A mixing evolution model for bidirectional microblog user networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Wei-Guo; Liu, Yun

2015-08-01

Microblogs have been widely used as a new form of online social networking. Based on the user profile data collected from Sina Weibo, we find that the number of microblog user bidirectional friends approximately corresponds with the lognormal distribution. We then build two microblog user networks with real bidirectional relationships, both of which have not only small-world and scale-free but also some special properties, such as double power-law degree distribution, disassortative network, hierarchical and rich-club structure. Moreover, by detecting the community structures of the two real networks, we find both of their community scales follow an exponential distribution. Based on the empirical analysis, we present a novel evolution network model with mixed connection rules, including lognormal fitness preferential and random attachment, nearest neighbor interconnected in the same community, and global random associations in different communities. The simulation results show that our model is consistent with real network in many topology features.

Community/hospital indicators in South African public sector mental health services.

PubMed

Lund, Crick; Flisher, Alan J

2003-12-01

The need to balance resources between community and hospital-based mental health services in the post-deinstitutionalisation era has been well-documented. However, few indicators have been developed to monitor the relationship between community and hospital services, in either developed or developing countries. There is a particular need for such indicators in the South African context, with its history of inequitable services based in custodial institutions under apartheid, and a new policy that proposes the development of more equitable community-based care. Indicators are needed to measure the distribution of resources and the relative utilisation of community and hospital-based services during the reform process. These indicators are potentially useful for assessing the implementation of policy objectives over time. To develop and document community/hospital indicators in public sector mental health services in South Africa. A questionnaire was distributed to provincial mental health coordinators requesting numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who provide mental health care at all service levels, annual patient admissions to hospitals and annual patient attendances at ambulatory care facilities. The information was supplemented by consultations with mental health coordinators in each of the 9 provinces. Population data were obtained from preliminary findings of the 1996 census. The community/hospital indicator measuring staff distribution was defined as the ratio of staff employed in community settings to all staff, expressed as a percentage. The community/hospital indicator measuring patient service utilisation was defined as the ratio of the annual ambulatory care attendance rate per 100,000 population to the sum of this rate and the annual hospital admission rate per 100,000 population, expressed as a percentage. Of psychiatric public sector staff, 25% are located in community settings in South Africa (provincial range: 11-70%). If hospital outpatient services are included in the definition of ' 'hospital' ', this figure is reduced to 17% (provincial range: 3-56%). In terms of service utilisation, 66% of patient contacts with mental health services occur through ambulatory care services in South Africa (provincial range: 44-93%). Community/hospital staff distribution indicates an overemphasis on centralised hospital-based care in most provinces and inadequate hospital care in certain provinces. Patterns of patient service utilisation indicate an over-reliance on central hospital-based services and substantial unmet need. The findings draw attention to problems in information systems for mental health care in South Africa. The community/hospital indicators developed for this study form a useful measure for assessing the implementation of mental health policy over time. For the South African context, the community/hospital indicators are a measure of the extent of resource redistribution from hospital to community services and changing patterns of service utilisation over time. Currently, patterns of resource distribution and service utilisation are inconsistent with government policy. Further research is needed into the development of mental health information systems, refining service indicators and improving methodologies for assessing the implementation of mental health policies in service delivery.

Bacterial community structure in the drinking water microbiome is governed by filtration processes.

PubMed

Pinto, Ameet J; Xi, Chuanwu; Raskin, Lutgarde

2012-08-21

The bacterial community structure of a drinking water microbiome was characterized over three seasons using 16S rRNA gene based pyrosequencing of samples obtained from source water (a mix of a groundwater and a surface water), different points in a drinking water plant operated to treat this source water, and in the associated drinking water distribution system. Even though the source water was shown to seed the drinking water microbiome, treatment process operations limit the source water's influence on the distribution system bacterial community. Rather, in this plant, filtration by dual media rapid sand filters played a primary role in shaping the distribution system bacterial community over seasonal time scales as the filters harbored a stable bacterial community that seeded the water treatment processes past filtration. Bacterial taxa that colonized the filter and sloughed off in the filter effluent were able to persist in the distribution system despite disinfection of finished water by chloramination and filter backwashing with chloraminated backwash water. Thus, filter colonization presents a possible ecological survival strategy for bacterial communities in drinking water systems, which presents an opportunity to control the drinking water microbiome by manipulating the filter microbial community. Grouping bacterial taxa based on their association with the filter helped to elucidate relationships between the abundance of bacterial groups and water quality parameters and showed that pH was the strongest regulator of the bacterial community in the sampled drinking water system.

Distributed learning automata-based algorithm for community detection in complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khomami, Mohammad Mehdi Daliri; Rezvanian, Alireza; Meybodi, Mohammad Reza

2016-03-01

Community structure is an important and universal topological property of many complex networks such as social and information networks. The detection of communities of a network is a significant technique for understanding the structure and function of networks. In this paper, we propose an algorithm based on distributed learning automata for community detection (DLACD) in complex networks. In the proposed algorithm, each vertex of network is equipped with a learning automation. According to the cooperation among network of learning automata and updating action probabilities of each automaton, the algorithm interactively tries to identify high-density local communities. The performance of the proposed algorithm is investigated through a number of simulations on popular synthetic and real networks. Experimental results in comparison with popular community detection algorithms such as walk trap, Danon greedy optimization, Fuzzy community detection, Multi-resolution community detection and label propagation demonstrated the superiority of DLACD in terms of modularity, NMI, performance, min-max-cut and coverage.

Effect of Changing Treatment Disinfectants on the Microbiology of Distributed Water and Pipe Biofilm Communities using Conventional and Metagenomic Approaches

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this research was to add to our knowledge of chlorine and monochloramine disinfectants, with regards to effects on the microbial communities in distribution systems. A whole metagenome-based approach using sophisticated molecular tools (e.g., next generation sequen...

Unequal exposure to ecological hazards: environmental injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

PubMed Central

Faber, Daniel R; Krieg, Eric J

2002-01-01

This study analyzes the social and geographic distribution of ecological hazards across 368 communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Combining census data with a variety of environmental data, we tested for and identified both income-based and racially based biases to the geographic distribution of 17 different types of environmentally hazardous sites and industrial facilities. We also developed a composite measure of cumulative exposure to compare the relative overall risks characteristic of each community. To the best of our knowledge, this point system makes this the first environmental justice study to develop a means for measuring and ranking cumulative exposure for communities. The study also controls for the intensity of hazards in each community by accounting for the area across which hazards are distributed. The findings indicate that ecologically hazardous sites and facilities are disproportionately located and concentrated in communities of color and working-class communities. The implication of this research for policymakers and citizen advocates is that cumulative exposure of residents to environmentally hazardous facilities and sites should receive greater consideration regarding community demographics and environmental health indicators. We conclude that the provision of additional resources for environmental monitoring and ranking, as well as yearly progress reports, is necessary for communities and state agencies to achieve equal access to clean and healthy environments for all residents. PMID:11929739

Habitat-based constraints on food web structure and parasite life cycles.

PubMed

Rossiter, Wayne; Sukhdeo, Michael V K

2014-04-01

Habitat is frequently implicated as a powerful determinant of community structure and species distributions, but few studies explicitly evaluate the relationship between habitat-based patterns of species' distributions and the presence or absence of trophic interactions. The complex (multi-host) life cycles of parasites are directly affected by these factors, but almost no data exist on the role of habitat in constraining parasite-host interactions at the community level. In this study the relationship(s) between species abundances, distributions and trophic interactions (including parasitism) were evaluated in the context of habitat structure (classic geomorphic designations of pools, riffles and runs) in a riverine community (Raritan River, Hunterdon County, NJ, USA). We report 121 taxa collected over a 2-year period, and compare the observed food web patterns to null model expectations. The results show that top predators are constrained to particular habitat types, and that species' distributions are biased towards pool habitats. However, our null model (which incorporates cascade model assumptions) accurately predicts the observed patterns of trophic interactions. Thus, habitat strongly dictates species distributions, and patterns of trophic interactions arise as a consequence of these distributions. Additionally, we find that hosts utilized in parasite life cycles are more overlapping in their distributions, and this pattern is more pronounced among those involved in trophic transmission. We conclude that habitat structure may be a strong predictor of parasite transmission routes, particularly within communities that occupy heterogeneous habitats.

Community-Based Efforts to Increase the Identification of the Number of Gifted Minority Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Paul I.

The document reports on a study of community-based identification of gifted and talented Black middle-school students, as an adjunct to formal identification procedures. A developmental framework for the identification of the gifted minority child was distributed to 17 known leaders in the Black community (including ministers, youth leaders in…

Implementing at-scale, community-based distribution of misoprostol tablets to mothers in the third stage of labor for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Early results and lessons learned

PubMed Central

Orobaton, Nosakhare; Abdulazeez, Jumare; Abegunde, Dele; Shoretire, Kamil; Maishanu, Abubakar; Ikoro, Nnenna; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Balami, Wapada; Beal, Katherine; Ganiyu, Akeem; Gwamzhi, Ringpon; Austin, Anne

2017-01-01

Background Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal death in Sokoto State, Nigeria, where 95% of women give birth outside of a health facility. Although pilot schemes have demonstrated the value of community-based distribution of misoprostol for the prevention of PPH, none have provided practical insight on taking such programs to scale. Methods A community-based system for the distribution of misoprostol tablets (in 600ug) and chlorhexidine digluconate gel 7.1% to mother-newborn dyads was introduced by state government officials and community leaders throughout Sokoto State in April 2013, with the potential to reach an estimated 190,467 annual births. A simple outcome form that collected distribution and consumption data was used to assess the percentage of mothers that received misoprostol at labor through December 2014. Mothers’ conditions were tracked through 6 weeks postpartum. Verbal autopsies were conducted on associated maternal deaths. Results Misoprostol distribution was successfully introduced and reached mothers in labor in all 244 wards in Sokoto State. Community data collection systems were successfully operational in all 244 wards with reliable capacity to record maternal deaths. 70,982 women or 22% of expected births received misoprostol from April 2013 to December 2014. Between April and December 2013, 33 women (< 1%) reported that heavy bleeding persisted after misoprostol use and were promptly referred. There were a total of 11 deaths in the 2013 cohort which were confirmed as maternal deaths by verbal autopsies. Between January and December of 2014, a total 434 women (1.25%) that ingested misoprostol reported associated side effects. Conclusion It is feasible and safe to utilize government guidelines on results-based primary health care to successfully introduce community distribution of life saving misoprostol at scale to reduce PPH and improve maternal outcomes. Lessons from Sokoto State’s at-scale program implementation, to assure every mother’s right to uterotonics, can inform scale-up elsewhere in Nigeria. PMID:28234894

The Application of Observational Practice and Educational Networking in Simulation-Based and Distributed Medical Education Contexts.

PubMed

Welsher, Arthur; Rojas, David; Khan, Zain; VanderBeek, Laura; Kapralos, Bill; Grierson, Lawrence E M

2018-02-01

Research has revealed that individuals can improve technical skill performance by viewing demonstrations modeled by either expert or novice performers. These findings support the development of video-based observational practice communities that augment simulation-based skill education and connect geographically distributed learners. This study explores the experimental replicability of the observational learning effect when demonstrations are sampled from a community of distributed learners and serves as a context for understanding learner experiences within this type of training protocol. Participants from 3 distributed medical campuses engaged in a simulation-based learning study of the elliptical excision in which they completed a video-recorded performance before being assigned to 1 of 3 groups for a 2-week observational practice intervention. One group observed expert demonstrations, another observed novice demonstrations, and the third observed a combination of both. Participants returned for posttesting immediately and 1 month after the intervention. Participants also engaged in interviews regarding their perceptions of the usability and relevance of video-based observational practice to clinical education. Checklist (P < 0.0001) and global rating (P < 0.0001) measures indicate that participants, regardless of group assignment, improved after the intervention and after a 1-month retention period. Analyses revealed no significant differences between groups. Qualitative analyses indicate that participants perceived the observational practice platform to be usable, relevant, and potentially improved with enhanced feedback delivery. Video-based observational practice involving expert and/or novice demonstrations enhances simulation-based skill learning in a group of geographically distributed trainees. These findings support the use of Internet-mediated observational learning communities in distributed and simulation-based medical education contexts.

Description of Drinking Water Bacterial Communities Using 16S rRNA Gene Sequence Analyses

EPA Science Inventory

Descriptions of bacterial communities inhabiting water distribution systems (WDS) have mainly been accomplished using culture-based approaches. Due to the inherent selective nature of culture-based approaches, the majority of bacteria inhabiting WDS remain uncharacterized. The go...

Effects of naloxone distribution to likely bystanders: Results of an agent-based model.

PubMed

Keane, Christopher; Egan, James E; Hawk, Mary

2018-05-01

Opioid overdose deaths in the US rose dramatically in the past 16 years, creating an urgent national health crisis with no signs of immediate relief. In 2017, the President of the US officially declared the opioid epidemic to be a national emergency and called for additional resources to respond to the crisis. Distributing naloxone to community laypersons and people at high risk for opioid overdose can prevent overdose death, but optimal distribution methods have not yet been pinpointed. We conducted a sequential exploratory mixed methods design using qualitative data to inform an agent-based model to improve understanding of effective community-based naloxone distribution to laypersons to reverse opioid overdose. The individuals in the model were endowed with cognitive and behavioral variables and accessed naloxone via community sites such as pharmacies, hospitals, and urgent-care centers. We compared overdose deaths over a simulated 6-month period while varying the number of distribution sites (0, 1, and 10) and number of kits given to individuals per visit (1 versus 10). Specifically, we ran thirty simulations for each of thirteen distribution models and report average overdose deaths for each. The baseline comparator was no naloxone distribution. Our simulations explored the effects of distribution through syringe exchange sites with and without secondary distribution, which refers to distribution of naloxone kits by laypersons within their social networks and enables ten additional laypersons to administer naloxone to reverse opioid overdose. Our baseline model with no naloxone distribution predicted there would be 167.9 deaths in a six month period. A single distribution site, even with 10 kits picked up per visit, decreased overdose deaths by only 8.3% relative to baseline. However, adding secondary distribution through social networks to a single site resulted in 42.5% fewer overdose deaths relative to baseline. That is slightly higher than the 39.9% decrease associated with a tenfold increase in the number of sites, all distributing ten kits but with no secondary distribution. This suggests that, as long as multiple kits are picked up per visit, adding secondary distribution is at least as effective as increasing sites from one to ten. Combining the addition of secondary distribution with an increase in sites from one to ten resulted in a 61.1% drop in deaths relative to the baseline. Adding distribution through a syringe exchange site resulted in a drop of approximately 65% of deaths relative to baseline. In fact, when enabling distribution through a clean-syringe site, the secondary distribution through networks contributed no additional drops in deaths. Community-based naloxone distribution to reverse opioid overdose may significantly reduce deaths. Optimal distribution methods may include secondary distribution so that the person who picks up naloxone kits can enable others in the community to administer naloxone, as well as targeting naloxone distribution to sites where individuals at high-risk for opioid overdose death are likely to visit, such as syringe-exchange programs. This study design, which paired exploratory qualitative data with agent-based modeling, can be used in other settings seeking to implement and improve naloxone distribution programs. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advances in modeling trait-based plant community assembly.

PubMed

Laughlin, Daniel C; Laughlin, David E

2013-10-01

In this review, we examine two new trait-based models of community assembly that predict the relative abundance of species from a regional species pool. The models use fundamentally different mathematical approaches and the predictions can differ considerably. Maxent obtains the most even probability distribution subject to community-weighted mean trait constraints. Traitspace predicts low probabilities for any species whose trait distribution does not pass through the environmental filter. Neither model maximizes functional diversity because of the emphasis on environmental filtering over limiting similarity. Traitspace can test for the effects of limiting similarity by explicitly incorporating intraspecific trait variation. The range of solutions in both models could be used to define the range of natural variability of community composition in restoration projects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevention of postpartum hemorrhage at home birth in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Sanghvi, Harshadkumar; Ansari, Nasratullah; Prata, Ndola J V; Gibson, Hannah; Ehsan, Aftab T; Smith, Jeffrey M

2010-03-01

To test the safety, acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of community-based education and distribution of misoprostol for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage at home birth in Afghanistan. A nonrandomized experimental control design in rural Afghanistan. A total of 3187 women participated: 2039 in the intervention group and 1148 in the control group. Of the 1421 women in the intervention group who took misoprostol, 100% correctly took it after birth, including 20 women with twin pregnancies. Adverse effect rates were unexpectedly lower in the intervention group than in the comparison group. Among women in the intervention group, 92% said they would use misoprostol in their next pregnancy. In the intervention area where community-based distribution of misoprostol was introduced, near-universal uterotonic coverage (92%) was achieved compared with 25% coverage in the control areas. In Afghanistan, community-based education and distribution of misoprostol is safe, acceptable, feasible, and effective. This strategy should be considered for other countries where access to skilled attendance is limited.

Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth control in Niger: cost effectiveness of school based and community distributed mass drug administration [corrected].

PubMed

Leslie, Jacqueline; Garba, Amadou; Oliva, Elisa Bosque; Barkire, Arouna; Tinni, Amadou Aboubacar; Djibo, Ali; Mounkaila, Idrissa; Fenwick, Alan

2011-10-01

In 2004 Niger established a large scale schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths control programme targeting children aged 5-14 years and adults. In two years 4.3 million treatments were delivered in 40 districts using school based and community distribution. Four districts were surveyed in 2006 to estimate the economic cost per district, per treatment and per schistosomiasis infection averted. The study compares the costs of treatment at start up and in a subsequent year, identifies the allocation of costs by activity, input and organisation, and assesses the cost of treatment. The cost of delivery provided by teachers is compared to cost of delivery by community distributers (CDD). The total economic cost of the programme including programmatic, national and local government costs and international support in four study districts, over two years, was US$ 456,718; an economic cost/treatment of $0.58. The full economic delivery cost of school based treatment in 2005/06 was $0.76, and for community distribution was $0.46. Including only the programme costs the figures are $0.47 and $0.41 respectively. Differences at sub-district are more marked. This is partly explained by the fact that a CDD treats 5.8 people for every one treated in school. The range in cost effectiveness for both direct and direct and indirect treatments is quantified and the need to develop and refine such estimates is emphasised. The relative cost effectiveness of school and community delivery differs by country according to the composition of the population treated, the numbers targeted and treated at school and in the community, the cost and frequency of training teachers and CDDs. Options analysis of technical and implementation alternatives including a financial analysis should form part of the programme design process.

Willingness to pay for community-based ivermectin distribution: a study of three onchocerciasis-endemic communities in Nigeria.

PubMed

Onwujekwe, O E; Shu, E N; Nwagbo, D; Akpala, C O; Okonkwo, P O

1998-10-01

To determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for local ivermectin distribution in a community financing framework. Contingent valuation in three communities in Nigeria, using randomly selected household heads. WTP was elicited using a bidding game, and for collecting information on the households' socio-economic status, level of knowledge, priority ranking and perception of risk of contracting the disease, structured questionnaires were used. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis was used to analyse factors associated with WTP. Between 92.1% and 93.3 % of respondents were willing to pay amounts ranging from 5 Naira (US$ 0.06) to 100 Naira (US$ 1.25) (median: 20 Naira, US$ 0.25) in the three communities, more than three times the modelled unit direct cost of distributing ivermectin by the communities themselves. Occupation of the respondent, marital status, average monthly expenditure on health care, manifestations of onchocerciasis, the type of savings scheme embarked on by the respondent, age-group, level of education and type of property were statistically significant (P < 0.05) variables affecting WTP. This study shows that there is WTP for local ivermectin distribution in the three study communities, and that it should be assessed before instituting community-directed treatment with ivermectin.

Novel 16S rDNA primers revealed the diversity and habitats-related community structure of sphingomonads in 10 different niches.

PubMed

Huang, Yili; Feng, Hao; Lu, Hang; Zeng, Yanhua

2017-07-01

It is believed that sphingomonads are ubiquitously distributed in environments. However detailed information about their community structure and their co-relationship with environmental parameters remain unclear. In this study, novel sphingomonads-specific primers based on the 16S rRNA gene were designed to investigate the distribution of sphingomonads in 10 different niches. Both in silico and in-practice tests on pure cultures and environmental samples showed that Sph384f/Sph701r was an efficient primer set. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed that community structures of sphingomonads were significantly different among the 10 samples, although 12 sphingomonad genera were present in all samples. Based on RDA analysis and Monte Carlo permutation test, sphingomonad community structure was significantly correlated with limnetic and marine habitat types. Among these niches, the genus Sphingomicrobium showed strong positive correlation with marine habitats, whereas genera Sphingobium, Novosphingobium, Sphingopyxis, and Sphingorhabdus showed strong positive correlation with limnetic habitats. Our study provided direct evidence that sphingomonads are ubiquitously distributed in environments, and revealed for the first time that their community structure can be correlated with habitats.

Community Energy: A Social Architecture for an Alternative Energy Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Steven M.; High-Pippert, Angela

2005-01-01

Community energy based on a mix of distributed technologies offers a serious alternative to the current energy system. The nature of community energy and the role that such initiatives might play in the general fabric of civic life is not, however, well understood. Community energy initiatives might involve only those citizens who prefer to be…

Energy Management Policies in Distributed Residential Energy Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duan, Sisi; Sun, Jingtao

2016-01-01

In this paper, we study energy management problems in communities with several neighborhood-level Residential Energy Systems (RESs). We consider control problems from both community level and residential level to handle external changes such as restriction on peak demand and restriction on the total demand from the electricity grid. We propose three policies to handle the problems at community level. Based on the collected data from RESs such as predicted energy load, the community controller analyzes the policies, distribute the results to the RES, and each RES can then control and schedule its own energy load based on different coordination functions.more » We utilize a framework to integrate both policy analysis and coordination of functions. With the use of our approach, we show that the policies are useful to resolve the challenges of energy management under external changes.« less

Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical tree species.

PubMed

John, Robert; Dalling, James W; Harms, Kyle E; Yavitt, Joseph B; Stallard, Robert F; Mirabello, Matthew; Hubbell, Stephen P; Valencia, Renato; Navarrete, Hugo; Vallejo, Martha; Foster, Robin B

2007-01-16

The importance of niche vs. neutral assembly mechanisms in structuring tropical tree communities remains an important unsettled question in community ecology [Bell G (2005) Ecology 86:1757-1770]. There is ample evidence that species distributions are determined by soils and habitat factors at landscape (<10(4) km(2)) and regional scales. At local scales (<1 km(2)), however, habitat factors and species distributions show comparable spatial aggregation, making it difficult to disentangle the importance of niche and dispersal processes. In this article, we test soil resource-based niche assembly at a local scale, using species and soil nutrient distributions obtained at high spatial resolution in three diverse neotropical forest plots in Colombia (La Planada), Ecuador (Yasuni), and Panama (Barro Colorado Island). Using spatial distribution maps of >0.5 million individual trees of 1,400 species and 10 essential plant nutrients, we used Monte Carlo simulations of species distributions to test plant-soil associations against null expectations based on dispersal assembly. We found that the spatial distributions of 36-51% of tree species at these sites show strong associations to soil nutrient distributions. Neutral dispersal assembly cannot account for these plant-soil associations or the observed niche breadths of these species. These results indicate that belowground resource availability plays an important role in the assembly of tropical tree communities at local scales and provide the basis for future investigations on the mechanisms of resource competition among tropical tree species.

A Report of At-Scale Distribution of Chlorhexidine Digluconate 7.1% Gel for Newborn Cord Care to 36,404 Newborns in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Initial Lessons Learned

PubMed Central

Orobaton, Nosakhare; Abegunde, Dele; Shoretire, Kamil; Abdulazeez, Jumare; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Lamiri, Goli; Maishanu, Abubakar; Ganiyu, Akeem; Ndifon, Eric; Gwamzhi, Ringpon; Osborne-Smith, Matthew

2015-01-01

Background With an annual estimated 276,000 neonatal deaths, Nigeria has the second highest of any country in the world. Global progress in accelerating neonatal deaths is hinged to scaled-up interventions in Nigeria. We used routine data of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel utilized by 36,404 newborns delivered by 36,370 mothers, to study lessons associated with at-scale distribution in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Methods and Findings Under state government leadership, a community-based distribution system overseen by 244 ward development committees and over 3,440 community-based health volunteers and community drug keepers, was activated to deliver two locally stored medicines to women when labor commenced. Newborns and their mothers were tracked through 28 days and 42 days respectively, including verbal autopsy results. 36,404 or 26.3% of expected newborns received the gel from April 2013 to December 2013 throughout all 244 wards in the State. 99.97% of newborns survived past 28 days. There were 124 pre-verified neonatal deaths reported. Upon verification using verbal autopsy procedures, 76 deaths were stillborn and 48 were previously live births. Among the previous 48 live births, the main causes of death were sepsis (40%), asphyxia (29%) and prematurity (8%). Underuse of logistics management information by government in procurement decisions and not accounting for differences in LGA population sizes during commodity distribution, severely limited program scalability. Conclusions Enhancements in the predictable availability and supply of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel to communities through better, evidence-based logistics management by the state public sector will most likely dramatically increase program scalability. Infections as a cause of mortality in babies delivered in home settings may be much higher than previously conceived. In tandem with high prevalence of stillborn deaths, delivery, interventions designed to increase mothers’ timely and regular use of quality antenatal care, and increased facility-based based delivery, need urgent attention. We call for accelerated investments in community health volunteer programs and the requisite community measurement systems to better track coverage. We also advocate for the development, refinement and use of routine community-based verbal autopsies to track newborn and maternal survival. PMID:26226017

A Report of At-Scale Distribution of Chlorhexidine Digluconate 7.1% Gel for Newborn Cord Care to 36,404 Newborns in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Initial Lessons Learned.

PubMed

Orobaton, Nosakhare; Abegunde, Dele; Shoretire, Kamil; Abdulazeez, Jumare; Fapohunda, Bolaji; Lamiri, Goli; Maishanu, Abubakar; Ganiyu, Akeem; Ndifon, Eric; Gwamzhi, Ringpon; Osborne-Smith, Matthew

2015-01-01

With an annual estimated 276,000 neonatal deaths, Nigeria has the second highest of any country in the world. Global progress in accelerating neonatal deaths is hinged to scaled-up interventions in Nigeria. We used routine data of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel utilized by 36,404 newborns delivered by 36,370 mothers, to study lessons associated with at-scale distribution in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Under state government leadership, a community-based distribution system overseen by 244 ward development committees and over 3,440 community-based health volunteers and community drug keepers, was activated to deliver two locally stored medicines to women when labor commenced. Newborns and their mothers were tracked through 28 days and 42 days respectively, including verbal autopsy results. 36,404 or 26.3% of expected newborns received the gel from April 2013 to December 2013 throughout all 244 wards in the State. 99.97% of newborns survived past 28 days. There were 124 pre-verified neonatal deaths reported. Upon verification using verbal autopsy procedures, 76 deaths were stillborn and 48 were previously live births. Among the previous 48 live births, the main causes of death were sepsis (40%), asphyxia (29%) and prematurity (8%). Underuse of logistics management information by government in procurement decisions and not accounting for differences in LGA population sizes during commodity distribution, severely limited program scalability. Enhancements in the predictable availability and supply of chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1% gel to communities through better, evidence-based logistics management by the state public sector will most likely dramatically increase program scalability. Infections as a cause of mortality in babies delivered in home settings may be much higher than previously conceived. In tandem with high prevalence of stillborn deaths, delivery, interventions designed to increase mothers' timely and regular use of quality antenatal care, and increased facility-based based delivery, need urgent attention. We call for accelerated investments in community health volunteer programs and the requisite community measurement systems to better track coverage. We also advocate for the development, refinement and use of routine community-based verbal autopsies to track newborn and maternal survival.

Identifying Elements Critical for Functional and Sustainable Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Gail; Manokore, Viola

2011-01-01

In this paper, we examined data collected as part of a 5-year project designed to foster reform-based urban science teaching through teachers' communities of inquiry. Drawing upon a distributed leadership framework, we analyzed teacher "talk" during professional learning community (PLC) meetings. This analysis yielded five elements:…

A cluster-randomised controlled trial integrating a community-based water, sanitation and hygiene programme, with mass distribution of albendazole to reduce intestinal parasites in Timor-Leste: the WASH for WORMS research protocol.

PubMed

Nery, Susana Vaz; McCarthy, James S; Traub, Rebecca; Andrews, Ross M; Black, Jim; Gray, Darren; Weking, Edmund; Atkinson, Jo-An; Campbell, Suzy; Francis, Naomi; Vallely, Andrew; Williams, Gail; Clements, Archie

2015-12-30

There is limited evidence demonstrating the benefits of community-based water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes on infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and intestinal protozoa. Our study aims to contribute to that evidence base by investigating the effectiveness of combining two complementary approaches for control of STH: periodic mass administration of albendazole, and delivery of a community-based WASH programme. WASH for WORMS is a cluster-randomised controlled trial to test the hypothesis that a community-based WASH intervention integrated with periodic mass distribution of albendazole will be more effective in reducing infections with STH and protozoa than mass deworming alone. All 18 participating rural communities in Timor-Leste receive mass chemotherapy every 6 months. Half the communities also receive the community-based WASH programme. Primary outcomes are the cumulative incidence of infection with STH. Secondary outcomes include the prevalence of protozoa; intensity of infection with STH; as well as morbidity indicators (anaemia, stunting and wasting). Each of the trial outcomes will be compared between control and intervention communities. End points will be measured 2 years after the first albendazole distribution; and midpoints are measured at 6 months intervals (12 months for haemoglobin and anthropometric indexes). Mixed-methods research will also be conducted in order to identify barriers and enablers associated with the acceptability and uptake of the WASH programme. Ethics approval was obtained from the human ethics committees at the University of Queensland, Australian National University, Timorese Ministry of Health, and University of Melbourne. The results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals presented at national and international conferences, and disseminated to relevant stakeholders in health and WASH programmes. This study is funded by a Partnership for Better Health--Project grant from the National Health and Research Council (NHMRC), Australia. ACTRN12614000680662; Pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

A cluster-randomised controlled trial integrating a community-based water, sanitation and hygiene programme, with mass distribution of albendazole to reduce intestinal parasites in Timor-Leste: the WASH for WORMS research protocol

PubMed Central

Nery, Susana Vaz; McCarthy, James S; Traub, Rebecca; Andrews, Ross M; Black, Jim; Gray, Darren; Weking, Edmund; Atkinson, Jo-An; Campbell, Suzy; Francis, Naomi; Vallely, Andrew; Williams, Gail; Clements, Archie

2015-01-01

Introduction There is limited evidence demonstrating the benefits of community-based water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes on infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and intestinal protozoa. Our study aims to contribute to that evidence base by investigating the effectiveness of combining two complementary approaches for control of STH: periodic mass administration of albendazole, and delivery of a community-based WASH programme. Methods and analysis WASH for WORMS is a cluster-randomised controlled trial to test the hypothesis that a community-based WASH intervention integrated with periodic mass distribution of albendazole will be more effective in reducing infections with STH and protozoa than mass deworming alone. All 18 participating rural communities in Timor-Leste receive mass chemotherapy every 6 months. Half the communities also receive the community-based WASH programme. Primary outcomes are the cumulative incidence of infection with STH. Secondary outcomes include the prevalence of protozoa; intensity of infection with STH; as well as morbidity indicators (anaemia, stunting and wasting). Each of the trial outcomes will be compared between control and intervention communities. End points will be measured 2 years after the first albendazole distribution; and midpoints are measured at 6 months intervals (12 months for haemoglobin and anthropometric indexes). Mixed-methods research will also be conducted in order to identify barriers and enablers associated with the acceptability and uptake of the WASH programme. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the human ethics committees at the University of Queensland, Australian National University, Timorese Ministry of Health, and University of Melbourne. The results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals presented at national and international conferences, and disseminated to relevant stakeholders in health and WASH programmes. This study is funded by a Partnership for Better Health—Project grant from the National Health and Research Council (NHMRC), Australia. Trial registration number ACTRN12614000680662; Pre-results PMID:26719316

AphidBase: A centralized bioinformatic resource for annotation of the pea aphid genome

PubMed Central

Legeai, Fabrice; Shigenobu, Shuji; Gauthier, Jean-Pierre; Colbourne, John; Rispe, Claude; Collin, Olivier; Richards, Stephen; Wilson, Alex C. C.; Tagu, Denis

2015-01-01

AphidBase is a centralized bioinformatic resource that was developed to facilitate community annotation of the pea aphid genome by the International Aphid Genomics Consortium (IAGC). The AphidBase Information System designed to organize and distribute genomic data and annotations for a large international community was constructed using open source software tools from the Generic Model Organism Database (GMOD). The system includes Apollo and GBrowse utilities as well as a wiki, blast search capabilities and a full text search engine. AphidBase strongly supported community cooperation and coordination in the curation of gene models during community annotation of the pea aphid genome. AphidBase can be accessed at http://www.aphidbase.com. PMID:20482635

a New Dynamic Community Model for Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhe-Ming; Wu, Zhen; Guo, Shi-Ze; Chen, Zhe; Song, Guang-Hua

2014-09-01

In this paper, based on the phenomenon that individuals join into and jump from the organizations in the society, we propose a dynamic community model to construct social networks. Two parameters are adopted in our model, one is the communication rate Pa that denotes the connection strength in the organization and the other is the turnover rate Pb, that stands for the frequency of jumping among the organizations. Based on simulations, we analyze not only the degree distribution, the clustering coefficient, the average distance and the network diameter but also the group distribution which is closely related to their community structure. Moreover, we discover that the networks generated by the proposed model possess the small-world property and can well reproduce the networks of social contacts.

