bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and Rice Production: A Case Study in Ekiti State, Niger
Authors: Olanrewaju R. M. , Tilakasiri S. L. , Oso C.
Published: May 2017

The paper explores the climate effect of rice produce in Ekiti State Nigeria. Climate data was obtained from the archive of the Nigerian Meteorological Station, Oshodi, Nigeria. The Rice data was obtained from Ekiti State Agricultural Development Project (A.D.P) The climatic parameters are rainfall amount, rainfall frequency, maximum and minimum temperature while rice yield data include land devoted to rice cultivation, rice production and yield. The data covered the period of 5yrs between 2007 and 2011. The climate data were grouped based on the rice cropping calendar of the study area into the pre-planting (Feb), the planting season (March-mid April), the period of growth (mid April- July) and the period of harvest. The data were summarized using statistical tool of mean, Correlation and regression were used to find the strength of relationship while the most critical climatic variable(s) for rice was identified using factor analysis. The result showed that increase in land devoted to rice did not bring corresponding increase in rice yield. Increase in rainfall amount and frequency during the period shortly before planting and during planting seems to be very important for rice yield. Minimum temperature correlates highly with yield during the period of planting. Mild positive relationship exists between yield and temperatures (maximum and minimum). Temperature is most critical during harvest as both maximum and minimum temperature exhibited a high positive relationship of 0.82 and 0.66 respectively.
Biocidal and Antinemic Properties of Aqueous Extracts of Ageratum and Coccinia Against Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne Incognita In Vitro
Authors: Asif Mohd , Tariq Moh , Khan Khan , Siddiqui Mansoor A.
Published: May 2017

Plants are the one of the glorious and fascinating source of natural biopesticides. The present investigation was carried out for pytochemical analysis and to assess the nematicidal and nematostatic potential of aqueous extract of some plant parts viz., Ageratum conyzoides and Coccinia grandis against hatching and nematicidal behavior of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita in vitro conditions. The second stage juveniles (J2) were exposed at 24, 48 and 72 hours in different concentration (S, S/2, S/10, and S/100) of plant extracts. During in vitro condition inhibition of egg hatchability and J2 juveniles’ mortality varied according to the concentration of plant extract. The extract of Ageratum conyzoides leaves and stem exhibited highly promising mortality (98-100%) after 72 hours of exposure periods while the plant extract of C. grandis leaves and fruit showed minimum mortality (56-60%) after 24 hours of exposure periods. There was a gradual decrease in egghatching with an increase in the concentration of aqueous extract of plants. A. conyzoides leaves and stem extract elucidating most effectiveness in reducing egghatching and increase in mortality of J2 juveniles of M. incognita. Concentration of the extract was directly proportional to the mortality of second stage juveniles and inversely proportional to the egghatching. Phytochemical analysis in various solvent of different polarity such as ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform, petroleum and water marked the impressive outcome of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, protein, amines, glycosides, carbohydrate, steroids, mucilage, gums, terpenoids and phlobatannins in the plant extracts. The aqueous extract of Ageratum conyzoides showed maximum egg inhibition and J2 juvenile mortality due to the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloid, tannins, phenol, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, carbohydrate, protein, mucilage/gum and phlobatannins while Coccinia grandis showed minimum egg inhibition and juvenile mortality.
Can cyanobacteria infect underground water sources? Evidence from a small scale monitoring of natural mineral water drinking source
Authors: Gkelis Spyros , Vlamis Aristidis
Published: May 2017

The expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms is of worldwide concern as they have increased globally in frequency and intensity in recent decades. A cyanobacterial colony was found in a bottle of natural mineral water of a small water company in July 2012, which led to a further examination for a period of five months (July-November 2012) of both the bottled filtered water and the originating groundwater source (N. Greece) for the occurrence of Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria occurrence was monitored by microscopy and cyanospecific 16S rDNA amplification; potentially toxic species occurrence was screened by mcyA gene (known to take part in the MC-biosynthetic gene cluster) amplification. The highest abundance of cyanobacterial cells without the simultaneous presence of the mcyA gene, was measured in July, in contrast to October when the presence of cyanobacteria was only identified by tracing cyanospecific 16S rDNA and the mcyA gene region in the underground water source. The results of this small scale monitoring program indicate the potential existence of an emerging danger for human health in a relatively manageable product such as the bottled natural mineral water.
Assessment of cyanoprokaryote blooms and of cyanotoxins in Bulgaria in a 15-years period (2000-2015)
Authors: Stoyneva-Gärtner Maya P. , Descy Jean-Pierre , Latli Adrien , Uzunov Blagoy A. , Pavlova Vera T. , Bratanova Zlatka , Babica Pavel , Maršálek Blahoslav , Meriluoto Jussi , Spoof Lisa
Published: May 2017

