bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coastal Ecosystem Effects of Increased Summer Temperature and Contamination by the Flame Retardant HBCDD
Authors: Bradshaw Clare , Golz Anna-Lea , Gustafsson Kerstin
Published: April 2017

The combined effects of ocean warming and contaminants on marine ecosystems are poorly understood. In this study, we exposed model ecosystems comprising typical shallow coastal Baltic Sea communities to elevated temperature (+5 °C) and the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), both singly and in combination, for 13 days. Higher temperatures caused the release of PO4 from the sediment, which in turn stimulated the growth of the cyanobacteria Dolichospermum sp. This in turn led to an increase in the copepod Acartia bifilosa and other indirect effects in the plankton, interpreted as being caused by changes in predation, grazing, and competition. Elevated temperatures also stimulated benthic primary production and increased production of benthic mollusk larvae. Although increased temperature was the dominant driver of effects in these systems, HBCDD also appeared to have some effects, mainly in the zooplankton (both direct and indirect effects) and benthic meiofauna (an interactive effect with temperature). Although the study used model ecosystems, which are an approximation of field conditions, it highlights that interactive ecosystem effects between two stressors are possible and demonstrates the ecological and temporal complexity of such responses. Such unpredictable responses to warming and contaminants are a major challenge for ecosystem management to deal with multistressor situations in the Baltic Sea.
Recent Advances on Anilato-Based Molecular Materials with Magnetic and/or Conducting Properties
Authors: Mercuri Maria Laura , Congiu Francesco , Concas Giorgio , Sahadevan Suchithra Ashoka
Published: April 2017

The aim of the present work is to highlight the unique role of anilato-ligands, derivatives of the 2,5-dioxy-1,4-benzoquinone framework containing various substituents at the 3 and 6 positions (X = H, Cl, Br, I, CN, etc.), in engineering a great variety of new materials showing peculiar magnetic and/or conducting properties. Homoleptic anilato-based molecular building blocks and related materials will be discussed. Selected examples of such materials, spanning from graphene-related layered magnetic materials to intercalated supramolecular arrays, ferromagnetic 3D monometallic lanthanoid assemblies, multifunctional materials with coexistence of magnetic/conducting properties and/or chirality and multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) will be discussed herein. The influence of (i) the electronic nature of the X substituents and (ii) intermolecular interactions i.e., H-Bonding, Halogen-Bonding, π-π stacking and dipolar interactions, on the physical properties of the resulting material will be also highlighted. A combined structural/physical properties analysis will be reported to provide an effective tool for designing novel anilate-based supramolecular architectures showing improved and/or novel physical properties. The role of the molecular approach in this context is pointed out as well, since it enables the chemical design of the molecular building blocks being suitable for self-assembly to form supramolecular structures with the desired interactions and physical properties.
Fixed Points of Set Valued Mappings in Terms of Start Point on a Metric Space Endowed with a Directed Graph
Authors: Neog Murchana , Debnath Pradip
Published: April 2017

In the present article, we introduce the new concept of start point in a directed graph and provide the characterizations required for a directed graph to have a start point. We also define the notion of a self path set valued map and establish its relation with start point in the setting of a metric space endowed with a directed graph. Further, some fixed point theorems for set valued maps have been proven in this context. A version of the Knaster–Tarski theorem has also been established using our results.
Discrete-Time Fractional Optimal Control
Authors: Chiranjeevi Tirumalasetty , Biswas Raj
Published: April 2017

A formulation and solution of the discrete-time fractional optimal control problem in terms of the Caputo fractional derivative is presented in this paper. The performance index (PI) is considered in a quadratic form. The necessary and transversality conditions are obtained using a Hamiltonian approach. Both the free and fixed final state cases have been considered. Numerical examples are taken up and their solution technique is presented. Results are produced for different values of α .
Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-Particles of Niobium Pentoxide with Orthorhombic Symmetry
Authors: Joya Miryam , Barba Ortega José , Raba Paez Angela , Da Silva Filho José , Cavalcante Freire Paulo
Published: April 2017

In this work, a set of nanoparticles of Nb2O5 nanoparticles were grown by both the Pechini and the sol-gel methods. The amorphous materials were calcined at 650 #xB0;C or at 750 °C. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, luminescence and Raman spectroscopy were used in order to characterize the materials. From the study, it is possible to state that the method of production of nanoparticles, beyond the temperature of synthesis, has a great influence on whether the phase produced is hexagonal or orthorhombic. Additionally, compared to de Sol-gel method, the Pechini method produced samples with smaller particle sizes. The photoluminescence spectra of niobium pentoxide nanostructure materials show that the emission peaks are positioned between 334 to 809 nm and there is a change of intensity which varies depending on the synthesis route used. High pressure Raman spectra at room temperature were obtained from two samples grown by the sol-gel method. Up to 6 GPa, where it is possible to observe the Raman bands, no modification other than the increase of disorder was observed, and this can be associated with a change of phase.
Role of Severe Plastic Deformation in Suppressing Formation of R Phase and Ni4Ti3 Precipitate of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy
Authors: Hu Li , Jiang Shuyong , Zhang Yanqiu
Published: April 2017