Community-based distribution of misoprostol to prevent postpartum haemorrhage at home births: results from operations research in rural Ghana.

PubMed

Geller, S; Carnahan, L; Akosah, E; Asare, G; Agyemang, R; Dickson, R; Kapungu, C; Owusu-Ansah, L; Robinson, N; Mensah-Homiah, J

2014-02-01

To report on a rigorous distribution and monitoring plan to track misoprostol for community-based distribution to reduce postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in rural Ghana. Operations research. Rural Ghana. Women in third trimester of pregnancy presenting to primary health centres (PHCs) for antenatal care (ANC). Ghana Health Service (GHS), Millennium Village Projects, and the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted an operations research study designed to assess the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of community-based distribution of misoprostol to prevent PPH at home deliveries in rural Ghana. One thousand doses (3000 tablets, 200 μg each) were obtained from the Family Health Division of GHS. Three 200-μg tablets of misoprostol (600 μg) in foil packets were packaged together in secured transparent plastic packets labelled with pictorial messages and distributed to midwives at seven PHCs for distribution to pregnant women. Correct use of misoprostol in home deliveries and retrieval of unused misoprostol doses, PPH rates and maternal mortality. Of the 999 doses distributed to midwives, 982 (98.3%) were successfully tracked, with a 1.7% lost to follow-up rate. Midwives distributed 654 doses to women at third-trimester ANC visits. Of women who had misoprostol to use at home, 81% had an institutional delivery and were able to return the misoprostol safely to the midwife. Of the women that used misoprostol, 99% used the misoprostol correctly. This study clearly demonstrates that misoprostol distributed antenatally to pregnant women can be used accurately and reliably by rural Ghanaian women, and should be considered for policy implementation across Ghana and other countries with high home birth rates and maternal mortality ratios. © 2013 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Operating Your Own Business: Instructor Guide. Curriculum: Distributive Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missouri Univ., Columbia. Instructional Materials Lab.

This secondary distributive education performance-based instructional unit on operating your own business contains nineteen lesson plans, each based on a fifty-five minute period. Among the topics covered are the following: (1) the various types of business establishments in the community, (2) small-scale establishments and various small-scale…

Community-based distributive medical education: Advantaging society

PubMed Central

Farnsworth, Tracy J.; Frantz, Alan C.; McCune, Ronald W.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a narrative summary of an increasingly important trend in medical education by addressing the merits of community-based distributive medical education (CBDME). This is a relatively new and compelling model for teaching and training physicians in a manner that may better meet societal needs and expectations. Issues and trends regarding the growing shortage and imbalanced distribution of physicians in the USA are addressed, including the role of international medical graduates. A historical overview of costs and funding sources for medical education is presented, as well as initiatives to increase the training and placement of physicians cost-effectively through new and expanded medical schools, two- and four-year regional or branch campuses and CBDME. Our research confirms that although medical schools have responded to Association of American Medical Colleges calls for higher student enrollment and societal concerns about the distribution and placement of physicians, significant opportunities for improvement remain. Finally, the authors recommend further research be conducted to guide policy on incentives for physicians to locate in underserved communities, and determine the cost-effectiveness of the CBDME model in both the near and long terms. PMID:22355240

Assessing the origin of bacteria in tap water and distribution system in an unchlorinated drinking water system by SourceTracker using microbial community fingerprints.

PubMed

Liu, Gang; Zhang, Ya; van der Mark, Ed; Magic-Knezev, Aleksandra; Pinto, Ameet; van den Bogert, Bartholomeus; Liu, Wentso; van der Meer, Walter; Medema, Gertjan

2018-07-01

The general consensus is that the abundance of tap water bacteria is greatly influenced by water purification and distribution. Those bacteria that are released from biofilm in the distribution system are especially considered as the major potential risk for drinking water bio-safety. For the first time, this full-scale study has captured and identified the proportional contribution of the source water, treated water, and distribution system in shaping the tap water bacterial community based on their microbial community fingerprints using the Bayesian "SourceTracker" method. The bacterial community profiles and diversity analyses illustrated that the water purification process shaped the community of planktonic and suspended particle-associated bacteria in treated water. The bacterial communities associated with suspended particles, loose deposits, and biofilm were similar to each other, while the community of tap water planktonic bacteria varied across different locations in distribution system. The microbial source tracking results showed that there was not a detectable contribution of source water to bacterial community in the tap water and distribution system. The planktonic bacteria in the treated water was the major contributor to planktonic bacteria in the tap water (17.7-54.1%). The particle-associated bacterial community in the treated water seeded the bacterial community associated with loose deposits (24.9-32.7%) and biofilm (37.8-43.8%) in the distribution system. In return, the loose deposits and biofilm showed a significant influence on tap water planktonic and particle-associated bacteria, which were location dependent and influenced by hydraulic changes. This was revealed by the increased contribution of loose deposits to tap water planktonic bacteria (from 2.5% to 38.0%) and an increased contribution of biofilm to tap water particle-associated bacteria (from 5.9% to 19.7%) caused by possible hydraulic disturbance from proximal to distal regions. Therefore, our findings indicate that the tap water bacteria could possibly be managed by selecting and operating the purification process properly and cleaning the distribution system effectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Filling the gap in functional trait databases: use of ecological hypotheses to replace missing data.

PubMed

Taugourdeau, Simon; Villerd, Jean; Plantureux, Sylvain; Huguenin-Elie, Olivier; Amiaud, Bernard

2014-04-01

Functional trait databases are powerful tools in ecology, though most of them contain large amounts of missing values. The goal of this study was to test the effect of imputation methods on the evaluation of trait values at species level and on the subsequent calculation of functional diversity indices at community level using functional trait databases. Two simple imputation methods (average and median), two methods based on ecological hypotheses, and one multiple imputation method were tested using a large plant trait database, together with the influence of the percentage of missing data and differences between functional traits. At community level, the complete-case approach and three functional diversity indices calculated from grassland plant communities were included. At the species level, one of the methods based on ecological hypothesis was for all traits more accurate than imputation with average or median values, but the multiple imputation method was superior for most of the traits. The method based on functional proximity between species was the best method for traits with an unbalanced distribution, while the method based on the existence of relationships between traits was the best for traits with a balanced distribution. The ranking of the grassland communities for their functional diversity indices was not robust with the complete-case approach, even for low percentages of missing data. With the imputation methods based on ecological hypotheses, functional diversity indices could be computed with a maximum of 30% of missing data, without affecting the ranking between grassland communities. The multiple imputation method performed well, but not better than single imputation based on ecological hypothesis and adapted to the distribution of the trait values for the functional identity and range of the communities. Ecological studies using functional trait databases have to deal with missing data using imputation methods corresponding to their specific needs and making the most out of the information available in the databases. Within this framework, this study indicates the possibilities and limits of single imputation methods based on ecological hypothesis and concludes that they could be useful when studying the ranking of communities for their functional diversity indices.

Filling the gap in functional trait databases: use of ecological hypotheses to replace missing data

PubMed Central

Taugourdeau, Simon; Villerd, Jean; Plantureux, Sylvain; Huguenin-Elie, Olivier; Amiaud, Bernard

2014-01-01

Functional trait databases are powerful tools in ecology, though most of them contain large amounts of missing values. The goal of this study was to test the effect of imputation methods on the evaluation of trait values at species level and on the subsequent calculation of functional diversity indices at community level using functional trait databases. Two simple imputation methods (average and median), two methods based on ecological hypotheses, and one multiple imputation method were tested using a large plant trait database, together with the influence of the percentage of missing data and differences between functional traits. At community level, the complete-case approach and three functional diversity indices calculated from grassland plant communities were included. At the species level, one of the methods based on ecological hypothesis was for all traits more accurate than imputation with average or median values, but the multiple imputation method was superior for most of the traits. The method based on functional proximity between species was the best method for traits with an unbalanced distribution, while the method based on the existence of relationships between traits was the best for traits with a balanced distribution. The ranking of the grassland communities for their functional diversity indices was not robust with the complete-case approach, even for low percentages of missing data. With the imputation methods based on ecological hypotheses, functional diversity indices could be computed with a maximum of 30% of missing data, without affecting the ranking between grassland communities. The multiple imputation method performed well, but not better than single imputation based on ecological hypothesis and adapted to the distribution of the trait values for the functional identity and range of the communities. Ecological studies using functional trait databases have to deal with missing data using imputation methods corresponding to their specific needs and making the most out of the information available in the databases. Within this framework, this study indicates the possibilities and limits of single imputation methods based on ecological hypothesis and concludes that they could be useful when studying the ranking of communities for their functional diversity indices. PMID:24772273

Predicting extinction debt from community patterns.

PubMed

Kitzes, Justin; Harte, John

2015-08-01

A significant challenge in both measuring and predicting species extinction rates at global and local scales is the possibility of extinction debt, time-delayed extinctions that occur gradually following an initial impact. Here we examine how relative abundance distributions and spatial aggregation combine to influence the likely magnitude of future extinction debt following habitat loss or climate-driven range contraction. Our analysis is based on several fundamental premises regarding abundance distributions, most importantly that species abundances immediately following habitat loss are a sample from an initial relative abundance distribution and that the long-term, steady-state form of the species abundance distribution is a property of the biology of a community and not of area. Under these two hypotheses, the results show that communities following canonical lognormal and broken-stick abundance distributions are prone to exhibit extinction debt, especially when species exhibit low spatial aggregation. Conversely, communities following a logseries distribution with a constant Fisher's α parameter never demonstrate extinction debt and often show an "immigration credit," in which species richness rises in the long term following an initial decrease. An illustration of these findings in 25 biodiversity hotspots suggests a negligible immediate extinction rate for bird communities and eventual extinction debts of 30-50% of initial species richness, whereas plant communities are predicted to immediately lose 5-15% of species without subsequent extinction debt. These results shed light on the basic determinants of extinction debt and provide initial indications of the magnitude of likely debts in landscapes where few empirical data are available.

Collaboration for Transformation: Community-Campus Engagement for Just and Sustainable Food Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levkoe, Charles Z.; Andrée, Peter; Bhatt, Vikram; Brynne, Abra; Davison, Karen M.; Kneen, Cathleen; Nelson, Erin

2016-01-01

This article focuses on the collaborations between academics and community-based organizations seeking to fundamentally reorganize the way food is produced, distributed, and consumed as well as valued. The central research question investigates whether and how the growth of community--campus engagement (CCE) can strengthen food movements. Drawing…

Predictors of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest.

PubMed

Sousa, Natália M F; Veresoglou, Stavros D; Oehl, Fritz; Rillig, Matthias C; Maia, Leonor C

2018-02-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic fungi with a broad distribution, and many taxa have physiological and ecological adaptations to specific environments, including semiarid ecosystems. Our aim was to address regional distribution patterns of AMF communities in such semiarid environments based on spore morphological techniques. We assessed AMF spores at the bottom and top of inselbergs distributed throughout the tropical dry forest in the Northeast region of Brazil. Across 10 replicate inselbergs and the surrounding area, spanning a range of altitude between 140 and 2000 m, we scored the AMF soil diversity and properties in 52 plots. We fitted parsimonious ordination analyses and variance partitioning models to determine the environmental factors which explained the variation in AMF community, based on morphological spore analysis. The diversity of AMF was similar at the bottom and top of inselbergs; however, we detected high variation in abundance and richness across sites. We formulated a parsimonious richness model that used physical soil factors as predictors. The AMF community structure could be best explained through the variables coarse and total sand, iron, organic matter, potassium, silt, and sodium which together accounted for 17.8% of total variance. Several AMF species were indicators of either deficiency or high values of specific soil properties. We demonstrated that habitat isolation of the inselbergs compared with surrounding areas did not trigger differences in AMF communities in semiarid regions of Brazil. At the regional scale, soil predictors across sites drove the distribution of symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi.

Place-classification analysis of community vulnerability to near-field tsunami threats in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, N. J.; Jones, J.; Spielman, S.

2013-12-01

Near-field tsunami hazards are credible threats to many coastal communities throughout the world. Along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast, low-lying areas could be inundated by a series of catastrophic tsunami waves that begin to arrive in a matter of minutes following a Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) earthquake. This presentation summarizes analytical efforts to classify communities with similar characteristics of community vulnerability to tsunami hazards. This work builds on past State-focused inventories of community exposure to CSZ-related tsunami hazards in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Attributes used in the classification, or cluster analysis, include demography of residents, spatial extent of the developed footprint based on mid-resolution land cover data, distribution of the local workforce, and the number and type of public venues, dependent-care facilities, and community-support businesses. Population distributions also are characterized by a function of travel time to safety, based on anisotropic, path-distance, geospatial modeling. We used an unsupervised-model-based clustering algorithm and a v-fold, cross-validation procedure (v=50) to identify the appropriate number of community types. We selected class solutions that provided the appropriate balance between parsimony and model fit. The goal of the vulnerability classification is to provide emergency managers with a general sense of the types of communities in tsunami hazard zones based on similar characteristics instead of only providing an exhaustive list of attributes for individual communities. This classification scheme can be then used to target and prioritize risk-reduction efforts that address common issues across multiple communities. The presentation will include a discussion of the utility of proposed place classifications to support regional preparedness and outreach efforts.

Supporting Professional Development in Special Education with Web-Based Professional Learning Communities: New Possibilities with Web 2.0

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardman, Elizabeth L.

2012-01-01

This article describes the challenges in organizing professional learning communities (PLCs) in special education, identifies the teacher and student benefits of using a PLC approach to professional development, and discusses the promise and pitfalls of organizing web-based PLCs to engage distributed stakeholders in the practice of special…

[Studies on main interspecific association of rare and endangered medicinal plant Sinopodophyllum hexandrum community in Kangding Zheduo mountain of Sichuan province].

PubMed

Liu, Xiang; Zhao, Ji-Feng; Wang, Chang-Hua; Zhang, Zhi-Wei; Qin, Song-Yun; Zhong, Guo-Yue

2014-07-01

Based on the 2 x 2 contingency table, by using multi-species relevance (variance ratio, VR), chi2-test, Ochiai index, Dice index, Jaccard index, t-test of v/x and F-test of Morisita, s index, the interspecific relationships and the spatial distribution pattern between 20 dominants in Kangding Zheduo Mountain of Sichuan province were studied. The results indicated that the interspecific association between dominants of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum community in this area did not show significant association, which suggested that the S. hexandrum community was in mature stage, and showed stronger independency, among total 190 pairs in 20 dominant species, 2 species pairs exhibited extremely significantly positive association, 12 species pairs showed significantly positive association, 6 species pairs exhibited significantly negative association and there were no pairs showed extremely significantly negative association. S. hexandrum in community did not show significant association, which indicates they are independent in community, the spatial distribution pattern of S. hexandrum is characterized by random distribution.

Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical tree species

PubMed Central

John, Robert; Dalling, James W.; Harms, Kyle E.; Yavitt, Joseph B.; Stallard, Robert F.; Mirabello, Matthew; Hubbell, Stephen P.; Valencia, Renato; Navarrete, Hugo; Vallejo, Martha; Foster, Robin B.

2007-01-01

The importance of niche vs. neutral assembly mechanisms in structuring tropical tree communities remains an important unsettled question in community ecology [Bell G (2005) Ecology 86:1757–1770]. There is ample evidence that species distributions are determined by soils and habitat factors at landscape (<104 km2) and regional scales. At local scales (<1 km2), however, habitat factors and species distributions show comparable spatial aggregation, making it difficult to disentangle the importance of niche and dispersal processes. In this article, we test soil resource-based niche assembly at a local scale, using species and soil nutrient distributions obtained at high spatial resolution in three diverse neotropical forest plots in Colombia (La Planada), Ecuador (Yasuni), and Panama (Barro Colorado Island). Using spatial distribution maps of >0.5 million individual trees of 1,400 species and 10 essential plant nutrients, we used Monte Carlo simulations of species distributions to test plant–soil associations against null expectations based on dispersal assembly. We found that the spatial distributions of 36–51% of tree species at these sites show strong associations to soil nutrient distributions. Neutral dispersal assembly cannot account for these plant–soil associations or the observed niche breadths of these species. These results indicate that belowground resource availability plays an important role in the assembly of tropical tree communities at local scales and provide the basis for future investigations on the mechanisms of resource competition among tropical tree species. PMID:17215353

Intelligent web agents for a 3D virtual community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dave, T. M.; Zhang, Yanqing; Owen, G. S. S.; Sunderraman, Rajshekhar

2003-08-01

In this paper, we propose an Avatar-based intelligent agent technique for 3D Web based Virtual Communities based on distributed artificial intelligence, intelligent agent techniques, and databases and knowledge bases in a digital library. One of the goals of this joint NSF (IIS-9980130) and ACM SIGGRAPH Education Committee (ASEC) project is to create a virtual community of educators and students who have a common interest in comptuer graphics, visualization, and interactive techniqeus. In this virtual community (ASEC World) Avatars will represent the educators, students, and other visitors to the world. Intelligent agents represented as specially dressed Avatars will be available to assist the visitors to ASEC World. The basic Web client-server architecture of the intelligent knowledge-based avatars is given. Importantly, the intelligent Web agent software system for the 3D virtual community is implemented successfully.

Pyrosequencing reveals regional differences in fruit-associated fungal communities

PubMed Central

Taylor, Michael W; Tsai, Peter; Anfang, Nicole; Ross, Howard A; Goddard, Matthew R

2014-01-01

We know relatively little of the distribution of microbial communities generally. Significant work has examined a range of bacterial communities, but the distribution of microbial eukaryotes is less well characterized. Humans have an ancient association with grape vines (Vitis vinifera) and have been making wine since the dawn of civilization, and fungi drive this natural process. While the molecular biology of certain fungi naturally associated with vines and wines is well characterized, complementary investigations into the ecology of fungi associated with fruiting plants is largely lacking. DNA sequencing technologies allow the direct estimation of microbial diversity from a given sample, avoiding culture-based biases. Here, we use deep community pyrosequencing approaches, targeted at the 26S rRNA gene, to examine the richness and composition of fungal communities associated with grapevines and test for geographical community structure among four major regions in New Zealand (NZ). We find over 200 taxa using this approach, which is 10-fold more than previously recovered using culture-based methods. Our analyses allow us to reject the null hypothesis of homogeneity in fungal species richness and community composition across NZ and reveal significant differences between major areas. PMID:24650123

Community trait overdispersion due to trophic interactions: concerns for assembly process inference

PubMed Central

Petchey, Owen L.

2016-01-01

The expected link between competitive exclusion and community trait overdispersion has been used to infer competition in local communities, and trait clustering has been interpreted as habitat filtering. Such community assembly process inference has received criticism for ignoring trophic interactions, as competition and trophic interactions might create similar trait patterns. While other theoretical studies have generally demonstrated the importance of predation for coexistence, ours provides the first quantitative demonstration of such effects on assembly process inference, using a trait-based ecological model to simulate the assembly of a competitive primary consumer community with and without the influence of trophic interactions. We quantified and contrasted trait dispersion/clustering of the competitive communities with the absence and presence of secondary consumers. Trophic interactions most often decreased trait clustering (i.e. increased dispersion) in the competitive communities due to evenly distributed invasions of secondary consumers and subsequent competitor extinctions over trait space. Furthermore, effects of trophic interactions were somewhat dependent on model parameters and clustering metric. These effects create considerable problems for process inference from trait distributions; one potential solution is to use more process-based and inclusive models in inference. PMID:27733548

Expanding the user base beyond HEP for the Ganga distributed analysis user interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, R.; Egede, U.; Richards, A.; Slater, M.; Williams, M.

2017-10-01

This document presents the result of recent developments within Ganga[1] project to support users from new communities outside of HEP. In particular I will examine the case of users from the Large Scale Survey Telescope (LSST) group looking to use resources provided by the UK based GridPP[2][3] DIRAC[4][5] instance. An example use case is work performed with users from the LSST Virtual Organisation (VO) to distribute the workflow used for galaxy shape identification analyses. This work highlighted some LSST specific challenges which could be well solved by common tools within the HEP community. As a result of this work the LSST community was able to take advantage of GridPP[2][3] resources to perform large computing tasks within the UK.

Empirical phylogenies and species abundance distributions are consistent with preequilibrium dynamics of neutral community models with gene flow.

PubMed

Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie; Manica, Andrea; Eriksson, Anders; Rodrigues, Ana S L

2017-05-01

Community characteristics reflect past ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Here, we investigate whether it is possible to obtain realistically shaped modeled communities-that is with phylogenetic trees and species abundance distributions shaped similarly to typical empirical bird and mammal communities-from neutral community models. To test the effect of gene flow, we contrasted two spatially explicit individual-based neutral models: one with protracted speciation, delayed by gene flow, and one with point mutation speciation, unaffected by gene flow. The former produced more realistic communities (shape of phylogenetic tree and species-abundance distribution), consistent with gene flow being a key process in macro-evolutionary dynamics. Earlier models struggled to capture the empirically observed branching tempo in phylogenetic trees, as measured by the gamma statistic. We show that the low gamma values typical of empirical trees can be obtained in models with protracted speciation, in preequilibrium communities developing from an initially abundant and widespread species. This was even more so in communities sampled incompletely, particularly if the unknown species are the youngest. Overall, our results demonstrate that the characteristics of empirical communities that we have studied can, to a large extent, be explained through a purely neutral model under preequilibrium conditions. © 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Schistosomiais and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Control in Niger: Cost Effectiveness of School Based and Community Distributed Mass Drug Administration

PubMed Central

Leslie, Jacqueline; Garba, Amadou; Oliva, Elisa Bosque; Barkire, Arouna; Tinni, Amadou Aboubacar; Djibo, Ali; Mounkaila, Idrissa; Fenwick, Alan

2011-01-01

Background In 2004 Niger established a large scale schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths control programme targeting children aged 5–14 years and adults. In two years 4.3 million treatments were delivered in 40 districts using school based and community distribution. Method and Findings Four districts were surveyed in 2006 to estimate the economic cost per district, per treatment and per schistosomiasis infection averted. The study compares the costs of treatment at start up and in a subsequent year, identifies the allocation of costs by activity, input and organisation, and assesses the cost of treatment. The cost of delivery provided by teachers is compared to cost of delivery by community distributers (CDD). The total economic cost of the programme including programmatic, national and local government costs and international support in four study districts, over two years, was US$ 456,718; an economic cost/treatment of $0.58. The full economic delivery cost of school based treatment in 2005/06 was $0.76, and for community distribution was $0.46. Including only the programme costs the figures are $0.47 and $0.41 respectively. Differences at sub-district are more marked. This is partly explained by the fact that a CDD treats 5.8 people for every one treated in school. The range in cost effectiveness for both direct and direct and indirect treatments is quantified and the need to develop and refine such estimates is emphasised. Conclusions The relative cost effectiveness of school and community delivery differs by country according to the composition of the population treated, the numbers targeted and treated at school and in the community, the cost and frequency of training teachers and CDDs. Options analysis of technical and implementation alternatives including a financial analysis should form part of the programme design process. PMID:22022622

Community-orientated primary health care. The responsibility of the team for the health of the total population.

PubMed

Epstein, L; Eshed, H

1988-02-20

Community-orientated primary health care (COPHC) is presented as a framework for the delivery of primary health care based on the epidemiologically assessed needs of the population. It requires that the health team and the responsible agencies or institutions take upon themselves responsibility for the provision of care in relation to these measured needs of all those persons entitled to the service. This epidemiological diagnosis of community health conditions will include both the measurement of the distribution of health and disease states in the community as well as the possible causes for this distribution--this is in order to plan possible intervention adequately. It is concluded that COPHC is to the advantage of the community, the health team and the health care system.

Meeting Rural Demand: A Case for Combining Community-Based Distribution and Social Marketing of Injectable Contraceptives in Tigray, Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Prata, Ndola; Weidert, Karen; Fraser, Ashley; Gessessew, Amanuel

2013-01-01

Background In Sub-Saharan Africa, policy changes have begun to pave the way for community distribution of injectable contraceptives but sustaining such efforts remains challenging. Combining social marketing with community-based distribution provides an opportunity to recover some program costs and compensate workers with proceeds from contraceptive sales. This paper proposes a model for increasing access to injectable contraceptives in rural settings by using community-based distributers as social marketing agents and incorporating financing systems to improve sustainability. Methods This intervention was implemented in three districts of the Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia and program data has been collected from November 2011 through October 2012. A total of 137 Community Based Reproductive Health Agents (CBRHAs) were trained to provide injectable contraceptives and were provided with a loan of 25 injectable contraceptives from a drug revolving fund, created with project funds. The price of a single dose credited to a CBRHA was 3 birr ($0.17) and they provide injections to women for 5 birr ($0.29), determined with willingness-to-pay data. Social marketing was used to create awareness and generate demand. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine important feasibility aspects of the intervention. Results Forty-four percent of CBRHAs were providing family planning methods at the time of the training and 96% believed providing injectable contraceptives would improve their services. By October 2012, 137 CBRHAs had successfully completed training and provided 2541 injections. Of total injections, 47% were provided to new users of injectable contraceptives. Approximately 31% of injections were given for free to the poorest women, including adolescents. Conclusions Insights gained from the first year of implementation of the model provide a framework for further expansion in Tigray, Ethiopia. Our experience highlights how program planners can tailor interventions to match family planning preferences and create more sustainable contraceptive service provision with greater impact. PMID:23874767

Meeting rural demand: a case for combining community-based distribution and social marketing of injectable contraceptives in Tigray, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Prata, Ndola; Weidert, Karen; Fraser, Ashley; Gessessew, Amanuel

2013-01-01

In Sub-Saharan Africa, policy changes have begun to pave the way for community distribution of injectable contraceptives but sustaining such efforts remains challenging. Combining social marketing with community-based distribution provides an opportunity to recover some program costs and compensate workers with proceeds from contraceptive sales. This paper proposes a model for increasing access to injectable contraceptives in rural settings by using community-based distributers as social marketing agents and incorporating financing systems to improve sustainability. This intervention was implemented in three districts of the Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia and program data has been collected from November 2011 through October 2012. A total of 137 Community Based Reproductive Health Agents (CBRHAs) were trained to provide injectable contraceptives and were provided with a loan of 25 injectable contraceptives from a drug revolving fund, created with project funds. The price of a single dose credited to a CBRHA was 3 birr ($0.17) and they provide injections to women for 5 birr ($0.29), determined with willingness-to-pay data. Social marketing was used to create awareness and generate demand. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine important feasibility aspects of the intervention. Forty-four percent of CBRHAs were providing family planning methods at the time of the training and 96% believed providing injectable contraceptives would improve their services. By October 2012, 137 CBRHAs had successfully completed training and provided 2541 injections. Of total injections, 47% were provided to new users of injectable contraceptives. Approximately 31% of injections were given for free to the poorest women, including adolescents. Insights gained from the first year of implementation of the model provide a framework for further expansion in Tigray, Ethiopia. Our experience highlights how program planners can tailor interventions to match family planning preferences and create more sustainable contraceptive service provision with greater impact.

Dynamics of bacterial communities before and after distribution in a full-scale drinking water network.

PubMed

El-Chakhtoura, Joline; Prest, Emmanuelle; Saikaly, Pascal; van Loosdrecht, Mark; Hammes, Frederik; Vrouwenvelder, Hans

2015-05-01

Understanding the biological stability of drinking water distribution systems is imperative in the framework of process control and risk management. The objective of this research was to examine the dynamics of the bacterial community during drinking water distribution at high temporal resolution. Water samples (156 in total) were collected over short time-scales (minutes/hours/days) from the outlet of a treatment plant and a location in its corresponding distribution network. The drinking water is treated by biofiltration and disinfectant residuals are absent during distribution. The community was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and flow cytometry as well as conventional, culture-based methods. Despite a random dramatic event (detected with pyrosequencing and flow cytometry but not with plate counts), the bacterial community profile at the two locations did not vary significantly over time. A diverse core microbiome was shared between the two locations (58-65% of the taxa and 86-91% of the sequences) and found to be dependent on the treatment strategy. The bacterial community structure changed during distribution, with greater richness detected in the network and phyla such as Acidobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes becoming abundant. The rare taxa displayed the highest dynamicity, causing the major change during water distribution. This change did not have hygienic implications and is contingent on the sensitivity of the applied methods. The concept of biological stability therefore needs to be revised. Biostability is generally desired in drinking water guidelines but may be difficult to achieve in large-scale complex distribution systems that are inherently dynamic. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of empirically supported interventions for psychopathology: can the participatory approach move us beyond the research-to-practice gap?

PubMed

Becker, Carolyn Black; Stice, Eric; Shaw, Heather; Woda, Susan

2009-04-01

Dissemination, or distribution, of empirically supported interventions (ESIs) for psychopathology remains a significant challenge. This paper reviews the principles of community-partnership research (CPR) and explores why CPR might improve distribution of psychological ESIs. Benefits of CPR include building trust, pooling resources and knowledge, and better serving a community by directly involving its members in the design and implementation of research. In addition, after establishing a community's trust using CPR, researchers are likely to be better positioned to partner with communities in the further distribution of ESIs via community networks. This paper reviews the case of dissonance-based eating disorder prevention interventions to provide an example of how CPR can facilitate the adoption and distribution of an ESI by a community, in this case, sororities. CPR also presents a number of challenges, however, because it is time consuming and does not always align with funding mechanisms and research designs used in randomized controlled trials. Further, CPR does not necessarily solve the challenge of training providers, though it may help with problem solving. Ultimately, we suggest that the benefits of CPR far outweigh the challenges, and hope that more researchers will adopt these practices so that more individuals can benefit from empirically supported psychological interventions.

Broadcasting in an On-Demand World Creating Community Radio in the Era of Podcasting and Webcasting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Baoill, Andrew

2009-01-01

This project examines the impact that internet-based distribution technologies, in particular webcasting and podcasting, are having on the community radio sector in the United States. Through interviews with sector participants, the impact of this changing technological environment on the role of community radio is identified. Internet-based…

Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical trees species

USGS Publications Warehouse

John, R.; Dalling, J.W.; Harms, K.E.; Yavitt, J.B.; Stallard, R.F.; Mirabello, M.; Hubbell, S.P.; Valencia, R.; Navarrete, H.; Vallejo, M.; Foster, R.B.

2007-01-01

The importance of niche vs. neutral assembly mechanisms in structuring tropical tree communities remains an important unsettled question in community ecology [Bell G (2005) Ecology 86:1757-1770]. There is ample evidence that species distributions are determined by soils and habitat factors at landscape (0.5 million individual trees of 1,400 species and 10 essential plant nutrients, we used Monte Carlo simulations of species distributions to test plant-soil associations against null expectations based on dispersal assembly. We found that the spatial distributions of 36-51% of tree species at these sites show strong associations to soil nutrient distributions. Neutral dispersal assembly cannot account for these plant-soil associations or the observed niche breadths of these species. These results indicate that belowground resource availability plays an important role in the assembly of tropical tree communities at local scales and provide the basis for future investigations on the mechanisms of resource competition among tropical tree species. ?? 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Vertical distribution of archaeal communities associated with anaerobic degradation of pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99) in river-based groundwater recharge with reclaimed water.