The scientific and public awareness of hazardous photosynthetic prokaryotes (cyanobacteria/cyanoprokaryotes) and especially the contamination of drinking-water reservoirs with cyanotoxins is world-wide increasing. Recently much more attention has been paid to the events and results of mass proliferation of these toxic organisms even in South-East European countries in spite of the fact that, as a rule, they are not controlled by national legislation.The present paper presents a summary of results of such studies carried out in summer-autumn periods of the last 15 years (2000-2015) in Bulgarian water bodies differing by location, morphometry and trophic status, incl. drinking water reservoirs, recreational lakes and sites of nature conservation importance. A multivariate analysis allowed to outline the distribution patterns and environmental drivers of the planktonic cyanoprokaryote assemblages in relation with the available data on the water bodies, highlighting species composition and abundance of the main taxa, including potentially toxic species. Samples analysis by HPLC-DAD and/or LC/MS, ELISA and in vitro cytotoxicity tests allowed detection of microcystins, nodularins and saxitoxins. Toxin concentration ranged between 0.1 and 26.5 µg L-1 in water samples and between 10.9 and 1070 µg g-1 (d.w.) in concentrated (net) samples. Despite the fact that microcystins were not found in all studied water bodies and that the recorded levels were still lower in comparison with some other European countries, the fact that cyanotoxins were detected in 16 water bodies (incl. 3 drinking water reservoirs) could serve as an alert for the need of recognition of cyanotoxins as a new health risk factor in the country. Therefore, permanent monitoring with identification of toxins in water bodies at risk and activities for limitation and control of toxic blooms are urgently needed, in combination with increase of the attention to the effects of cyanotoxins on both human health and health of aquatic ecosystems in Bulgaria.
Monitoring a newly re-born patient: water quality and cyanotoxin occurrence in a reconstructed shallow Mediterranean lake
Authors: Gkelis Spyros , Panou Manthos , Chronis Ioannis , Zervou Sevasti-Kiriaki , Christophoridis Christophoros , Manolidi Korina , Ntislidou Chrysoula , Triantis Theodoros M. , Kaloudis Triantafyllos , Hiskia Anastasia , Kagalou Ifigenia , Lazaridou Maria
Published: May 2017

Lake Karla (Central Greece) is a unique example - at European scale - of a shallow lake ecosystem that was dried in the 1960s and in 2009 started to be restored. The lake is listed in the network of the Greek protected areas as it is considered a vital aquatic ecosystem, in terms of biodiversity. It has, however, already been adversely affected by both agricultural and industrial land uses in the surrounding area, leading to eutrophication and shifting algal community towards bloom-forming toxic cyanobacterial species. After repeated heavy-blooms, cyanotoxin occurrence and mass fish kills, the local ecosystem management authority has implemented a water quality monitoring program (July 2013 - July 2015) to assess environmental pressures and the response of aquatic biota in the lake. Microscopic, immunological, and molecular techniques combined with physico-chemical parameters, complemented by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), were used to monitor cyanobacteria blooms and the associated cyanotoxin production from three different sites in Lake Karla and from the adjacent Kalamaki Reservoir. Water quality was also assessed by the structure of benthic invertebrate community on the sediment. Cyanobacteria were the main phytoplankton component, representing more than 70% of the total phytoplankton abundance; dominant taxa belonged to Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Limnothrix redekei, Anabaenopsis elenkinii, and Microcystis spp. Euglenophytes (Euglena), diatoms (Nitzschia), and chlorophytes (Scenedesmus) were also important phytoplankton constituents. LC-MS/MS confirmed the co-occurrence of microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxin, neo-saxitoxin and anatoxin-a. The occurrence of cyanotoxins in relation to the persistent and dominant cyanobacteria and the impact of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms on the newly constructed lake along with the land uses and the emergent mitigation measures are discussed.
Cyanobacterial dynamics and toxins concentrations in Lake Alto Flumendosa, Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Stefanelli Mara , Scardala Simona , Cabras Piera Angela , Orrù Andrea , Vichi Susanna , Testai Emanuela , Funari Enzo , Manganelli Maura
Published: May 2017

