resident attitudes toward the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) likely influence the ACGME's effectiveness in its role of ensuring compliance with its requirements. Beyond perceptions of duty hour limits and their enforcement, there is a lack of data on resident perceptions of the ACGME and its role.

Objective 

We explored resident attitudes toward the ACGME and developed recommendations for improved outreach to the resident community to improve perceptions.

Methods 

A multi-specialty, nationally representative group of residents and fellows conducted a 3-part structured exercise that (1) described current trainee impressions of the ACGME; (2) evaluated the value of the ACGME engaging residents; and (3) recommended ways to improve communication between the ACGME and residents.

Results 

Most residents are only vaguely familiar with the role of the ACGME and generally have a negative impression regarding ACGME accreditation functions. This contrasts with the attitudes of the residents more closely involved with the ACGME through its Review Committees. There is value in engaging residents in the mission of the ACGME, and outreach efforts across multiple modalities could more closely align ACGME values and resident impressions of the organization and its role.

Conclusions 

A multifaceted effort to engage residents in the mission and goals of the ACGME would augment both ACGME and trainee efforts to improve graduate medical education.
Theories of stagnation in historical perspective
Authors: Backhouse Roger E. , Boianovsky Mauro
Published: September 2016

This article traces some of the historical roots of current debates about secular economic stagnation, involving L. Summers, R. Gordon, and others. We focus on early contributions by Alvin Hansen and John A. Hobson. Although Hansen has been the main influence on the secular stagnation literature, Hobson's suggested link between economic inequality and stagnation is of interest in view of T. Piketty's recent claim about the connection between slower growth and inequality. E. Domar and P. Samuelson, Hansen's students at Harvard, elaborated economic growth and multiplier-accelerator models as follow-ups to Hansen's original treatment. Domar called attention to Hobson's insight about underconsumption, increasing capacity, and deficient aggregate demand. We conclude that the range of positions held today concerning stagnation and inequality is large, as it was earlier in the history of thought.
Aggregate demand, functional finance, and secular stagnation
Authors: Skott Peter
Published: September 2016

This paper makes three main points. Fiscal policy, first, may be needed in the long run to maintain full employment and avoid secular stagnation. If fiscal policy is used in this way, second, the long-run debt ratio depends (i) inversely on the rate of growth, (ii) inversely on government consumption, and (iii) directly on the degree of inequality. The analysis, third, suggests that policies and policy debates have been misguided. The recent rediscovery of ‘secular stagnation’ by Summers and others should be welcomed, but the suggested theoretical redirection is unclear and does not go far enough.
Actividad de rizobacterias de Jatropha curcas contra Fusarium verticillioides y Leptoglossus zonatus
Authors: Hernández-Guerra Hector , Castrejón-Gómez Víctor R. , Velázquez-del Valle Miguel G. , Figueroa-Brito Rodolfo , Castrejón-Ayala Federico , Hernández-Lauzardo Ana N.
Published: September 2016

El centro de origen y domesticación de Jatropha curcas L. es México. Este cultivo puede ser afectado por diversos hongos fitopatógenos y plagas insectiles que disminuyen la calidad de las semillas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la actividad antagonista y entomopatógena de bacterias rizosféricas (Bacillus subtilis, B. mojavensis, B. thuringiensis y Lysinibacillus sphaericus) contra Fusarium verticillioides y Leptoglossus zonatus. La actividad antagonista de las rizobacterias se evaluó contra F. verticillioides mediante la técnica de cultivo dual en papa dextrosa agar. Además, se evaluó el efecto de B. thuringiensis y L. sphaericus en la mortalidad y desarrollo de L. zonatus. Los resultados demostraron que las rizobacterias inhibieron el crecimiento micelial (26 a 55 %) y afectaron la morfología hifal de F. verticillioides con independencia del medio y tiempo de cultivo probados. Los mayores porcentajes de inhibición lo causaron B. mojavensis (40.4 a 54 %), L. sphaericus (39.6 a 55 %) y B. subtilis (38.5 a 50 %). Por otra parte, B. thuringiensis y L. sphaericus no mostraron actividad entomopatógena, pues no afectaron la mortalidad ni el desarrollo de L. zonatus.
Servicios ambientales de los sistemas agroforestales tropicales
Authors: Casanova-Lugo Fernando , Ramírez-Avilés Luis , Parsons David , Caamal-Maldonado Arturo , Piñeiro-Vázquez Angel T. , Díaz-Echeverría Víctor
Published: September 2016