PubMed

Yan, Yulin; Ma, Mengsi; Liu, Xiang; Ma, Weifang; Li, Yangyao

2018-02-01

When groundwater is recharged with reclaimed water, the presence of trace amounts of biorefractory pentabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE, specifically BDE-99) might cause potential groundwater pollution. A laboratory-scale column was designed to investigate the distribution of the community of archaea in this scenario and the associated anaerobic degradation of BDE-99. The concentration of BDE-99 decreased significantly as soil depth increased, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis suggested that archaea exerted significant effects on the biodegradation of PBDE. Through 454 pyrosequencing of 16s rRNA genes, we found that the distribution and structure of the archaeal community associated with anaerobic degradation of BDE-99 in the river-based aquifer media changed significantly between different soil depths. The primary debrominated metabolites varied with changes in the vertically distributed archaeal community. The archaea in the surface layer were dominated by Methanomethylovorans, and the middle layer was mainly composed of Nitrososphaera. Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera were equally abundant in the bottom layer. In addition, Methanomethylovorans abundance depended on the depth of soil, and the relative abundance of Nitrosopumilus increased with increasing depth, which was associated with the oxidation-reduction potential and the content of intermediate metabolites. We propose that Nitrososphaera and Nitrosopumilus might be the key archaeal taxa mediating the biodegradation of BDE-99.

Soil-mediated effects of global change on plant communities depend on plant growth form

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

(1) Understanding why species respond to climate change is critical for forecasting invasions, diversity, and productivity of communities. Although researchers often predict species’ distributions and productivity based on direct physiological responses to environments, theory suggests that striking...

An airport community noise-impact assessment model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deloach, R.

1980-01-01

A computer model was developed to assess the noise impact of an airport on the community which it serves. Assessments are made using the Fractional Impact Method by which a single number describes the community aircraft noise environment in terms of exposed population and multiple event noise level. The model is comprised of three elements: a conventional noise footprint model, a site specific population distribution model, and a dose response transfer function. The footprint model provides the noise distribution for a given aircraft operating scenario. This is combined with the site specific population distribution obtained from a national census data base to yield the number of residents exposed to a given level of noise. The dose response relationship relates noise exposure levels to the percentage of individuals highly annoyed by those levels.

Community-based Ontology Development, Annotation and Discussion with MediaWiki extension Ontokiwi and Ontokiwi-based Ontobedia

PubMed Central

Ong, Edison; He, Yongqun

2016-01-01

Hundreds of biological and biomedical ontologies have been developed to support data standardization, integration and analysis. Although ontologies are typically developed for community usage, community efforts in ontology development are limited. To support ontology visualization, distribution, and community-based annotation and development, we have developed Ontokiwi, an ontology extension to the MediaWiki software. Ontokiwi displays hierarchical classes and ontological axioms. Ontology classes and axioms can be edited and added using Ontokiwi form or MediaWiki source editor. Ontokiwi also inherits MediaWiki features such as Wikitext editing and version control. Based on the Ontokiwi/MediaWiki software package, we have developed Ontobedia, which targets to support community-based development and annotations of biological and biomedical ontologies. As demonstrations, we have loaded the Ontology of Adverse Events (OAE) and the Cell Line Ontology (CLO) into Ontobedia. Our studies showed that Ontobedia was able to achieve expected Ontokiwi features. PMID:27570653

On the proportional abundance of species: Integrating population genetics and community ecology.

PubMed

Marquet, Pablo A; Espinoza, Guillermo; Abades, Sebastian R; Ganz, Angela; Rebolledo, Rolando

2017-12-01

The frequency of genes in interconnected populations and of species in interconnected communities are affected by similar processes, such as birth, death and immigration. The equilibrium distribution of gene frequencies in structured populations is known since the 1930s, under Wright's metapopulation model known as the island model. The equivalent distribution for the species frequency (i.e. the species proportional abundance distribution (SPAD)), at the metacommunity level, however, is unknown. In this contribution, we develop a stochastic model to analytically account for this distribution (SPAD). We show that the same as for genes SPAD follows a beta distribution, which provides a good description of empirical data and applies across a continuum of scales. This stochastic model, based upon a diffusion approximation, provides an alternative to neutral models for the species abundance distribution (SAD), which focus on number of individuals instead of proportions, and demonstrate that the relative frequency of genes in local populations and of species within communities follow the same probability law. We hope our contribution will help stimulate the mathematical and conceptual integration of theories in genetics and ecology.

Complex community of nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation bacteria in coastal sediments of the Mai Po wetland by PCR amplification of both 16S rRNA and pmoA genes.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Zhou, Zhichao; Gu, Ji-Dong

2015-02-01

In the present work, both 16S rRNA and pmoA gene-based PCR primers were employed successfully to study the diversity and distribution of n-damo bacteria in the surface and lower layer sediments at the coastal Mai Po wetland. The occurrence of n-damo bacteria in both the surface and subsurface sediments with high diversity was confirmed in this study. Unlike the two other known n-damo communities from coastal areas, the pmoA gene-amplified sequences in the present work clustered not only with some freshwater subclusters but also within three newly erected marine subclusters mostly, indicating the unique niche specificity of n-damo bacteria in this wetland. Results suggested vegetation affected the distribution and community structures of n-damo bacteria in the sediments and n-damo could coexist with sulfate-reducing methanotrophs in the coastal ecosystem. Community structures of the Mai Po n-damo bacteria based on 16S rRNA gene were different from those of either the freshwater or the marine. In contrast, structures of the Mai Po n-damo communities based on pmoA gene grouped with the marine ones and were clearly distinguished from the freshwater ones. The abundance of n-damo bacteria at this wetland was quantified using 16S rRNA gene PCR primers to be 2.65-6.71 × 10(5) copies/g dry sediment. Ammonium and nitrite strongly affected the community structures and distribution of n-damo bacteria in the coastal Mai Po wetland sediments.

Hierarchical analysis of species distributions and abundance across environmental gradients

Treesearch

Jeffery Diez; Ronald H. Pulliam

2007-01-01

Abiotic and biotic processes operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales to shape many ecological processes, including species distributions and demography. Current debate about the relative roles of niche-based and stochastic processes in shaping species distributions and community composition reflects, in part, the challenge of understanding how these processes...

Biogeography of planktonic and coral-associated microorganisms across the Hawaiian Archipelago.

PubMed

Salerno, Jennifer L; Bowen, Brian W; Rappé, Michael S

2016-08-01

Factors driving the distribution of marine microorganisms are widely debated and poorly understood. Recent studies show that free-living marine microbes exhibit geographical patterns indicative of limited dispersal. In contrast, host-associated microbes face a different set of dispersal challenges, and hosts may function as habitat 'islands' for resident microbial populations. Here, we examine the biogeographical distributions of planktonic and adjacent coral-associated bacterial communities across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Johnston Atoll (∼1400 km southwest of Hawaii) and American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean and investigate the potential underlying processes driving observed patterns. Statistical analyses of bacterial community structure, determined using a small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene-based approach, showed that bacterioplankton and coral-associated bacterial communities were distinct, and correlated with geographical distance between sites. In addition, biogeographical patterns of bacterial associates paralleled those of their host coral Porites lobata, highlighting the specificity of these associations and the impact that host dispersal may have on bacterial biogeography. Planktonic and coral-associated bacterial communities from distant Johnston Atoll were shown to be connected with communities from the center of the Hawaiian Archipelago, a pattern previously observed in fish and invertebrates. No significant correlations were detected with habitat type, temperature or depth. However, non-distance-based geographical groupings were detected, indicating that, in addition to dispersal, unidentified environmental factors also affected the distributions of bacterial communities investigated here. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Including a Service Learning Educational Research Project in a Biology Course-II: Assessing Community Awareness of Legionnaires' Disease?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Shakra, Amal

2012-01-01

For a university service learning educational research project addressing Legionnaires' disease (LD), a Yes/No questionnaire on community awareness of LD was developed and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The 456 questionnaires completed by the participants were sorted into yes and no sets based on responses obtained to…

Metagenomic Analysis of Water Distribution System Bacterial Communities

EPA Science Inventory

The microbial quality of drinking water is assessed using culture-based methods that are highly selective and that tend to underestimate the densities and diversity of microbial populations inhabiting distribution systems. In order to better understand the effect of different dis...

The Mineralosphere Concept: Mineralogical Control of the Distribution and Function of Mineral-associated Bacterial Communities.

PubMed

Uroz, Stephane; Kelly, Laura Catherine; Turpault, Marie-Pierre; Lepleux, Cendrella; Frey-Klett, Pascale

2015-12-01

Soil is composed of a mosaic of different rocks and minerals, usually considered as an inert substrata for microbial colonization. However, recent findings suggest that minerals, in soils and elsewhere, favour the development of specific microbial communities according to their mineralogy, nutritive content, and weatherability. Based upon recent studies, we highlight how bacterial communities are distributed on the surface of, and in close proximity to, minerals. We also consider the potential role of the mineral-associated bacterial communities in mineral weathering and nutrient cycling in soils, with a specific focus on nutrient-poor and acidic forest ecosystems. We propose to define this microbial habitat as the mineralosphere, where key drivers of the microbial communities are the physicochemical properties of the minerals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A hierarchical framework for investigating epiphyte assemblages: networks, meta-communities, and scale.

PubMed

Burns, K C; Zotz, G

2010-02-01

Epiphytes are an important component of many forested ecosystems, yet our understanding of epiphyte communities lags far behind that of terrestrial-based plant communities. This discrepancy is exacerbated by the lack of a theoretical context to assess patterns in epiphyte community structure. We attempt to fill this gap by developing an analytical framework to investigate epiphyte assemblages, which we then apply to a data set on epiphyte distributions in a Panamanian rain forest. On a coarse scale, interactions between epiphyte species and host tree species can be viewed as bipartite networks, similar to pollination and seed dispersal networks. On a finer scale, epiphyte communities on individual host trees can be viewed as meta-communities, or suites of local epiphyte communities connected by dispersal. Similar analytical tools are typically employed to investigate species interaction networks and meta-communities, thus providing a unified analytical framework to investigate coarse-scale (network) and fine-scale (meta-community) patterns in epiphyte distributions. Coarse-scale analysis of the Panamanian data set showed that most epiphyte species interacted with fewer host species than expected by chance. Fine-scale analyses showed that epiphyte species richness on individual trees was lower than null model expectations. Therefore, epiphyte distributions were clumped at both scales, perhaps as a result of dispersal limitations. Scale-dependent patterns in epiphyte species composition were observed. Epiphyte-host networks showed evidence of negative co-occurrence patterns, which could arise from adaptations among epiphyte species to avoid competition for host species, while most epiphyte meta-communities were distributed at random. Application of our "meta-network" analytical framework in other locales may help to identify general patterns in the structure of epiphyte assemblages and their variation in space and time.

Contrasting Relationships between Functional and Species Diversity in Subarctic and Subtropical Copepod Communities across the western North Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Comas, C.; Chiba, S.; Sugisaki, H.; Hashioka, T.; Smith, S. L.

2016-02-01

Understanding how species coexist in rich communities and the role of biodiversity on ecosystem-functioning is a long-standing challenge in ecology. Comparing functional diversity to species diversity may shed light on these questions. Here, we analyze copepod species data from the ODATE collection: 3142 samples collected over a period of 40 years, which includes a 10 o x 10o area of the Oyashio-Kuroshio Transition System, east of Japan (western North Pacific). The area hosts species characteristic of subarctic and subtropical communities. 163 copepod species were classified into five categorical functional traits (i.e., size, food, reproduction, thermal affinity and coastal-offshore habitat), following online databases and local taxonomic keys. We observe a general opposite hump-shaped relationship of species evenness (lower at mid-point) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) (higher at mid-point) with species richness. Subtropical Kuroshio communities tend to be richer with higher species evenness, and yet subarctic and transition waters tend to host communities of higher functional diversity. The distribution of trait values within each functional trait was further examined in relation to the Species Abundances Distribution (SAD). In subtropical communities, the distribution of trait values in the species ranking is homogenous, mirroring the frequency of those trait values in the entire community. In contrast, in subarctic communities the distribution of trait values differs along the species rank, with dominant species having favorable trait values more often than expected by chance (i.e., based on the overall frequency of that trait value in the entire community). Our results suggest that subtropical communities may be niche-saturated towards the most adapted trait values, so that merely having the most adapted trait value confers no strong competitive advantage to a species.

Community concepts.

PubMed

Yeung, Thomas; Bates, Tony

2004-03-01

Since the publication of "Sustainable Communities--building for the future", Government attention has focused largely on high-density affordable housing in the four "growth areas": Thames Gateway; Ashford; Milton Keynes--South Midlands, and London--Stansted--Cambridge. In this article, Thomas Yeung and Tony Bates suggest that a greater and more sustainable impact would be achieved if architects, planners, and developers considered the potential for community-based water and waste management and on-site energy generation and distribution right from the start of the project. In particular, they consider that the communal nature of hospitals, universities, and public/community housing provides a great opportunity for on-site renewable CHP and/or distributed heating, which could combine global environmental benefits with improved local amenities. They describe a simple model for prioritising energy management in the built environment, and draw on lessons learnt at ETRCL in Dagenham and BedZED in Surrey to offer a few recommendations for Government and developers. Tony Bates is the business development manager for Scott Wilson in the South East and is responsible for the promotion of sustainable communities through relationships with architects, developers, land owners and local authorities. Thomas Yeung leads the Energy Infrastructure Technologies group in Scott Wilson. This team offers an integrated approach to clean community-based energy generation, energy management, waste and water management, sustainable transport, and sustainable buildings/communities.

Community structure of copepods in the oceanic and neritic waters off Adélie and George V Land, East Antarctica, during the austral summer of 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tachibana, Aiko; Watanabe, Yuko; Moteki, Masato; Hosie, Graham W.; Ishimaru, Takashi

2017-06-01

Copepods are one of the most important components of the Southern Ocean food web, and are widely distributed from surface to deeper waters. We conducted discrete depth sampling to clarify the community structure of copepods from the epi- to bathypelagic layers of the oceanic and neritic waters off Adélie and George V Land, East Antarctica, in the austral summer of 2008. Notably high diversity and species numbers were observed in the meso- and bathypelagic layers. Cluster analysis based on the similarity of copepod communities identified seven cluster groups, which corresponded well with water masses. In the epi- and upper- mesopelagic layers of the oceanic zone, the SB (Southern Boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current) divided copepod communities. Conversely, in the lower meso- and bathypelagic layers (500-2000 m depth), communities were consistent across the SB. In these layers, the distributions of copepod species were separated by habitat depth ranges and feeding behaviour. The different food webs occur in the epipelagic layer with habitat segregation by zooplankton in their horizontal distribution ranges.

Habitat generalists and specialists in microbial communities across a terrestrial-freshwater gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monard, C.; Gantner, S.; Bertilsson, S.; Hallin, S.; Stenlid, J.

2016-11-01

Observations of distributions of microorganisms and their differences in community composition across habitats provide evidence of biogeographical patterns. However, little is known about the processes controlling transfers across habitat gradients. By analysing the overall microbial community composition (bacteria, fungi, archaea) across a terrestrial-freshwater gradient, the aim of this study was to understand the spatial distribution patterns of populations and identify taxa capable of crossing biome borders. Barcoded 454 pyrosequencing of taxonomic gene markers was used to describe the microbial communities in adjacent soil, freshwater and sediment samples and study the role of biotic and spatial factors in shaping their composition. Few habitat generalists but a high number of specialists were detected indicating that microbial community composition was mainly regulated by species sorting and niche partitioning. Biotic interactions within microbial groups based on an association network underlined the importance of Actinobacteria, Sordariomycetes, Agaricomycetes and Nitrososphaerales in connecting among biomes. Even if dispersion seemed limited, the shore of the lake represented a transition area, allowing populations to cross the biome boundaries. In finding few broadly distributed populations, our study points to biome specialization within microbial communities with limited potential for dispersal and colonization of new habitats along the terrestrial-freshwater continuum.

MISSION AND COMMUNITY: THE AIR FORCE SOLUTION TO FUNDING BOTH

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-10

1954-2014 (Reprinted from David Coleman research outlining military personnel numbers) Budget- Based Strategy How installations are shaped, sized...Jensen A Research Report Submitted to the Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirements Advisors: Dr. Marcia Ledlow and Dr. Brett...Morris Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama October 2016 DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. i Disclaimer The

PisCES: Pis(cine) Community Estimation Software

EPA Science Inventory

PisCES predicts a fish community for any NHD-Plus stream reach in the conterminous United States. PisCES utilizes HUC-based distributional information for over 1,000 nature and non-native species obtained from NatureServe, the USGS, and Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes o...

Combining counts and incidence data: an efficient approach for estimating the log-normal species abundance distribution and diversity indices.

PubMed

Bellier, Edwige; Grøtan, Vidar; Engen, Steinar; Schartau, Ann Kristin; Diserud, Ola H; Finstad, Anders G

2012-10-01

Obtaining accurate estimates of diversity indices is difficult because the number of species encountered in a sample increases with sampling intensity. We introduce a novel method that requires that the presence of species in a sample to be assessed while the counts of the number of individuals per species are only required for just a small part of the sample. To account for species included as incidence data in the species abundance distribution, we modify the likelihood function of the classical Poisson log-normal distribution. Using simulated community assemblages, we contrast diversity estimates based on a community sample, a subsample randomly extracted from the community sample, and a mixture sample where incidence data are added to a subsample. We show that the mixture sampling approach provides more accurate estimates than the subsample and at little extra cost. Diversity indices estimated from a freshwater zooplankton community sampled using the mixture approach show the same pattern of results as the simulation study. Our method efficiently increases the accuracy of diversity estimates and comprehension of the left tail of the species abundance distribution. We show how to choose the scale of sample size needed for a compromise between information gained, accuracy of the estimates and cost expended when assessing biological diversity. The sample size estimates are obtained from key community characteristics, such as the expected number of species in the community, the expected number of individuals in a sample and the evenness of the community.

Geographic access to specialty mental health care across high- and low-income U.S. communities

PubMed Central

Cummings, Janet R.; Allen, Lindsay; Clennon, Julie; Ji, Xu; Druss, Benjamin G.

2017-01-01

Importance With the future of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid program unclear, it is critical to examine the geographic availability of specialty mental health (MH) treatment resources that serve low-income populations across local communities. Objective To examine the geographic availability of community-based specialty MH treatment resources and how these resources are distributed by community socioeconomic status (SES). Design Measures of MH specialty resource availability were derived for 31,836 zip-code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) using national data. Analyses examined the association between community SES (assessed by median household income quartiles) and resource availability using logistic regressions. Models controlled for ZCTA-level demographic characteristics and state indicators. Main Outcome Measures Dichotomous indicators for whether a ZCTA had any: (1) outpatient MH treatment facility (more than nine-tenths of which offer payment arrangements for low-income populations); (2) office-based practice of MH specialist physician(s); (3) office-based practice of non-physician MH practitioners (e.g., therapists); and (4) facility or office-based practice (i.e., any resource). Results More than four-tenths (42.5%) of communities in the highest income quartile had any community-based MH treatment resource versus 23.1% of communities in the lowest income quartile (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.74, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.50,2.03). When examining the distribution of MH specialist providers, 25.3% of the highest income communities had any MH specialist physician practice versus 8.0% of the lowest income communities (AOR=3.04, 95% CI=2.53,3.66). Similarly, 35.1% of the highest income communities had any non-physician MH specialist practice versus 12.9% of the lowest income communities (AOR=2.77, 95% CI=2.35,3.26). In contrast, MH treatment facilities were less likely to be located in the highest versus lowest income communities (12.9% versus 16.5%, AOR=0.43, 95% CI=0.37,0.51). Over seven-tenths of the lowest income communities with any resource had an outpatient MH treatment facility. Conclusions and Relevance MH treatment facilities are more likely to be located in poorer communities, whereas office-based practices of MH specialist providers are more likely to be located in higher income communities. These findings indicate that MH treatment facilities constitute the backbone of the specialty MH treatment infrastructure in low-income communities. Policies are needed to support and expand available resources for this critical infrastructure. PMID:28384733

Wealth distribution across communities of adaptive financial agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLellis, Pietro; Garofalo, Franco; Lo Iudice, Francesco; Napoletano, Elena

2015-08-01

This paper studies the trading volumes and wealth distribution of a novel agent-based model of an artificial financial market. In this model, heterogeneous agents, behaving according to the Von Neumann and Morgenstern utility theory, may mutually interact. A Tobin-like tax (TT) on successful investments and a flat tax are compared to assess the effects on the agents’ wealth distribution. We carry out extensive numerical simulations in two alternative scenarios: (i) a reference scenario, where the agents keep their utility function fixed, and (ii) a focal scenario, where the agents are adaptive and self-organize in communities, emulating their neighbours by updating their own utility function. Specifically, the interactions among the agents are modelled through a directed scale-free network to account for the presence of community leaders, and the herding-like effect is tested against the reference scenario. We observe that our model is capable of replicating the benefits and drawbacks of the two taxation systems and that the interactions among the agents strongly affect the wealth distribution across the communities. Remarkably, the communities benefit from the presence of leaders with successful trading strategies, and are more likely to increase their average wealth. Moreover, this emulation mechanism mitigates the decrease in trading volumes, which is a typical drawback of TTs.

The Successful Presidency as a Shared Responsibility. Abstract of Remarks and Survey Data for Distribution to Pennsylvania Community College Presidents and Trustees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cote, Lawrence S.

In early 1983, a survey was conducted among the presidents and board chairpersons of the 14 public community colleges in Pennsylvania, asking respondents to rate the level of importance of 20 presidential roles based on their institution's needs during the 1982-83 academic year. During a joint annual meeting of Pennsylvania community college…

Using Historical Atlas Data to Develop High-Resolution Distribution Models of Freshwater Fishes

PubMed Central

Huang, Jian; Frimpong, Emmanuel A.

2015-01-01

Understanding the spatial pattern of species distributions is fundamental in biogeography, and conservation and resource management applications. Most species distribution models (SDMs) require or prefer species presence and absence data for adequate estimation of model parameters. However, observations with unreliable or unreported species absences dominate and limit the implementation of SDMs. Presence-only models generally yield less accurate predictions of species distribution, and make it difficult to incorporate spatial autocorrelation. The availability of large amounts of historical presence records for freshwater fishes of the United States provides an opportunity for deriving reliable absences from data reported as presence-only, when sampling was predominantly community-based. In this study, we used boosted regression trees (BRT), logistic regression, and MaxEnt models to assess the performance of a historical metacommunity database with inferred absences, for modeling fish distributions, investigating the effect of model choice and data properties thereby. With models of the distribution of 76 native, non-game fish species of varied traits and rarity attributes in four river basins across the United States, we show that model accuracy depends on data quality (e.g., sample size, location precision), species’ rarity, statistical modeling technique, and consideration of spatial autocorrelation. The cross-validation area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) tended to be high in the spatial presence-absence models at the highest level of resolution for species with large geographic ranges and small local populations. Prevalence affected training but not validation AUC. The key habitat predictors identified and the fish-habitat relationships evaluated through partial dependence plots corroborated most previous studies. The community-based SDM framework broadens our capability to model species distributions by innovatively removing the constraint of lack of species absence data, thus providing a robust prediction of distribution for stream fishes in other regions where historical data exist, and for other taxa (e.g., benthic macroinvertebrates, birds) usually observed by community-based sampling designs. PMID:26075902

Distributed Cognition and Process Management Enabling Individualized Translational Research: The NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program Experience

PubMed Central

Links, Amanda E.; Draper, David; Lee, Elizabeth; Guzman, Jessica; Valivullah, Zaheer; Maduro, Valerie; Lebedev, Vlad; Didenko, Maxim; Tomlin, Garrick; Brudno, Michael; Girdea, Marta; Dumitriu, Sergiu; Haendel, Melissa A.; Mungall, Christopher J.; Smedley, Damian; Hochheiser, Harry; Arnold, Andrew M.; Coessens, Bert; Verhoeven, Steven; Bone, William; Adams, David; Boerkoel, Cornelius F.; Gahl, William A.; Sincan, Murat

2016-01-01

The National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program (NIH UDP) applies translational research systematically to diagnose patients with undiagnosed diseases. The challenge is to implement an information system enabling scalable translational research. The authors hypothesized that similar complex problems are resolvable through process management and the distributed cognition of communities. The team, therefore, built the NIH UDP integrated collaboration system (UDPICS) to form virtual collaborative multidisciplinary research networks or communities. UDPICS supports these communities through integrated process management, ontology-based phenotyping, biospecimen management, cloud-based genomic analysis, and an electronic laboratory notebook. UDPICS provided a mechanism for efficient, transparent, and scalable translational research and thereby addressed many of the complex and diverse research and logistical problems of the NIH UDP. Full definition of the strengths and deficiencies of UDPICS will require formal qualitative and quantitative usability and process improvement measurement. PMID:27785453

Landscape-scale spatial abundance distributions discriminate core from random components of boreal lake bacterioplankton.

PubMed

Niño-García, Juan Pablo; Ruiz-González, Clara; Del Giorgio, Paul A

2016-12-01

Aquatic bacterial communities harbour thousands of coexisting taxa. To meet the challenge of discriminating between a 'core' and a sporadically occurring 'random' component of these communities, we explored the spatial abundance distribution of individual bacterioplankton taxa across 198 boreal lakes and their associated fluvial networks (188 rivers). We found that all taxa could be grouped into four distinct categories based on model statistical distributions (normal like, bimodal, logistic and lognormal). The distribution patterns across lakes and their associated river networks showed that lake communities are composed of a core of taxa whose distribution appears to be linked to in-lake environmental sorting (normal-like and bimodal categories), and a large fraction of mostly rare bacteria (94% of all taxa) whose presence appears to be largely random and linked to downstream transport in aquatic networks (logistic and lognormal categories). These rare taxa are thus likely to reflect species sorting at upstream locations, providing a perspective of the conditions prevailing in entire aquatic networks rather than only in lakes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Vertical distribution and community composition of anammox bacteria in sediments of a eutrophic shallow lake.

PubMed

Qin, H; Han, C; Jin, Z; Wu, L; Deng, H; Zhu, G; Zhong, W

2018-07-01

The aim of this study was to explore the vertical distribution traits of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacterial relative abundance and community composition along the oxic/anoxic sediment profiles in a shallow lake. The Illumina Miseq-based sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reactions were utilized to analyse relative abundance of anammox hydrazine synthase (hzsB) gene in comparison with bacterial 16S rRNA genes, anammox bacterial relative abundance (the number of anammox sequences divided by total number of sequences), community composition and diversity in sediments. The relative abundance of hzsB gene at the low-nitrogen (LN) site in the lake sediments showed that the vertical distribution of anammox bacteria increased to a peak, then decreased with increasing depth. Moreover, the relative abundance of hzsB gene at the high-nitrogen site was significantly lower than that at the LN site. Additionally, the community composition results showed that Candidatus Brocadia sp. was the dominant genus. In addition, the anammox bacterial diversity was also site specific. Redundancy analysis showed that the total N and the NH 4 + -N content might be the most important factors affecting anammox bacterial community composition in the studied sites. The results revealed the specific vertical variance of anammox bacterial distribution and community composition in oxic/anoxic sediments of a eutrophic shallow lake. This is the first study to demonstrate that anammox bacteria displayed the particular distribution in freshwater sediments, which implied a strong response to the anthropogenic eutrophication. © 2018 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Knowledge Distribution and Power Relations in HIV-Related Education and Prevention for Gay Men: An Application of Bernstein to Australian Community-Based Pedagogical Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInnes, David; Murphy, Dean

2011-01-01

This paper seeks to make a theoretical and analytic intervention into the field of HIV-related education and prevention by applying the pedagogy framework of Basil Bernstein to a series of pedagogical devices developed and used in community-based programmes targeting gay men in Australia. The paper begins by outlining why it is such an…

LogCauchy, log-sech and lognormal distributions of species abundances in forest communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yin, Z.-Y.; Peng, S.-L.; Ren, H.; Guo, Q.; Chen, Z.-H.

2005-01-01

Species-abundance (SA) pattern is one of the most fundamental aspects of biological community structure, providing important information regarding species richness, species-area relation and succession. To better describe the SA distribution (SAD) in a community, based on the widely used lognormal (LN) distribution model with exp(-x2) roll-off on Preston's octave scale, this study proposed two additional models, logCauchy (LC) and log-sech (LS), respectively with roll-offs of simple x-2 and e-x. The estimation of the theoretical total number of species in the whole community, S*, including very rare species not yet collected in sample, was derived from the left-truncation of each distribution. We fitted these three models by Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear regression and measured the model fit to the data using coefficient of determination of regression, parameters' t-test and distribution's Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test. Examining the SA data from six forest communities (five in lower subtropics and one in tropics), we found that: (1) on a log scale, all three models that are bell-shaped and left-truncated statistically adequately fitted the observed SADs, and the LC and LS did better than the LN; (2) from each model and for each community the S* values estimated by the integral and summation methods were almost equal, allowing us to estimate S* using a simple integral formula and to estimate its asymptotic confidence internals by regression of a transformed model containing it; (3) following the order of LC, LS, and LN, the fitted distributions became lower in the peak, less concave in the side, and shorter in the tail, and overall the LC tended to overestimate, the LN tended to underestimate, while the LS was intermediate but slightly tended to underestimate, the observed SADs (particularly the number of common species in the right tail); (4) the six communities had some similar structural properties such as following similar distribution models, having a common modal octave and a similar proportion of common species. We suggested that what follows the LN distribution should follow (or better follow) the LC and LS, and that the LC, LS and LN distributions represent a "sequential distribution set" in which one can find a best fit to the observed SAD. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community structure in traffic zones based on travel demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li; Ling, Ximan; He, Kun; Tan, Qian

2016-09-01

Large structure in complex networks can be studied by dividing it into communities or modules. Urban traffic system is one of the most critical infrastructures. It can be abstracted into a complex network composed of tightly connected groups. Here, we analyze community structure in urban traffic zones based on the community detection method in network science. Spectral algorithm using the eigenvectors of matrices is employed. Our empirical results indicate that the traffic communities are variant with the travel demand distribution, since in the morning the majority of the passengers are traveling from home to work and in the evening they are traveling a contrary direction. Meanwhile, the origin-destination pairs with large number of trips play a significant role in urban traffic network's community division. The layout of traffic community in a city also depends on the residents' trajectories.

Distribution of Bathyarchaeota Communities Across Different Terrestrial Settings and Their Potential Ecological Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Xing; Wang, Ruicheng; Wang, Hongmei; Gong, Linfeng; Man, Baiying; Xu, Ying

2017-03-01

High abundance and widespread distribution of the archaeal phylum Bathyarchaeota in marine environment have been recognized recently, but knowledge about Bathyarchaeota in terrestrial settings and their correlation with environmental parameters is fairly limited. Here we reported the abundance of Bathyarchaeota members across different ecosystems and their correlation with environmental factors by constructing 16S rRNA clone libraries of peat from the Dajiuhu Peatland, coupling with bioinformatics analysis of 16S rRNA data available to date in NCBI database. In total, 1456 Bathyarchaeota sequences from 28 sites were subjected to UniFrac analysis based on phylogenetic distance and multivariate regression tree analysis of taxonomy. Both phylogenetic and taxon-based approaches showed that salinity, total organic carbon and temperature significantly influenced the distribution of Bathyarchaeota across different terrestrial habitats. By applying the ecological concept of ‘indicator species’, we identify 9 indicator groups among the 6 habitats with the most in the estuary sediments. Network analysis showed that members of Bathyarchaeota formed the “backbone” of archaeal community and often co-occurred with Methanomicrobia. These results suggest that Bathyarchaeota may play an important ecological role within archaeal communities via a potential symbiotic association with Methanomicrobia. Our results shed light on understanding of the biogeography, potential functions of Bathyarchaeota and environment conditions that influence Bathyarchaea distribution in terrestrial settings.

The roles of competition and habitat in the dynamics of populations and species distributions Ecology

Treesearch

Charles B. Yackulic; Janice Reid; James D. Nichols; James E. Hines; Raymond Davis; Eric Forsman

2014-01-01

The role of competition in structuring biotic communities at fine spatial scales is well known from detailed process-based studies. Our understanding of competition’s importance at broader scales is less resolved and mainly based on static species distribution maps. Here, we bridge this gap by examining the joint occupancy dynamics of an invading species (Barred Owl,...