Seasonal blooms of cyanobacteria (CB) are a typical feature of Lake Alto Flumendosa (Sardinia, Italy). The waters of this lake are used for drinking water supply, for agricultural and industrial uses, and fish farming activities. Since cyanotoxins are not monitored in edible organisms, diet could be a relevant route of human exposure. CB also represent a threat for the health of wild and domestic animals that use lake water for beverage. Therefore, to characterize the CB community and assess the risk for human and animal population, CB dynamic, mcyB+ fraction, and microcystins (MCs) concentration have been followed monthly for 18 months, in three stations. Results confirmed the presence of several toxigenic species. Planktothrix rubescens dominated between August 2011 and April 2012 (3.5×106 cells L-1), alternating with Woronichinia naegeliana (8×106 cells L-1) and Microcystis botrys (9×105 cells L-1). Dolichospermum planctonicum was always present at low densities (104 cells L-1). MCs were detected, at values well below the 1 µg L-1 threshold of WHO for drinking water. The molecular analysis of mcyB gene for P. rubescens indicated the presence of a persistent toxic population (average 0.45 mcyB/16S rDNA). Highly significant linear regressions were found between P. rubescens and the sum of the demethylated MC variants, and between M. botrys and the sum of MC-LR and MC-LA, also when co-occurring, suggesting that these two species were responsible for different MC patterns production. The regression lines indicated a quite stable MC cell quota. However, in some spotted samples very different values were obtained for both MC concentrations and cell quota (from 10-fold lower to 30-40-fold higher than the ‘average’) showing an unexpected significant variability in the rate of toxin production. The relatively low cell densities during the monitoring period is consistent with the low-to absent MC contamination level found in trout muscle; however, the analytical method was affected by low recovery, probably due to MC-protein binding. Our results show that, during the study period, no risk of exposure for the human and animal population occurred. However, the persistence of a complex CB community characterised by a significant toxic fraction suggests the need for periodic monitoring activity. Particularly, the hidden deep summer P. rubescens blooms, located where water is taken for drinking water supply, and M. botrys, able to produce the most toxic MC variants with high cell quota, should be kept under control. The documentation and interpretation of sudden changes in toxins concentrations deserve special attention. This is particularly relevant in proximity of fish farming plants and water catchment sites.
DNMT1 regulates IL-6- and TGF-β1-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition in prostate epithelial cells
Authors: Xu Hui , Chen Yanbo , Chen Qi , Xu Huan , Wang Yanxia , Yu Jiao , Zhou Juan , Wang Zhong , Xu Bing
Published: May 2017

Multiple factors have been considered to play a role in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), including chronic inflammation, hormones, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Inflammation is regarded as one of the potential inducers of EMT. However, the mechanisms, modulating pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TGF-β1) induce EMT features, have not yet been studied in BPH. In this study, we investigated whether DNA methyltransferases1 (DNMT1) could regulate IL-6 and TGF-β1 induce EMT. The expression of EMT features was analyzed in normal prostate epithelial cells (PrECs) and BPH1 cells. Real-time RT-PCR and western blotting were used to examine the expression of EMT features in IL-6- and TGF-β1-treated PrECs. Next, bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) methods were used to examine the DNA methylation level of the Cdh1 promoter region. The results showed that EMT features were increased in BPH1 cells, compared to PrECs. IL-6 and TGF-β1 treatment induced EMT features, including decreased E-cadherin expression. The results of BSP revealed significant DNA hypermethylation at the promoter region of Cdh1 after IL-6 and TGF-β1 exposure, which was rescued when pretreated with 5-Aza or TGF-β1 antibody. Moreover, the protein expression and methyltransferase activity of DNMT1 were also increased after IL-6 and TGF-β1 induction. Collectively, our study showed that IL-6 and TGF-β1 could activate DNMT1 and directly regulate the expression of E-cadherin in PrECs, providing a potential therapeutic candidate for BPH.
On the uniqueness and numerical approximation of solutions to certain parabolic quasi-variational inequalities
Authors: Hintermüller Michael , Rautenberg Carlos N.
Published: May 2017

A class of abstract nonlinear evolution quasi-variational inequality (QVI) problems in function space is considered. The framework developed includes constraint sets of obstacle and gradient type. The paper addresses the existence, uniqueness and approximation of solutions when the constraint set mapping is of a special form. Uniqueness is addressed through contractive behavior of a nonlinear mapping whose fixed points are solutions to the QVI. An axiomatic semi-discrete approximation scheme is developed, which is proven to be convergent and is numerically implemented. The paper ends by a report on numerical tests for several nonlinear constraints of gradient-type.
Optimization of plane wave directions in plane wave discontinuous Galerkin methods for the Helmholtz equation
Authors: Agrawal Akshay , Hoppe Ronald H.W.
Published: May 2017

Recently, the use of special local test functions other than polynomials in Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) approaches has attracted a lot of attention and became known as DG-Trefftz methods. In particular, for the 2D Helmholtz equation plane waves have been used in [11] to derive an Interior Penalty (IP) type Plane Wave DG (PWDG) method and to provide an a priori error analysis of its

p

-version with respect to equidistributed plane wave directions. The dependence on the distribution of the plane wave directions has been studied in [1] based on a least squares method. However, the emphasis in [1] has been on the

h

-version of the PWDG method, i.e., decreasing the mesh width

h

for a fixed number

p

of plane wave directions. In this contribution, we are interested in the

p

-version, i.e., increasing

p

for a fixed mesh-width

h

. We formulate the choice of the plane wave directions as a control constrained optimal control problem with a continuously differentiable objective functional and the variational formulation of the PWDG method as a further constraint. The necessary optimality conditions are derived and numerically solved by a projected gradient method. Numerical results are given which illustrate the benefits of the approach.
An Approach to Obtain the Correct Shock Speed for Euler Equations with Stiff Detonation
Authors: Yu Bin , Li Linying , Zhang Bin , Wang Jianhang
Published: May 2017