El propósito de esta revisión es discutir el papel de los sistemas agroforestales en la prestación de servicios ambientales, incluyendo producción agrícola más diversificada y sostenible, aumento de reservas de carbono, conservación de la biodiversidad, mejora de la fertilidad del suelo, mitigación de emisiones de metano y calidad del agua y aire. Existe evidencia de que los sistemas agroforestales juegan un papel importante en la prestación de servicios ambientales, ya que aproximadamente 20 % de la población mundial, sobre todo las zonas rurales y urbanas de los países en desarrollo, depende directamente de los productos agroforestales. La adopción de sistemas agroforestales contribuye a reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (dióxido de carbono y metano), disminuye la presión sobre los ecosistemas vulnerables y mejora las condiciones de vida de las comunidades rurales.
Modelos biométricos forestales en Hidalgo, México: estado del arte
Authors: Vásquez-Bautista Nehemías , Zamudio-Sánchez Francisco J. , Alvarado-Segura Arturo A. , Romo-Lozano José Luis
Published: September 2016

Históricamente, el aprovechamiento de los bosques ha sido la principal razón que ha motivado la investigación forestal. La búsqueda de información sobre la captura y contenido de carbono, mediante modelos biométricos y tecnología de sensores remotos, se ha incrementado desde el año 2000. El objetivo de este trabajo fue recopilar, sistematizar y analizar los documentos de difusión científica y tecnológica relacionados con los modelos biométricos usados para el manejo forestal en una región del centro de México (Hidalgo). Se encontraron 32 trabajos de investigación generados de 1976 a 2015 que reportan 289 modelos, entre los que resalta el uso de modelos de crecimiento, volumen, biomasa, carbono, índice de sitio, densidad y mortalidad. Los modelos de crecimiento han sido los más estudiados, mientras que los de biomasa y carbono se han incrementado consistentemente desde 2007. El género Pinus ha sido el más estudiado, en cambio Quercus, prácticamente, no figura en los trabajos. Pese a su importancia económica, cinco especies forestales no cuentan con modelos ajustados: Pinus leiophylla, P. michoacana, P. oocarpa, Cupressus lindleyi y Arbutus xalapensis. Los modelos reportados basan su confiabilidad en criterios estadísticos, pero no se reporta si han logrado satisfacer la demanda de los usuarios finales
Effects of 20–100 nm particles on liquid clouds in the clean
summertime Arctic
Authors: Leaitch W. Richard , Korolev Alexei , Aliabadi Amir A. , Burkart Julia , Willis Megan D. , Abbatt Jonathan P. D. , Bozem Heiko , Hoor Peter , Köllner Franziska , Schneider Johannes , Herber Andreas , Konrad Christian , Brauner Ralf
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Observations addressing effects of aerosol particles on summertime Arctic clouds are limited. An airborne study, carried out during July 2014 from Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada, as part of the Canadian NETCARE project, provides a comprehensive in situ look into some effects of aerosol particles on liquid clouds in the clean environment of the Arctic summer. Median cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC) from 62 cloud samples are 10 cm−3 for low-altitude cloud (clouds topped below 200 m) and 101 cm−3 for higher-altitude cloud (clouds based above 200 m). The lower activation size of aerosol particles is  ≤  50 nm diameter in about 40 % of the cases. Particles as small as 20 nm activated in the higher-altitude clouds consistent with higher supersaturations (S) for those clouds inferred from comparison of the CDNC with cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) measurements. Over 60 % of the low-altitude cloud samples fall into the CCN-limited regime of Mauritsen et al. (2011), within which increases in CDNC may increase liquid water and warm the surface. These first observations of that CCN-limited regime indicate a positive association of the liquid water content (LWC) and CDNC, but no association of either the CDNC or LWC with aerosol variations. Above the Mauritsen limit, where aerosol indirect cooling may result, changes in particles with diameters from 20 to 100 nm exert a relatively strong influence on the CDNC. Within this exceedingly clean environment, as defined by low carbon monoxide and low concentrations of larger particles, the background CDNC are estimated to range between 16 and 160 cm−3, where higher values are due to activation of particles  ≤  50 nm that likely derive from natural sources. These observations offer the first wide-ranging reference for the aerosol cloud albedo effect in the summertime Arctic.
Emission-dominated gas exchange of elemental mercury vapor over natural
surfaces in China
Authors: Wang Xun , Lin Che-Jen , Yuan Wei , Sommar Jonas , Zhu Wei , Feng Xinbin
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Mercury (Hg) emission from natural surfaces plays an important role in global Hg cycling. The present estimate of global natural emission has large uncertainty and remains unverified against field data, particularly for terrestrial surfaces. In this study, a mechanistic model is developed for estimating the emission of elemental mercury vapor (Hg0) from natural surfaces in China. The development implements recent advancements in the understanding of air–soil and air–foliage exchange of Hg0 and redox chemistry in soil and on surfaces, incorporates the effects of soil characteristics and land use changes by agricultural activities, and is examined through a systematic set of sensitivity simulations. Using the model, the net exchange of Hg0 between the atmosphere and natural surfaces of mainland China is estimated to be 465.1 Mg yr−1, including 565.5 Mg yr−1 from soil surfaces, 9.0 Mg yr−1 from water bodies, and −100.4 Mg yr−1 from vegetation. The air–surface exchange is strongly dependent on the land use and meteorology, with 9 % of net emission from forest ecosystems; 50 % from shrubland, savanna, and grassland; 33 % from cropland; and 8 % from other land uses. Given the large agricultural land area in China, farming activities play an important role on the air–surface exchange over farmland. Particularly, rice field shift from a net sink (3.3 Mg uptake) during April–October (rice planting) to a net source when the farmland is not flooded (November–March). Summing up the emission from each land use, more than half of the total emission occurs in summer (51 %), followed by spring (28 %), autumn (13 %), and winter (8 %). Model verification is accomplished using observational data of air–soil/air–water fluxes and Hg deposition through litterfall for forest ecosystems in China and Monte Carlo simulations. In contrast to the earlier estimate by Shetty et al. (2008) that reported large emission from vegetative surfaces using an evapotranspiration approach, the estimate in this study shows natural emissions are primarily from grassland and dry cropland. Such an emission pattern may alter the current understanding of Hg emission outflow from China as reported by Lin et al. (2010b) because a substantial natural Hg emission occurs in West China.
Drought in a human-modified world: reframing drought definitions,
understanding, and analysis approaches
Authors: Van Loon Anne F. , Stahl Kerstin , Di Baldassarre Giuliano , Clark Julian , Rangecroft Sally , Wanders Niko , Gleeson Tom , Van Dijk Albert I. J. M. , Tallaksen Lena M. , Hannaford Jamie , Uijlenhoet Remko , Teuling Adriaan J. , Hannah David M. , Sheffield Justin , Svoboda Mark , Verbeiren Boud , Wagener Thorsten , Van Lanen Henny A. J.
Published: September 2016