Microstructural evolution of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) with a nominal composition of Ni50.9Ti49.1 (at %) is investigated on the basis of heat treatment and severe plastic deformation (SPD). As for as-rolled NiTi SMA samples subjected to aging, plenty of R phases appear in the austenite matrix. In terms of as-rolled NiTi SMA samples undergoing solution treatment and aging, Ni4Ti3 precipitates arise in the austenite matrix. In the case of as-rolled NiTi SMA samples subjected to SPD and aging, martensitic twins are observed in the matrix of NiTi SMA. With respect to as-rolled NiTi SMA samples subjected to solution treatment, SPD, and aging, neither R phases nor Ni4Ti3 precipitates are observed in the matrix of NiTi SMA. The dislocation networks play an important role in the formation of the R phase. SPD leads to amorphization of NiTi SMA, and in the case of annealing, amorphous NiTi SMA samples are subjected to crystallization. This contributes to suppressing the occurrence of R phase and Ni4Ti3 precipitate in NiTi SMA.
Hydrodynamic Simulation of an Orbital Shaking Test for the Degradation Assessment of Blood-Contact Biomedical Coatings
Authors: Cherng Wen-Jin , Dong Zuo-Syuan , Chou Chau-Chang , Yeh Chi-Hsiao , Pan Yu-Heng
Published: April 2017

Biomedical coatings are used to promote the wear resistance and the biocompatibility of a mechanical heart valve. An orbital shaking test was proposed to assess the durability of the coatings by the amount material eroded by the surrounding fluid. However, there is still a lack of understanding with regards to the shaker’s rotating conditions and the corresponding physiological condition. This study implemented numerical simulations by establishing a fluid dynamic model to evaluate the intensity of the shear stress under various rotating speeds and diameters of the shaker. The results are valuable to conduct in vitro tests for estimating the performance of biomedical coatings under real hemodynamic conditions and can be applied to other fluid-contact implants.
Protein Stability and Unfolding Following Glycine Radical Formation
Authors: Owen, Michael C. , Csizmadia Imre G. , Viskolcz Béla , Strodel Birgit
Published: April 2017

Glycine (Gly) residues are particularly susceptible to hydrogen abstraction; which results in the formation of the capto-dative stabilized Cα-centered Gly radical (GLR) on the protein backbone. We examined the effect of GLR formation on the structure of the Trp cage; tryptophan zipper; and the villin headpiece; three fast-folding and stable miniproteins; using all-atom (OPLS-AA) molecular dynamics simulations. Radicalization changes the conformation of the GLR residue and affects both neighboring residues but did not affect the stability of the Trp zipper. The stability of helices away from the radical center in villin were also affected by radicalization; and GLR in place of Gly15 caused the Trp cage to unfold within 1 µs. These results provide new evidence on the destabilizing effects of protein oxidation by reactive oxygen species.
Mismatch between Probiotic Benefits in Trials versus Food Products
Authors: Scourboutakos Mary , Franco-Arellano Beatriz , Murphy Sarah , Norsen Sheida , Comelli Elena , L’Abbé Mary
Published: April 2017

Probiotic food products contain a variety of different bacterial strains and may offer different health effects. The objective was to document the prevalence and dosage of probiotic strains in the Canadian food supply and to review the literature investigating these strains in order to understand what health benefits these products may offer. The Food Label Information Program was used to identify probiotic-containing products in the food supply. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for randomized controlled trials that tested the health effects of these strains in humans. There were six probiotic strains/strain combinations identified in the food supply. Thirty-one studies investigated these strains and found that they are associated with decreased diarrhea and constipation, improved digestive symptoms, glycemic control, antioxidant status, blood lipids, oral health, and infant breastfeeding outcomes, as well as enhanced immunity and support for Helicobacter pylori eradication. There were a limited number of studies investigating these strains. Many studies were funded by the food industry and tested dosages that were up to twenty-five times the dosage found in most food products. Probiotic food products could have health benefits not currently reported on their labels. However, many dosages are too low to provide the benefits demonstrated in clinical trials. Further research is needed to enable more effective use of these functional foods.
Dried Plums, Prunes and Bone Health: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Wallace Taylor
Published: April 2017