Incorrect propagation speed of discontinuities may occur by straightforward application of standard dissipative schemes for problems that contain stiff source terms for underresolved grids even for time steps within the CFL condition. By examining the dissipative discretized counterpart of the Euler equations for a detonation problem that consists of a single reaction, detailed analysis on the spurious wave pattern is presented employing the fractional step method, which utilizes the Strang splitting. With the help of physical arguments, a threshold values method (TVM), which can be extended to more complicated stiff problems, is developed to eliminate the wrong shock speed phenomena. Several single reaction detonations as well as multispecies and multi-reaction detonation test cases with strong stiffness are examined to illustrate the performance of the TVM approach.
Implicit Asymptotic Preserving Method for Linear Transport Equations
Authors: Li Qin , Wang Li
Published: May 2017

The computation of the radiative transfer equation is expensive mainly due to two stiff terms: the transport term and the collision operator. The stiffness in the former comes from the fact that particles (such as photons) travel at the speed of light, while that in the latter is due to the strong scattering in the optically thick region. We study the fully implicit scheme for this equation to account for the stiffness. The main challenge in the implicit treatment is the coupling between the spacial and angular coordinates that requires the large size of the to-be-inverted matrix, which is also ill-conditioned and not necessarily symmetric. Our main idea is to utilize the spectral structure of the ill-conditioned matrix to construct a pre-conditioner, which, along with an exquisite split of the spatial and angular dependence, significantly improve the condition number and allows a matrix-free treatment. We also design a fast solver to compute this pre-conditioner explicitly in advance. Our method is shown to be efficient in both diffusive and free streaming limit, and the computational cost is comparable to the state-of-the-art method. Various examples including anisotropic scattering and two-dimensional problems are provided to validate the effectiveness of our method.
Duty to Publish
Authors: Jackevicius Cynthia
Published: May 2017

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Should Prolonged Infusion of ß-Lactams Become Standard of Practice?
Authors: Haj-Darrah Reem , Leung Elizabeth , Zvonar Rosemary
Published: May 2017

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Profile Interview: Dr Desiree Witte
Authors: Bickton Fanuel
Published: May 2017

No Abstract
Canary: An NLP Platform for Clinicians and Researchers
Authors: Malmasi Shervin , Sandor Nicolae , Hosomura Naoshi , Goldberg Matt , Skentzos Stephen , Turchin Alexander
Published: May 2017

Information Extraction methods can help discover critical knowledge buried in the vast repositories of unstructured clinical data. However, these methods are underutilized in clinical research, potentially due to the absence of free software geared towards clinicians with little technical expertise. The skills required for developing/using such software constitute a major barrier for medical researchers wishing to employ these methods. To address this, we have developed Canary, a free and open-source solution designed for users without natural language processing (NLP) or software engineering experience. It was designed to be fast and work out of the box via a user-friendly graphical interface.

Citation: Malmasi S, Sandor NL, Hosomura N, Goldberg M, Skentzos S, Turchin A. Canary: an NLP platform for clinicians and researchers. Appl Clin Inform 2017; 8: 447–453 https://doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2017-01-IE-0018
A review of a pleural service
Authors: Aujayeb A , Parker S , Bourke S , Miller J , Cooper D
Published: May 2017

This paper reviews the organisation and outcomes of a pleural service, specifically geared towards the management of malignant pleural effusions, in a district general hospital in the north east of England. We summarise the evidence behind local anaesthetic thoracoscopy and indwelling pleural catheters. We then summarise the review of our service, including a discussion around complications.
‘No ordinary meeting': Robert McWhirter and the decline of radical mastectomy
Authors: Newmark JJH
Published: May 2017

On 7 January 1948, a meeting was held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Its purpose was to settle a controversy. Robert McWhirter, an Edinburgh-based radiotherapist, had been invited to defend the scandalous position advocated by Geoffrey Keynes ten years previously: that radical mastectomy offered no survival advantage when compared to simple mastectomy plus local radiotherapy. The negative publicity surrounding the meeting proved overwhelming for Keynes and he abandoned his research. Indeed, the events of the meeting may have been quietly buried were it not for McWhirter who, over the following decade, pursued Keynes’ research. He refined his technique, sparing patients the disfiguring and painful radical mastectomy without compromising overall survival. Later, he garnered support from other researchers, which led to a series of papers confirming his original findings. Towards the end of his career, he also made contributions to service organisation and hormone therapy, eventually holding the Presidency of the Faculty of Radiologists. By keeping the controversy alive, McWhirter was instrumental in overturning 60 years of surgical dogma. He remains a pivotal figure in the history of breast cancer.
Gowers and Osler: Good friends ‘all through'
Authors: Boes CJ
Published: May 2017