A trait-based approach to community assembly: partitioning of species trait values into within- and among-community components.

PubMed

Ackerly, D D; Cornwell, W K

2007-02-01

Plant functional traits vary both along environmental gradients and among species occupying similar conditions, creating a challenge for the synthesis of functional and community ecology. We present a trait-based approach that provides an additive decomposition of species' trait values into alpha and beta components: beta values refer to a species' position along a gradient defined by community-level mean trait values; alpha values are the difference between a species' trait values and the mean of co-occurring taxa. In woody plant communities of coastal California, beta trait values for specific leaf area, leaf size, wood density and maximum height all covary strongly, reflecting species distributions across a gradient of soil moisture availability. Alpha values, on the other hand, are generally not significantly correlated, suggesting several independent axes of differentiation within communities. This trait-based framework provides a novel approach to integrate functional ecology and gradient analysis with community ecology and coexistence theory.

Creating and Nurturing Distributed Asynchronous Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kochtanek, Thomas R.; Hein, Karen K.

2000-01-01

Describes the evolution of a university course from a face-to-face experience to a Web-based asynchronous learning environment. Topics include cognition and learning; distance learning and distributed learning; student learning communities and the traditional classroom; the future as it relates to education and technology; collaborative student…

The School of Public Safety at Valencia College: Visioning and Implementation of a College-Wide Distributive and Collaborative Program Model for the Central Florida Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goltz, Jeffrey W.

2016-01-01

The central Florida region, faced with record tourism, a large service population, and significant population growth over the next few decades, must rely on a community-based institution of higher education with lifelong learning offerings, a local community college, to create world class public safety education and training for the region.…

Advancing system and policy changes for social and racial justice: comparing a Rural and Urban Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership in the U.S.

PubMed

Devia, Carlos; Baker, Elizabeth A; Sanchez-Youngman, Shannon; Barnidge, Ellen; Golub, Maxine; Motton, Freda; Muhammad, Michael; Ruddock, Charmaine; Vicuña, Belinda; Wallerstein, Nina

2017-02-21

The paper examines the role of community-based participatory research (CBPR) within the context of social justice literature and practice. Two CBPR case studies addressing health inequities related to Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease were selected from a national cross-site study assessing effective academic-community research partnerships. One CBPR partnership works with African Americans in rural Pemiscot County, Missouri and the other CBPR partnership works with African American and Latinos in urban South Bronx, New York City. Data collection included semi-structured key informant interviews and focus groups. Analysis focused on partnerships' context/history and their use of multiple justice-oriented strategies to achieve systemic and policy changes in order to address social determinants of health in their communities. Community context and history shaped each partnership's strategies to address social determinants. Four social justice approaches (identity/recognition, procedural, distributive, and structural justice) used by both partnerships were identified. These social justice approaches were employed to address underlying causes of inequitable distribution of resources and power structures, while remaining within a scientific research framework. CBPR can bridge the role of science with civic engagement and political participation, empowering community members to become political agents who integrate evidence into their social justice organizing strategies.

Changing the paradigm: planning for ambulatory care expansion in Los Angeles County using a community-based and evidence-based model.

PubMed

Fielding, J E; Lamirault, I; Nolan, B; Bobrowsky, J

2000-07-01

In 1998, Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services (DHS) embarked on a planning process to expand ambulatory care services for the county's 2.7 million uninsured and otherwise medically indigent residents. This planning process was novel in two ways. First, it used a quantitative, needs-based approach for resource allocation to ensure an equitable distribution of safety-net ambulatory care services across the county. Second, it used a new community-based planning paradigm that took into consideration the specific needs of each of the county's eight geographic service planning areas. Together, the evidence-based approach to planning and the community-based decision-making will ensure that DHS can more equitably provide for the needs of Los Angeles County's medically indigent residents.

Estimating the effectiveness of further sampling in species inventories

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keating, K.A.; Quinn, J.F.; Ivie, M.A.; Ivie, L.L.

1998-01-01

Estimators of the number of additional species expected in the next ??n samples offer a potentially important tool for improving cost-effectiveness of species inventories but are largely untested. We used Monte Carlo methods to compare 11 such estimators, across a range of community structures and sampling regimes, and validated our results, where possible, using empirical data from vascular plant and beetle inventories from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. We found that B. Efron and R. Thisted's 1976 negative binomial estimator was most robust to differences in community structure and that it was among the most accurate estimators when sampling was from model communities with structures resembling the large, heterogeneous communities that are the likely targets of major inventory efforts. Other estimators may be preferred under specific conditions, however. For example, when sampling was from model communities with highly even species-abundance distributions, estimates based on the Michaelis-Menten model were most accurate; when sampling was from moderately even model communities with S=10 species or communities with highly uneven species-abundance distributions, estimates based on Gleason's (1922) species-area model were most accurate. We suggest that use of such methods in species inventories can help improve cost-effectiveness by providing an objective basis for redirecting sampling to more-productive sites, methods, or time periods as the expectation of detecting additional species becomes unacceptably low.

County Agents for Children. Final Report. Part III. Developing Community Awareness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George Peabody Coll. for Teachers, Nashville, TN. John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development.

Based on the experiences of a child advocacy project in Tennessee entitled County Agents for Children, the guide -- over half of which consists of appendixes -- presents a general strategies and specific tasks for the child advocate volunteer or professional in developing community awareness. Specific ways to locate, organize, produce, distribute,…

Differences in perceptions of communication, tourism benefits, and management issues in a protected area of rural Kenya.

PubMed

Bruyere, Brett L; Beh, Adam W; Lelengula, Geoffrey

2009-01-01

With record-breaking tourist visits in Kenya in 2005-2006, communities near the country's renowned protected areas must undertake or revisit planning efforts to conserve and enhance the region's natural, social, and economic resources. This article examines the differences between two stakeholder groups in the Samburu region of central Kenya: (1) protected area leadership and staff; and (2) members of the communities adjacent to the protected areas. Based on the results and analysis of 30 in-depth interviews, the authors identify differences between protected area staff and their community members regarding perceptions about communication between the two groups, and the economic benefits of tourism. The different stakeholders agreed, however, about challenges related to equitable distribution of tourism-based employment and revenue. The results indicate a need to reach consensus about what constitutes sufficient communication between national reserves and their community, and to what extent tourism-related revenue and employment should be distributed within the region. A discussion of the potential role of indicators and standards to make such decisions is presented.

Differences in Perceptions of Communication, Tourism Benefits, and Management Issues in a Protected Area of Rural Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruyere, Brett L.; Beh, Adam W.; Lelengula, Geoffrey

2009-01-01

With record-breaking tourist visits in Kenya in 2005-2006, communities near the country’s renowned protected areas must undertake or revisit planning efforts to conserve and enhance the region’s natural, social, and economic resources. This article examines the differences between two stakeholder groups in the Samburu region of central Kenya: (1) protected area leadership and staff; and (2) members of the communities adjacent to the protected areas. Based on the results and analysis of 30 in-depth interviews, the authors identify differences between protected area staff and their community members regarding perceptions about communication between the two groups, and the economic benefits of tourism. The different stakeholders agreed, however, about challenges related to equitable distribution of tourism-based employment and revenue. The results indicate a need to reach consensus about what constitutes sufficient communication between national reserves and their community, and to what extent tourism-related revenue and employment should be distributed within the region. A discussion of the potential role of indicators and standards to make such decisions is presented.

ASSESSMENT OF ETA-CMAQ FORECASTS OF PARTICULATE MATTER DISTRIBUTIONS THROUGH COMPARISONS WITH SURFACE NETWORK AND SPECIALIZED MEASUREMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

An air-quality forecasting (AQF) system based on the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction's (NCEP's) Eta model and the U.S. EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System is used to simulate the distributions of tropospheric ...

Genetic Diversity and Geographical Distribution of Indigenous Soybean-Nodulating Bradyrhizobia in the United States

PubMed Central

Shiro, Sokichi; Matsuura, Syota; Saiki, Rina; Sigua, Gilbert C.; Yamamoto, Akihiro; Umehara, Yosuke; Hayashi, Masaki

2013-01-01

We investigated the relationship between the genetic diversity of indigenous soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobia and their geographical distribution in the United States using nine soil isolates from eight states. The bradyrhizobia were inoculated on three soybean Rj genotypes (non-Rj, Rj2Rj3, and Rj4). We analyzed their genetic diversity and community structure by means of restriction fragment length polymorphisms of PCR amplicons to target the 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer region, using 11 USDA Bradyrhizobium strains as reference strains. We also performed diversity analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis based on the Bray-Curtis index, and polar ordination analysis to describe the structure and geographical distribution of the soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobial community. The major clusters were Bradyrhizobium japonicum Bj123, in the northern United States, and Bradyrhizobium elkanii, in the middle to southern regions. Dominance of bradyrhizobia in a community was generally larger for the cluster belonging to B. elkanii than for the cluster belonging to B. japonicum. The indigenous American soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobial community structure was strongly correlated with latitude. Our results suggest that this community varies geographically. PMID:23563944

Alternative measures of spatial distribution and availability of health facilities for the delivery of emergency obstetric services in island communities.

PubMed

Oyerinde, Koyejo; Baravilala, Wame

2014-12-01

International guidelines and recommendations for availability and spatial distribution of emergency obstetric care services do not adequately address the challenges of providing emergency health services in island communities. The isolation and small population sizes that are typical of islands and remote populations limit the applicability of international guidelines in such communities. Universal access to emergency obstetric care services, when pregnant women encounter complications, is one of the three key strategies for reducing maternal and newborn mortality; the other two being family planning and skilled care during labor. The performance of selected lifesaving clinical interventions (signal functions) over a 3-month period is commonly used to assess and assign performance categories to health facilities but island communities might not have a large enough population to generate demand for all the signal functions over a 3-month period. Similarly, availability and spatial distribution recommendations are typically based on the size of catchment populations, but the populations of island communities tend to be sparsely distributed. With illustrations from six South Pacific Island states, we argue that the recommendation for availability of health facilities, that there should be at least five emergency obstetric care facilities (including at least one comprehensive facility) for every 500,000 population, and the recommendation for equitable distribution of health facilities, that all subnational areas meet the availability recommendation, can be substituted with a focus on access to blood transfusion and obstetric surgical care within 2 hours for all pregnant residents of islands. Island communities could replace the performance of signal functions over a 3-month period with a demonstrated capacity to perform signal functions if the need arises.

Safety and Acceptability of Community-Based Distribution of Injectable Contraceptives: A Pilot Project in Mozambique

PubMed Central

Jacinto, Ana; Mobaracaly, Mahomed Riaz; Ustáb, Momade Bay; Bique, Cassimo; Blazer, Cassandra; Weidert, Karen; Prata, Ndola

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Mozambique has witnessed a climbing total fertility rate in the last 20 years. Nearly one-third of married women have an unmet need for family planning, but the supply of family planning services is not meeting the demand. This study aimed to explore the safety and effectiveness of training 2 cadres of community health workers—traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and agentes polivalentes elementares (APEs) (polyvalent elementary health workers)—to administer the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), and to provide evidence to policy makers on the feasibility of expanding community-based distribution of DMPA in areas where TBAs and APEs are present. A total of 1,432 women enrolled in the study between February 2014 and April 2015. The majority (63% to 66%) of women in the study started using contraception for the first time during the study period, and most women (over 66%) did not report side effects at the 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits. Very few (less than 0.5%) experienced morbidities at the injection site on the arm. Satisfaction with the performance of TBAs and APEs was high and improved over the study period. Overall, the project showed a high continuation rate (81.1%) after 3 injections, with TBA clients having significantly higher continuation rates than APE clients after 3 months and after 6 months. Clients’ reported willingness to pay for DMPA (64%) highlights the latent demand for modern contraceptives. Given Mozambique’s largely rural population and critical health care workforce shortage, community-based provision of family planning in general and of injectable contraceptives in particular, which has been shown to be safe, effective, and acceptable, is of crucial importance. This study demonstrates that community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives can provide access to family planning to a large group of women that previously had little or no access. PMID:27651076

Safety and Acceptability of Community-Based Distribution of Injectable Contraceptives: A Pilot Project in Mozambique.

PubMed

Jacinto, Ana; Mobaracaly, Mahomed Riaz; Ustáb, Momade Bay; Bique, Cassimo; Blazer, Cassandra; Weidert, Karen; Prata, Ndola

2016-09-28

Mozambique has witnessed a climbing total fertility rate in the last 20 years. Nearly one-third of married women have an unmet need for family planning, but the supply of family planning services is not meeting the demand. This study aimed to explore the safety and effectiveness of training 2 cadres of community health workers-traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and agentes polivalentes elementares (APEs) (polyvalent elementary health workers)-to administer the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), and to provide evidence to policy makers on the feasibility of expanding community-based distribution of DMPA in areas where TBAs and APEs are present. A total of 1,432 women enrolled in the study between February 2014 and April 2015. The majority (63% to 66%) of women in the study started using contraception for the first time during the study period, and most women (over 66%) did not report side effects at the 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits. Very few (less than 0.5%) experienced morbidities at the injection site on the arm. Satisfaction with the performance of TBAs and APEs was high and improved over the study period. Overall, the project showed a high continuation rate (81.1%) after 3 injections, with TBA clients having significantly higher continuation rates than APE clients after 3 months and after 6 months. Clients' reported willingness to pay for DMPA (64%) highlights the latent demand for modern contraceptives. Given Mozambique's largely rural population and critical health care workforce shortage, community-based provision of family planning in general and of injectable contraceptives in particular, which has been shown to be safe, effective, and acceptable, is of crucial importance. This study demonstrates that community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives can provide access to family planning to a large group of women that previously had little or no access. © Jacinto et al.

Growth of elaborate microbial pinnacles in Lake Vanda, Antarctica.

PubMed

Sumner, D Y; Jungblut, A D; Hawes, I; Andersen, D T; Mackey, T J; Wall, K

2016-11-01

Microbial pinnacles in ice-covered Lake Vanda, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, extend from the base of the ice to more than 50 m water depth. The distribution of microbial communities, their photosynthetic potential, and pinnacle morphology affects the local accumulation of biomass, which in turn shapes pinnacle morphology. This feedback, plus environmental stability, promotes the growth of elaborate microbial structures. In Lake Vanda, all mats sampled from greater than 10 m water depth contained pinnacles with a gradation in size from <1-mm-tall tufts to pinnacles that were centimeters tall. Small pinnacles were cuspate, whereas larger ones had variable morphology. The largest pinnacles were up to ~30 cm tall and had cylindrical bases and cuspate tops. Pinnacle biomass was dominated by cyanobacteria from the morphological and genomic groups Leptolyngbya, Phormidium, and Tychonema. The photosynthetic potential of these cyanobacterial communities was high to depths of several millimeters into the mat based on PAM fluorometry, and sufficient light for photosynthesis penetrated ~5 mm into pinnacles. The distribution of photosynthetic potential and its correlation to pinnacle morphology suggests a working model for pinnacle growth. First, small tufts initiate from random irregularities in prostrate mat. Some tufts grow into pinnacles over the course of ~3 years. As pinnacles increase in size and age, their interiors become colonized by a more diverse community of cyanobacteria with high photosynthetic potential. Biomass accumulation within this subsurface community causes pinnacles to swell, expanding laminae thickness and creating distinctive cylindrical bases and cuspate tops. This change in shape suggests that pinnacle morphology emerges from a specific distribution of biomass accumulation that depends on multiple microbial communities fixing carbon in different parts of pinnacles. Similarly, complex patterns of biomass accumulation may be reflected in the morphology of elaborate ancient stromatolites. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Internet of Things: a possible change in the distributed modeling and simulation architecture paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riecken, Mark; Lessmann, Kurt; Schillero, David

2016-05-01

The Data Distribution Service (DDS) was started by the Object Management Group (OMG) in 2004. Currently, DDS is one of the contenders to support the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial IOT (IIoT). DDS has also been used as a distributed simulation architecture. Given the anticipated proliferation of IoT and II devices, along with the explosive growth of sensor technology, can we expect this to have an impact on the broader community of distributed simulation? If it does, what is the impact and which distributed simulation domains will be most affected? DDS shares many of the same goals and characteristics of distributed simulation such as the need to support scale and an emphasis on Quality of Service (QoS) that can be tailored to meet the end user's needs. In addition, DDS has some built-in features such as security that are not present in traditional distributed simulation protocols. If the IoT and II realize their potential application, we predict a large base of technology to be built around this distributed data paradigm, much of which could be directly beneficial to the distributed M&S community. In this paper we compare some of the perceived gaps and shortfalls of current distributed M&S technology to the emerging capabilities of DDS built around the IoT. Although some trial work has been conducted in this area, we propose a more focused examination of the potential of these new technologies and their applicability to current and future problems in distributed M&S. The Internet of Things (IoT) and its data communications mechanisms such as the Data Distribution System (DDS) share properties in common with distributed modeling and simulation (M&S) and its protocols such as the High Level Architecture (HLA) and the Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA). This paper proposes a framework based on the sensor use case for how the two communities of practice (CoP) can benefit from one another and achieve greater capability in practical distributed computing.

Stylized facts in social networks: Community-based static modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, Hang-Hyun; Murase, Yohsuke; Török, János; Kertész, János; Kaski, Kimmo

2018-06-01

The past analyses of datasets of social networks have enabled us to make empirical findings of a number of aspects of human society, which are commonly featured as stylized facts of social networks, such as broad distributions of network quantities, existence of communities, assortative mixing, and intensity-topology correlations. Since the understanding of the structure of these complex social networks is far from complete, for deeper insight into human society more comprehensive datasets and modeling of the stylized facts are needed. Although the existing dynamical and static models can generate some stylized facts, here we take an alternative approach by devising a community-based static model with heterogeneous community sizes and larger communities having smaller link density and weight. With these few assumptions we are able to generate realistic social networks that show most stylized facts for a wide range of parameters, as demonstrated numerically and analytically. Since our community-based static model is simple to implement and easily scalable, it can be used as a reference system, benchmark, or testbed for further applications.

Analysis of phytoplankton distribution and community structure in the German Bight with respect to the different size classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollschläger, Jochen; Wiltshire, Karen Helen; Petersen, Wilhelm; Metfies, Katja

2015-05-01

Investigation of phytoplankton biodiversity, ecology, and biogeography is crucial for understanding marine ecosystems. Research is often carried out on the basis of microscopic observations, but due to the limitations of this approach regarding detection and identification of picophytoplankton (0.2-2 μm) and nanophytoplankton (2-20 μm), these investigations are mainly focused on the microphytoplankton (20-200 μm). In the last decades, various methods based on optical and molecular biological approaches have evolved which enable a more rapid and convenient analysis of phytoplankton samples and a more detailed assessment of small phytoplankton. In this study, a selection of these methods (in situ fluorescence, flow cytometry, genetic fingerprinting, and DNA microarray) was placed in complement to light microscopy and HPLC-based pigment analysis to investigate both biomass distribution and community structure of phytoplankton. As far as possible, the size classes were analyzed separately. Investigations were carried out on six cruises in the German Bight in 2010 and 2011 to analyze both spatial and seasonal variability. Microphytoplankton was identified as the major contributor to biomass in all seasons, followed by the nanophytoplankton. Generally, biomass distribution was patchy, but the overall contribution of small phytoplankton was higher in offshore areas and also in areas exhibiting higher turbidity. Regarding temporal development of the community, differences between the small phytoplankton community and the microphytoplankton were found. The latter exhibited a seasonal pattern regarding number of taxa present, alpha- and beta-diversity, and community structure, while for the nano- and especially the picophytoplankton, a general shift in the community between both years was observable without seasonality. Although the reason for this shift remains unclear, the results imply a different response of large and small phytoplankton to environmental influences.

Genetic diversity pattern of microeukaryotic communities and its relationship with the environment based on PCR-DGGE and T-RFLP techniques in Dongshan Bay, southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenjing; Mo, Yuanyuan; Yang, Jun; Zhou, Jing; Lin, Yuanshao; Isabwe, Alain; Zhang, Jian; Gao, Xiu; Yu, Zheng

2018-07-01

Microeukaryotes play important roles in aquatic ecosystems, and could act as drivers of the biological nutrient cycling processes. However, compared with prokaryotic ones, little is known about the genetic diversity pattern of their community, and the environmental factors affecting their ecological pattern, especially in marine ecosystems. In this study, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) to explore the genetic diversity structure of microeukaryotic communities in Dongshan Bay, southeast China. Our results revealed that microeukaryotic diversity ranged from 31 to 48 phylotypes (on average, 42) using the DGGE approach, while from 22 to 38 phylotypes (on average, 30) based on T-RFLP method, and the Shannon-Wiener diversity (DGGE-based) was relatively higher, suggesting that DGGE displayed a slightly higher resolution than T-RFLP. Surprisingly, the DGGE showed significant horizontal difference among microeukaryotic communities, but was similar with T-RFLP analysis that had no significant influence on microeukaryotic diversity at vertical scale. Further, redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the DGGE-based microeukaryotic communities distribution was significantly correlated with three environmental factors (Chl-a, TP and salinity), whereas microeukaryotic community revealed by T-RFLP was affected by four environmental factors namely salinity, temperature, depth and NOX-N. Compared with RDA, BIO-ENV analysis showed that heterotrophic bacteria and NOX-N were important environmental variable influencing microeukaryotic communities in both methods. These differences may be attributed to the noisy effects caused by the relatively large number of environmental variables. Generally speaking, despite differences in beta-diversity ordination for both DGGE and T-RFLP methods, there exists some consistency in the results of both techniques in terms of microeukaryotes responses to the environmental variables. These results suggested that environmental parameters had a great effect on spatial distribution of microeukaryotic community and contributed to marine ecosystem health to be further evaluated.

Distributed structure-searchable toxicity (DSSTox) public database network: a proposal.

PubMed

Richard, Ann M; Williams, ClarLynda R

2002-01-29

The ability to assess the potential genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, or other toxicity of pharmaceutical or industrial chemicals based on chemical structure information is a highly coveted and shared goal of varied academic, commercial, and government regulatory groups. These diverse interests often employ different approaches and have different criteria and use for toxicity assessments, but they share a need for unrestricted access to existing public toxicity data linked with chemical structure information. Currently, there exists no central repository of toxicity information, commercial or public, that adequately meets the data requirements for flexible analogue searching, Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) model development, or building of chemical relational databases (CRD). The distributed structure-searchable toxicity (DSSTox) public database network is being proposed as a community-supported, web-based effort to address these shared needs of the SAR and toxicology communities. The DSSTox project has the following major elements: (1) to adopt and encourage the use of a common standard file format (structure data file (SDF)) for public toxicity databases that includes chemical structure, text and property information, and that can easily be imported into available CRD applications; (2) to implement a distributed source approach, managed by a DSSTox Central Website, that will enable decentralized, free public access to structure-toxicity data files, and that will effectively link knowledgeable toxicity data sources with potential users of these data from other disciplines (such as chemistry, modeling, and computer science); and (3) to engage public/commercial/academic/industry groups in contributing to and expanding this community-wide, public data sharing and distribution effort. The DSSTox project's overall aims are to effect the closer association of chemical structure information with existing toxicity data, and to promote and facilitate structure-based exploration of these data within a common chemistry-based framework that spans toxicological disciplines.

Physicochemical conditions in affecting the distribution of spring phytoplankton community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yuqiu; Liu, Haijiao; Zhang, Xiaodong; Xue, Bing; Munir, Sonia; Sun, Jun

2017-11-01

To better understand the physicochemical conditions in affecting regional distribution of phytoplankton community, one research cruise was carried out in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea during 3rd and 23th May, 2010. The phytoplankton community, including Bacillariophyta (105 taxa), Pyrrophyta (54 taxa), Chrysophyta (1 taxon) and Chlorophyta (2 taxa), had been identified and clearly described from six ecological provinces. And, the six ecological provinces were partitioned based on the top twenty dominant species related with notable physicochemical parameters. In general, the regional distributions of phytoplankton ecological provinces were predominantly influenced by the physicochemical properties induced by the variable water masses and circulations. The predominant diatoms in most of water samples showed well adaptability in turbulent and eutrophic conditions. However, several species of dinoflagellates e.g., Protoperidinium conicum, Protoperidinium triestinum, Protoperidinium sp. and Gymnodinium lohmanni preferred warmer, saltier and nutrient-poor environment. Moreover, the dinoflagellates with high frequency in the Yellow Sea might be transported from the Yellow Sea Warm Current. The horizontal distribution of phytoplankton was depicted by diatoms and controlled by phosphate concentration, while the vertical distribution was mainly supported by light and nutrients availability in the subsurface and bottom layers, respectively.

Separating the effects of environment and space on tree species distribution: from population to community.

PubMed

Lin, Guojun; Stralberg, Diana; Gong, Guiquan; Huang, Zhongliang; Ye, Wanhui; Wu, Linfang

2013-01-01

Quantifying the relative contributions of environmental conditions and spatial factors to species distribution can help improve our understanding of the processes that drive diversity patterns. In this study, based on tree inventory, topography and soil data from a 20-ha stem-mapped permanent forest plot in Guangdong Province, China, we evaluated the influence of different ecological processes at different spatial scales using canonical redundancy analysis (RDA) at the community level and multiple linear regression at the species level. At the community level, the proportion of explained variation in species distribution increased with grid-cell sizes, primarily due to a monotonic increase in the explanatory power of environmental variables. At the species level, neither environmental nor spatial factors were important determinants of overstory species' distributions at small cell sizes. However, purely spatial variables explained most of the variation in the distributions of understory species at fine and intermediate cell sizes. Midstory species showed patterns that were intermediate between those of overstory and understory species. At the 20-m cell size, the influence of spatial factors was stronger for more dispersal-limited species, suggesting that much of the spatial structuring in this community can be explained by dispersal limitation. Comparing environmental factors, soil variables had higher explanatory power than did topography for species distribution. However, both topographic and edaphic variables were highly spatial structured. Our results suggested that dispersal limitation has an important influence on fine-intermediate scale (from several to tens of meters) species distribution, while environmental variability facilitates species distribution at intermediate (from ten to tens of meters) and broad (from tens to hundreds of meters) scales.

Genome Informed Trait-Based Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaoz, U.; Cheng, Y.; Bouskill, N.; Tang, J.; Beller, H. R.; Brodie, E.; Riley, W. J.

2013-12-01

Trait-based approaches are powerful tools for representing microbial communities across both spatial and temporal scales within ecosystem models. Trait-based models (TBMs) represent the diversity of microbial taxa as stochastic assemblages with a distribution of traits constrained by trade-offs between these traits. Such representation with its built-in stochasticity allows the elucidation of the interactions between the microbes and their environment by reducing the complexity of microbial community diversity into a limited number of functional ';guilds' and letting them emerge across spatio-temporal scales. From the biogeochemical/ecosystem modeling perspective, the emergent properties of the microbial community could be directly translated into predictions of biogeochemical reaction rates and microbial biomass. The accuracy of TBMs depends on the identification of key traits of the microbial community members and on the parameterization of these traits. Current approaches to inform TBM parameterization are empirical (i.e., based on literature surveys). Advances in omic technologies (such as genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics) pave the way to better-initialize models that can be constrained in a generic or site-specific fashion. Here we describe the coupling of metagenomic data to the development of a TBM representing the dynamics of metabolic guilds from an organic carbon stimulated groundwater microbial community. Illumina paired-end metagenomic data were collected from the community as it transitioned successively through electron-accepting conditions (nitrate-, sulfate-, and Fe(III)-reducing), and used to inform estimates of growth rates and the distribution of metabolic pathways (i.e., aerobic and anaerobic oxidation, fermentation) across a spatially resolved TBM. We use this model to evaluate the emergence of different metabolisms and predict rates of biogeochemical processes over time. We compare our results to observational outputs.

Distributive Effects of Forest Service Attempts to Maintain Community Stability

Treesearch

Steven E. Daniels; William F. Hyde; David N. Wear

1991-01-01

Community stability is an objective of USDA Forest Service timber sales. This paper examines that objective, and the success the Forest Service can have in attaining it, through its intended maintenance of a constant volume timber harvest schedule. We apply a three-factor, two-sector modified general equilibrium model with empirical evidence from the timber-based...

Taxonomical and functional microbial community selection in soybean rhizosphere

PubMed Central

Mendes, Lucas W; Kuramae, Eiko E; Navarrete, Acácio A; van Veen, Johannes A; Tsai, Siu M

2014-01-01

This study addressed the selection of the rhizospheric microbial community from the bulk soil reservoir under agricultural management of soybean in Amazon forest soils. We used a shotgun metagenomics approach to investigate the taxonomic and functional diversities of microbial communities in the bulk soil and in the rhizosphere of soybean plants and tested the validity of neutral and niche theories to explain the rhizosphere community assembly processes. Our results showed a clear selection at both taxonomic and functional levels operating in the assembly of the soybean rhizosphere community. The taxonomic analysis revealed that the rhizosphere community is a subset of the bulk soil community. Species abundance in rhizosphere fits the log-normal distribution model, which is an indicator of the occurrence of niche-based processes. In addition, the data indicate that the rhizosphere community is selected based on functional cores related to the metabolisms of nitrogen, iron, phosphorus and potassium, which are related to benefits to the plant, such as growth promotion and nutrition. The network analysis including bacterial groups and functions was less complex in rhizosphere, suggesting the specialization of some specific metabolic pathways. We conclude that the assembly of the microbial community in the rhizosphere is based on niche-based processes as a result of the selection power of the plant and other environmental factors. PMID:24553468

Community-Based Breastfeeding Support With the Tiger Babies Breastfeeding Support Tent.

PubMed

Lambert, Ann W; Harris, Laurie C; Wang, Chih-Hsuan; Tzeng, Shu-Wen

2018-04-01

The Tiger Babies Breastfeeding Support Tent was established by a baccalaureate nursing program in southeastern Alabama to increase community awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and to provide a clean, convenient, and private location for nursing mothers during community events. Local advertising was distributed before community events to promote awareness and support of the project. Survey results indicate that 80% of mothers who used the tent's services would recommend the tent to their friends and family members. © 2018 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Distribution, characteristics, and level of community awareness and use of formal shared use sites in Los Angeles.

PubMed

DeFosset, Amelia R; Gase, Lauren N; Lu, Connie; Bell, Ruth; Kuo, Tony

2018-06-01

Shared use agreements (SUA) could increase opportunities for physical activity (PA) in under-resourced, urban areas. Despite recent investments in SUAs, the extent to which they reach communities in need and the level of community awareness and use of SUAs remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined: 1) the distribution of SUAs in Los Angeles (LA) during the 2015-2016 academic year, 2) the characteristics of communities where SUAs were located, and 3) the extent to which community members were aware of and using available facilities. Assessment methods included: 1) abstraction of school administrative data reflecting the geographic distribution and scope of SUAs in LA, 2) collation of community-level Census and local planning data to describe demographic characteristics and per capita park acreage of communities where SUAs were located, and 3) collection of data via an Internet panel survey of LA adults (n = 371) examining awareness and use of SUA facilities. Under 3% of schools had a SUA in place during the study period. Compared to other areas of the city, areas within one mile of SUAs had more Hispanic/Latino, low-income, and lower educational status residents. Among survey respondents, 25.6% of those living within one mile of a SUA reported having access to school facilities; 48.6% of those reporting access reported using them. Although potentially targeted in high-needs areas, community members may not be aware of or utilizing SUA facilities. Additional efforts are needed to both expand access to school-based PA resources and attract community users. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Community structure and distribution of benthic cyanobacteria in Antarctic lacustrine microbial mats.

PubMed

Pessi, Igor S; Lara, Yannick; Durieu, Benoit; Maalouf, Pedro de C; Verleyen, Elie; Wilmotte, Annick

2018-05-01

The terrestrial Antarctic Realm has recently been divided into 16 Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs) based on environmental properties and the distribution of biota. Despite their prominent role in the primary production and nutrient cycling in Antarctic lakes, cyanobacteria were only poorly represented in the biological dataset used to delineate these ACBRs. Here, we provide a first high-throughput sequencing insight into the spatial distribution of benthic cyanobacterial communities in Antarctic lakes located in four distinct, geographically distant ACBRs and covering a range of limnological conditions. Cyanobacterial community structure differed between saline and freshwater lakes. No clear bioregionalization was observed, as clusters of community similarity encompassed lakes from distinct ACBRs. Most phylotypes (77.0%) were related to cyanobacterial lineages (defined at ≥99.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) restricted to the cold biosphere, including lineages potentially endemic to Antarctica (55.4%). The latter were generally rare and restricted to a small number of lakes, while more ubiquitous phylotypes were generally abundant and present in different ACBRs. These results point to a widespread distribution of some cosmopolitan cyanobacterial phylotypes across the different Antarctic ice-free regions, but also suggest the existence of dispersal barriers both within and between Antarctica and the other continents.