The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advocate for increasing fruit intake and replacing energy-dense foods with those that are nutrient-dense. Nutrition across the lifespan is pivotal for the healthy development and maintenance of bone. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that over half of Americans age 50+ have either osteoporosis or low bone mass. Dried plums, also commonly referred to as prunes, have a unique nutrient and dietary bioactive profile and are suggested to exert beneficial effects on bone. To further elucidate and summarize the potential mechanisms and effects of dried plums on bone health, a comprehensive review of the scientific literature was conducted. The PubMed database was searched through 24 January 2017 for all cell, animal, population and clinical studies that examined the effects of dried plums and/or extracts of the former on markers of bone health. Twenty-four studies were included in the review and summarized in table form. The beneficial effects of dried plums on bone health may be in part due to the variety of phenolics present in the fruit. Animal and cell studies suggest that dried plums and/or their extracts enhance bone formation and inhibit bone resorption through their actions on cell signaling pathways that influence osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation. These studies are consistent with clinical studies that show that dried plums may exert beneficial effects on bone mineral density (BMD). Long-term prospective cohort studies using fractures and BMD as primary endpoints are needed to confirm the effects of smaller clinical, animal and mechanistic studies. Clinical and prospective cohort studies in men are also needed, since they represent roughly 29% of fractures, and likewise, diverse race and ethnic groups. No adverse effects were noted among any of the studies included in this comprehensive review. While the data are not completely consistent, this review suggests that postmenopausal women may safely consume dried plums as part of their fruit intake recommendations given their potential to have protective effects on bone loss.
Binaural Range Finding from Synthetic Aperture Computation as the Head is Turned
Authors: Tamsett Duncan
Published: April 2017

A solution to binaural direction finding described in Tamsett (Robotics 2017, 6(1), 3) is a synthetic aperture computation (SAC) performed as the head is turned while listening to a sound. A far-range approximation in that paper is relaxed in this one and the method extended for SAC as a function of range for estimating range to an acoustic source. An instantaneous angle λ (lambda) between the auditory axis and direction to an acoustic source locates the source on a small circle of colatitude (lambda circle) of a sphere symmetric about the auditory axis. As the head is turned, data over successive instantaneous lambda circles are integrated in a virtual field of audition from which the direction to an acoustic source can be inferred. Multiple sets of lambda circles generated as a function of range yield an optimal range at which the circles intersect to best focus at a point in a virtual three-dimensional field of audition, providing an estimate of range. A proof of concept is demonstrated using simulated experimental data. The method enables a binaural robot to estimate not only direction but also range to an acoustic source from sufficiently accurate measurements of arrival time/level differences at the antennae.
Examining Spatial Distribution and Dynamic Change of Urban Land Covers in the Brazilian Amazon Using Multitemporal Multisensor High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery
Authors: Feng Yunyun , Lu Dengsheng , Moran Emilio , Dutra Luciano , Calvi Miquéias , De Oliveira Maria
Published: April 2017

The construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam began in 2011, resulting in rapidly increased population from less than 80,000 persons before 2010 to more than 150,000 persons in 2012 in Altamira, Pará State, Brazil. This rapid urbanization has produced many problems in urban planning and management, as well as challenging environmental conditions, requiring monitoring of urban land-cover change at high temporal and spatial resolutions. However, the frequent cloud cover in the moist tropical region is a big problem, impeding the acquisition of cloud-free optical sensor data. Thanks to the availability of different kinds of high spatial resolution satellite images in recent decades, RapidEye imagery in 2011 and 2012, Pleiades imagery in 2013 and 2014, SPOT 6 imagery in 2015, and CBERS imagery in 2016 with spatial resolutions from 0.5 m to 10 m were collected for this research. Because of the difference in spectral and spatial resolutions among these satellite images, directly conducting urban land-cover change using conventional change detection techniques, such as image differencing and principal component analysis, was not feasible. Therefore, a hybrid approach was proposed based on integration of spectral and spatial features to classify the high spatial resolution satellite images into six land-cover classes: impervious surface area (ISA), bare soil, building demolition, water, pasture, and forest/plantation. A post-classification comparison approach was then used to detect urban land-cover change annually for the periods between 2011 and 2016. The focus was on the analysis of ISA expansion, the dynamic change between pasture and bare soil, and the changes in forest/plantation. This study indicates that the hybrid approach can effectively extract six land-cover types with overall accuracy of over 90%. ISA increased continuously through conversion from pasture and bare soil. The Belo Monte dam construction resulted in building demolition in 2015 in low-lying areas along the rivers and an increase in water bodies in 2016. Because of the dam construction, forest/plantation and pasture decreased much faster, while ISA and water increased much faster in 2011–2016 than they had between 1991 and 2011. About 50% of the increased annual deforestation area can be attributed to the dam construction between 2011 and 2016. The spatial patterns of annual urban land-cover distribution and rates of dynamic change provided important data sources for making better decisions for urban management and planning in this city and others experiencing such explosive demographic change.
Sustainable Evaluation of Social Science Research in Higher Education Institutions Based on Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Wang Xianmei , Hu Hanhui
Published: April 2017