William Gowers and William Osler first met in 1878, and Osler visited Gowers often when in London. Osler dedicated his book On Chorea and Choreiform Affections to Gowers in 1894, addressing himself as Gowers’ sincere friend. Two warm letters between Osler and Gowers exist in the Osler Library Archives, highlighting their strong friendship, and Gowers’ son Ernest wrote Osler a letter after the death of his father. Referring to the relationship between William Osler and William Gowers, he noted that Osler had indeed been a good friend to him all through. Osler wrote and edited the first edition of his textbook from 1890 through early 1892, and was influenced by Gowers’ Manual of Diseases of the Nervous System. In 1913, Osler commented that Gowers had ataxic paraplegia. Macdonald Critchley disagreed, and felt that Gowers had generalised cerebrovascular degeneration. Osler and Gowers were close friends, and this friendship was mutually beneficial.
Adrenal Intravascular Papillary Endothelial Hyperplasia
Authors: Holmes Casey , Akhras Anwar , Schneider Andrew , Yacoub Joseph H , Picken Maria , Kabaker Adam
Published: May 2017

Aim

We describe the rare case of a woman with adrenal intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) or Masson's tumor. We present relevant background information on IPEH and our case report, as well as describe a workup and treatment plan for the lesion.

Introduction

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) or Masson's tumor is a rare lesion, i.e., predominantly found in the oral cavity, head, and neck.1-4 To our knowledge, only six adrenal IPEH cases have been reported in the literature to date.4

Case report

A 49-year-old woman originally presented to us with an incidentaloma found on computed tomography scan. Due to the eventual size increase of the mass, a laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed. Pathologic evaluation of the mass revealed a 3 cm IPEH arising in a hemangioma within the adrenal gland.

Conclusion

Before the diagnosis of IPEH is considered as the etiology for an adrenal incidentaloma, it is crucial to rule out more common tumors. Serological and radiographic studies are critical to the workup.

Clinical Significance: The IPEH is a very interesting lesion of the adrenal gland, however, it is exceedingly rare and thus exclusion of more common and serious lesions must be done prior to the diagnosis of IPEH.

How to cite this article

Holmes C, Akhras A, Schneider A, Yacoub JH, Picken M, Kabaker A. Adrenal Intravascular Papillary Endothelial Hyperplasia. World J Endoc Surg 2017;9(1):16-19.
Salvage Technique for Intraoperative Hemorrhage during Laparoscopic Resection of Large Pheochromocytoma: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Singaporewalla Reyaz M , Lee Daniel JK , Tan Yen P
Published: May 2017

Aim

We described the use of a hand-port assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy for excising a large 10 cm vascular left adrenal pheochromocytoma. The useful technical tips and important pitfalls to avoid for a successful outcome are discussed in this article.

Introduction

A 64-year-old man who was investigated for microalbuminuria was found to have a 10-cm left adrenal mass. Blood investigation and imaging confirmed it to be a pheochromocytoma.

Case report

Initial mobilization of the adrenal mass was performed laparoscopically using two 5-mm ports in the epigastric. While dissecting the inferomedial pedicle, the aberrant adrenal vessel was injured and resulted in torrential bleeding. A gelport for hand assistance was inserted as a salvage approach for hemostasis.

Conclusion

Hand-port assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a very practical and easy-to-adopt technique that preserves the minimally invasive surgical advantages in patients with large adrenal masses.

Clinical significance: We advocate the use of hand-assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy technique for complex pheochromocytoma as an alternative for surgeons with vast experience in laparoscopic adrenalectomy.

How to cite this article

Lee DJK, Tan YP, Singaporewalla RM. Salvage Technique for Intraoperative Hemorrhage during Laparoscopic Resection of Large Pheochromocytoma: A Case Report and Literature Review. World J Endoc Surg 2017;9(1):27-31.
Early Fetal Echocardiography
Authors: Prats Pilar , Comas Carmina
Published: May 2017

Within the last decade, two significant events have contributed to the increasing interest in early fetal echocardiography. First, the introduction of high-frequency vaginal ultrasound probes allows detailed visualization of cardiac structures at early stage of gestation, making early detection of fetal malformations possible. Second, the close relationship observed between some first trimester sonographic and Doppler markers and congenital heart defects allows an early identification of a high-risk group at 11 to 14 weeks of gestation. In this context, from the early 1990s, many authors have examined the potential role of the transvaginal (TV) approach to obtain earlier diagnosis of fetal cardiac malformations. Further studies have appeared in the literature showing that early TV echocardiography in experienced hands is a fairly sensitive investigative tool. Although some malformations are detected as early as 11 weeks gestation, the optimal gestational age to perform the early scan is at least 13 weeks gestation. Transvaginal ultrasound is the preferred approach, although most of the authors agree that results can be improved if transabdominal ultrasound is also incorporated. The further application of color Doppler enhances visualization. The sensitivity and specificity of early fetal echocardiography for the detection of heart anomalies is acceptable compared with the ones obtained by midgestational echocardiography, showing a slight reduction in detection rates and an increase in false-positive and false-negative rates. The cardiac anomalies detected at this early stage of pregnancy are mainly defects involving the four-chamber view, indicating that defects solely affecting the outflow tracts are difficult to diagnose in the first trimester of pregnancy. Heart defects diagnosed early in pregnancy tend to be more complex than those detected later, with a higher incidence of associated structural malformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and spontaneous abortions. The neonate follow-up or postmortem examination in case of termination of pregnancy is essential to assess the actual role of early fetal echocardiography. At present, early fetal echocardiography is a promising technique, which can be of considerable value for patients at high risk. This technique is, however, currently limited to a few specialized centers.