Abstract. In the current human-modified world, or Anthropocene, the state of water stores and fluxes has become dependent on human as well as natural processes. Water deficits (or droughts) are the result of a complex interaction between meteorological anomalies, land surface processes, and human inflows, outflows, and storage changes. Our current inability to adequately analyse and manage drought in many places points to gaps in our understanding and to inadequate data and tools. The Anthropocene requires a new framework for drought definitions and research. Drought definitions need to be revisited to explicitly include human processes driving and modifying soil moisture drought and hydrological drought development. We give recommendations for robust drought definitions to clarify timescales of drought and prevent confusion with related terms such as water scarcity and overexploitation. Additionally, our understanding and analysis of drought need to move from single driver to multiple drivers and from uni-directional to multi-directional. We identify research gaps and propose analysis approaches on (1) drivers, (2) modifiers, (3) impacts, (4) feedbacks, and (5) changing the baseline of drought in the Anthropocene. The most pressing research questions are related to the attribution of drought to its causes, to linking drought impacts to drought characteristics, and to societal adaptation and responses to drought. Example questions include (i) What are the dominant drivers of drought in different parts of the world? (ii) How do human modifications of drought enhance or alleviate drought severity? (iii) How do impacts of drought depend on the physical characteristics of drought vs. the vulnerability of people or the environment? (iv) To what extent are physical and human drought processes coupled, and can feedback loops be identified and altered to lessen or mitigate drought? (v) How should we adapt our drought analysis to accommodate changes in the normal situation (i.e. what are considered normal or reference conditions) over time? Answering these questions requires exploration of qualitative and quantitative data as well as mixed modelling approaches. The challenges related to drought research and management in the Anthropocene are not unique to drought, but do require urgent attention. We give recommendations drawn from the fields of flood research, ecology, water management, and water resources studies. The framework presented here provides a holistic view on drought in the Anthropocene, which will help improve management strategies for mitigating the severity and reducing the impacts of droughts in future.
Shift of annual water balance in the Budyko space for catchments with
groundwater-dependent evapotranspiration
Authors: Wang Xu-Sheng , Zhou Yangxiao
Published: September 2016