This paper divides the typical social scientific research process into two stages: the research development stage and the research innovation stage, with personnel as a shared input between them. We construct an input-shared multi-period two-stage DEA (data envelopment analysis) model as measurement of sustainability capacities of social scientific research, and then measure both the overall efficiencies and the stage efficiencies of scientific research of 18 HEIs (higher education institutions) in Jiangsu province of China from 2010 to 2014. There are some revelatory traits among the overall efficiencies and stage efficiencies of HEIs. As for the HEIs, the efficiencies of the first stage of certain HEIs that are better in social science are higher than those which have advantage in natural science. The results are the opposite in the second stage. Additionally, in virtue of common-weight global MPI (Malmquist Productivity Index), we figure out the dynamic efficiencies within and between HEIs. Finally, we appeal to administration departments to establish academic sharing systems and construct interdisciplinary ecosystems among HEIs, which aims to pool the knowledge, experience, and capacities of the region’s academic actors and improve the sustainable development and innovation abilities of social scientific research. In addition, collaborating with industrial organizations is also a strategic avenue to improve their research abilities, which can push the boundaries of sustainable development and also bring vigor in social scientific research.
An Approach to Evaluating Light Pollution in Residential Zones: A Case Study of Beijing
Authors: Jin Xueting , Li Yu , Zhang Jinzhou , Zheng Ji , Liu Huiping
Published: April 2017

Outdoor lighting is becoming increasingly widespread, and residents are suffering from serious light pollution as a result. Residents’ awareness of their rights to protection has gradually increased. However, due to the sometimes-inaccessible nature of residential vertical light incidence intensity data and the high cost of obtaining specific measurements, there is no appropriate hierarchic compensation for residents suffering from different degrees of light pollution. It is therefore important to measure light pollution levels and their damage at the neighborhood scale to provide residents with basic materials for proper protection and to create more politically-suitable solutions. This article presents a light pollution assessment method that is easy to perform, is low-cost and has a short data-processing cycle. This method can be used to monitor residential zone light pollution in other cities. We chose three open areas to test the spatial variation pattern of light intensity. The results are in accordance with spatial interpolation patterns and can be fit, with high precision, using the inverse distance weighted interpolation (IDW) method. This approach can also be used in three dimensions to quantitatively evaluate the distribution of light intensity. We use a mixed-use zone in Beijing known as The Place as our case study area. The vertical illumination at the windows of residential buildings ranges from 2 lux to 23 lux; the illumination in some areas is far higher than the value recommended by CIE. Such severe light pollution can seriously interfere with people's daily lives and has a serious influence on their rest and health. The results of this survey will serve as an important database to assess whether the planning of night-time lighting is scientific, and it will help protect the rights of residents and establish distinguished compensation mechanisms for light pollution.
Primary care knowledge and beliefs about physical activity and health: a survey of primary healthcare team members
Authors: Wheeler Patrick C , Mitchell Ralph , Ghaly Melvinder , Buxton Kim
Published: April 2017

Background

Physical activity has numerous health benefits and the primary healthcare team are ideally suited to promote activity. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has announced physical activity to be a clinical priority in the next few years. However little attention is given to this in medical training, with unclear levels of knowledge and confidence.

Aim

To explore the primary healthcare team knowledge of the benefits of physical activity in preventing and treating ill health.

Design & setting

Questionnaire-based study, from six East Midlands sites in the UK.

Method

Self-completed anonymised questionnaire.

Results

Three hundred and two results were obtained in total, from 166 GPs, 65 GP registrars, and 71 practice nurses. There was a mean age of 44.8 years (range 22–71), with 62% female responders. Fifty-five per cent of responders underestimated UK recommended activity guidance. Responders considered activity promotion as part of their professional role, but this was discussed about one-third as often as other health promotion behaviours, such as weight or smoking. Barriers reported were lack of time (91.2%) and resources (36.8%).

Conclusion

This study has shown reasonable knowledge of recommended levels of activity and accrued health, but most underestimated UK guidance, suggest inadequate levels of activity for optimal health may be being recommended. Confidence in this area is lower in GP registrars than GPs which may mirror other health problems. There was a poor recognition of simple tools to assess the level of physical activity, and low levels of onward signposting or recommendations. If physical activity is to be a clinical priority area of the RCGP, then further opportunities for professional development may be required.
Anxiety In Nurses Of A School Hospital Of The Paraíba State
Authors: De Souza Quelvin Max Negreiros , Soares de Lima Laysa Karen , Batista Janine Marques , Pedroza Trajano Flávia Maiele , Chaves Neto Gabriel , Farias Jamilton Alves , Braga João Euclides Fernandes
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate levels of anxiety-trait and state presented by nurses from a hospital environment during the work process.

METHOD: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, performed with a sample of 30 nurses. Data collection was done through the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory (IDATE-T and IDATE-E) and an identification questionnaire prepared by the researcher. The software GraphPad Prism was used for the statistical analysis of the results.

RESULTS: The results showed that, 12 nurses presented scores corresponding to high levels of anxiety-trait. It was also observed that the highest levels of anxiety are present in the female gender, in the age group of 31-40 years, in individuals that are single, who have more than one employment, with less than 10 years of professional activity and who do not practice physical activities.