The aim of this review is to explore the possibilities of examining the fetal heart at this early stage of pregnancy. This article also presents our experience in the first multicenter trial in early fetal echocardiography performed in Spain. In accordance with other studies, this experience stresses the usefulness of early echocardiography when performed by expert operators on fetus specifically at risk for cardiac defects. Our review of these additional 48 cases contributes to the expanding literature on the ability of TV ultrasonography to detect fetal heart defects in early pregnancy.

How to cite this article

Comas C, Prats P. Early Fetal Echocardiography. Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2017;11(1):29-43.
Ultrasonographic Signs of Poor Pregnancy Outcome
Authors: Serrano-González Lucía , Martinez-Moya María , Platero-Mihi María , Bajo-Arenas José , Perez-Medina Tirso
Published: May 2017

The frequency of spontaneous abortion, when it is considered from its very beginning, along with the theoretical knowledge of the causes of the abortion, should provide a perspective to the obstetrician that, performing a sonographic exploration finds discoveries that cannot correspond to those characterizing a normal pregnancy.

The precocity of the realization of sonographic explorations in the pregnancy will allow diagnosis of many more cases of spontaneous interruptions of the development of pregnancy.

New sonographic imaging techniques including three-dimensional (3D) sonography can provide additional information regarding the presence of structural anomalies via 3D volume acquisition, like craniofacial deformities, clefts, neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, and caudal regression syndrome. It may give further details regarding the timing of embryonic/fetal demise in early pregnancy. Sufficient informational value is regularly obtained in cases having a crown-rump length >8 mm.

How to cite this article

Serrano-González L, Martinez-Moya M, Platero-Mihi M, Bajo-Arenas J, Perez-Medina T. Ultrasonographic Signs of Poor Pregnancy Outcome. Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2017;11(1):44-58.
“Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union”. Any support from the citizens?
Authors: Farina Francesco , Tamborini Roberto
Published: May 2017

The ‘Five Presidents Report’ cited in the title acknowledges that an important driver of the European economic crisis has been the faulty original design of the Monetary Union, and that substantial steps are urgently needed towards the creation of truly supranational institutions. Yet, economists tend to neglect that however compelling economic analyses may be, the stumbling block on the way of the reform of the Monetary Union is political will, and that in democracies the ultimate source of political will comes from electors. In this paper, first of all the authors wish to bring to the economists’ attention some recent analyses of citizens’ attitudes towards Europe from political science. Then, by cross-referencing the results of the 2014 elections of the European Parliament with Eurobarometer opinion polls eliciting judgements for the EU vis-à-vis home countries and an indicator of economic pain, the authors show the presence of a geo-economicpolitical cleavage across four groups of countries. This is more complex, and perhaps worse, than the simplistic divide between ‘North’ and ‘South’ or ‘Core’ and ‘Periphery’. The main implication is that the EU experiences a stalemate between ‘more Europe vs. less Europe’ at the level of peoples, which seriously undermines support for further integration ‘from below’.
How can mountaintop CO2 observations be used to constrain regional carbon fluxes?
Authors: Lin John C. , Mallia Derek V. , Wu Dien , Stephens Britton B.
Published: May 2017

Abstract. Despite the need for researchers to understand terrestrial biospheric carbon fluxes to account for carbon cycle feedbacks and predict future CO2 concentrations, knowledge of these fluxes at the regional scale remains poor. This is particularly true in mountainous areas, where complex meteorology and lack of observations lead to large uncertainties in carbon fluxes. Yet mountainous regions are often where significant forest cover and biomass are found – i.e., areas that have the potential to serve as carbon sinks. As CO2 observations are carried out in mountainous areas, it is imperative that they are properly interpreted to yield information about carbon fluxes. In this paper, we present CO2 observations at three sites in the mountains of the western US, along with atmospheric simulations that attempt to extract information about biospheric carbon fluxes from the CO2 observations, with emphasis on the observed and simulated diurnal cycles of CO2. We show that atmospheric models can systematically simulate the wrong diurnal cycle and significantly misinterpret the CO2 observations, due to erroneous atmospheric flows as a result of terrain that is misrepresented in the model. This problem depends on the selected vertical level in the model and is exacerbated as the spatial resolution is degraded, and our results indicate that a fine grid spacing of ∼ 4 km or less may be needed to simulate a realistic diurnal cycle of CO2 for sites on top of the steep mountains examined here in the American Rockies. In the absence of higher resolution models, we recommend coarse-scale models to focus on assimilating afternoon CO2 observations on mountaintop sites over the continent to avoid misrepresentations of nocturnal transport and influence.
Influence of organic compound functionality on aerosol hygroscopicity: dicarboxylic acids, alkyl-substituents, sugars and amino acids
Authors: Marsh Aleksandra , Miles Rachael E. H. , Rovelli Grazia , Cowling Alexander G. , Nandy Lucy , Dutcher Cari S. , Reid Jonathan P.
Published: May 2017