Abstract. The Budyko framework represents the general relationship between the evapotranspiration ratio (F) and the aridity index (φ) for the mean annual steady-state water balance at the catchment scale. It is interesting to investigate whether this standard F − φ space can also be applied to capture the shift of annual water balance in catchments with varying dryness. Previous studies have made significant progress in incorporating the storage effect into the Budyko framework for the non-steady conditions, whereas the role of groundwater-dependent evapotranspiration was not investigated. This study investigates how groundwater-dependent evapotranspiration causes the shift of the annual water balance in the standard Budyko space. A widely used monthly hydrological model, the ABCD model, is modified to incorporate groundwater-dependent evapotranspiration into the zone with a shallow water table and delayed groundwater recharge into the zone with a deep water table. This model is applied in six catchments in the Erdos Plateau, China, to estimate the actual annual evapotranspiration. Results show that the variations in the annual F value with the aridity index do not satisfy the standard Budyko formulas. The shift of the annual water balance in the standard Budyko space is a combination of the Budyko-type response in the deep groundwater zone and the quasi-energy limited condition in the shallow groundwater zone. Excess evapotranspiration (F > 1) could occur in dry years, which is contributed by the significant supply of groundwater for evapotranspiration. Use of groundwater for irrigation can increase the frequency of the F > 1 cases.
Seasonal variability of the Ekman transport and pumping in the upwelling
system off central-northern Chile (∼  30° S) based on a
high-resolution atmospheric regional model (WRF)
Authors: Bravo Luis , Ramos Marcel , Astudillo Orlando , Dewitte Boris , Goubanova Katerina
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Two physical mechanisms can contribute to coastal upwelling in eastern boundary current systems: offshore Ekman transport due to the predominant alongshore wind stress and Ekman pumping due to the cyclonic wind stress curl, mainly caused by the abrupt decrease in wind stress (drop-off) in a cross-shore band of 100 km. This wind drop-off is thought to be an ubiquitous feature in coastal upwelling systems and to regulate the relative contribution of both mechanisms. It has been poorly studied along the central-northern Chile region because of the lack in wind measurements along the shoreline and of the relatively low resolution of the available atmospheric reanalysis. Here, the seasonal variability in Ekman transport, Ekman pumping and their relative contribution to total upwelling along the central-northern Chile region (∼  30° S) is evaluated from a high-resolution atmospheric model simulation. As a first step, the simulation is validated from satellite observations, which indicates a realistic representation of the spatial and temporal variability of the wind along the coast by the model. The model outputs are then used to document the fine-scale structures in the wind stress and wind curl in relation to the topographic features along the coast (headlands and embayments). Both wind stress and wind curl had a clear seasonal variability with annual and semiannual components. Alongshore wind stress maximum peak occurred in spring, second increase was in fall and minimum in winter. When a threshold of −3  ×  10−5 s−1 for the across-shore gradient of alongshore wind was considered to define the region from which the winds decrease toward the coast, the wind drop-off length scale varied between 8 and 45 km. The relative contribution of the coastal divergence and Ekman pumping to the vertical transport along the coast, considering the estimated wind drop-off length, indicated meridional alternation between both mechanisms, modulated by orography and the intricate coastline. Roughly, coastal divergence predominated in areas with low orography and headlands. Ekman pumping was higher in regions with high orography and the presence of embayments along the coast. In the study region, the vertical transport induced by coastal divergence and Ekman pumping represented 60 and 40 % of the total upwelling transport, respectively. The potential role of Ekman pumping on the spatial structure of sea surface temperature is also discussed.
Soil bacterial community and functional shifts in response to altered snowpack in moist acidic tundra of northern Alaska
Authors: Ricketts Michael P. , Poretsky Rachel S. , Welker Jeffrey M. , Gonzalez-Meler Miquel A.
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Soil microbial communities play a central role in the cycling of carbon (C) in Arctic tundra ecosystems, which contain a large portion of the global C pool. Climate change predictions for Arctic regions include increased temperature and precipitation (i.e. more snow), resulting in increased winter soil insulation, increased soil temperature and moisture, and shifting plant community composition. We utilized an 18-year snow fence study site designed to examine the effects of increased winter precipitation on Arctic tundra soil bacterial communities within the context of expected ecosystem response to climate change. Soil was collected from three pre-established treatment zones representing varying degrees of snow accumulation, where deep snow  ∼ 100 % and intermediate snow  ∼ 50 % increased snowpack relative to the control, and low snow ∼ 25 % decreased snowpack relative to the control. Soil physical properties (temperature, moisture, active layer thaw depth) were measured, and samples were analysed for C concentration, nitrogen (N) concentration, and pH. Soil microbial community DNA was extracted and the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced to reveal phylogenetic community differences between samples and determine how soil bacterial communities might respond (structurally and functionally) to changes in winter precipitation and soil chemistry. We analysed relative abundance changes of the six most abundant phyla (ranging from 82 to 96 % of total detected phyla per sample) and found four (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Chloroflexi) responded to deepened snow. All six phyla correlated with at least one of the soil chemical properties (% C, % N, C : N, pH); however, a single predictor was not identified, suggesting that each bacterial phylum responds differently to soil characteristics. Overall, bacterial community structure (beta diversity) was found to be associated with snow accumulation treatment and all soil chemical properties. Bacterial functional potential was inferred using ancestral state reconstruction to approximate functional gene abundance, revealing a decreased abundance of genes required for soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition in the organic layers of the deep snow accumulation zones. These results suggest that predicted climate change scenarios may result in altered soil bacterial community structure and function, and indicate a reduction in decomposition potential, alleviated temperature limitations on extracellular enzymatic efficiency, or both. The fate of stored C in Arctic soils ultimately depends on the balance between these mechanisms.
Toxicity of Zinc Dissolved In Saigon River to the Tropical Micro-Crustacean Daphnia Lumholtzi
Authors: Dao Thanh-Son , Tran Le-Thanh-Tuyen , Vo Thi-My-Chi , Bui Ba-Trung
Published: September 2016