CONCLUSION: It was observed a high level of anxiety-state in a third of the respondents, and it becomes essential for the organizational field to detect sectors that trigger stress and anxiety due to the type of clientele.
Double Stars and Astrometric Uncertainties in Gaia DR1
Authors: Makarov Valeri V. , Fabricius Claus , Frouard Julien
Published: April 2017

A significant number of double stars with separations up to 2.5 arcsec are present in the Gaia Data Release 1 astrometric catalogs. Limiting our analysis to a well-studied sample of 1124 doubles resolved by Hipparcos, provided with individual Tycho component photometry and cross-matched with the TGAS catalog, we estimate a rate of at least 3% for brighter double stars in Gaia DR1, which should be resolved in future data releases. Gaia astrometric results are affected by unresolved duplicity. The variance-normalized quadratic differences of proper motion between Gaia and Hipparcos do not follow the expected

distribution and show signs of powerful degradation in the components aligned with the axes of the double systems. This concerns only pairs with separation below 1.2–1.5 arcsec, which mostly remain unresolved in Gaia DR1. On the other hand, the orthogonal proper motion components and parallaxes do not have any detectable perturbation, as well as all astrometry for separations above 1.5 arcsec. Gaia parallaxes do not seem to be perturbed by duplicity, with Gaia–Hipparcos differences being systematically smaller than the expectation. The rate of incorrectly identified, or swapped, companions is estimated at 0.4%.
Large Host-galaxy Dispersion Measure of Fast Radio Bursts
Authors: Yang Yuan-Pei , Luo Rui , Li Zhuo , Zhang Bing
Published: April 2017

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have excessive dispersion measures (DMs) and an all-sky distribution, which point toward an extragalactic or even a cosmological origin. We develop a method to extract the mean host galaxy DM (

) and the characterized luminosity (L) of FRBs using the observed DM–flux data, based on the assumption of a narrow luminosity distribution. Applying Bayesian inference to the data of 21 FRBs, we derive a relatively large mean host DM, i.e.,

with a large dispersion. A relatively large DMHG of FRBs is also supported by the millisecond scattering times of some FRBs and the relatively small redshift z = 0.19273 of FRB 121102 (which gives

). The large host galaxy DM may be contributed by the interstellar medium (ISM) or a near-source plasma in the host galaxy. If it is contributed by the ISM, the type of the FRB host galaxies would not be Milky Way–like, consistent with the detected host of FRB 121102. We also discuss the possibility of having a near-source supernova remnant, pulsar wind nebula, or H ii region that gives a significant contribution to the observed DMHG.
Entreprises informelles de transformation agroalimentaire au Burkina Faso : entre impératifs sanitaires et réalités économiques
Authors: Song-Naba Florent
Published: April 2017

La reconnaissance graduelle du rôle de l’entrepreneuriat dans le processus du développement a suscité l’émergence d’une importante frange d’entreprises informelles évoluant dans des secteurs d’activité aussi variés que la transformation agroalimentaire. Si le rôle des entreprises informelles de transformation agroalimentaire n’est plus à démontrer, le débat se situe sur comment s’assurer que les aliments produits respectent un minimum de normes sanitaires et d’hygiène. La problématique de la protection de la santé du consommateur est d’autant plus cruciale que la caractéristique principale des entreprises informelles est de ne pas respecter les règles. S’appuyant sur l’exemple des entreprises informelles de transformation de la graine de coton en huile alimentaire au Burkina Faso, l’article montre comment il est difficile pour les pouvoirs publics de mettre ce type d’entreprises aux normes. En effet, ni les mesures incitatives ni les mesures répressives ne sont opérantes à elles seules. D’autres types d’instrument sont à envisager afin d’accompagner au mieux le développement de ce type d’entreprise.
Automatic controls increase cement plant efficiency
Authors: Galvin P. J.
Published: April 2017

Not available
Mix-it-yourself concrete offered in box-mix form
Authors: Editorial Equipo
Published: April 2017

Not available
The polity debate regarding same-gender blessings and marriages in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Authors: Vermaak Roch� F.
Published: April 2017

This paper will examine how the decision made by the Presbyterian Church in 1927 � to use polity rather than theology to solve its theological issues � has guided the same-gender blessing and marriage debate since the 1980s. The paper summarises the formation process of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)�s polity regarding same-gender blessing and marriage ceremonies in light of General Assemblies� decisions and General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commissions� ecclesiastical rulings.
�Mission and Power� � The relevance of the Edinburgh 2010 discussion in the theological engagement with violence
Authors: Niemandt Cornelius J.P.
Published: April 2017