Abstract. Hygroscopicity data for 36 organic compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, alcohols and sugars, are determined using a comparative kinetics electrodynamic balance (CK-EDB). The CK-EDB applies an electric field to trap-charged aqueous droplets in a chamber with controlled temperature and relative humidity (RH). The dual micro dispenser set-up allows for sequential trapping of probe and sample droplets for accurate determination of droplet water activities from 0.45 to > 0.99. Here, we validate and benchmark the CK-EDB for the homologous series of straight-chain dicarboxylic acids (oxalic–pimelic) with measurements in better agreement with Universal Quasichemical Functional Group Activity Coefficients (UNIFAC) predictions than the original data used to parametrise UNIFAC. Furthermore, a series of increasingly complex organic compounds, with subtle changes to molecular structure and branching, are used to rigorously assess the accuracy of predictions by UNIFAC, which does not explicitly account for molecular structure. We show that the changes in hygroscopicity that result from increased branching and chain length are poorly represented by UNIFAC, with UNIFAC under-predicting hygroscopicity. Similarly, amino acid hygroscopicity is under-predicted by UNIFAC predictions, a consequence of the original data used in the parametrisation of the molecular subgroups. New hygroscopicity data are also reported for a selection of alcohols and sugars and they show variable levels of agreement with predictions.
Global impact of mineral dust on cloud droplet number concentration
Authors: Karydis Vlassis A. , Tsimpidi Alexandra P. , Bacer Sara , Pozzer Andrea , Nenes Athanasios , Lelieveld Jos
Published: May 2017

Abstract. The importance of wind-blown mineral dust for cloud droplet formation is studied by considering (i) the adsorption of water on the surface of insoluble particles, (ii) particle coating by soluble material (atmospheric aging) which augments cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity, and (iii) the effect of dust on inorganic aerosol concentrations through thermodynamic interactions with mineral cations. The ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model is used to simulate the composition of global atmospheric aerosol, while the ISORROPIA-II thermodynamic equilibrium model treats the interactions of K+-Ca2+-Mg2+-NH4+-Na+-SO42−-NO3−-Cl−-H2O aerosol with gas-phase inorganic constituents. Dust is considered a mixture of inert material with reactive minerals and its emissions are calculated online by taking into account the soil particle size distribution and chemical composition of different deserts worldwide. The impact of dust on droplet formation is treated through the unified dust activation parameterization that considers the inherent hydrophilicity from adsorption and acquired hygroscopicity from soluble salts during aging. Our simulations suggest that the presence of dust increases cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) over major deserts (e.g., up to 20 % over the Sahara and the Taklimakan desert) and decreases CDNC over polluted areas (e.g., up to 10 % over southern Europe and 20 % over northeastern Asia). This leads to a global net decrease in CDNC by 11 %. The adsorption activation of insoluble aerosols and the mineral dust chemistry are shown to be equally important for the cloud droplet formation over the main deserts; for example, these effects increase CDNC by 20 % over the Sahara. Remote from deserts the application of adsorption theory is critically important since the increased water uptake by the large aged dust particles (i.e., due to the added hydrophilicity by the soluble coating) reduce the maximum supersaturation and thus cloud droplet formation from the relatively smaller anthropogenic particles (e.g., CDNC decreases by 10 % over southern Europe and 20 % over northeastern Asia by applying adsorption theory). The global average CDNC decreases by 10 % by considering adsorption activation, while changes are negligible when accounting for the mineral dust chemistry. Sensitivity simulations indicate that CDNC is also sensitive to the mineral dust mass and inherent hydrophilicity, and not to the chemical composition of the emitted dust.
Determining stages of cirrus evolution: a cloud classification scheme
Authors: Urbanek Benedikt , Groß Silke , Schäfler Andreas , Wirth Martin
Published: May 2017

Abstract. Cirrus clouds impose high uncertainties on climate prediction, as knowledge on important processes is still incomplete. For instance it remains unclear how cloud microphysical and radiative properties change as the cirrus evolves. Recent studies classify cirrus clouds into categories including in situ, orographic, convective and liquid origin clouds and investigate their specific impact. Following this line, we present a novel scheme for the classification of cirrus clouds that addresses the need to determine specific stages of cirrus evolution. Our classification scheme is based on airborne Differential Absorption and High Spectral Resolution Lidar measurements of atmospheric water vapor, aerosol depolarization, and backscatter, together with model temperature fields and simplified parameterizations of freezing onset conditions. It identifies regions of supersaturation with respect to ice (ice-supersaturated regions, ISSRs), heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation, depositional growth, and ice sublimation and sedimentation with high spatial resolution. Thus, all relevant stages of cirrus evolution can be classified and characterized. In a case study of a gravity lee-wave-influenced cirrus cloud, encountered during the ML-CIRRUS flight campaign, the applicability of our classification is demonstrated. Revealing the structure of cirrus clouds, this valuable tool might help to examine the influence of evolution stages on the cloud's net radiative effect and to investigate the specific variability of optical and microphysical cloud properties in upcoming research.
Analysis and evaluation of WRF microphysical schemes for deep moist convection over Southeastern South America (SESA) using microwave satellite observations and radiative transfer simulations
Authors: Galligani Victoria Sol , Wang Die , Alvarez Imaz Milagros , Salio Paola , Prigent Catherine
Published: May 2017