In this study we evaluated the responses of the tropical micro-crustacean, Daphnia lumholtzi, to zinc (Zn). For a more environmentally realistic assessment on the Zn toxicity, water sample collected from Saigon River was used as medium for the daphnids and Zn was spiked into field water for exposures. River water was physically and chemically measured and analyzed, and the sufficient water quality was confirmed prior to be used for the acute and chronic experiments. Metal concentrations in the test water were determined with an inductively coupled plasma/ mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). In the acute test implementation, Zn concentrations were from 67 – 360 µg/L. In the chronic experiments, the animals were incubated in control (filtered field water only) or filtered field water added with Zn (28, 46, and 75 µg/L) over the period of 14 days. The life history traits of daphnids including the survival, maturation, reproduction were daily observed. The results showed that the value of median lethal concentrations (48h-LC50) was 136 µg Zn/L (95% CI = 107 – 165 µg Zn/L). Chronic exposures revealed that Zn caused the survival reduction, delayed maturity age and reproduction decrease. Our study suggested D. lumholtzi as a very good freshwater aquatic zooplankton for assessment on the toxicity of metals in tropics. Besides, the Vietnam guideline values regarding Zn should be re-considered and adjusted for the aquatic ecological protection.
Outsourcing or Giving all Out? Experience from Tanzania Local Government Revenue Collection
Authors: Mrutu Lukio , Mganga Pendo
Published: September 2016

Outsourcing revenue collection in Local Government Authorities  has been adopted as a mechanism to solve the previous problems of revenue collection which resulted into loss and missmanagement of the whole process. One of the expectations was to increase revenue collection which will  provide a room for fiscal autonomy. However, experience from few local government authorities which have outsourced their revenue collection shows that, the whole process of outsourcing has not yielded the expected outcome especially on enabling local authorities to have fiscal autonomy instead it has turned to benefit the private agent who collect Tax. By using secondary data this paper attempts to show how the process of outsourcing is benefiting the private agent and therefore it is like giving everything out. It concludes that, though outsourcing seems to benefit local authorities by reducing some tasks especially on tax collection, outsorcing benefits much a private agent and therefore quick meausures should be adopted including building the capacity of Local Authorities in identifying the sources of revenue and  in estimating the actual collections so as to have clear picture of how much will be generated by the agent and what should be the appropriate amount to be submitted to the Local authority.