The ecumenical conference in Edinburgh in 2010 identified the issue of �Mission and Power� as one of the pressing mission themes for our generation. Christian mission has always been associated with power. The promise of the risen Christ was that his followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them. History, unfortunately, recounts how Christian mission became backed by force and violence, the very opposite of the kind of power and energy associated with the Spirit of God. At the Edinburgh 2010 conference this violence in mission was studied as expressed in churches� relations with indigenous peoples. This article engages violence theologically and ecumenically by inviting the Edinburgh 2010 discussion into the reflection on violence in the democratic South Africa, as it was presented as a contribution to a wider discussion on violence in South Africa. This is done with the following objectives in mind: (1) to better understand the interplay between violence and power against the background of a broader global and ecumenical discussion of this issue; and (2) to suggest clues for the theological reflection on violence that may help to create a powerless, spacecreating discourse that opens up thinking and contributes to healing and justice.The article concludes by building on the Edinburg 2010 foundations of mission as dialogue and proposing prophetic dialogue as a powerless discourse: �Transforming the meaning of mission means that � God�s mission calls all people to work together for healing and justice in partnerships of mutuality and respect.�
Longitudinal study of the antibody response to recombinant Entamoeba histolytica antigens in patients with amebic liver abscess.
Authors: Stanley S L , Jackson T F , Foster L , Singh S
Published: April 2017

Serology is a critical component in the diagnosis of amebic liver abscess. However, in areas endemic for amebiasis there is a high background level of seropositivity for amebiasis (owing to previous infection with Entamoeba histolytica), which may complicate the interpretation of a positive serologic test result. Recently, we reported that serologic tests based on recombinant E. histolytica antigens might offer improved diagnosis of current invasive amebiasis because they apparently differentiated active infection from past exposure to the parasite. To confirm this finding, we have performed a longitudinal study on 20 patients with amebic liver abscess by examining their seroreactivity over time with recombinant versions of two major E. histolytica proteins, the serine rich E. histolytica protein (SREHP), and the 170-kD subunit of the galactose-specific adhesin. We found that more than 50% of the patients examined had become seronegative by one or both recombinant tests within 180 days of their diagnosis of amebic liver abscess. In the case of the recombinant SREHP-based tests, 12 patients had become seronegative 90 days after presentation. In contrast, all patients remained seropositive by a standard conventional test, an indirect hemagglutination test, at more than six months after presentation. Our study shows that patients lose seroreactivity with the recombinant SREHP or 170-kD antigen-based tests more rapidly than with a conventional serologic test; this may make them useful for the serologic diagnosis of amebiasis in endemic areas.
Intestinal parasitic infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative individuals in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Authors: Lindo J F , Dubon J M , Ager A L , de Gourville E M , Solo-Gabriele H , Klaskala W I , Baum M K , Palmer C J
Published: April 2017

Honduras has at least five-times more human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals than any other country in Central America. The relationship between HIV status and the presence of intestinal parasites in this part of the world is unknown. This study presents the results from a prospective, comparative study for the presence of parasites in 52 HIV-positive and 48 HIV-negative persons in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Infection with HIV was determined by microagglutination and confirmed by Western blot analysis. Parasites were detected in stools using formalin-ether concentration, and Kinyoun and trichrome staining. Age, sex, and clinical state of HIV infection were recorded for each study participant. Our results indicate that Cryptosporidium parvum and Strongyloides stercoralis, which are intracellular or live in the mucosa, were found exclusively in persons infected with HIV. In comparison, the prevalence of the extracellular parasites Giardia lamblia, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Trichuris trichiura was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in persons who were HIV-negative. Trichuris worms are in contact with the gut epithelium and less so with the mucosa, whereas Strongyloides lives within the gut mucosa. It is possible that changes in the gut epithelium due to HIV infection do not affect the mucosa and therefore would not affect Strongyloides. We conclude that infection with HIV may selectively deter the establishment of certain intestinal parasites. This may be due to the fact that HIV-induced enteropathy does not favor the establishment of extracellular parasites. Intracellular and mucosal dwelling organisms, however, may benefit from pathologic changes and reduced local immune responses induced by the virus, which, in turn, may lead to higher prevalence among HIV-infected individuals.
Bancroftian filariasis in Maceio, state of Alagoas, Brazil: Observations on Culex quinquefasciatus after blood feeding on individuals with different densities of microfilariae in the peripheral blood stream.
Authors: Brito A C , Fontes G , Williams P , Rocha E M
Published: April 2017

Females of laboratory-reared Culex quinquefasciatus were allowed to take blood meals on individuals with low (1-100 microfilariae/ml of peripheral blood), moderate (101-500 microfilariae/ml), and high (> 500 microfilariae/ml) microfilaremia. The mosquitoes ingested 1.39-3.80 microl of blood and infective third-stage (L3) larvae were first recorded 13-14 days after the infecting blood meal. The number of microfilariae ingested by mosquitoes was proportional to the density of microfilariae in the peripheral blood of the human subjects, but with a concentration factor of up to 6.5 times the expected number. Survival of mosquitoes was not influenced by the density of microfilariae in the peripheral blood of infected individuals. Infectivity indices were proportional to microfilaremia in human subjects. The number of L3 larvae/female (intensity of infection) was not influenced by individual microfilaremia. The highest vector efficiency and the best experimental infection index were recorded in mosquitoes that blood fed on individuals with moderate microfilaremia. The results are discussed in relation to the transmission on Bancroftian filariasis in the study area.
Echinostomiasis: a common but forgotten food-borne disease.
Authors: Graczyk T K , Fried B
Published: April 2017