Hillslope characterization: Identifying key controls on local-scale plant communities' distribution using remote sensing and subsurface data fusion.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falco, N.; Wainwright, H. M.; Dafflon, B.; Leger, E.; Peterson, J.; Steltzer, H.; Wilmer, C.; Williams, K. H.; Hubbard, S. S.

2017-12-01

Mountainous watershed systems are characterized by extreme heterogeneity in hydrological and pedological properties that influence biotic activities, plant communities and their dynamics. To gain predictive understanding of how ecosystem and watershed system evolve under climate change, it is critical to capture such heterogeneity and to quantify the effect of key environmental variables such as topography, and soil properties. In this study, we exploit advanced geophysical and remote sensing techniques - coupled with machine learning - to better characterize and quantify the interactions between plant communities' distribution and subsurface properties. First, we have developed a remote sensing data fusion framework based on the random forest (RF) classification algorithm to estimate the spatial distribution of plant communities. The framework allows the integration of both plant spectral and structural information, which are derived from multispectral satellite images and airborne LiDAR data. We then use the RF method to evaluate the estimated plant community map, exploiting the subsurface properties (such as bedrock depth, soil moisture and other properties) and geomorphological parameters (such as slope, curvature) as predictors. Datasets include high-resolution geophysical data (electrical resistivity tomography) and LiDAR digital elevation maps. We demonstrate our approach on a mountain hillslope and meadow within the East River watershed in Colorado, which is considered to be a representative headwater catchment in the Upper Colorado Basin. The obtained results show the existence of co-evolution between above and below-ground processes; in particular, dominant shrub communities in wet and flat areas. We show that successful integration of remote sensing data with geophysical measurements allows identifying and quantifying the key environmental controls on plant communities' distribution, and provides insights into their potential changes in the future climate conditions.

Identification of Active Bacterial Communities in Drinking Water Using 16S rRNA-Based Sequence Analyses

EPA Science Inventory

DNA-based methods have considerably increased our understanding of the bacterial diversity of water distribution systems (WDS). However, as DNA may persist after cell death, the use of DNA-based methods cannot be used to describe metabolically-active microbes. In contrast, intra...

The Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Community of Península Valdés in Patagonia, Argentina

PubMed Central

Cheli, Germán H.; Corley, J. C.; Bruzzone, O.; del Brío, M.; Martínez, F.; Román, N. Martínez; Ríos, I.

2010-01-01

This is the first study based on a planned and intensive sampling effort that describes the community composition and structure of the ground-dwelling arthropod assemblage of Península Valdés (Patagonia). It was carried out using pitfall traps, opened for two weeks during the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007. A total of 28, 111 individuals were caught. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) dominated this community, followed by beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae). The most abundant species were Pheidole bergi Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Blapstinus punctulatus Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two new species were very recently described as new based on specimens collected during this study: Valdesiana curiosa Carpintero, Dellapé & Cheli (Hemiptera, Miridae) and Anomaloptera patagonica Dellapé & Cheli (Hemiptera, Oxycarenidae). The order Coleoptera was the most diverse taxa. The distribution of abundance data was best described by the logarithmic series model both at the family and species levels, suggesting that ecological relationships in this community could be controlled by a few factors. The community was dominated by predators from a trophic perspective. This suggests that predation acts as an important factor driving the distribution and abundances of surface-dwelling arthropods in this habitat and as such serves as a key element in understanding desert, above-ground community structure. These findings may also be useful for management and conservation purposes in arid Patagonia. PMID:20572783

The ground-dwelling arthropod community of Península Valdés in Patagonia, Argentina.

PubMed

Cheli, Germán H; Corley, J C; Bruzzone, O; Brío, M Del; Martínez, F; Román, N Martínez; Ríos, I

2010-01-01

This is the first study based on a planned and intensive sampling effort that describes the community composition and structure of the ground-dwelling arthropod assemblage of Península Valdés (Patagonia). It was carried out using pitfall traps, opened for two weeks during the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007. A total of 28,111 individuals were caught. Ants(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) dominated this community, followed by beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae). The most abundant species were Pheidole bergi Mayr (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) and Blapstinus punctulatus Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two new species were very recently described as new based on specimens collected during this study: Valdesianacuriosa Carpintero, Dellapé & Cheli (Hemiptera, Miridae) and Anomaloptera patagonica Dellapé& Cheli (Hemiptera, Oxycarenidae). The order Coleoptera was the most diverse taxa. The distribution of abundance data was best described by the logarithmic series model both at the family and species levels, suggesting that ecological relationships in this community could be controlled by a few factors. The community was dominated by predators from a trophic perspective. This suggests that predation acts as an important factor driving the distribution and abundances of surface-dwelling arthropods in this habitat and as such serves as a key element in understanding desert, above-ground community structure. These findings may also be useful for management and conservation purposes in arid Patagonia.

Faculty Development for Medical School Community-Based Faculty: A Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance Study Exploring Institutional Requirements and Challenges.

PubMed

Drowos, Joanna; Baker, Suzanne; Harrison, Suzanne Leonard; Minor, Suzanne; Chessman, Alexander W; Baker, Dennis

2017-08-01

Community-based faculty play a large role in training medical students nationwide and require faculty development. The authors hypothesized that positive relationships exist between clerkships paying preceptors and requiring faculty development, and between protected clerkship directors' time and delivering face-to-face preceptor training, as well as with the number or length of community-based preceptor visits. Through under standing the quantity, delivery methods, barriers, and institutional support for faculty development provided to community-based preceptors teaching in family medicine clerkships, best practices can be developed. Data from the 2015 Council of Academic Family Medicine's Educational Research Alliance survey of Family Medicine Clerkship Directors were analyzed. The cross-sectional survey of clerkship directors is distributed annually to institutional representatives of U.S. and Canadian accredited medical schools. Survey questions focused on the requirements, delivery methods, barriers, and institutional support available for providing faculty development to community-based preceptors. Paying community-based preceptors was positively correlated with requiring faculty development in family medicine clerkships. The greatest barrier to providing faculty development was community-based preceptor time availability; however, face-to-face methods remain the most common delivery strategy. Many family medicine clerkship directors perform informal or no needs assessment in developing faculty development topics for community-based faculty. Providing payment to community preceptors may allow schools to enhance faculty development program activities and effectiveness. Medical schools could benefit from constructing a formal curriculum for faculty development, including formal preceptor needs assessment and program evaluation. Clerkship directors may consider recruiting and retaining community-based faculty by employing innovative faculty development delivery methods.

Software Engineering Support of the Third Round of Scientific Grand Challenge Investigations: An Earth Modeling System Software Framework Strawman Design that Integrates Cactus and UCLA/UCB Distributed Data Broker

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talbot, Bryan; Zhou, Shu-Jia; Higgins, Glenn

2002-01-01

One of the most significant challenges in large-scale climate modeling, as well as in high-performance computing in other scientific fields, is that of effectively integrating many software models from multiple contributors. A software framework facilitates the integration task. both in the development and runtime stages of the simulation. Effective software frameworks reduce the programming burden for the investigators, freeing them to focus more on the science and less on the parallel communication implementation, while maintaining high performance across numerous supercomputer and workstation architectures. This document proposes a strawman framework design for the climate community based on the integration of Cactus, from the relativistic physics community, and UCLA/UCB Distributed Data Broker (DDB) from the climate community. This design is the result of an extensive survey of climate models and frameworks in the climate community as well as frameworks from many other scientific communities. The design addresses fundamental development and runtime needs using Cactus, a framework with interfaces for FORTRAN and C-based languages, and high-performance model communication needs using DDB. This document also specifically explores object-oriented design issues in the context of climate modeling as well as climate modeling issues in terms of object-oriented design.

Community-based distribution of iron-folic acid supplementation in low- and middle-income countries: a review of evidence and programme implications.

PubMed

Kavle, Justine A; Landry, Megan

2018-02-01

The present literature review aimed to review the evidence for community-based distribution (CBD) of iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation as a feasible approach to improve anaemia rates in low- and middle-income countries. The literature review included peer-reviewed studies and grey literature from PubMed, Cochrane Library, LILAC and Scopus databases. Low- and middle-income countries. Non-pregnant women, pregnant women, and girls. CBD programmes had moderate success with midwives and community health workers (CHW) who counselled on health benefits and compliance with IFA supplementation. CHW were more likely to identify and reach a greater number of women earlier in pregnancy, as women tended to present late to antenatal care. CBD channels had greater consistency in terms of adequate supplies of IFA in comparison to clinics and vendors, who faced stock outages. Targeting women of reproductive age through school and community settings showed high compliance and demonstrated reductions in anaemia. CBD of IFA supplementation can be a valuable platform for improving knowledge about anaemia, addressing compliance and temporary side-effects of IFA supplements, and increasing access and coverage of IFA supplementation. Programmatic efforts focusing on community-based platforms should complement services and information provided at the health facility level. Provision of training and supportive supervision for CHW on how to counsel women on benefits, side-effects, and when, why, and how to take IFA supplements, as part of behaviour change communication, can be strengthened, alongside logistics and supply systems to ensure consistent supplies of IFA tablets at both the facility and community levels.

Geographic Access to Specialty Mental Health Care Across High- and Low-Income US Communities.

PubMed

Cummings, Janet R; Allen, Lindsay; Clennon, Julie; Ji, Xu; Druss, Benjamin G

2017-05-01

With the future of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid program unclear, it is critical to examine the geographic availability of specialty mental health treatment resources that serve low-income populations across local communities. To examine the geographic availability of community-based specialty mental health treatment resources and how these resources are distributed by community socioeconomic status. Measures of the availability of specialty mental health treatment resources were derived using national data for 31 836 zip code tabulation areas from 2013 to 2015. Analyses examined the association between community socioeconomic status (assessed by median household income quartiles) and resource availability using logistic regressions. Models controlled for zip code tabulation area-level demographic characteristics and state indicators. Dichotomous indicators for whether a zip code tabulation area had any (1) outpatient mental health treatment facility (more than nine-tenths of which offer payment arrangements for low-income populations), (2) office-based practice of mental health specialist physician(s), (3) office-based practice of nonphysician mental health professionals (eg, therapists), and (4) mental health facility or office-based practice (ie, any community-based resource). Of the 31 836 zip code tabulation areas in the study, more than four-tenths (3382 of 7959 [42.5%]) of communities in the highest income quartile (mean income, $81 207) had any community-based mental health treatment resource vs 23.1% of communities (1841 of 7959) in the lowest income quartile (mean income, $30 534) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.50-2.03). When examining the distribution of mental health professionals, 25.3% of the communities (2014 of 7959) in the highest income quartile had a mental health specialist physician practice vs 8.0% (637 of 7959) of those in the lowest income quartile (adjusted odds ratio, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.53-3.66). Similarly, 35.1% of the communities (2792 of 7959) in the highest income quartile had a nonphysician mental health professional practice vs 12.9% (1029 of 7959) of those in the lowest income quartile (adjusted odds ratio, 2.77; 95%, 2.35-3.26). In contrast, outpatient mental health treatment facilities were less likely to be located in the communities in the highest vs lowest income quartiles (12.9% [1025 of 7959] vs 16.5% [1317 of 7959]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.37-0.51). More than seven-tenths of the lowest income communities with any resource (71.5% [1317 of 1841]) had an outpatient mental health treatment facility. Mental health treatment facilities are more likely to be located in poorer communities, whereas office-based practices of mental health professionals are more likely to be located in higher-income communities. These findings indicate that mental health treatment facilities constitute the backbone of the specialty mental health treatment infrastructure in low-income communities. Policies are needed to support and expand available resources for this critical infrastructure.

Trait contributions to fish community assembly emerge from trophicinteractions in an individual-based model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giacomini, Henrique C.; DeAngelis, Donald; Trexler, Joel C.; Petrere, Miguel

2013-01-01

Community ecology seeks to understand and predict the characteristics of communities that can develop under different environmental conditions, but most theory has been built on analytical models that are limited in the diversity of species traits that can be considered simultaneously. We address that limitation with an individual-based model to simulate assembly of fish communities characterized by life history and trophic interactions with multiple physiological tradeoffs as constraints on species performance. Simulation experiments were carried out to evaluate the distribution of 6 life history and 4 feeding traits along gradients of resource productivity and prey accessibility. These experiments revealed that traits differ greatly in importance for species sorting along the gradients. Body growth rate emerged as a key factor distinguishing community types and defining patterns of community stability and coexistence, followed by egg size and maximum body size. Dominance by fast-growing, relatively large, and fecund species occurred more frequently in cases where functional responses were saturated (i.e. high productivity and/or prey accessibility). Such dominance was associated with large biomass fluctuations and priority effects, which prevented richness from increasing with productivity and may have limited selection on secondary traits, such as spawning strategies and relative size at maturation. Our results illustrate that the distribution of species traits and the consequences for community dynamics are intimately linked and strictly dependent on how the benefits and costs of these traits are balanced across different conditions.

Contraceptive social marketing and community-based distribution systems in Colombia.

PubMed

Vernon, R; Ojeda, G; Townsend, M C

1988-01-01

Three operations research experiments were carried out in three provinces of Colombia to improve the cost-effectiveness of Profamilia's nonclinic-based programs. The experiments tested: (a) whether a contraceptive social marketing (CSM) strategy can replace a community-based distribution (CBD) program in a high contraceptive use area; (b) if wage incentives for salaried CBD instructors will increase contraceptive sales; and (c) whether a specially equipped information, education, and communication (IEC) team can replace a cadre of rural promoters to expand family planning coverage. All three strategies proved to be effective, but only the CSM system yielded a profit. Despite this, Profamilia discontinued its CSM program soon after the experiment was completed. Unexpected government controls regulating the price and sale of contraceptives in Colombia made the program unprofitable. As a result, family planning agencies are cautioned against replacing CBD programs with CSM. Instead, CBD programs might adopt a more commercial approach to become more efficient.

A Web-Based Toolkit to Provide Evidence-Based Resources About Crystal Methamphetamine for the Australian Community: Collaborative Development of Cracks in the Ice.

PubMed

Champion, Katrina Elizabeth; Chapman, Cath; Newton, Nicola Clare; Brierley, Mary-Ellen; Stapinski, Lexine; Kay-Lambkin, Frances; Nagle, Jack; Teesson, Maree

2018-03-20

The use of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and the associated harms for individuals, families, and communities across Australia has been the subject of growing concern in recent years. The provision of easily accessible, evidence-based, and up-to-date information and resources about crystal methamphetamine for the community is a critical component of an effective public health response. This paper aims to describe the codevelopment process of the Web-based Cracks in the Ice Community Toolkit, which was developed to improve access to evidence-based information and resources about crystal methamphetamine for the Australian community. Development of the Cracks in the Ice Community Toolkit was conducted in collaboration with community members across Australia and with experts working in the addiction field. The iterative process involved the following: (1) consultation with end users, including community members, crystal methamphetamine users, families and friends of someone using crystal methamphetamine, health professionals, and teachers (n=451) via a cross-sectional Web-based survey to understand information needs; (2) content and Web development; and (3) user testing of a beta version of the Web-based toolkit among end users (n=41) and experts (n=10) to evaluate the toolkit's acceptability, relevance, and appeal. Initial end user consultation indicated that the most commonly endorsed reasons for visiting a website about crystal methamphetamine were "to get information for myself" (185/451, 41.0%) and "to find out how to help a friend or a family member" (136/451, 30.2%). Community consultation also revealed the need for simple information about crystal methamphetamine, including what it is, its effects, and when and where to seek help or support. Feedback on a beta version of the toolkit was positive in terms of content, readability, layout, look, and feel. Commonly identified areas for improvement related to increasing the level of engagement and personal connection, improving the ease of navigation, and balancing a "low prevalence of use, yet high impact" message. A total of 9138 users visited the website in the 3 months immediately post launch, and over 25,000 hard-copy Cracks in the Ice booklets and flyers were distributed across Australia. Of these resources, 60.93% (15,525/25,480) were distributed to relevant organizations and mailing list subscribers, and 39.07% (9955/25,480) were ordered directly by individuals, services, and community groups via the Cracks in the Ice website. The codevelopment process resulted in an engaging Web-based resource for the Australian community to access up-to-date and evidence-based resources about crystal methamphetamine. The Cracks in the Ice Community Toolkit provides much-needed information and support for individuals, families, and communities. ©Katrina Elizabeth Champion, Cath Chapman, Nicola Clare Newton, Mary-Ellen Brierley, Lexine Stapinski, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Jack Nagle, Maree Teesson. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 20.03.2018.

Spatial P heterogeneity in forest soil: Influence on microbial P uptake and community structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zilla, Thomas; Angulo-Schipper, Bridith; Méndez, Juan Carlos; Dippold, Michaela A.; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Spielvogel, Sandra

2017-04-01

Other than nitrogen, phosphorus (P) is the most important growth limiting nutrient in soils. Yet, little information is available concerning the spatial heterogeneity of P content in forest soils. More so, the effects of a homogeneous vs. heterogeneous soil P distribution on microbial P acquisition and community structure have yet to be determined. Thus, a rhizotron experiment based on a P-deficient forest soil was conducted to investigate competitive P uptake strategies of microbes. F. sylvatica-bearing rhizotrons were labeled with Fe33PO4, a relatively immobile P source native to the study soil. Homogeneous and heterogeneous P patterns were created to study the effects of spatial P heterogeneity on plant and microbial P acquisition. P mobilization by microorganisms was tracked by an improved 33P-PLFA method, linking 33P incorporation in microbes with changes in microbial community structure in soils in situ. The microbial P uptake was enhanced in rhizotrons with high P availability and in those with a patchy P distribution. Characteristic PLFAs indicate a congregation of beech-associated ectomycorrhizal fungi in P-rich patches. These ectomycorrhizal fungi are likely to strongly increase P mobilization from the used Fe33PO4 in high P habitats. In contrast, habitats with low P availability require a more complex microbial community structure without a dominant group to mobilize this inaccessible P source. Therefore, hotspots of P are likely to promote the efforts of fungal hyphae for P mobilization - an effect which decreases with lower P content. Additionally, gram positive and negative bacteria exhibit a vastly higher P uptake under increasingly patchy P distributions. However, they form a smaller portion of the microbial community than in homogeneously P enriched rhizotrons, suggesting that filamentous organisms benefit from the patchy P distribution. Thus, only a heterogeneous P distribution promotes P acquisition of forest microbial communities from mineral P sources with low bioavailability. These novel insights into the effects of spatial P distributions on forest soil community dynamics will hopefully shed further light on microbial P cycling, thereby helping to tackle the impending global P crisis.|

IPR 1.0: an efficient method for calculating solar radiation absorbed by individual plants in sparse heterogeneous woody plant communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Chen, W.; Li, J.

2013-12-01

Climate change may alter the spatial distribution, composition, structure, and functions of plant communities. Transitional zones between biomes, or ecotones, are particularly sensitive to climate change. Ecotones are usually heterogeneous with sparse trees. The dynamics of ecotones are mainly determined by the growth and competition of individual plants in the communities. Therefore it is necessary to calculate solar radiation absorbed by individual plants for understanding and predicting their responses to climate change. In this study, we developed an individual plant radiation model, IPR (version 1.0), to calculate solar radiation absorbed by individual plants in sparse heterogeneous woody plant communities. The model is developed based on geometrical optical relationships assuming crowns of woody plants are rectangular boxes with uniform leaf area density. The model calculates the fractions of sunlit and shaded leaf classes and the solar radiation absorbed by each class, including direct radiation from the sun, diffuse radiation from the sky, and scattered radiation from the plant community. The solar radiation received on the ground is also calculated. We tested the model by comparing with the analytical solutions of random distributions of plants. The tests show that the model results are very close to the averages of the random distributions. This model is efficient in computation, and is suitable for ecological models to simulate long-term transient responses of plant communities to climate change.

Developing accessible cyberinfrastructure-enabled knowledge communities in the national disability community: theory, practice, and policy.

PubMed

Myhill, William N; Cogburn, Derrick L; Samant, Deepti; Addom, Benjamin Kwasi; Blanck, Peter

2008-01-01

Since publication of the Atkins Commission report in 2003, the national scientific community has placed significant emphasis on developing cyberinfrastructure-enabled knowledge communities, which are designed to facilitate enhanced efficiency and collaboration in geographically distributed networks of researchers. This article suggests that the new cyberinfrastructure movement may not fully benefit those participants with disabilities, unless closer attention is paid to legal mandates and universal design principles. Many technology-enhanced learning communities provide geographically distributed collaboration opportunities that expand the inclusion of diverse peoples and help close the digital divide. However, to date, most collaboratory efforts have not emphasized the need for access among people with disabilities nor meeting minimum standards for technological accessibility. To address these concerns, this article reports on two pilot collaboratory studies that explore the role advanced information, communication, and collaboration technologies play in enhancing geographically distributed collaboration among specific research and applied networks within the national disability community. Universal design principles inform the design of the collaboratory and its use and our efforts to ensure access for all. Data for this article come from Web-based surveys, interviews, observations, computer logs, and detailed, mixed-methods accessibility testing. Emerging results suggest that with deliberate and systematic efforts, cyberinfrastructure can be more accessible and generate benefits among persons with disabilities. The authors provide lessons learned and recommendations for future research, policy, law, and practice.

School- and Community-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Interventions: Hot Idea, Hot Air, or Sham?

PubMed

Kutcher, Stan; Wei, Yifeng; Behzadi, Pegah

2017-06-01

Suicide in young people is a significant health concern, with numerous community- and school-based interventions promising to prevent suicide currently being applied across Canada. Before widespread application of any one of these, it is essential to determine its effectiveness and safety. We systematically reviewed the global literature on one of the most common community suicide prevention interventions in Canada and summarized data on 2 commonly applied school-based suicide prevention programmes. None of these has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing youth suicide or safety in application. Concurrently with their widespread distribution in Canada, the suicide rate in young women has increased-the first time in over 3 decades. Policy and regulatory implications of these findings are discussed.

School- and Community-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Interventions: Hot Idea, Hot Air, or Sham?

PubMed Central

Wei, Yifeng; Behzadi, Pegah

2016-01-01

Suicide in young people is a significant health concern, with numerous community- and school-based interventions promising to prevent suicide currently being applied across Canada. Before widespread application of any one of these, it is essential to determine its effectiveness and safety. We systematically reviewed the global literature on one of the most common community suicide prevention interventions in Canada and summarized data on 2 commonly applied school-based suicide prevention programmes. None of these has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing youth suicide or safety in application. Concurrently with their widespread distribution in Canada, the suicide rate in young women has increased—the first time in over 3 decades. Policy and regulatory implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:27407073

Farzana's Journey: A Children's Book for Research-based, Educational Outreach in Remote Communities of Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, C.; Hornberger, G. M.; Machado, M.

2017-12-01

Academics are encouraged to integrate their environmental research with education and societal outreach, but the methods of doing so can be transient and insubstantial. Here, we use a children's book to create a sustainable relationship with vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. Farzana's Journey is a children's book based on current multidisciplinary Vanderbilt University research on the coupling and coevolution of the physical and human systems in coastal Bangladesh. Written, illustrated, and freely distributed in the Bengali-language, the book is a place-based tool to teach rural Bangladesh communities about the natural world and disseminate our scientific findings. The narrative follows a young girl, Farzana, who must walk a long distance to fetch her family's water. Her usual journey develops into an adventure as she meets a variety of animal characters, who relay a story about her ever-changing environment and the subsequent human adaptation. After exploring environmental topics, such as geomorphology, water availability, and climate, Farzana appreciates the uniqueness of her local environment and the adaptations of her ancestors and future generations. Through the development and distribution of the book, we encouraged dialogue, collaboration, and public outreach with scientists, artists, and students concerned with enhancing educational and social opportunity in rural communities. We also ensure a tangible tie through the book itself after the culmination of the research project. The book achieves the primary goal of sparking children's curiosity in the local environment, while also demonstrating an effective means for sustainable educational outreach with impoverished, remote communities.

A New Distributed Optimization for Community Microgrids Scheduling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Starke, Michael R; Tomsovic, Kevin

This paper proposes a distributed optimization model for community microgrids considering the building thermal dynamics and customer comfort preference. The microgrid central controller (MCC) minimizes the total cost of operating the community microgrid, including fuel cost, purchasing cost, battery degradation cost and voluntary load shedding cost based on the customers' consumption, while the building energy management systems (BEMS) minimize their electricity bills as well as the cost associated with customer discomfort due to room temperature deviation from the set point. The BEMSs and the MCC exchange information on energy consumption and prices. When the optimization converges, the distributed generation scheduling,more » energy storage charging/discharging and customers' consumption as well as the energy prices are determined. In particular, we integrate the detailed thermal dynamic characteristics of buildings into the proposed model. The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can be scheduled intelligently to reduce the electricity cost while maintaining the indoor temperature in the comfort range set by customers. Numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of proposed model.« less

Modeling species-abundance relationships in multi-species collections

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peng, S.; Yin, Z.; Ren, H.; Guo, Q.

2003-01-01

Species-abundance relationship is one of the most fundamental aspects of community ecology. Since Motomura first developed the geometric series model to describe the feature of community structure, ecologists have developed many other models to fit the species-abundance data in communities. These models can be classified into empirical and theoretical ones, including (1) statistical models, i.e., negative binomial distribution (and its extension), log-series distribution (and its extension), geometric distribution, lognormal distribution, Poisson-lognormal distribution, (2) niche models, i.e., geometric series, broken stick, overlapping niche, particulate niche, random assortment, dominance pre-emption, dominance decay, random fraction, weighted random fraction, composite niche, Zipf or Zipf-Mandelbrot model, and (3) dynamic models describing community dynamics and restrictive function of environment on community. These models have different characteristics and fit species-abundance data in various communities or collections. Among them, log-series distribution, lognormal distribution, geometric series, and broken stick model have been most widely used.

Lessons from community-based payment for ecosystem service schemes: from forests to rangelands.

PubMed

Dougill, Andrew J; Stringer, Lindsay C; Leventon, Julia; Riddell, Mike; Rueff, Henri; Spracklen, Dominick V; Butt, Edward

2012-11-19

Climate finance investments and international policy are driving new community-based projects incorporating payments for ecosystem services (PES) to simultaneously store carbon and generate livelihood benefits. Most community-based PES (CB-PES) research focuses on forest areas. Rangelands, which store globally significant quantities of carbon and support many of the world's poor, have seen little CB-PES research attention, despite benefitting from several decades of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) projects. Lessons from CBNRM suggest institutional considerations are vital in underpinning the design and implementation of successful community projects. This study uses documentary analysis to explore the institutional characteristics of three African community-based forest projects that seek to deliver carbon-storage and poverty-reduction benefits. Strong existing local institutions, clear land tenure, community control over land management decision-making and up-front, flexible payment schemes are found to be vital. Additionally, we undertake a global review of rangeland CBNRM literature and identify that alongside the lessons learned from forest projects, rangeland CB-PES project design requires specific consideration of project boundaries, benefit distribution, capacity building for community monitoring of carbon storage together with awareness-raising using decision-support tools to display the benefits of carbon-friendly land management. We highlight that institutional analyses must be undertaken alongside improved scientific studies of the carbon cycle to enable links to payment schemes, and for them to contribute to poverty alleviation in rangelands.

Lessons from community-based payment for ecosystem service schemes: from forests to rangelands

PubMed Central

Dougill, Andrew J.; Stringer, Lindsay C.; Leventon, Julia; Riddell, Mike; Rueff, Henri; Spracklen, Dominick V.; Butt, Edward

2012-01-01

Climate finance investments and international policy are driving new community-based projects incorporating payments for ecosystem services (PES) to simultaneously store carbon and generate livelihood benefits. Most community-based PES (CB-PES) research focuses on forest areas. Rangelands, which store globally significant quantities of carbon and support many of the world's poor, have seen little CB-PES research attention, despite benefitting from several decades of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) projects. Lessons from CBNRM suggest institutional considerations are vital in underpinning the design and implementation of successful community projects. This study uses documentary analysis to explore the institutional characteristics of three African community-based forest projects that seek to deliver carbon-storage and poverty-reduction benefits. Strong existing local institutions, clear land tenure, community control over land management decision-making and up-front, flexible payment schemes are found to be vital. Additionally, we undertake a global review of rangeland CBNRM literature and identify that alongside the lessons learned from forest projects, rangeland CB-PES project design requires specific consideration of project boundaries, benefit distribution, capacity building for community monitoring of carbon storage together with awareness-raising using decision-support tools to display the benefits of carbon-friendly land management. We highlight that institutional analyses must be undertaken alongside improved scientific studies of the carbon cycle to enable links to payment schemes, and for them to contribute to poverty alleviation in rangelands. PMID:23045714

Introducing SONS, a tool for operational taxonomic unit-based comparisons of microbial community memberships and structures.

PubMed

Schloss, Patrick D; Handelsman, Jo

2006-10-01

The recent advent of tools enabling statistical inferences to be drawn from comparisons of microbial communities has enabled the focus of microbial ecology to move from characterizing biodiversity to describing the distribution of that biodiversity. Although statistical tools have been developed to compare community structures across a phylogenetic tree, we lack tools to compare the memberships and structures of two communities at a particular operational taxonomic unit (OTU) definition. Furthermore, current tests of community structure do not indicate the similarity of the communities but only report the probability of a statistical hypothesis. Here we present a computer program, SONS, which implements nonparametric estimators for the fraction and richness of OTUs shared between two communities.

Macrozooplankton community structure off East Antarctica (80 150°E) during the Austral summer of 1995/1996

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosie, G. W.; Schultz, M. B.; Kitchener, J. A.; Cochran, T. G.; Richards, K.

2000-08-01

Zooplankton data from routine 0-200 m oblique trawls and targeted trawls were analysed using cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling to define the communities in Eastern Antarctica (80-150°E), their distribution patterns, indicator species, and species affinities. Three communities were defined based on routine trawls. The Main Oceanic Community comprising herbivorous copepods, chaetognaths, and the euphausiid Thysanoessa macrura dominated the area west of 120°E. The area east of 120°E was dominated by Salpa thompsoni. The third community located in the neritic zone was dominated by Euphausia crystallorophias. Antarctic krill Euphausia superba did not form a distinct community in its own right, unlike previous observations in Prydz Bay. Krill were distributed throughout most of the survey area but generally in higher abundances towards the shelf break. Overall, krill abundance was low compared with previous net surveys in Prydz Bay. Three main types of assemblages were identified based on target trawls. The first group was dominated by krill (mean 1149 individuals per 1000 m 3) which represented >99% of Group 1 catches in terms of numbers and biomass. Group 2 comprised the bulk of target trawls and comprised a wide diversity of species typical of the main oceanic community, with a mean abundance approximately half of that observed in the routine trawls. The third group comprised trawls in the neritic zone dominated by E. crystallorophias. No salp-dominated aggregation was found. While E. superba did not dominate a distinct community geographically as seen in previous Prydz Bay surveys, it did dominate discrete layers or aggregations, showing that both horizontal and vertical separation of communities exist.

The community structure of over-wintering larval and small juvenile fish in a large estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munk, Peter; Cardinale, Massimiliano; Casini, Michele; Rudolphi, Ann-Christin

2014-02-01

The Skagerrak and Kattegat are estuarine straits of high hydrographical and ecological diversity, situated between the saline waters of the North Sea and the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. These sustain important nursery grounds of many fish species, of which several overwinter during the larval and early juvenile stages. In order to give more insight into the communities of the overwintering ichthyoplankton in estuarine areas, we examine an annual series of observations from a standard survey carried out 1992-2010. Species differences and annual variability in distributions and abundances are described, and linkages between ichthyoplankton abundances and corresponding hydrographical information are analysed by GAM methods. Communities were dominated by herring, gobies, butterfish, sprat, pipefishes, lemon sole and European eel (i.e. glass eel), and all the sampled species showed large annual fluctuations in abundances. The species showed quite specific patterns of distribution although species assemblages with common distributional characteristics were identified. Within these assemblages, the ichthyoplankton abundances showed linkage to environmental characteristics described by bottom-depth and surface temperature and salinity. Hence the study points to a significant structuring of overwintering ichthyoplankton communities in large estuaries, based on the species habitat choice and its response to physical gradients.