Abstract. In the present study, three meteorological events of extreme deep moist convection, characteristic of Southeastern South America (SESA), are considered to conduct a systematic evaluation of the microphysical parameterizations available in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model by undertaking a direct comparison between satellite-based simulated and observed microwave radiances. A research radiative transfer model, the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS), is coupled with WRF under three different microphysical parameterizations (WSM6, WDM6 and Thompson). Since the main difficulty encountered in the characterization of the microwave scattering signal arises from the complex and variable nature of microphysics properties of frozen hydrometeors, the present study further aims at improving the understanding of their optical properties. The bulk optical properties are computed by integrating the single scattering properties of the Liu (2008) DDA single scattering database across the particle size distributions parametrized by the different WRF schemes in a consistent manner, introducing the equal-mass pproach. The equal mass approach consists in describing the optical properties of the WRF snow and graupel hydrometeors with the optical properties of habits in the DDA database whose dimensions might be different (D'max) but whose mass is conserved. The performance of the radiative transfer simulations is evaluated by comparing the simulations with the available coincident microwave observations up to 190 GHz (with observations from TMI, MHS, and SSMI/S) using the Chi-square test. Good greement is obtained with all observations provided special care is taken to represent the scattering properties of the snow and graupel species.
Wissenschaftliche Expertise und die (Re)Produktion gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse – Eine argumentationstheoretische Analyse von Diskursen der Ökologie- und Umweltforschung im westlichen China
Authors: Stenglein Ferdinand
Published: May 2017

Abstract. On the basis of the analysis of scientific publications on environmental issues and issues of ecology in Western China, I show in this contribution how scientific expertise can be analyzed as an order of arguments and its social embeddedness be discussed. Using the example of environmental science in Western China, an order of knowledge is reconstructed by coding techniques and the axiomatic structure of this order is micro-analytically disclosed using argumentation analysis. Subsequently, this order is discussed in relation to the social context within which it evolved. Normative representations of subjectivities, practices and spatial arrangements are produced with references to an ideal of harmony in the analyzed publications. Against the background of the contested social relations in Western China, it becomes clear that these representations are involved with a cultural recomposition and contribute to stabilizing state control and national integrity in the region and reproducing unequal social relations. The analysis shows how allegedly neutral academic knowledge implicitly (re)produces social orders and thus stresses that there can be no scientific expertise that does not take a normative position. Lastly, this raises questions on why, how and with which effects we engage in research and produce scientific knowledge.
Improved method for linear carbon monoxide simulation and source attribution in atmospheric chemistry models illustrated using GEOS-Chem v9
Authors: Fisher Jenny A. , Murray Lee T. , Jones Dylan B. A. , Deutscher Nicholas M.
Published: May 2017

Abstract. Carbon monoxide (CO) simulation in atmospheric chemistry models is frequently used for source-receptor analysis, emission inversion, interpretation of observations, and chemical forecasting due to its computational efficiency and ability to quantitatively link simulated CO burdens to sources. While several methods exist for modelling CO source attribution, most are inappropriate for regions where the CO budget is dominated by secondary production rather than direct emissions. Here, we introduce a major update to the linear CO-only capability in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model that for the first time allows source-region tagging of secondary CO produced from oxidation of non-methane volatile organic compounds. Our updates also remove fundamental inconsistencies between the CO-only simulation and the standard full chemistry simulation by using consistent CO production rates in both. We find that relative to the standard chemistry simulation, CO in the original CO-only simulation was overestimated by more than 100 ppb in the model surface layer and underestimated in outflow regions. The improved CO-only simulation largely resolves these discrepancies by improving both the magnitude and location of secondary production. Despite large differences between the original and improved simulations, however, model evaluation with the global dataset used to benchmark GEOS-Chem shows negligible change to the model's ability to match the observations. This suggests that the current GEOS-Chem benchmark is not well suited to evaluate model changes in regions influenced by biogenic emissions and chemistry, and expanding the dataset to include observations from biogenic source regions (including those from recent aircraft campaigns) should be a priority for the GEOS-Chem community. Using Australasia as a case study, we show that the new ability to geographically tag secondary CO production provides significant added value for interpreting observations and model results in regions where primary CO emissions are low. Secondary production dominates the CO budget across much of the world, especially in the southern hemisphere, and we recommend future model-observation and multi-model comparisons implement this capability to provide a more complete understanding of CO sources and their variability.