Human echinostomiasis, endemic to southeast Asia and the Far East, is a food-borne, intestinal, zoonotic parasitosis attributed to at least 16 species of digenean trematodes transmitted by snails. Two separate life cycles of echinostomes, human and sylvatic, efficiently operate in endemic areas. Clinical symptoms of echinostomiasis include abdominal pain, violent watery diarrhea, and anorexia. The disease occurs focally and transmission is linked to fresh or brackish water habitats. Infections are associated with common sociocultural practices of eating raw or insufficiently cooked mollusks, fish, crustaceans, and amphibians, promiscuous defecation, and the use of night soil (human excrement collected from latrines) for fertilization of fish ponds. The prevalence of infection ranges from 44% in the Philippines to 5% in mainland China, and from 50% in northern Thailand to 9% in Korea. Although the patterns of other food-borne trematodiases have changed in Asia following changes in habits, cultural practices, health education, industrialization, and environmental alteration, human echinostomiasis remains a health problem. The disease is most prevalent in remote rural places among low-wage earners and in women of child bearing age. Echinostomiasis is aggravated by socioeconomic factors such as poverty, malnutrition, an explosively growing free-food market, a lack of supervised food inspection, poor or insufficient sanitation, other helminthiases, and declining economic conditions. Furthermore, World Health Organization control programs implemented for other food-borne helminthiases and sustained in endemic areas are not fully successful for echinostomiasis because these parasites display extremely broad specificity for the second intermediate host and are capable of completing the life cycle without involvement of the human host.
Molecular and serologic survey of Orientia tsutsugamushi infection among field rodents in southern Cholla Province, Korea.
Authors: Song H J , Seong S Y , Huh M S , Park S G , Jang W J , Kee S H , Kim K H , Kim S C , Choi M S , Kim I S , Chang W H
Published: April 2017

Field rodents were collected from six areas in southern Cholla Province, Korea from October to December 1993. Twenty-eight (24%) of the 119 Apodemus agrarius were seropositive (> 1:10) for Orientia tsutsugamushi by the passive hemagglutination assay (PHA). Of the seropositive cases, 11 specimens had antibody titers greater than 1:80. No seropositive specimens were found among the eight Crocidura lasiura collected. On the other hand, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified about 520 basepairs of a gene encoding the 56-kD protein from the genomic DNA of 12 strains of O. tsutsugamushi tested. This target DNA sequence was amplified from the 11 (8.7%) blood specimens of A. agrarius, and one of the eight C. lasiura also showed evidence of O. tsutsugamushi infection by PCR. Only one of the PCR-positive samples was also PHA-positive. These results suggest that the PCR combined with a serologic assay more accurately detects the degree of infection of rodents with rickettsiae-causing scrub typhus in epidemiologic surveys.
Comparative analyses of hydrological responses of two adjacent watersheds to climate
variability and change scenarios using SWAT model
Authors: Lee Sangchul , Yeo In-Young , Sadeghi Ali M. , McCarty Gregory W. , Hively Wells D. , Lang Megan W. , Sharifi Amir
Published: April 2017

Abstract. Water quality problems in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW) are expected to exacerbate under climate variability and change. However, climate impacts on agricultural lands and resultant nutrient loads into surface water resources are largely unknown. This study evaluates the impacts of climate variability and change on two adjacent watersheds in the Coastal Plain of the CBW, using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We prepared six climate sensitive scenarios to assess the individual effects of variations in CO2 concentration (590 and 850 ppm), precipitation increase (11 and 21 %) and temperature increase (2.9 and 5.0 °C), and considered the predicted climate change scenario using five general circulation models (GCMs) under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2 scenario. Using SWAT model simulations from 2001 to 2014, as a baseline scenario, the predicted water and nitrate budgets under climate variability and change scenarios were analyzed at multiple temporal scales. Compared to the baseline scenario, precipitation increase of 21 % and elevated CO2 concentration of 850 ppm significantly increased stream flow and nitrate loads by 50 % and 52 %, respectively, while, temperature increase of 5.0 °C reduced stream flow and nitrate loads by 12 % and 13 %, respectively. Under the climate change scenario, annual stream flow and nitrate loads showed an average increase of nearly 40 %, relative to the baseline scenario. Differences in hydrological responses observed from the two watersheds were primarily attributed to contrasting land use and soil characteristics. The watershed with larger percent croplands indicated increased nitrate yield of 0.52 kg N ha−1 compared to the one with less percent croplands under the climate change scenario, due to increased export of nitrate derived from fertilizer. The watershed dominated by poorly-drained soils showed a lower increase in nitrate yield than one dominated by well-drained soils, due to a high potential of nitrate loss in surface runoff and enhanced denitrification. To mitigate increased nitrate loads potentially caused by climate change, the enhanced implementation of conservation practices would be necessary for this region in the future. These findings assist watershed managers and regulators as they seek to establish effective adaptation strategies to mitigate water quality degradation in this region.
The effect of GCM biases on global runoff simulations of a land surface model
Authors: Papadimitriou Lamprini V. , Koutroulis Aristeidis G. , Grillakis Manolis G. , Tsanis Ioannis K.
Published: April 2017