Effect of Deploying Trained Community Based Reproductive Health Nurses (CORN) on Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Use in Rural Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized Community Trial.

PubMed

Zerfu, Taddese Alemu; Ayele, Henok Taddese; Bogale, Tariku Nigatu

2018-06-01

To investigate the effect of innovative means to distribute LARC on contraceptive use, we implemented a three arm, parallel groups, cluster randomized community trial design. The intervention consisted of placing trained community-based reproductive health nurses (CORN) within health centers or health posts. The nurses provided counseling to encourage women to use LARC and distributed all contraceptive methods. A total of 282 villages were randomly selected and assigned to a control arm (n = 94) or 1 of 2 treatment arms (n = 94 each). The treatment groups differed by where the new service providers were deployed, health post or health center. We calculated difference-in-difference (DID) estimates to assess program impacts on LARC use. After nine months of intervention, the use of LARC methods increased significantly by 72.3 percent, while the use of short acting methods declined by 19.6 percent. The proportion of women using LARC methods increased by 45.9 percent and 45.7 percent in the health post and health center based intervention arms, respectively. Compared to the control group, the DID estimates indicate that the use of LARC methods increased by 11.3 and 12.3 percentage points in the health post and health center based intervention arms. Given the low use of LARC methods in similar settings, deployment of contextually trained nurses at the grassroots level could substantially increase utilization of these methods. © 2018 The Population Council, Inc.

Integration of community structure data reveals observable effects below sediment guideline thresholds in a large estuary.

PubMed

Tremblay, Louis A; Clark, Dana; Sinner, Jim; Ellis, Joanne I

2017-09-20

The sustainable management of estuarine and coastal ecosystems requires robust frameworks due to the presence of multiple physical and chemical stressors. In this study, we assessed whether ecological health decline, based on community structure composition changes along a pollution gradient, occurred at levels below guideline threshold values for copper, zinc and lead. Canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP) was used to characterise benthic communities along a metal contamination gradient. The analysis revealed changes in benthic community distribution at levels below the individual guideline values for the three metals. These results suggest that field-based measures of ecological health analysed with multivariate tools can provide additional information to single metal guideline threshold values to monitor large systems exposed to multiple stressors.

nirS-type denitrifying bacterial assemblages respond to environmental conditions of a shallow estuary.

PubMed

Lisa, Jessica A; Jayakumar, Amal; Ward, Bess B; Song, Bongkeun

2017-12-01

Molecular analysis of dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirS) was conducted using a customized microarray containing 165 nirS probes (archetypes) to identify members of sedimentary denitrifying communities. The goal of this study was to examine denitrifying community responses to changing environmental variables over spatial and temporal scales in the New River Estuary (NRE), NC, USA. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed three denitrifier assemblages and uncovered 'generalist' and 'specialist' archetypes based on the distribution of archetypes within these assemblages. Generalists, archetypes detected in all samples during at least one season, were commonly world-wide found in estuarine and marine ecosystems, comprised 8%-29% of the abundant NRE archetypes. Archetypes found in a particular site, 'specialists', were found to co-vary based on site specific conditions. Archetypes specific to the lower estuary in winter were designated Cluster I and significantly correlated by sediment Chl a and porewater Fe 2+ . A combination of specialist and more widely distributed archetypes formed Clusters II and III, which separated based on salinity and porewater H 2 S respectively. The co-occurrence of archetypes correlated with different environmental conditions highlights the importance of habitat type and niche differentiation among nirS-type denitrifying communities and supports the essential role of individual community members in overall ecosystem function. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Novel microbiological and spatial statistical methods to improve strength of epidemiological evidence in a community-wide waterborne outbreak.

PubMed

Jalava, Katri; Rintala, Hanna; Ollgren, Jukka; Maunula, Leena; Gomez-Alvarez, Vicente; Revez, Joana; Palander, Marja; Antikainen, Jenni; Kauppinen, Ari; Räsänen, Pia; Siponen, Sallamaari; Nyholm, Outi; Kyyhkynen, Aino; Hakkarainen, Sirpa; Merentie, Juhani; Pärnänen, Martti; Loginov, Raisa; Ryu, Hodon; Kuusi, Markku; Siitonen, Anja; Miettinen, Ilkka; Santo Domingo, Jorge W; Hänninen, Marja-Liisa; Pitkänen, Tarja

2014-01-01

Failures in the drinking water distribution system cause gastrointestinal outbreaks with multiple pathogens. A water distribution pipe breakage caused a community-wide waterborne outbreak in Vuorela, Finland, July 2012. We investigated this outbreak with advanced epidemiological and microbiological methods. A total of 473/2931 inhabitants (16%) responded to a web-based questionnaire. Water and patient samples were subjected to analysis of multiple microbial targets, molecular typing and microbial community analysis. Spatial analysis on the water distribution network was done and we applied a spatial logistic regression model. The course of the illness was mild. Drinking untreated tap water from the defined outbreak area was significantly associated with illness (RR 5.6, 95% CI 1.9-16.4) increasing in a dose response manner. The closer a person lived to the water distribution breakage point, the higher the risk of becoming ill. Sapovirus, enterovirus, single Campylobacter jejuni and EHEC O157:H7 findings as well as virulence genes for EPEC, EAEC and EHEC pathogroups were detected by molecular or culture methods from the faecal samples of the patients. EPEC, EAEC and EHEC virulence genes and faecal indicator bacteria were also detected in water samples. Microbial community sequencing of contaminated tap water revealed abundance of Arcobacter species. The polyphasic approach improved the understanding of the source of the infections, and aided to define the extent and magnitude of this outbreak.

Upland Hardwood Forests and Related Communities of the Arkansas Ozarks in the Early 19th Century

Treesearch

Thomas L. Foti

2004-01-01

Historic accounts of the 19 th Century Arkansas Ozarks mention such communities as oak forests, pine forests, barrens and prairies. I document the region-wide distribution of these types based on data from the first land survey conducted by the General Land Office (GLO). Structural classes used here include closed forest, open forest, woodland, savanna, open savanna...

Current trends in community-based clinical teaching programs in U.K.and Ireland dental schools.

PubMed

Lynch, Christopher D; Ash, Peter J; Chadwick, Barbara L

2013-05-01

Community-based clinical teaching/outreach programs using a variety of approaches have been established in many predoctoral dental schools around the world. The aim of this article is to report current trends in the teaching of community-based clinical teaching/outreach teaching in dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In late 2010-early 2011, a questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to deans of the eighteen established dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The questionnaire included both open and closed questions relating to current and anticipated trends in community-based clinical teaching. Fourteen responses were received (response rate=78 percent). All fourteen responding schools reported inclusion of a community-based clinical teaching program. Ten schools indicated that their program was based on total patient (comprehensive) care including the treatment of child patients. In nine schools, the program is directed by a senior clinical academic in restorative dentistry. As well as student dentists, ten schools and seven schools include teaching of student dental therapists and student dental hygienists, respectively. There is a varied experience within the schools surveyed in terms of the extent, nature, and content of these programs. Overall, however, community-based clinical teaching was seen as part of the future of dental school education in many schools as an ideal way of preparing graduates for Dental Foundation Training and subsequent independent practice.

Diversity of Bacterial Communities in Container Habitats of Mosquitoes

PubMed Central

Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Xu, Ning; Stav, Gil; Wesson, Dawn M.; Schal, Coby

2010-01-01

We investigated the bacterial diversity of microbial communities in water-filled, human-made and natural container habitats of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in suburban landscapes of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2003. We collected water samples from three classes of containers, including tires (n=12), cemetery urns (n=23), and miscellaneous containers that included two tree holes (n=19). Total genomic DNA was extracted from water samples, and 16S ribosomal DNA fragments (operational taxonomic units, OTUs) were amplified by PCR and separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The bacterial communities in containers represented diverse DGGE-DNA banding patterns that were not related to the class of container or to the local spatial distribution of containers. Mean richness and evenness of OTUs were highest in water samples from tires. Bacterial phylotypes were identified by comparative sequence analysis of 90 16S rDNA DGGE band amplicons. The majority of sequences were placed in five major taxa: Alpha-, Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and an unclassified group; Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the predominant heterotrophic bacteria in containers. The bacterial communities in human-made containers consisted mainly of undescribed species, and a phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences suggested that species composition was independent of both container type and the spatial distribution of containers. Comparative PCR-based, cultivation-independent rRNA surveys of microbial communities associated with mosquito habitats can provide significant insight into community organization and dynamics of bacterial species. PMID:18373113

Naloxone Distribution and Training for Patients with High-Risk Opioid Use in a Veterans Affairs Community-Based Primary Care Clinic.

PubMed

Raffel, Katie E; Beach, Leila Y; Lin, John; Berchuck, Jacob E; Abram, Shelly; Markle, Elizabeth; Patel, Shalini

2018-03-30

Naloxone distribution has historically been implemented in a community-based, expanded public health model; however, there is now a need to further explore primary care clinic-based naloxone delivery to effectively address the nationwide opioid epidemic. To create a general medicine infrastructure to identify patients with high-risk opioid use and provide 25% of this population with naloxone autoinjector prescription and training within a 6-month period. The quality improvement study was conducted at an outpatient clinic serving 1238 marginally housed veterans with high rates of comorbid substance use and mental health disorders. Patients at high risk of opioid-related adverse events were identified using the Stratification Tool for Opioid Risk Management and were contacted to participate in a one-on-one, 15-minute, hands-on naloxone training led by nursing staff. The number of patients identified at high risk and rates of naloxone training/distribution. There were 67 patients identified as having high-risk opioid use. None of these patients had been prescribed naloxone at baseline. At the end of the intervention, 61 patients (91%) had been trained in the use of naloxone. Naloxone was primarily distributed by licensed vocational nurses (42/61, 69%). This study demonstrates the feasibility of high-risk patient identification and of a primary care-based and nursing-championed naloxone distribution model. This delivery model has the potential to provide access to naloxone to a population of patients with opioid use who may not be engaged in mental health or specialty care.

Naloxone Distribution and Training for Patients with High-Risk Opioid Use in a Veterans Affairs Community-Based Primary Care Clinic

PubMed Central

Raffel, Katie E; Beach, Leila Y; Lin, John; Berchuck, Jacob E; Abram, Shelly; Markle, Elizabeth; Patel, Shalini

2018-01-01

Context Naloxone distribution has historically been implemented in a community-based, expanded public health model; however, there is now a need to further explore primary care clinic-based naloxone delivery to effectively address the nationwide opioid epidemic. Objective To create a general medicine infrastructure to identify patients with high-risk opioid use and provide 25% of this population with naloxone autoinjector prescription and training within a 6-month period. Design The quality improvement study was conducted at an outpatient clinic serving 1238 marginally housed veterans with high rates of comorbid substance use and mental health disorders. Patients at high risk of opioid-related adverse events were identified using the Stratification Tool for Opioid Risk Management and were contacted to participate in a one-on-one, 15-minute, hands-on naloxone training led by nursing staff. Main Outcome Measures The number of patients identified at high risk and rates of naloxone training/distribution. Results There were 67 patients identified as having high-risk opioid use. None of these patients had been prescribed naloxone at baseline. At the end of the intervention, 61 patients (91%) had been trained in the use of naloxone. Naloxone was primarily distributed by licensed vocational nurses (42/61, 69%). Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of high-risk patient identification and of a primary care-based and nursing-championed naloxone distribution model. This delivery model has the potential to provide access to naloxone to a population of patients with opioid use who may not be engaged in mental health or specialty care. PMID:29616917

moocRP: Enabling Open Learning Analytics with an Open Source Platform for Data Distribution, Analysis, and Visualization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardos, Zachary A.; Whyte, Anthony; Kao, Kevin

2016-01-01

In this paper, we address issues of transparency, modularity, and privacy with the introduction of an open source, web-based data repository and analysis tool tailored to the Massive Open Online Course community. The tool integrates data request/authorization and distribution workflow features as well as provides a simple analytics module upload…

Managing Cyber Operator Training Cirriculum

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

people grow their food on it, and people build their communities on it. Its terrain is defined by elevation, features such as forests and desserts ...DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE ...DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release ; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The purpose of this research

The economic contribution of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to communities participating in distributed medical education.

PubMed

Hogenbirk, John C; Robinson, David R; Hill, Mary Ellen; Pong, Raymond W; Minore, Bruce; Adams, Ken; Strasser, Roger P; Lipinski, Joe

2015-01-01

The economic contribution of medical schools to major urban centres can be substantial, but there is little information on the contribution to the economy of participating communities made by schools that provide education and training away from major cities and academic health science centres. We sought to assess the economic contribution of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) to northern Ontario communities participating in NOSM's distributed medical education programs. We developed a local economic model and used actual expenditures from 2007/08 to assess the economic contribution of NOSM to communities in northern Ontario. We also estimated the economic contribution of medical students or residents participating in different programs in communities away from the university campuses. To explore broader economic effects, we conducted semistructured interviews with leaders in education, health care and politics in northern Ontario. The total economic contribution to northern Ontario was $67.1 million based on $36.3 million in spending by NOSM and $1.0 million spent by students. Economic contributions were greatest in the university campus cities of Thunder Bay ($26.7 million) and Sudbury ($30.4 million), and $0.8-$1.2 million accrued to the next 3 largest population centres. Communities might realize an economic contribution of $7300-$103 900 per pair of medical learners per placement. Several of the 59 interviewees remarked that the dollar amount could be small to moderate but had broader economic implications. Distributed medical education at the NOSM resulted in a substantial economic contribution to participating communities.

IPR 1.0: an efficient method for calculating solar radiation absorbed by individual plants in sparse heterogeneous woody plant communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Chen, W.; Li, J.

2014-07-01

Climate change may alter the spatial distribution, composition, structure and functions of plant communities. Transitional zones between biomes, or ecotones, are particularly sensitive to climate change. Ecotones are usually heterogeneous with sparse trees. The dynamics of ecotones are mainly determined by the growth and competition of individual plants in the communities. Therefore it is necessary to calculate the solar radiation absorbed by individual plants in order to understand and predict their responses to climate change. In this study, we developed an individual plant radiation model, IPR (version 1.0), to calculate solar radiation absorbed by individual plants in sparse heterogeneous woody plant communities. The model is developed based on geometrical optical relationships assuming that crowns of woody plants are rectangular boxes with uniform leaf area density. The model calculates the fractions of sunlit and shaded leaf classes and the solar radiation absorbed by each class, including direct radiation from the sun, diffuse radiation from the sky, and scattered radiation from the plant community. The solar radiation received on the ground is also calculated. We tested the model by comparing with the results of random distribution of plants. The tests show that the model results are very close to the averages of the random distributions. This model is efficient in computation, and can be included in vegetation models to simulate long-term transient responses of plant communities to climate change. The code and a user's manual are provided as Supplement of the paper.

Canada's new medical school: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine: social accountability through distributed community engaged learning.

PubMed

Strasser, Roger P; Lanphear, Joel H; McCready, William G; Topps, Maureen H; Hunt, D Dan; Matte, Marie C

2009-10-01

Like many rural regions around the world, Northern Ontario has a chronic shortage of doctors. Recognizing that medical graduates who have grown up in a rural area are more likely to practice in the rural setting, the Government of Ontario, Canada, decided in 2001 to establish a new medical school in the region with a social accountability mandate to contribute to improving the health of the people and communities of Northern Ontario. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is a joint initiative of Laurentian University and Lakehead University, which are located 700 miles apart. This paper outlines the development and implementation of NOSM, Canada's first new medical school in more than 30 years. NOSM is a rural distributed community-based medical school which actively seeks to recruit students into its MD program who come from Northern Ontario or from similar northern, rural, remote, Aboriginal, Francophone backgrounds. The holistic, cohesive curriculum for the MD program relies heavily on electronic communications to support distributed community engaged learning. In the classroom and in clinical settings, students explore cases from the perspective of physicians in Northern Ontario. Clinical education takes place in a wide range of community and health service settings, so that the students experience the diversity of communities and cultures in Northern Ontario. NOSM graduates will be skilled physicians ready and able to undertake postgraduate training anywhere, but with a special affinity for and comfort with pursuing postgraduate training and clinical practice in Northern Ontario.

Fall 1982 Retention Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peralta Community Coll. District, Oakland, CA. Office of Research, Planning and Development.

In fall 1982, a study was conducted in the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) using withdrawal and grade distribution data to analyze student retention patterns. Successful retention rates were based on the percentage of students who received a passing grade, while total retention rates were based on the percentage of students who received…

MONITORING CHANGES IN STRESSED ECOSYSTEMS USING SPATIAL PATTERNS OF ANT COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

We examined the feasibility of using changes in spatial patterns of ants-distribution on experimental plots as an indicator of response to environmental stress. We produced contour maps based on relative abundances of the three most common genera of ants based on pit-fall trap ca...

Sustainability of community based family planning services: experience from rural Ethiopia.

PubMed

Genna, Shimeles; Fantahun, Mesganaw; Berhane, Yemane

2006-01-01

The important role of active Community Based Reproductive Health Services (CBRHS), formerly known us Community Based Distribution (CBD) of family planning program, in increasing contraceptive uptake has been reported from several studies. However, the sustainability of project based services has not been documented in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of community based Family planning services in rural communities of Ethiopia. The study was carried out in three sets of 30 peasant villages selected from five districts of Eastern Showa Zone in Ethiopia. Comparison was made between never former; and current CBRHS areas. Relevant information was collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. The respondents were women in the reproductive age groups (15-49 years). Knowledge about contraception was higher in both former and current CBRHS communities as compared to never CBRHS areas [MH-OR (95% CI) = 6.89 (4.69, 10.17) and 12.48 (7.84, 20.25)], respectively. Ever use of modern contraception was significantly greater among women from former and current CBRHS communities as compared to never CBRHS communities [MH-OR (95% CI) = 3.75 (2.54, 5.97) and 5.72 (3.93, 9.39), respectively]. Current use of modern contraception methods was however significantly better only in current CBRHS areas [MH-OR (95% CI) = 2.42; (1.16, 5.37)]; there was no statistically significant difference with former CBRHS areas [MH-OR (95% CI) = 1.13; (0.51, 2.49)]. Results of this study indicate that the effect of CBRHS in raising the level of modern contraception use in rural communities is transient. In order to sustain the effects of a good community based family planning services appropriate mechanisms must be designed to motivate and enable women to continuously utilize the services.

Assessment of habitat of wildlife communities on the Snake River, Jackson, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schroeder, Richard L.; Allen, Arthur W.

1992-01-01

The composition of the wildlife community in western riparian habitats is influenced by the horizontal and vertical distribution of vegetation, the physical complexity of the channel, and barriers to movement along the corridor. Based on information from the literature and a workshop, a model was developed to evaluate the wildlife community along the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming. The model compares conditions of the current or future years with conditions in 1956, before constructions of levees along the river. Conditions in 1956 are assumed to approximate the desirable distribution of plant cover types and the associated wildlife community and are used as a standard of comparison in the model. The model may be applied with remotely sensed data and is compatible with a geographic information systems analysis. In addition to comparing existing or future conditions with conditions in 1956, the model evaluated floodplain and channel complexity and assesses anthropogenic disturbance and its potential effect on the quality of wildlife habitat and movements of wildlife in the riparian corridor.

45 CFR 2516.600 - How are funds for school-based service-learning programs distributed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... remainder as the number of school-age youth in the State bears to the total number of school-age youth of... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How are funds for school-based service-learning... (Continued) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOOL-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS...

45 CFR 2516.600 - How are funds for school-based service-learning programs distributed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... remainder as the number of school-age youth in the State bears to the total number of school-age youth of... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How are funds for school-based service-learning... (Continued) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOOL-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS...

45 CFR 2516.600 - How are funds for school-based service-learning programs distributed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... remainder as the number of school-age youth in the State bears to the total number of school-age youth of... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How are funds for school-based service-learning... (Continued) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOOL-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS...

Econometric Model of Rice Policy Based On Presidential Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadi Sembiring, Surya; Hutauruk, Julia

2018-01-01

The objective of research is to build an econometric model based on Presidential Instruction rice policy. The data was monthly time series from March 2005 to September 2009. Rice policy model specification using simultaneous equation, consisting of 14 structural equations and four identity equation, which was estimated using Two Stages Least Squares (2SLS) method. The results show that: (1) an increase of government purchasing price of dried harvest paddy has a positive impact on to increase in total rice production and community rice stock, (2) an increase community rice stock lead to decrease the rice imports, (3) an increase of the realization of the distribution of subsidized ZA fertilizers and the realization of the distribution of subsidized NPK fertilizers has a positive impact on to increase in total rice production and community rice stock and to reduce rice imports, (4) the price of the dried harvest paddy is highly responsive to the water content of dried harvest paddy both the short run and long run, (5) the quantity of rice imported is highly responsive to the imported rice price, both short run and long run.

Thai family planner uses humor, good sense.

PubMed

Cantlay, C

1984-01-01

This article is a proflie of Khun Mechai, a leader in the Thai family planning field who was instrumental in creating the community-based contraceptive distribution program which began in 1973 with the 1st in a series of grants from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). The community-based distribution program is active in some 16,000 villages and neighborhoods throughout Thailand. The Community-Based Family Planning Service (CBFPS) was established in 1974 with Khun Mechai as secretary general to coordinate the efforts of the nationwide network. The CBFPS has been linked with a massive, humorous, and creative campaign of "desensitization": Khun Mechai passes out condoms at official dinners, and honors the king's birthday with an annual free vasectomy marathon. As a result of his efforts, family planning is no longer a taboo topic and no longer the exclusive province of government bureaucrats and medical professionals. Khun Mechai's basic concern is in improving access to family planning services by overcoming physical and sociocultural distance and by providing an acceptable method of service delivery. All family planning activities of the Population and Community Development Association, the CBFPS parent organization, are voluntary. Links have been created between family planning and personal and community betterment to help motivate acceptance. Khun Mechai became acquainted with the country' development needs as a young economist with the National Economic and Social Development Board. His family planning activities grew out of his conviction that rapid, unplanned population growth is Thailand's and the world's single most serious problem. An incremental approcah with insistence on individual and local responsibility for development is essential to his philosphy and personality.

Boosting restraint norms: a community-delivered campaign to promote booster seat use.

PubMed

Bryant-Stephens, Tyra; Garcia-Espana, J Felipe; Winston, Flaura K

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a theoretically grounded community-delivered marketing campaign to promote belt-positioning booster seat (BPB) use among vulnerable populations when disseminated by community members. A prospective, nonrandomized community intervention trial was conducted to evaluate the "Boosting Restraint Norms" social marketing campaign delivered by community partners in Norristown, Pennsylvania (intervention community), between October 2008 and November 2008. York, Pennsylvania, served as the comparison community. In total, 800 vehicles with 822 children aged 4 to 7 years were observed for BPB use, the primary outcome of interest, at baseline (September 2008) and at 6 months after intervention (April 2009). During the study period, a 28 percent increase in the prevalence of BPB use at 6 months was observed in the intervention community with no change in the prevalence of BPB use in the comparison community. After adjustment for child age and gender, vehicle type, driver gender, and driver level, BPB use increased from 39 to 50 percent in the intervention community. The "Boosting Restraint Norms" social marketing campaign, distributed through community organizations combined with caregiver education and a one-time free distribution of BPBs, was effective in increasing BPB use. This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing community organizations with established audiences to spread the "No Regrets" messaging of the campaign in the community. This study also indicates that spreading evidence-based messages in this manner may effectively change behavior in populations that are often hard to reach. Future studies are needed in which this methodology is tested in additional communities and rural settings.

Incorporating Multifaceted Mental Health Prevention Services in Community Sectors-of-Care

PubMed Central

Gewirtz, Abigail H.; August, Gerald J.

2017-01-01

This article proposes a framework for embedding prevention services into community sectors-of-care. Community sectors-of-care include both formal and grassroots organizations distributed throughout a community that provide various resources and services to at-risk children and their families. Though the child population served by these organizations is often at elevated risk for mental health problems by virtue of children's exposure to difficult life circumstances (poverty, maltreatment, homelessness, domestic violence, etc) these children face many barriers to accessing evidence-based prevention or treatment services. We review evidence and propose a framework for integrating prevention services into community sectors-of-care that serve high-risk children and families. PMID:18196457

Community health assessment using self-organizing maps and geographic information systems

PubMed Central

Basara, Heather G; Yuan, May

2008-01-01

Background From a public health perspective, a healthier community environment correlates with fewer occurrences of chronic or infectious diseases. Our premise is that community health is a non-linear function of environmental and socioeconomic effects that are not normally distributed among communities. The objective was to integrate multivariate data sets representing social, economic, and physical environmental factors to evaluate the hypothesis that communities with similar environmental characteristics exhibit similar distributions of disease. Results The SOM algorithm used the intrinsic distributions of 92 environmental variables to classify 511 communities into five clusters. SOM determined clusters were reprojected to geographic space and compared with the distributions of several health outcomes. ANOVA results indicated that the variability between community clusters was significant with respect to the spatial distribution of disease occurrence. Conclusion Our study demonstrated a positive relationship between environmental conditions and health outcomes in communities using the SOM-GIS method to overcome data and methodological challenges traditionally encountered in public health research. Results demonstrated that community health can be classified using environmental variables and that the SOM-GIS method may be applied to multivariate environmental health studies. PMID:19116020

Examining the impact of a school-based fruit and vegetable co-op in the Hispanic community through documentary photography.

PubMed

Alcazar, Lani; Raber, Margaret; Lopez, Kimberly; Markham, Christine; Sharma, Shreela

2017-09-01

Hispanic families are at elevated risk for certain diet related illnesses including obesity and diabetes. Brighter Bites is a 16-week school-based program that delivers produce and nutrition education to high-need areas. The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption of Brighter Bites healthy eating strategies in low-income Spanish-speaking families as well as barriers to the sustainability of improved dietary behaviors using Photovoice. Two researchers worked with a predominately Hispanic, low-income public school to conduct the project. Spanish speaking parents participating in Brighter Bites were recruited and five mothers completed the study. Participants developed research questions, took documentary photos, attended group analysis sessions, and organized a community event. Photos from participants were gathered at two time points: i) during the Brighter Bites produce distributions, and ii) when the distributions were no longer in session. Participants organized resulting photos into themes during discussion groups that proceeded each photo-taking period. Themes that emerged during the produce distribution period included: cost savings, increased variety and accessibility of fresh produce, and ability to practice healthy eating. Themes that emerged when the weekly produce distributions were no longer in session included: increased costs, lack of variety, the continued effect of Brighter Bites, and innovative ways to cook with produce. Overall, participants were enthusiastic about the benefits they experienced with the program, but noted hardships in accessing nutritious food without the produce distributions in session. Innovative approaches are needed to create sustainable pathways to healthful food access after community nutrition interventions are complete. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community point distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets and community health worker hang-up visits in rural Zambia: a decision-focused evaluation.

PubMed

Wang, Paul; Connor, Alison L; Joudeh, Ammar S; Steinberg, Jeffrey; Ndhlovu, Ketty; Siyolwe, Musanda; Ntebeka, Bristol; Chibuye, Benjamin; Hamainza, Busiku

2016-03-03

In 2013, the Zambian Ministry of Health through its National Malaria Control Programme distributed over two million insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) in four provinces using a door-to-door distribution strategy, and more than 6 million ITNs were allocated to be distributed in 2014. This study was commissioned to measure attendance rates at a community point distribution and to examine the impact of follow-up community health worker (CHW) hang-up visits on short and medium-term ITN retention and usage with a view of informing optimal ITN distribution strategy in Zambia. Households received ITNs at community point distributions conducted in three rural communities in Rufunsa District, Zambia. Households were then randomly allocated into five groups to receive CHW visits to hang any unhung ITNs at different intervals: 1-3, 5-7, 10-12, 15-17 days, and no hang-up visit. Follow-up surveys were conducted among all households at 7-11 weeks after distribution and at 5-6 months after distribution to measure short- and medium-term household retention and usage of ITNs. Of the 560 pre-registered households, 540 (96.4 %) attended the community point distribution. Self-installation of ITNs by households increased over the first 10 days after the community point distribution. Retention levels remained high over time with 90.2 % of distributed ITNs still in the household at 7-11 weeks and 85.7 % at 5-6 months. Retention did not differ between households that received a CHW visit and those that did not. At 7-11 weeks, households had an average of 73.8 % of sleeping spaces covered compared to 80.3 % at 5-6 months. On average, 65.6 % of distributed ITNs were hanging at 7-11 weeks compared to 63.1 % at 5-6 months. While a CHW hang-up visit was associated with increased usage at 7-11 weeks, this difference was no longer apparent at 5-6 months. This evaluation revealed that (1) the community point distributions achieved high attendance rates followed by acceptable rates of short-term and medium-term ITN retention and usage, as compared to reported rates achieved by door-to-door distributions in the recent past, (2) CHW hang-up visits had a modest short-term impact on ITN usage but no medium-term effect, and (3) community point distributions can yield sizeable time savings compared to door-to-door distributions.

Community responses to government defunding of watershed projects: a comparative study in India and the USA.

PubMed

Koontz, Tomas M; Sen, Sucharita

2013-03-01

When central governments decentralize natural resource management (NRM), they often retain an interest in the local efforts and provide funding for them. Such outside investments can serve an important role in moving community-based efforts forward. At the same time, they can represent risks to the community if government resources are not stable over time. Our focus in this article is on the effects of withdrawal of government resources from community-based NRM. A critical question is how to build institutional capacity to carry on when the government funding runs out. This study compares institutional survival and coping strategies used by community-based project organizations in two different contexts, India and the United States. Despite higher links to livelihoods, community participation, and private benefits, efforts in the Indian cases exhibited lower survival rates than did those in the U.S. cases. Successful coping strategies in the U.S. context often involved tapping into existing institutions and resources. In the Indian context, successful coping strategies often involved building broad community support for the projects and creatively finding additional funding sources. On the other hand, the lack of local community interest, due to the top-down development approach and sometimes narrow benefit distribution, often challenged organizational survival and project maintenance.

Community Responses to Government Defunding of Watershed Projects: A Comparative Study in India and the USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koontz, Tomas M.; Sen, Sucharita

2013-03-01

When central governments decentralize natural resource management (NRM), they often retain an interest in the local efforts and provide funding for them. Such outside investments can serve an important role in moving community-based efforts forward. At the same time, they can represent risks to the community if government resources are not stable over time. Our focus in this article is on the effects of withdrawal of government resources from community-based NRM. A critical question is how to build institutional capacity to carry on when the government funding runs out. This study compares institutional survival and coping strategies used by community-based project organizations in two different contexts, India and the United States. Despite higher links to livelihoods, community participation, and private benefits, efforts in the Indian cases exhibited lower survival rates than did those in the U.S. cases. Successful coping strategies in the U.S. context often involved tapping into existing institutions and resources. In the Indian context, successful coping strategies often involved building broad community support for the projects and creatively finding additional funding sources. On the other hand, the lack of local community interest, due to the top-down development approach and sometimes narrow benefit distribution, often challenged organizational survival and project maintenance.

Land Cover Change Community-based Processing and Analysis System (LC-ComPS): Lessons Learned from Technology Infusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masek, J.; Rao, A.; Gao, F.; Davis, P.; Jackson, G.; Huang, C.; Weinstein, B.

2008-12-01

The Land Cover Change Community-based Processing and Analysis System (LC-ComPS) combines grid technology, existing science modules, and dynamic workflows to enable users to complete advanced land data processing on data available from local and distributed archives. Changes in land cover represent a direct link between human activities and the global environment, and in turn affect Earth's climate. Thus characterizing land cover change has become a major goal for Earth observation science. Many science algorithms exist to generate new products (e.g., surface reflectance, change detection) used to study land cover change. The overall objective of the LC-ComPS is to release a set of tools and services to the land science community that can be implemented as a flexible LC-ComPS to produce surface reflectance and land-cover change information with ground resolution on the order of Landsat-class instruments. This package includes software modules for pre-processing Landsat-type satellite imagery (calibration, atmospheric correction, orthorectification, precision registration, BRDF correction) for performing land-cover change analysis and includes pre-built workflow chains to automatically generate surface reflectance and land-cover change products based on user input. In order to meet the project objectives, the team created the infrastructure (i.e., client-server system with graphical and machine interfaces) to expand the use of these existing science algorithm capabilities in a community with distributed, large data archives and processing centers. Because of the distributed nature of the user community, grid technology was chosen to unite the dispersed community resources. At that time, grid computing was not used consistently and operationally within the Earth science research community. Therefore, there was a learning curve to configure and implement the underlying public key infrastructure (PKI) interfaces, required for the user authentication, secure file transfer and remote job execution on the grid network of machines. In addition, science support was needed to vet that the grid technology did not have any adverse affects of the science module outputs. Other open source, unproven technologies, such as a workflow package to manage jobs submitted by the user, were infused into the overall system with successful results. This presentation will discuss the basic capabilities of LC-ComPS, explain how the technology was infused, and provide lessons learned for using and integrating the various technologies while developing and operating the system, and finally outline plans moving forward (maintenance and operations decisions) based on the experience to date.