Abstract. Global Climate Model (GCM) outputs feature systematic biases that render them unsuitable for direct use by impact models, especially for hydrological studies. To deal with this issue many bias correction techniques have been developed to adjust the modelled variables against observations, focusing mainly on precipitation and temperature. However most state-of-art hydrological models require more forcing variables, additionally to precipitation and temperature, such as radiation, humidity, air pressure and wind speed. The biases in these additional variables can hinder hydrological simulations, but the effect of the bias of each variable is unexplored. Here we examine the effect of GCM biases on historical runoff simulations for each forcing variable individually, using the land surface model JULES set up at the global scale. Based on the quantified effect, we assess which variables should be included in bias correction procedures. To this end, a partial correction bias assessment experiment is conducted, to test the effect of the biases of six climate variables from a set of three GCMs. The effect of the bias of each climate variable individually is quantified by comparing the changes in simulated runoff that correspond to the bias of each tested variable. A methodology for the classification of the effect of biases in four Effect Categories (ECs), based on the magnitude and sensitivity of runoff changes, is developed and applied. Our results show that, while globally the largest changes in modelled runoff are caused by precipitation and temperature biases, there are regions where runoff is substantially affected by and/or more sensitive to radiation and humidity. Global maps of bias ECs reveal the regions mostly affected by the bias of each variable. Based on our findings, for global scale applications, bias correction of radiation and humidity, in addition to that of precipitation and temperature, is advised. Finer spatial scale information is also provided, to suggest bias correction of variables beyond precipitation and temperature for regional studies.
Searching for the optimal drought index and time scale combination
to detect drought: a case study from the lower Jinsha River Basin,
China
Authors: Fluixá-Sanmartín Javier , Pan Deng , Fischer Luzia , Orlowsky Boris , García-Hernández Javier , Jordan Frédéric , Haemmig Christoph , Zhang Fangwei , Xu Jijun
Published: April 2017

Abstract. Drought indices based on precipitation are commonly used to identify and characterize droughts. Due to the general complexity of droughts, comparison of index-identified events with droughts rely typically on model simulations of the complete hydrological system (e.g., soil humidity or river discharges), entailing potentially significant uncertainties. The present study explores the potential of using precipitation based indices to reproduce observed droughts in the lower part of the Jinsha River Basin, proposing an innovative approach for a catchment-wide drought detection and characterization. Two new indicators, namely the Overall Drought Extension (ODE) and the Overall Drought Intensity (ODI), have been developed. These indicators aim at identifying and characterizing drought events at basin scale, using results from four meteorological drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI; Rainfall Anomaly Index, RAI; Percent of Normal precipitation, PN; Deciles, DEC) calculated at different locations of the basin and for different time scales. Collected historical information on drought events is used to contrast results obtained with the indicators. This method has been successfully applied to the lower Jinsha River Basin, in China, a region prone to frequent and severe droughts. Historical drought events occurred from 1960 to 2014 have been compiled and catalogued from different sources, in a challenging process. The analysis of the newly developed indicators shows a good agreement with the recorded historical drought at basin scale. It has been found that the combinations of index and time scale that best reproduces observed events are the SPI-12 and PN-12 for long droughts (1 year or more) and the RAI-6, PN-6 and DEC-6 for shorter or more consecutive events.
Disseminated Mycobacterium Avium Complex infection in Acquired Immunedeficiency Syndrome patient
Authors: Mada Pradeep Kumar Kumar , Maruvada Smitha , Chandranesan Andrew Stevenson Joel
Published: April 2017

In the United States, the most common non-tuberculous species causing human diseases are slowly growing species; Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium kansasii and rapidly growing species; Mycobacterium abscessus. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy and MAC prophylaxis, disseminated MAC disease is seen infrequently. We report a case of 33-Year-old HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), non-compliant patient presented with disseminated MAC disease. Sputum AFB smear, culture, and Bone marrow biopsy revealed Mycobacterium Avium Intracellulare by DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) probe. Following confirmation, he was initiated on Clarithromycin, Ethambutol and Rifabutin for one year of duration with follow up as outpatient.