Composition and functional diversity of microbial community across a mangrove-inhabited mudflat as revealed by 16S rDNA gene sequences.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoying; Hu, Bill X; Ren, Hejun; Zhang, Jin

2018-08-15

The gradient distribution of microbial communities has been detected in profiles along many natural environments. In a mangrove seedlings inhabited mudflat, the microbes drive a variety of biogeochemical processes and are associated with a dramatically changed environment across the tidal zones of mudflat. A better understanding of microbial composition, diversity and associated functional profiles in relation to physicochemical influences could provide more insights into the ecological functions of microbes in a coastal mangrove ecosystem. In this study, the variation of microbial community along successive tidal flats inhabited by mangrove seedlings were characterized based on the 16S rDNA gene sequences, and then the factors that shape the bacterial and archaeal communities were determined. Results showed that the tidal cycles strongly influence the distribution of bacterial and archaeal communities. Dissimilarity and gradient distribution of microbial communities were found among high tidal flat, mid-low tidal flat and seawater. Discrepancies were also as well observed from the surface to subsurface layers specifically in the high tidal flat. For example, Alphaproteobacteria displayed an increasing trend from low tidal to high tidal flat and vice versa for Deltaproteobacteria; Cyanobacteria and Thaumarchaeota were more dominant in the surface layer than the subsurface. In addition, by classifying the microorganisms into metabolic functional groups, we were able to identify the biogeochemical pathway that was dominant in each zone. The (oxygenic) photoautotrophy and nitrate reduction were enhanced in the mangrove inhabited mid tidal flat. It revealed the ability of xenobiotic metabolism microbes to degrade, transform, or accumulate environmental hydrocarbon pollutants in seawater, increasing sulfur-related respiration from high tidal to low tidal flat. An opposite distribution was found for major nitrogen cycling processes. The shift of both composition and function of microbial communities were significantly related to light, oxygen availability and total dissolved nitrogen instead of sediment types or salinity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A general framework for predicting delayed responses of ecological communities to habitat loss.

PubMed

Chen, Youhua; Shen, Tsung-Jen

2017-04-20

Although biodiversity crisis at different spatial scales has been well recognised, the phenomena of extinction debt and immigration credit at a crossing-scale context are, at best, unclear. Based on two community patterns, regional species abundance distribution (SAD) and spatial abundance distribution (SAAD), Kitzes and Harte (2015) presented a macroecological framework for predicting post-disturbance delayed extinction patterns in the entire ecological community. In this study, we further expand this basic framework to predict diverse time-lagged effects of habitat destruction on local communities. Specifically, our generalisation of KH's model could address the questions that could not be answered previously: (1) How many species are subjected to delayed extinction in a local community when habitat is destructed in other areas? (2) How do rare or endemic species contribute to extinction debt or immigration credit of the local community? (3) How will species differ between two local areas? From the demonstrations using two SAD models (single-parameter lognormal and logseries), the predicted patterns of the debt, credit, and change in the fraction of unique species can vary, but with consistencies and depending on several factors. The general framework deepens the understanding of the theoretical effects of habitat loss on community dynamic patterns in local samples.

A comparative study of Northern Ireland's estuaries based on the results of beam trawl fish surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Trevor D.; Armour, Neil D.; McNeill, Michael T.; Moorehead, Peter W.

2017-11-01

The fish communities of Northern Ireland's estuaries were described and compared using data collected with a modified beam trawl over a six year period from 2009 to 2014. Multivariate analyses identified four estuary groups based on variations in their physico-chemical attributes. These groups broadly corresponded with the distribution and variation of estuary geomorphic types identified around the Irish coast. The dominant fish species captured were also among the main species reported in other North East Atlantic estuaries. A significant link between the estuary types and their fish communities was found; each estuary group contained a somewhat distinctive fish community. The fish communities also showed a significant relationship with the physico-chemical characteristics of the estuaries. Differences in fish species composition are attributed to habitat and environmental preferences of key estuary-associated species.

Genotypic distribution of a specialist model microorganism, Methanosaeta, along an estuarine gradient: does metabolic restriction limit niche differentiation potential?

PubMed

Carbonero, Franck; Oakley, Brian B; Hawkins, Robert J; Purdy, Kevin J

2012-05-01

A reductionist ecological approach of using a model genus was adopted in order to understand how microbial community structure is driven by metabolic properties. The distribution along an estuarine gradient of the highly specialised genus Methanosaeta was investigated and compared to the previously determined distribution of the more metabolically flexible Desulfobulbus. Methanosaeta genotypic distribution along the Colne estuary (Essex, UK) was determined by DNA- and RNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. Methanosaeta distribution was monotonic, with a consistently diverse community and no apparent niche partitioning either in DNA or RNA analyses. This distribution pattern contrasts markedly with the previously described niche partitioning and sympatric differentiation of the model generalist, Desulfobulbus. To explain this difference, it is hypothesised that Methanosaeta's strict metabolic needs limit its adaptation potential, thus populations do not partition into spatially distinct groups and so do not appear to be constrained by gross environmental factors such as salinity. Thus, at least for these two model genera, it appears that metabolic flexibility may be an important factor in spatial distribution and this may be applicable to other microbes.

An Analysis of Healthcare Provider Productivity in Selected Clinical Services at Moncrief Army Community Hospital

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-13

MARKINGS ./ A n’ ., ___ ___,_ _"_ __ ___,_ __’,,___, 2a. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY"" DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITfe OF REPORT . A . UNCLASSIFIED...of thirteen clinical services in a medium sized Army Community Hospital to provider based productivity standards found in the Joint Healthcare...statistically significant margins. The study concludes that the low productivity is due to a lack of guidance and emphasis in the productivity arena

Abate distribution and dengue control in rural Cambodia.

PubMed

Khun, Sokrin; Manderson, Lenore H

2007-02-01

Sustainable public health and community collaboration and partnerships are essential for the effective elimination of vector breeding sites to prevent dengue fever. A prerequisite is that community members appreciate the importance of the infection, understand its transmission and preventive activities, and are able to translate such knowledge to action. In this paper, we draw on an ethnographic study of two villages in the eastern province of Kampong Cham, using data collected from qualitative research methods and entomological surveys to describe community knowledge of the vector, practices related to the reduction of breeding sources, and the effectiveness of temephos to control larvae. During the study period, temephos (distributed as Abate) was applied in water containers only in the rainy season, although these containers were also positive with larvae in the dry season. Discarded containers, ignored in terms of control activities, had twice the number of larvae as water storage containers. The continued reliance on Abate creates financial and technical problems, while its inappropriate distribution raises the possibility of larvicide resistance. Based on research findings, we argue that control strategies emphasizing the use of Abate should be reconsidered.

Focus on Process Improvement: An Evaluation of the Use of the RFP Process in the Distribution of Federal Workforce Education Funds in Minnesota. Perkins-JTPA Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feickert, Joan Davis; And Others

A study evaluated the use of the request for proposal (RFP) process as a method of distributing federal vocational education and job training funds in Minnesota. Thirty-seven employees of Minnesota technical colleges, community-based organizations, service delivery areas, and state agencies who had actually prepared proposals requesting Job…

Conservation and possible reintroduction of an endangered plant based on an analysis of community ecology: a case study of Primulina tabacum Hance in China

Treesearch

Hai Ren; Qianmei Zhang; Zhengfeng Wang; Qinfeng Guo; June Wang; Nan Liu; Kaiming Liang

2010-01-01

The distribution of the rare and endangered perennial herb Primulina tabacum Hance is restricted to eight karst caves in southern China. To conserve P. tabacum and to evaluate possible reintroduction, we studied its historical distribution and conducted field surveys of both its biotic and physical environment. We used detrended...

Prey Distribution, Physical Habitat Features, and Guild Traits Interact to Produce Contrasting Shorebird Assemblages among Foraging Patches

PubMed Central

VanDusen, Beth M.; Fegley, Stephen R.; Peterson, Charles H.

2012-01-01

Worldwide declines in shorebird populations, driven largely by habitat loss and degradation, motivate environmental managers to preserve and restore the critical coastal habitats on which these birds depend. Effective habitat management requires an understanding of the factors that determine habitat use and value to shorebirds, extending from individuals to the entire community. While investigating the factors that influenced shorebird foraging distributions among neighboring intertidal sand flats, we built upon species-level understandings of individual-based, small-scale foraging decisions to develop more comprehensive guild- and community-level insights. We found that densities and community composition of foraging shorebirds varied substantially among elevations within some tidal flats and among five flats despite their proximity (all located within a 400-m stretch of natural, unmodified inlet shoreline). Non-dimensional multivariate analyses revealed that the changing composition of the shorebird community among flats and tidal elevations correlated significantly (ρs = 0.56) with the spatial structure of the benthic invertebrate prey community. Sediment grain-sizes affected shorebird community spatial patterns indirectly by influencing benthic macroinvertebrate community compositions. Furthermore, combining sediment and macroinvertebrate information produced a 27% increase in correlation (ρs = 0.71) with shorebird assemblage patterns over the correlation of the bird community with the macroinvertebrate community alone. Beyond its indirect effects acting through prey distributions, granulometry of the flats influenced shorebird foraging directly by modifying prey availability. Our study highlights the importance of habitat heterogeneity, showing that no single patch type was ideal for the entire shorebird community. Generally, shorebird density and diversity were greatest at lower elevations on flats when they became exposed; these areas are at risk from human intervention by inlet sand mining, construction of groins and jetties that divert sediments from flats, and installation of seawalls on inlet shorelines that induce erosion of flats. PMID:23285153

Modeling evolution of spatially distributed bacterial communities: a simulation with the haploid evolutionary constructor

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Multiscale approaches for integrating submodels of various levels of biological organization into a single model became the major tool of systems biology. In this paper, we have constructed and simulated a set of multiscale models of spatially distributed microbial communities and study an influence of unevenly distributed environmental factors on the genetic diversity and evolution of the community members. Results Haploid Evolutionary Constructor software http://evol-constructor.bionet.nsc.ru/ was expanded by adding the tool for the spatial modeling of a microbial community (1D, 2D and 3D versions). A set of the models of spatially distributed communities was built to demonstrate that the spatial distribution of cells affects both intensity of selection and evolution rate. Conclusion In spatially heterogeneous communities, the change in the direction of the environmental flow might be reflected in local irregular population dynamics, while the genetic structure of populations (frequencies of the alleles) remains stable. Furthermore, in spatially heterogeneous communities, the chemotaxis might dramatically affect the evolution of community members. PMID:25708911

Merging metagenomics and geochemistry reveals environmental controls on biological diversity and evolution.

PubMed

Alsop, Eric B; Boyd, Eric S; Raymond, Jason

2014-05-28

The metabolic strategies employed by microbes inhabiting natural systems are, in large part, dictated by the physical and geochemical properties of the environment. This study sheds light onto the complex relationship between biology and environmental geochemistry using forty-three metagenomes collected from geochemically diverse and globally distributed natural systems. It is widely hypothesized that many uncommonly measured geochemical parameters affect community dynamics and this study leverages the development and application of multidimensional biogeochemical metrics to study correlations between geochemistry and microbial ecology. Analysis techniques such as a Markov cluster-based measure of the evolutionary distance between whole communities and a principal component analysis (PCA) of the geochemical gradients between environments allows for the determination of correlations between microbial community dynamics and environmental geochemistry and provides insight into which geochemical parameters most strongly influence microbial biodiversity. By progressively building from samples taken along well defined geochemical gradients to samples widely dispersed in geochemical space this study reveals strong links between the extent of taxonomic and functional diversification of resident communities and environmental geochemistry and reveals temperature and pH as the primary factors that have shaped the evolution of these communities. Moreover, the inclusion of extensive geochemical data into analyses reveals new links between geochemical parameters (e.g. oxygen and trace element availability) and the distribution and taxonomic diversification of communities at the functional level. Further, an overall geochemical gradient (from multivariate analyses) between natural systems provides one of the most complete predictions of microbial taxonomic and functional composition. Clustering based on the frequency in which orthologous proteins occur among metagenomes facilitated accurate prediction of the ordering of community functional composition along geochemical gradients, despite a lack of geochemical input. The consistency in the results obtained from the application of Markov clustering and multivariate methods to distinct natural systems underscore their utility in predicting the functional potential of microbial communities within a natural system based on system geochemistry alone, allowing geochemical measurements to be used to predict purely biological metrics such as microbial community composition and metabolism.

SOMWeb: a semantic web-based system for supporting collaboration of distributed medical communities of practice.

PubMed

Falkman, Göran; Gustafsson, Marie; Jontell, Mats; Torgersson, Olof

2008-08-26

Information technology (IT) support for remote collaboration of geographically distributed communities of practice (CoP) in health care must deal with a number of sociotechnical aspects of communication within the community. In the mid-1990s, participants of the Swedish Oral Medicine Network (SOMNet) began discussing patient cases in telephone conferences. The cases were distributed prior to the conferences using PowerPoint and email. For the technical support of online CoP, Semantic Web technologies can potentially fulfill needs of knowledge reuse, data exchange, and reasoning based on ontologies. However, more research is needed on the use of Semantic Web technologies in practice. The objectives of this research were to (1) study the communication of distributed health care professionals in oral medicine; (2) apply Semantic Web technologies to describe community data and oral medicine knowledge; (3) develop an online CoP, Swedish Oral Medicine Web (SOMWeb), centered on user-contributed case descriptions and meetings; and (4) evaluate SOMWeb and study how work practices change with IT support. Based on Java, and using the Web Ontology Language and Resource Description Framework for handling community data and oral medicine knowledge, SOMWeb was developed using a user-centered and iterative approach. For studying the work practices and evaluating the system, a mixed-method approach of interviews, observations, and a questionnaire was used. By May 2008, there were 90 registered users of SOMWeb, 93 cases had been added, and 18 meetings had utilized the system. The introduction of SOMWeb has improved the structure of meetings and their discussions, and a tenfold increase in the number of participants has been observed. Users submit cases to seek advice on diagnosis or treatment, to show an unusual case, or to create discussion. Identified barriers to submitting cases are lack of time, concern about whether the case is interesting enough, and showing gaps in one's own knowledge. Three levels of member participation are discernable: a core group that contributes most cases and most meeting feedback; an active group that participates often but only sometimes contribute cases and feedback; and a large peripheral group that seldom or never contribute cases or feedback. SOMWeb is beneficial for individual clinicians as well as for the SOMNet community. The system provides an opportunity for its members to share both high quality clinical practice knowledge and external evidence related to complex oral medicine cases. The foundation in Semantic Web technologies enables formalization and structuring of case data that can be used for further reasoning and research. Main success factors are the long history of collaboration between different disciplines, the user-centered development approach, the existence of a "champion" within the field, and nontechnical community aspects already being in place.

SOMWeb: A Semantic Web-Based System for Supporting Collaboration of Distributed Medical Communities of Practice

PubMed Central

Gustafsson, Marie; Jontell, Mats; Torgersson, Olof

2008-01-01

Background Information technology (IT) support for remote collaboration of geographically distributed communities of practice (CoP) in health care must deal with a number of sociotechnical aspects of communication within the community. In the mid-1990s, participants of the Swedish Oral Medicine Network (SOMNet) began discussing patient cases in telephone conferences. The cases were distributed prior to the conferences using PowerPoint and email. For the technical support of online CoP, Semantic Web technologies can potentially fulfill needs of knowledge reuse, data exchange, and reasoning based on ontologies. However, more research is needed on the use of Semantic Web technologies in practice. Objectives The objectives of this research were to (1) study the communication of distributed health care professionals in oral medicine; (2) apply Semantic Web technologies to describe community data and oral medicine knowledge; (3) develop an online CoP, Swedish Oral Medicine Web (SOMWeb), centered on user-contributed case descriptions and meetings; and (4) evaluate SOMWeb and study how work practices change with IT support. Methods Based on Java, and using the Web Ontology Language and Resource Description Framework for handling community data and oral medicine knowledge, SOMWeb was developed using a user-centered and iterative approach. For studying the work practices and evaluating the system, a mixed-method approach of interviews, observations, and a questionnaire was used. Results By May 2008, there were 90 registered users of SOMWeb, 93 cases had been added, and 18 meetings had utilized the system. The introduction of SOMWeb has improved the structure of meetings and their discussions, and a tenfold increase in the number of participants has been observed. Users submit cases to seek advice on diagnosis or treatment, to show an unusual case, or to create discussion. Identified barriers to submitting cases are lack of time, concern about whether the case is interesting enough, and showing gaps in one’s own knowledge. Three levels of member participation are discernable: a core group that contributes most cases and most meeting feedback; an active group that participates often but only sometimes contribute cases and feedback; and a large peripheral group that seldom or never contribute cases or feedback. Conclusions SOMWeb is beneficial for individual clinicians as well as for the SOMNet community. The system provides an opportunity for its members to share both high quality clinical practice knowledge and external evidence related to complex oral medicine cases. The foundation in Semantic Web technologies enables formalization and structuring of case data that can be used for further reasoning and research. Main success factors are the long history of collaboration between different disciplines, the user-centered development approach, the existence of a “champion” within the field, and nontechnical community aspects already being in place. PMID:18725355

Mapping grass communities based on multi-temporal Landsat TM imagery and environmental variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Yuandi; Liu, Yanfang; Liu, Yaolin; de Leeuw, Jan

2007-06-01

Information on the spatial distribution of grass communities in wetland is increasingly recognized as important for effective wetland management and biological conservation. Remote sensing techniques has been proved to be an effective alternative to intensive and costly ground surveys for mapping grass community. However, the mapping accuracy of grass communities in wetland is still not preferable. The aim of this paper is to develop an effective method to map grass communities in Poyang Lake Natural Reserve. Through statistic analysis, elevation is selected as an environmental variable for its high relationship with the distribution of grass communities; NDVI stacked from images of different months was used to generate Carex community map; the image in October was used to discriminate Miscanthus and Cynodon communities. Classifications were firstly performed with maximum likelihood classifier using single date satellite image with and without elevation; then layered classifications were performed using multi-temporal satellite imagery and elevation with maximum likelihood classifier, decision tree and artificial neural network separately. The results show that environmental variables can improve the mapping accuracy; and the classification with multitemporal imagery and elevation is significantly better than that with single date image and elevation (p=0.001). Besides, maximum likelihood (a=92.71%, k=0.90) and artificial neural network (a=94.79%, k=0.93) perform significantly better than decision tree (a=86.46%, k=0.83).

Identifying the key taxonomic categories that characterize microbial community diversity using full-scale classification: a case study of microbial communities in the sediments of Hangzhou Bay.

PubMed

Dai, Tianjiao; Zhang, Yan; Tang, Yushi; Bai, Yaohui; Tao, Yile; Huang, Bei; Wen, Donghui

2016-10-01

Coastal areas are land-sea transitional zones with complex natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Microorganisms in coastal sediments adapt to such disturbances both individually and as a community. The microbial community structure changes spatially and temporally under environmental stress. In this study, we investigated the microbial community structure in the sediments of Hangzhou Bay, a seriously polluted bay in China. In order to identify the roles and contribution of all microbial taxa, we set thresholds as 0.1% for rare taxa and 1% for abundant taxa, and classified all operational taxonomic units into six exclusive categories based on their abundance. The results showed that the key taxa in differentiating the communities are abundant taxa (AT), conditionally abundant taxa (CAT), and conditionally rare or abundant taxa (CRAT). A large population in conditionally rare taxa (CRT) made this category collectively significant in differentiating the communities. Both bacteria and archaea demonstrated a distance decay pattern of community similarity in the bay, and this pattern was strengthened by rare taxa, CRT and CRAT, but weakened by AT and CAT. This implied that the low abundance taxa were more deterministically distributed, while the high abundance taxa were more ubiquitously distributed. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Bacterial community of iron tubercles from a drinking water distribution system and its occurrence in stagnant tap water.

PubMed

Chen, Lu; Jia, Rui-Bao; Li, Li

2013-07-01

Bacteria in drinking water distribution systems can cause deterioration of the water quality, and the microbial quality of tap water is closely related to consumer health. In the present study, the potential effects of bacteria attached to cast iron pipes on tap water in a distribution system were investigated. Comparison of the bacterial community composition of pipe tubercles with that of stagnant tap water samples based on a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the communities were related. Specifically, the main bacterial members were identical to each other. The bacterial community was found to be dominated by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, which included Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, Lactococcus, Brevundimonas, Rheinheimera, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and Herbaspirillum. Heterotrophic bacteria proliferation was observed during the period of stagnation, followed by a decrease of assimilable organic carbon and a slight increase of microbially available phosphorus. These findings indicated that the regrowth of bacteria might be boosted by the release of nutrients such as phosphorus from the pipe walls, as well as the decline of residual chlorine during stagnation. Inorganic contaminants at low levels, including Al, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Ni, were detected in tubercles and were concentrated in particulates from tap water following the release of iron during stagnation.

Different Diversity and Distribution of Archaeal Community in the Aqueous and Oil Phases of Production Fluid From High-Temperature Petroleum Reservoirs.

PubMed

Liang, Bo; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Li-Ying; Liu, Jin-Feng; Yang, Shi-Zhong; Gu, Ji-Dong; Mu, Bo-Zhong

2018-01-01

To get a better knowledge on how archaeal communities differ between the oil and aqueous phases and whether environmental factors promote substantial differences on microbial distributions among production wells, we analyzed archaeal communities in oil and aqueous phases from four high-temperature petroleum reservoirs (55-65°C) by using 16S rRNA gene based 454 pyrosequencing. Obvious dissimilarity of the archaeal composition between aqueous and oil phases in each independent production wells was observed, especially in production wells with higher water cut, and diversity in the oil phase was much higher than that in the corresponding aqueous phase. Statistical analysis further showed that archaeal communities in oil phases from different petroleum reservoirs tended to be more similar, but those in aqueous phases were the opposite. In the high-temperature ecosystems, temperature as an environmental factor could have significantly affected archaeal distribution, and archaeal diversity raised with the increase of temperature ( p < 0.05). Our results suggest that to get a comprehensive understanding of petroleum reservoirs microbial information both in aqueous and oil phases should be taken into consideration. The microscopic habitats of oil phase, technically the dispersed minuscule water droplets in the oil could be a better habitat that containing the indigenous microorganisms.

Evidence that Intraspecific Trait Variation among Nasal Bacteria Shapes the Distribution of Staphylococcus aureus

PubMed Central

Libberton, Ben; Coates, Rosanna E.

2014-01-01

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a risk factor for infection, yet the bacterial determinants required for carriage are poorly defined. Interactions between S. aureus and other members of the bacterial flora may determine colonization and have been inferred in previous studies by using correlated species distributions. However, traits mediating species interactions are often polymorphic, suggesting that understanding how interactions structure communities requires a trait-based approach. We characterized S. aureus growth inhibition by the culturable bacterial aerobe consortia of 60 nasal microbiomes, and this revealed intraspecific variation in growth inhibition and that inhibitory isolates clustered within communities that were culture negative for S. aureus. Across microbiomes, the cumulative community-level growth inhibition was negatively associated with S. aureus incidence. To fully understand the ecological processes structuring microbiomes, it will be crucial to account for intraspecific variation in the traits that mediate species interactions. PMID:24980973

QSIA--A Web-Based Environment for Learning, Assessing and Knowledge Sharing in Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafaeli, Sheizaf; Barak, Miri; Dan-Gur, Yuval; Toch, Eran

2004-01-01

This paper describes a Web-based and distributed system named QSIA that serves as an environment for learning, assessing and knowledge sharing. QSIA--Questions Sharing and Interactive Assignments--offers a unified infrastructure for developing, collecting, managing and sharing of knowledge items. QSIA enhances collaboration in authoring via online…

Electronic Clinical Trial Protocol Distribution via the World-Wide Web

PubMed Central

Afrin, Lawrence B.; Kuppuswamy, Valarmathi; Slater, Barbara; Stuart, Robert K.

1997-01-01

Clinical trials today typically are inefficient, paper-based operations. Poor community physician awareness of available trials and difficult referral mechanisms also contribute to poor accrual. The Physicians Research Network (PRN) web was developed for more efficient trial protocol distribution and eligibility inquiries. The Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center trials program and two community oncology practices served as a testbed. In 581 man-hours over 18 months, 147 protocols were loaded into PRN. The trials program eliminated all protocol hardcopies except the masters, reduced photocopier use 59%, and saved 1.0 full-time equivalents (FTE), but 1.0 FTE was needed to manage PRN. There were no known security breaches, downtime, or content-related problems. Therefore, PRN is a paperless, user-preferred, reliable, secure method for distributing protocols and reducing distribution errors and delays because only a single copy of each protocol is maintained. Furthermore, PRN is being extended to serve other aspects of trial operations. PMID:8988471

Novel Microbiological and Spatial Statistical Methods to Improve Strength of Epidemiological Evidence in a Community-Wide Waterborne Outbreak

PubMed Central

Jalava, Katri; Rintala, Hanna; Ollgren, Jukka; Maunula, Leena; Gomez-Alvarez, Vicente; Revez, Joana; Palander, Marja; Antikainen, Jenni; Kauppinen, Ari; Räsänen, Pia; Siponen, Sallamaari; Nyholm, Outi; Kyyhkynen, Aino; Hakkarainen, Sirpa; Merentie, Juhani; Pärnänen, Martti; Loginov, Raisa; Ryu, Hodon; Kuusi, Markku; Siitonen, Anja; Miettinen, Ilkka; Santo Domingo, Jorge W.; Hänninen, Marja-Liisa; Pitkänen, Tarja

2014-01-01

Failures in the drinking water distribution system cause gastrointestinal outbreaks with multiple pathogens. A water distribution pipe breakage caused a community-wide waterborne outbreak in Vuorela, Finland, July 2012. We investigated this outbreak with advanced epidemiological and microbiological methods. A total of 473/2931 inhabitants (16%) responded to a web-based questionnaire. Water and patient samples were subjected to analysis of multiple microbial targets, molecular typing and microbial community analysis. Spatial analysis on the water distribution network was done and we applied a spatial logistic regression model. The course of the illness was mild. Drinking untreated tap water from the defined outbreak area was significantly associated with illness (RR 5.6, 95% CI 1.9–16.4) increasing in a dose response manner. The closer a person lived to the water distribution breakage point, the higher the risk of becoming ill. Sapovirus, enterovirus, single Campylobacter jejuni and EHEC O157:H7 findings as well as virulence genes for EPEC, EAEC and EHEC pathogroups were detected by molecular or culture methods from the faecal samples of the patients. EPEC, EAEC and EHEC virulence genes and faecal indicator bacteria were also detected in water samples. Microbial community sequencing of contaminated tap water revealed abundance of Arcobacter species. The polyphasic approach improved the understanding of the source of the infections, and aided to define the extent and magnitude of this outbreak. PMID:25147923

Promoting cancer screening among Ontario Chinese women.

PubMed

Howlett, Roberta I; Larsh, Susan; Dobi, Lorna; Mai, Verna

2009-01-01

Cancer screening participation is typically low among newcomers to Canada. Consequently, mortality and morbidity rates are higher in ethno/cultural populations. There are inherent challenges in reaching these population groups to increase awareness and participation in cancer screening. Many reports have cited the need for culturally appropriate materials and multi-pronged strategies for effective outreach in the Chinese community. This paper outlines the consultation/development process and evaluation strategy for promoting cancer screening among Chinese women with limited English language skills. As Chinese is the third most commonly spoken language in Canada, this community education project focused on health promoters providing services to Chinese women 50 years and older. Ontario communities. Partners and stakeholders were consulted and engaged to define the best approach to develop and distribute culturally sensitive public education resources to assist communities in realizing greater awareness of and participation in cancer screening. Customized resource kits were developed and distributed to the target population over the course of two phases of this project. An evaluation strategy was designed and implemented to assess the impact of the project. The process to develop culturally sensitive and evidence-based materials for Chinese is detailed in this article. This multi-year project designed and distributed customized resource kits, through consultation with partners and stakeholders. Project outcomes will be further assessed one year after distribution of the kits. This project template may be useful for adaptation and use in other ethnocultural groups within and outside Ontario.

Community Detection Algorithm Combining Stochastic Block Model and Attribute Data Clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kataoka, Shun; Kobayashi, Takuto; Yasuda, Muneki; Tanaka, Kazuyuki

2016-11-01

We propose a new algorithm to detect the community structure in a network that utilizes both the network structure and vertex attribute data. Suppose we have the network structure together with the vertex attribute data, that is, the information assigned to each vertex associated with the community to which it belongs. The problem addressed this paper is the detection of the community structure from the information of both the network structure and the vertex attribute data. Our approach is based on the Bayesian approach that models the posterior probability distribution of the community labels. The detection of the community structure in our method is achieved by using belief propagation and an EM algorithm. We numerically verified the performance of our method using computer-generated networks and real-world networks.

The Astronomer's Telegram: A Web-based Short-Notice Publication System for the Professional Astronomical Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutledge, Robert E.

1998-06-01

The Astronomer's Telegram (ATEL) is a web-based short-notice (<4000 characters) publication system for reporting and commenting on new astronomical observations, offering for the first time in astronomy effectively instantaneous distribution of time-critical information for the entire professional community. It is designed to take advantage of the World Wide Web's simple user interface and the ability of computer programs to provide nearly all the necessary functions. This makes ATEL fast, efficient, and free. In practice, one may post a Telegram, which is instantly (<1 s) available at the web site and is distributed by e-mail within 24 hours through the Daily Email Digest, which is tailored to the subject selections of each reader. In addition, authors reporting new outbursts of transients or coordinates of new objects (for example, gamma-ray bursts or microlensing events) may request distribution by Instant Email Notices, which instantly (~minutes) distributes their new Telegram by e-mail to self-identified workers interested in the same topic. This speed in distribution is obtained because no editing or reviewing is performed after posting-the last person to review the text before distribution is the author. Telegrams are enumerated chronologically, permanently archived, and referenceable. While ATEL will be of particular use to observers of transient objects (such as gamma-ray bursts, microlenses, supernovae, novae, or X-ray transients) or in fields that are rapidly evolving observationally, there are no restrictions on subject matter.

Distributions of ectomycorrhizal and foliar endophytic fungal communities associated with Pinus ponderosa along a spatially constrained elevation gradient.

PubMed

Bowman, Elizabeth A; Arnold, A Elizabeth

2018-04-01

Understanding distributions of plant-symbiotic fungi is important for projecting responses to environmental change. Many coniferous trees host ectomycorrhizal fungi (EM) in association with roots and foliar endophytic fungi (FE) in leaves. We examined how EM and FE associated with Pinus ponderosa each vary in abundance, diversity, and community structure over a spatially constrained elevation gradient that traverses four plant communities, 4°C in mean annual temperature, and 15 cm in mean annual precipitation. We sampled 63 individuals of Pinus ponderosa in 10 sites along a 635 m elevation gradient that encompassed a geographic distance of 9.8 km. We used standard methods to characterize each fungal group (amplified and sequenced EM from root tips; isolated and sequenced FE from leaves). Abundance and diversity of EM were similar across sites, but community composition and distributions of the most common EM differed with elevation (i.e., with climate, soil chemistry, and plant communities). Abundance and composition of FE did not differ with elevation, but diversity peaked in mid-to-high elevations. Our results suggest relatively tight linkages between EM and climate, soil chemistry, and plant communities. That FE appear less linked with these factors may speak to limitations of a culture-based approach, but more likely reflects the small spatial scale encompassed by our study. Future work should consider comparable methods for characterizing these functional groups, and additional transects to understand relationships of EM and FE to environmental factors that are likely to shift as a function of climate change. © 2018 Botanical Society of America.

A phylogenetic perspective on species diversity, β-diversity and biogeography for the microbial world.

PubMed

Barberán, Albert; Casamayor, Emilio O

2014-12-01

There is an increasing interest to combine phylogenetic data with distributional and ecological records to assess how natural communities arrange under an evolutionary perspective. In the microbial world, there is also a need to go beyond the problematic species definition to deeply explore ecological patterns using genetic data. We explored links between evolution/phylogeny and community ecology using bacterial 16S rRNA gene information from a high-altitude lakes district data set. We described phylogenetic community composition, spatial distribution, and β-diversity and biogeographical patterns applying evolutionary relatedness without relying on any particular operational taxonomic unit definition. High-altitude lakes districts usually contain a large mosaic of highly diverse small water bodies and conform a fine biogeographical model of spatially close but environmentally heterogeneous ecosystems. We sampled 18 lakes in the Pyrenees with a selection criteria focused on capturing the maximum environmental variation within the smallest geographical area. The results showed highly diverse communities nonrandomly distributed with phylogenetic β-diversity patterns mainly shaped by the environment and not by the spatial distance. Community similarity based on both bacterial taxonomic composition and phylogenetic β-diversity shared similar patterns and was primarily structured by similar environmental drivers. We observed a positive relationship between lake area and phylogenetic diversity with a slope consistent with highly dispersive planktonic organisms. The phylogenetic approach incorporated patterns of common ancestry into bacterial community analysis and emerged as a very convenient analytical tool for direct inter- and intrabiome biodiversity comparisons and sorting out microbial habitats with potential application in conservation studies. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Investigation of Archaeal and Bacterial community structure of five different small drinking water networks with special regard to the nitrifying microorganisms.

PubMed

Nagymáté, Zsuzsanna; Homonnay, Zalán G; Márialigeti, Károly

2016-01-01

Total microbial community structure, and particularly nitrifying communities inhabiting five different small drinking water networks characterized with different water physical and chemical parameters was investigated, using cultivation-based methods and sequence aided Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Ammonium ion, originated from well water, was only partially oxidized via nitrite to nitrate in the drinking water distribution systems. Nitrification occurred at low ammonium ion concentration (27-46μM), relatively high pH (7.6-8.2) and over a wide range of dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.4-9.0mgL(-1)). The nitrifying communities of the distribution systems were characterized by variable most probable numbers (2×10(2)-7.1×10(4) MPN L(-1)) and probably originated from the non-treated well water. The sequence aided T-RFLP method revealed that ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and nitrite-oxidizing Bacteria (Nitrosomonas oligotropha, Nitrosopumilus maritimus, and Nitrospira moscoviensis, 'Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii') were present in different ratios in the total microbial communities of the distinct parts of the water network systems. The nitrate generated by nitrification was partly utilized by nitrate-reducing (and denitrifying) Bacteria, present in low MPN and characterized by sequence aided T-RFLP as Comamonas sp. and Pseudomonas spp. Different environmental factors, like pH, chemical oxygen demand, calculated total inorganic nitrogen content (moreover nitrite and nitrate concentration), temperature had important effect on the total bacterial and archaeal community distribution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Diversity and spatial distribution of hydrazine oxidoreductase (hzo) gene in the oxygen minimum zone off Costa Rica.

PubMed

Kong, Liangliang; Jing, Hongmei; Kataoka, Takafumi; Buchwald, Carolyn; Liu, Hongbin

2013-01-01

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) as an important nitrogen loss pathway has been reported in marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), but the community composition and spatial distribution of anammox bacteria in the eastern tropical North Pacific (ETNP) OMZ are poorly determined. In this study, anammox bacterial communities in the OMZ off Costa Rica (CRD-OMZ) were analyzed based on both hydrazine oxidoreductase (hzo) genes and their transcripts assigned to cluster 1 and 2. The anammox communities revealed by hzo genes and proteins in CRD-OMZ showed a low diversity. Gene quantification results showed that hzo gene abundances peaked in the upper OMZs, associated with the peaks of nitrite concentration. Nitrite and oxygen concentrations may therefore colimit the distribution of anammox bacteria in this area. Furthermore, transcriptional activity of anammox bacteria was confirmed by obtaining abundant hzo mRNA transcripts through qRT-PCR. A novel hzo cluster 2x clade was identified by the phylogenetic analysis and these novel sequences were abundant and widely distributed in this environment. Our study demonstrated that both cluster 1 and 2 anammox bacteria play an active role in the CRD-OMZ, and the cluster 1 abundance and transcriptional activity were higher than cluster 2 in both free-living and particle-attached fractions at both gene and transcriptional levels.

Trait-based assembly and phylogenetic structure in northeast Pacific rockfish assemblages.

PubMed

Ingram, Travis; Shurin, Jonathan B

2009-09-01

If natural communities are assembled according to deterministic rules, coexisting species will represent a nonrandom subset of the potential species pool. We tested for signatures of assembly rules in the distribution of species' traits in Pacific rockfish (Sebastes spp.) assemblages. We used morphology, dietary niche (estimated with stable nitrogen isotopes), and distribution data to identify traits that relate to local-scale resource use (the alpha-niche) and to environmental gradients (the beta-niche). We showed that gill raker morphology was related to trophic position (an alpha-niche axis), while relative eye size was associated with depth habitat (a beta-niche axis). We therefore hypothesized that, within assemblages of coexisting rockfish species, the gill raker trait would be overdispersed (evenly spaced) due to limiting similarity, while relative eye size would be clustered due to environmental filtering. We examined the evolutionary relatedness of coexisting species to ask whether phylogenetic community structure and trait distributions gave similar indications about the roles of assembly processes. We tested the trait distributions and phylogenetic structure of 30 published rockfish assemblages against a null model of random community assembly. As predicted, the gill raker trait tended to be more evenly spaced than expected by chance, as did overall body size, while relative eye size was more clustered than expected. Phylogenetic community structure appeared to reflect historical dispersal and speciation and did not provide consistent support for assembly rules. Our results indicate that rockfish community assembly is nonrandom with regard to species' traits and show how distinguishing traits related to the alpha- and beta-niches and incorporating functional morphology can provide for powerful tests of assembly rules.

[Good drug distribution practice and its implementation in drug distribution companies].

PubMed

Draksiene, Gailute

2002-01-01

Good Distribution Practice is based on the Directive of the Board of the European Community 92/25/EEC regarding the wholesale distribution of drugs for human consumption. It is stated in the Directive that the whole drug distribution channel is to be controlled from the point of drug production or import down to the supplies to the end user. In order to reach the goal, the drug distribution company must create the quality assurance system and facilitate its correct functioning. This aim requires development of the rules of the Good Distribution Practice. Those rules set the general requirements of the Good Distribution Practice for distribution companies that they must conduct. The article explains main requirements postulated in the rules of the Good Distribution Practice and implementation of the Good Distribution Practice requirements in drug distribution companies.

Estimated historical distribution of grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reese, Gordon C.; Manier, Daniel J.; Carr, Natasha B.; Callan, Ramana; Leinwand, Ian I.F.; Assal, Timothy J.; Burris, Lucy; Ignizio, Drew A.

2016-12-07

The purpose of this project was to map the estimated distribution of grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains prior to Euro-American settlement. The Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment (REA), under the direction of the Bureau of Land Management and the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, includes four ecoregions: the High Plains, Central Great Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, and the Nebraska Sand Hills. The REA advisors and stakeholders determined that the mapping accuracy of available national land-cover maps was insufficient in many areas to adequately address management questions for the REA. Based on the recommendation of the REA stakeholders, we estimated the potential historical distribution of 10 grassland communities within the Southern Great Plains project area using data on soils, climate, and vegetation from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) including the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) and Ecological Site Information System (ESIS). The dominant grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains addressed as conservation elements for the REA area are shortgrass, mixed-grass, and sand prairies. We also mapped tall-grass, mid-grass, northwest mixed-grass, and cool season bunchgrass prairies, saline and foothill grasslands, and semi-desert grassland and steppe. Grassland communities were primarily defined using the annual productivity of dominant species in the ESIS data. The historical grassland community classification was linked to the SSURGO data using vegetation types associated with the predominant component of mapped soil units as defined in the ESIS data. We augmented NRCS data with Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) Biophysical Settings classifications 1) where NRCS data were unavailable and 2) where fifth-level watersheds intersected the boundary of the High Plains ecoregion in Wyoming. Spatial data representing the estimated historical distribution of grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains are provided as a 30 x 30-meter gridded surface (raster dataset). This information will help to address the priority management questions for grassland communities for the Southern Great Plains REA and can be used to inform other regional-level land management decisions.

Another look at the question of density and rail transit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

Long community discussions about rail often include whether a citys spatial distribution of : housing, employment and other trip generators is conducive to supporting rail transit. A citys : decision to construct rail transit is based on an arr...

CSM: Profamilia's approach in Colombia.

PubMed

Samuel, S

1982-03-01

Colombia's PROFAMILIA has successfully operated a contraceptive social marketing (CSM) program since 1973. Beginning with 1 salesperson distributing primarily to Cajas de Subsideio, the CSM program is now distributed through 70-80% of the 6000 registered pharmacies in the country, as well as pharmacy counters of several supermakets in urban areas. During 1981, PROFAMILIA's 5 salespersons accountd for commerical sales of oral contraceptives (OCs) to 225,000 couples and sales of barrier methods to another 75,000. Program sales of contraceptives and other products generated approximately US $1.7 million in revenue for the same year. PROFAMILIA's marketing approach is unique in its product and promotinal characteristics. Supplies are obtained directly from local and foreign manufacturers and are resold without any repackaging. While it is generally believed that CSM programs expand the market for contraceptives, data analysis and analysis of PROFAMILIA's distribution system suggests that the PROFAMILIA CSM program has simply absorbed some of the previously existing commerical market. Total commerical market sales of oral contraceptives (OCs) have grown at an annual rate of 3-4% since 1975. During the same period, direct sales of Schering, Wyeth, and other competitors have declined. PROFAMILIA's community-based program operates mainly among urban and semi-rural lower income populations. It sells products through established retail outlets rather than through institutional or non-retail outlets. PROFAMILIA's community-based program in all respects but its use of a staff of 112 salaried "instructoras" is as much a marketing program as PROFAMILIA's sales through pharmacies. Taken together, the 2 program expanded the commerical makert by about 1/2 since 1975. The contraceptive social marketing or pharmacy sales program appears to excel at generation of revenue and delivery of products to higher income clients. The community-based program excels at delivery of information and sales to lower income clients. PROFAMILIA CSM and community-based program sales are in a period of relative stagnation. Sales projections show only modest increases between 1981-85, despite the fact that a significant number of potential consumers remain unserved. Ultimately, PROFAMILIA may be faced with the need to reduce their number markedly as sales revenue is eroded by inflation while costs rise. A shift in duties back to motivation rather than distribution, combined with increased media promotion seems the clearest short-term response to the problem of unserved consumers.

Misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage prevention at home birth: an integrative review of global implementation experience to date

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hemorrhage continues to be a leading cause of maternal death in developing countries. The 2012 World Health Organization guidelines for the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) recommend oral administration of misoprostol by community health workers (CHWs). However, there are several outstanding questions about distribution of misoprostol for PPH prevention at home births. Methods We conducted an integrative review of published research studies and evaluation reports from programs that distributed misoprostol at the community level for prevention of PPH at home births. We reviewed methods and cadres involved in education of end-users, drug administration, distribution, and coverage, correct and incorrect usage, and serious adverse events. Results Eighteen programs were identified; only seven reported all data of interest. Programs utilized a range of strategies and timings for distributing misoprostol. Distribution rates were higher when misoprostol was distributed at a home visit during late pregnancy (54.5-96.9%) or at birth (22.5-83.6%), compared to antenatal care (ANC) distribution at any ANC visit (22.5-49.1%) or late ANC visit (21.0-26.7%). Coverage rates were highest when CHWs and traditional birth attendants distributed misoprostol and lower when health workers/ANC providers distributed the medication. The highest distribution and coverage rates were achieved by programs that allowed self-administration. Seven women took misoprostol prior to delivery out of more than 12,000 women who were followed-up. Facility birth rates increased in the three programs for which this information was available. Fifty-one (51) maternal deaths were reported among 86,732 women taking misoprostol: 24 were attributed to perceived PPH; none were directly attributed to use of misoprostol. Even if all deaths were attributable to PPH, the equivalent ratio (59 maternal deaths/100,000 live births) is substantially lower than the reported maternal mortality ratio in any of these countries. Conclusions Community-based programs for prevention of PPH at home birth using misoprostol can achieve high distribution and use of the medication, using diverse program strategies. Coverage was greatest when misoprostol was distributed by community health agents at home visits. Programs appear to be safe, with an extremely low rate of ante- or intrapartum administration of the medication. PMID:23421792

Misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage prevention at home birth: an integrative review of global implementation experience to date.

PubMed

Smith, Jeffrey Michael; Gubin, Rehana; Holston, Martine M; Fullerton, Judith; Prata, Ndola

2013-02-20

Hemorrhage continues to be a leading cause of maternal death in developing countries. The 2012 World Health Organization guidelines for the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) recommend oral administration of misoprostol by community health workers (CHWs). However, there are several outstanding questions about distribution of misoprostol for PPH prevention at home births. We conducted an integrative review of published research studies and evaluation reports from programs that distributed misoprostol at the community level for prevention of PPH at home births. We reviewed methods and cadres involved in education of end-users, drug administration, distribution, and coverage, correct and incorrect usage, and serious adverse events. Eighteen programs were identified; only seven reported all data of interest. Programs utilized a range of strategies and timings for distributing misoprostol. Distribution rates were higher when misoprostol was distributed at a home visit during late pregnancy (54.5-96.9%) or at birth (22.5-83.6%), compared to antenatal care (ANC) distribution at any ANC visit (22.5-49.1%) or late ANC visit (21.0-26.7%). Coverage rates were highest when CHWs and traditional birth attendants distributed misoprostol and lower when health workers/ANC providers distributed the medication. The highest distribution and coverage rates were achieved by programs that allowed self-administration. Seven women took misoprostol prior to delivery out of more than 12,000 women who were followed-up. Facility birth rates increased in the three programs for which this information was available. Fifty-one (51) maternal deaths were reported among 86,732 women taking misoprostol: 24 were attributed to perceived PPH; none were directly attributed to use of misoprostol. Even if all deaths were attributable to PPH, the equivalent ratio (59 maternal deaths/100,000 live births) is substantially lower than the reported maternal mortality ratio in any of these countries. Community-based programs for prevention of PPH at home birth using misoprostol can achieve high distribution and use of the medication, using diverse program strategies. Coverage was greatest when misoprostol was distributed by community health agents at home visits. Programs appear to be safe, with an extremely low rate of ante- or intrapartum administration of the medication.

Increase in Naloxone Prescriptions Dispensed in US Retail Pharmacies Since 2013.

PubMed

Jones, Christopher M; Lurie, Peter G; Compton, Wilson M

2016-04-01

Distribution of naloxone, traditionally through community-based naloxone programs, is a component of a comprehensive strategy to address the epidemic of prescription opioid and heroin overdose deaths in the United States. Recently, there has been increased focus on naloxone prescription in the outpatient setting, particularly through retail pharmacies, yet data on this practice are sparse. We found an 1170% increase in naloxone dispensing from US retail pharmacies between the fourth quarter of 2013 and the second quarter of 2015. These findings suggest that prescribing naloxone in the outpatient setting complements traditional community-based naloxone programs.

Metadata based management and sharing of distributed biomedical data

PubMed Central

Vergara-Niedermayr, Cristobal; Liu, Peiya

2014-01-01

Biomedical research data sharing is becoming increasingly important for researchers to reuse experiments, pool expertise and validate approaches. However, there are many hurdles for data sharing, including the unwillingness to share, lack of flexible data model for providing context information, difficulty to share syntactically and semantically consistent data across distributed institutions, and high cost to provide tools to share the data. SciPort is a web-based collaborative biomedical data sharing platform to support data sharing across distributed organisations. SciPort provides a generic metadata model to flexibly customise and organise the data. To enable convenient data sharing, SciPort provides a central server based data sharing architecture with a one-click data sharing from a local server. To enable consistency, SciPort provides collaborative distributed schema management across distributed sites. To enable semantic consistency, SciPort provides semantic tagging through controlled vocabularies. SciPort is lightweight and can be easily deployed for building data sharing communities. PMID:24834105

Scale-Dependence of Processes Structuring Dung Beetle Metacommunities Using Functional Diversity and Community Deconstruction Approaches

PubMed Central

da Silva, Pedro Giovâni; Hernández, Malva Isabel Medina

2015-01-01

Community structure is driven by mechanisms linked to environmental, spatial and temporal processes, which have been successfully addressed using metacommunity framework. The relative importance of processes shaping community structure can be identified using several different approaches. Two approaches that are increasingly being used are functional diversity and community deconstruction. Functional diversity is measured using various indices that incorporate distinct community attributes. Community deconstruction is a way to disentangle species responses to ecological processes by grouping species with similar traits. We used these two approaches to determine whether they are improvements over traditional measures (e.g., species composition, abundance, biomass) for identification of the main processes driving dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) community structure in a fragmented mainland-island landscape in southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We sampled five sites in each of four large forest areas, two on the mainland and two on the island. Sampling was performed in 2012 and 2013. We collected abundance and biomass data from 100 sampling points distributed over 20 sampling sites. We studied environmental, spatial and temporal effects on dung beetle community across three spatial scales, i.e., between sites, between areas and mainland-island. The γ-diversity based on species abundance was mainly attributed to β-diversity as a consequence of the increase in mean α- and β-diversity between areas. Variation partitioning on abundance, biomass and functional diversity showed scale-dependence of processes structuring dung beetle metacommunities. We identified two major groups of responses among 17 functional groups. In general, environmental filters were important at both local and regional scales. Spatial factors were important at the intermediate scale. Our study supports the notion of scale-dependence of environmental, spatial and temporal processes in the distribution and functional organization of Scarabaeinae beetles. We conclude that functional diversity may be used as a complementary approach to traditional measures, and that community deconstruction allows sufficient disentangling of responses of different trait-based groups. PMID:25822150

Spatial distribution patterns of soil mite communities and their relationships with edaphic factors in a 30-year tillage cornfield in northeast China.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Gao, Meixiang; Liu, Jinwen; Guo, Yuxi; Liu, Dong; Zhu, Xinyu; Wu, Donghui

2018-01-01

Spatial distribution is an important topic in community ecology and a key to understanding the structure and dynamics of populations and communities. However, the available information related to the spatial patterns of soil mite communities in long-term tillage agroecosystems remains insufficient. In this study, we examined the spatial patterns of soil mite communities to explain the spatial relationships between soil mite communities and soil parameters. Soil fauna were sampled three times (August, September and October 2015) at 121 locations arranged regularly within a 400 m × 400 m monitoring plot. Additionally, we estimated the physical and chemical parameters of the same sampling locations. The distribution patterns of the soil mite community and the edaphic parameters were analyzed using a range of geostatistical tools. Moran's I coefficient showed that, during each sampling period, the total abundance of the soil mite communities and the abundance of the dominant mite populations were spatially autocorrelated. The soil mite communities demonstrated clear patchy distribution patterns within the study plot. These patterns were sampling period-specific. Cross-semivariograms showed both negative and positive cross-correlations between soil mite communities and environmental factors. Mantel tests showed a significant and positive relationship between soil mite community and soil organic matter and soil pH only in August. This study demonstrated that in the cornfield, the soil mite distribution exhibited strong or moderate spatial dependence, and the mites formed patches with sizes less than one hundred meters. In addition, in this long-term tillage agroecosystem, soil factors had less influence on the observed pattern of soil mite communities. Further experiments that take into account human activity and spatial factors should be performed to study the factors that drive the spatial distribution of soil microarthropods.

Improvement of the SEP protocol based on community structure of node degree

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Donglin; Wei, Suyuan

2017-05-01

Analyzing the Stable election protocol (SEP) in wireless sensor networks and aiming at the problem of inhomogeneous cluster-heads distribution and unreasonable cluster-heads selectivity and single hop transmission in the SEP, a SEP Protocol based on community structure of node degree (SEP-CSND) is proposed. In this algorithm, network node deployed by using grid deployment model, and the connection between nodes established by setting up the communication threshold. The community structure constructed by node degree, then cluster head is elected in the community structure. On the basis of SEP, the node's residual energy and node degree is added in cluster-heads election. The information is transmitted with mode of multiple hops between network nodes. The simulation experiments showed that compared to the classical LEACH and SEP, this algorithm balances the energy consumption of the entire network and significantly prolongs network lifetime.

Surveying traffic congestion based on the concept of community structure of complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lili; Zhang, Zhanli; Li, Meng

2016-07-01

In this paper, taking the traffic of Beijing city as an instance, we study city traffic states, especially traffic congestion, based on the concept of network community structure. Concretely, using the floating car data (FCD) information of vehicles gained from the intelligent transport system (ITS) of the city, we construct a new traffic network model which is with floating cars as network nodes and time-varying. It shows that this traffic network has Gaussian degree distributions at different time points. Furthermore, compared with free traffic situations, our simulations show that the traffic network generally has more obvious community structures with larger values of network fitness for congested traffic situations, and through the GPSspg web page, we show that all of our results are consistent with the reality. Then, it indicates that network community structure should be an available way for investigating city traffic congestion problems.

A microbiology-based multi-parametric approach towards assessing biological stability in drinking water distribution networks.

PubMed

Lautenschlager, Karin; Hwang, Chiachi; Liu, Wen-Tso; Boon, Nico; Köster, Oliver; Vrouwenvelder, Hans; Egli, Thomas; Hammes, Frederik

2013-06-01

Biological stability of drinking water implies that the concentration of bacterial cells and composition of the microbial community should not change during distribution. In this study, we used a multi-parametric approach that encompasses different aspects of microbial water quality including microbial growth potential, microbial abundance, and microbial community composition, to monitor biological stability in drinking water of the non-chlorinated distribution system of Zürich. Drinking water was collected directly after treatment from the reservoir and in the network at several locations with varied average hydraulic retention times (6-52 h) over a period of four months, with a single repetition two years later. Total cell concentrations (TCC) measured with flow cytometry remained remarkably stable at 9.5 (± 0.6) × 10(4) cells/ml from water in the reservoir throughout most of the distribution network, and during the whole time period. Conventional microbial methods like heterotrophic plate counts, the concentration of adenosine tri-phosphate, total organic carbon and assimilable organic carbon remained also constant. Samples taken two years apart showed more than 80% similarity for the microbial communities analysed with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 454 pyrosequencing. Only the two sampling locations with the longest water retention times were the exceptions and, so far for unknown reasons, recorded a slight but significantly higher TCC (1.3 (± 0.1) × 10(5) cells/ml) compared to the other locations. This small change in microbial abundance detected by flow cytometry was also clearly observed in a shift in the microbial community profiles to a higher abundance of members from the Comamonadaceae (60% vs. 2% at other locations). Conventional microbial detection methods were not able to detect changes as observed with flow cytometric cell counts and microbial community analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the multi-parametric approach used provides a powerful and sensitive tool to assess and evaluate biological stability and microbial processes in drinking water distribution systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

INDIGO-DataCloud solutions for Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar Gómez, Fernando; de Lucas, Jesús Marco; Fiore, Sandro; Monna, Stephen; Chen, Yin

2017-04-01

INDIGO-DataCloud (https://www.indigo-datacloud.eu/) is a European Commission funded project aiming to develop a data and computing platform targeting scientific communities, deployable on multiple hardware and provisioned over hybrid (private or public) e-infrastructures. The development of INDIGO solutions covers the different layers in cloud computing (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), and provides tools to exploit resources like HPC or GPGPUs. INDIGO is oriented to support European Scientific research communities, that are well represented in the project. Twelve different Case Studies have been analyzed in detail from different fields: Biological & Medical sciences, Social sciences & Humanities, Environmental and Earth sciences and Physics & Astrophysics. INDIGO-DataCloud provides solutions to emerging challenges in Earth Science like: -Enabling an easy deployment of community services at different cloud sites. Many Earth Science research infrastructures often involve distributed observation stations across countries, and also have distributed data centers to support the corresponding data acquisition and curation. There is a need to easily deploy new data center services while the research infrastructure continuous spans. As an example: LifeWatch (ESFRI, Ecosystems and Biodiversity) uses INDIGO solutions to manage the deployment of services to perform complex hydrodynamics and water quality modelling over a Cloud Computing environment, predicting algae blooms, using the Docker technology: TOSCA requirement description, Docker repository, Orchestrator for deployment, AAI (AuthN, AuthZ) and OneData (Distributed Storage System). -Supporting Big Data Analysis. Nowadays, many Earth Science research communities produce large amounts of data and and are challenged by the difficulties of processing and analysing it. A climate models intercomparison data analysis case study for the European Network for Earth System Modelling (ENES) community has been setup, based on the Ophidia big data analysis framework and the Kepler workflow management system. Such services normally involve a large and distributed set of data and computing resources. In this regard, this case study exploits the INDIGO PaaS for a flexible and dynamic allocation of the resources at the infrastructural level. -Providing Distributed Data Storage Solutions. In order to allow scientific communities to perform heavy computation on huge datasets, INDIGO provides global data access solutions allowing researchers to access data in a distributed environment like fashion regardless of its location, and also to publish and share their research results with public or close communities. INDIGO solutions that support the access to distributed data storage (OneData) are being tested on EMSO infrastructure (Ocean Sciences and Geohazards) data. Another aspect of interest for the EMSO community is in efficient data processing by exploiting INDIGO services like PaaS Orchestrator. Further, for HPC exploitation, a new solution named Udocker has been implemented, enabling users to execute docker containers in supercomputers, without requiring administration privileges. This presentation will overview INDIGO solutions that are interesting and useful for Earth science communities and will show how they can be applied to other Case Studies.

Identifying Effective and Sustainable Measures for Community-Based Environmental Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKay, Ariana J.; Johnson, Chris J.

2017-09-01

Resource development projects typically result in monitoring programs that fail to fully consider the values and participation of surrounding communities. Also, monitoring protocols for single environmental values can be insufficient for addressing the cumulative impacts of resource development. Community-based environmental monitoring (CBEM) has emerged as a way to meaningfully include local citizens in the decision-making process and assessment of the development of natural resources. Our research explored how to develop effective and sustainable CBEM. Interviews were conducted with staff from 15 CBEM programs established across Canada to identify criteria of what constitutes effective CBEM. Results demonstrate that CBEM offers an effective, locally adapted, and culturally applicable approach to facilitate community participation in natural resource management and to track environmental change. Benefits of CBEM include: locally relevant monitoring protocols, inclusion of cumulative impacts, better informed decision-making, and increased awareness and collaboration amongst community, governments, and proponents. Challenges associated with CBEM are cost, capacity, longevity, distribution of results, and establishing credibility. This research validates the use of CBEM for improving resource management.

The effects of artificial sandbar breaching on the macrophyte communities of an intermittently open estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Jose Pedro N.; Saggio, Ângelo; Lima, Maria Inês Salgueiro

2013-04-01

Artificial sandbar opening of intermittently open estuaries is a practice utilised worldwide to improve water quality, fishing, and recreational amenities and to prevent the flooding of adjacent properties. Breaching causes the water level to drop drastically, exposing plants to two water level extremes. With some exceptions, estuarine communities are adversely affected by this practice. Although breaching can happen naturally, artificial breaching is on the rise, and the impact of manipulating water levels on estuarine communities needs to be investigated. In this work, we described the breaching cycles of the Massaguaçu River Estuary and proposed flooding scenarios for the estuary's macrophyte banks based on our data. We calculated the relationship between plant distribution and flooding conditions and used our calculations to predict the estuary community's composition depending on the water level at breaching time. We discovered a strong relationship between plant distribution and flooding conditions, and we predicted that the estuarine community would be markedly different between flooding scenarios. Low frequency flooding scenarios would be related to submerged macrophytes and, as the flooding frequency increases, macrophytes would be replaced by amphibious plants, and eventually by the arboreal stratus. Therefore, we concluded that an increase in artificial breaching cycles would have a detrimental impact on the estuary community.

Illumina sequencing-based analyses of bacterial communities during short-chain fatty-acid production from food waste and sewage sludge fermentation at different pH values.

PubMed

Cheng, Weixiao; Chen, Hong; Yan, ShuHai; Su, Jianqiang

2014-09-01

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) can be produced by primary and waste activated sludge anaerobic fermentation. The yield and product spectrum distribution of SCFAs can be significantly affected by different initial pH values. However, most studies have focused on the physical and chemical aspects of SCFA production by waste activated sludge fermentation at different pH values. Information on the bacterial community structures during acidogenic fermentation is limited. In this study, comparisons of the bacterial communities during the co-substrate fermentation of food wastes and sewage sludge at different pH values were performed using the barcoded Illumina paired-end sequencing method. The results showed that different pH environments harbored a characteristic bacterial community, including sequences related to Lactobacillus, Prevotella, Mitsuokella, Treponema, Clostridium, and Ureibacillus. The most abundant bacterial operational taxonomic units in the different pH environments were those related to carbohydrate-degrading bacteria, which are associated with constituents of co-substrate fermentation. Further analyses showed that during organic matter fermentation, a core microbiota composed of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes existed. Comparison analyses revealed that the bacterial community during fermentation was significantly affected by the pH, and that the diverse product distribution was related to the shift in bacterial communities.

Perceptional and socio-demographic factors associated with household drinking water management strategies in rural Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Jain, Meha; Lim, Yili; Arce-Nazario, Javier A; Uriarte, María

2014-01-01

Identifying which factors influence household water management can help policy makers target interventions to improve drinking water quality for communities that may not receive adequate water quality at the tap. We assessed which perceptional and socio-demographic factors are associated with household drinking water management strategies in rural Puerto Rico. Specifically, we examined which factors were associated with household decisions to boil or filter tap water before drinking, or to obtain drinking water from multiple sources. We find that households differ in their management strategies depending on the institution that distributes water (i.e. government PRASA vs community-managed non-PRASA), perceptions of institutional efficacy, and perceptions of water quality. Specifically, households in PRASA communities are more likely to boil and filter their tap water due to perceptions of low water quality. Households in non-PRASA communities are more likely to procure water from multiple sources due to perceptions of institutional inefficacy. Based on informal discussions with community members, we suggest that water quality may be improved if PRASA systems improve the taste and odor of tap water, possibly by allowing for dechlorination prior to distribution, and if non-PRASA systems reduce the turbidity of water at the tap, possibly by increasing the degree of chlorination and filtering prior to distribution. Future studies should examine objective water quality standards to identify whether current management strategies are effective at improving water quality prior to consumption.

Perceptional and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Household Drinking Water Management Strategies in Rural Puerto Rico

PubMed Central

Jain, Meha; Lim, Yili; Arce-Nazario, Javier A.; Uriarte, María

2014-01-01

Identifying which factors influence household water management can help policy makers target interventions to improve drinking water quality for communities that may not receive adequate water quality at the tap. We assessed which perceptional and socio-demographic factors are associated with household drinking water management strategies in rural Puerto Rico. Specifically, we examined which factors were associated with household decisions to boil or filter tap water before drinking, or to obtain drinking water from multiple sources. We find that households differ in their management strategies depending on the institution that distributes water (i.e. government PRASA vs community-managed non-PRASA), perceptions of institutional efficacy, and perceptions of water quality. Specifically, households in PRASA communities are more likely to boil and filter their tap water due to perceptions of low water quality. Households in non-PRASA communities are more likely to procure water from multiple sources due to perceptions of institutional inefficacy. Based on informal discussions with community members, we suggest that water quality may be improved if PRASA systems improve the taste and odor of tap water, possibly by allowing for dechlorination prior to distribution, and if non-PRASA systems reduce the turbidity of water at the tap, possibly by increasing the degree of chlorination and filtering prior to distribution. Future studies should examine objective water quality standards to identify whether current management strategies are effective at improving water quality prior to consumption. PMID:24586302

[Community marketing of contraceptives].

PubMed

Urrutia, J M

1987-09-01

The 5-year-old community contraceptive distribution program developed by PROFAMILIA, Colombia's private family planning organization, has given excellent results, but several cost-effectiveness comparisons with social marketing programs have suggested that commercial distribution programs are superior. The community contraceptive distribution program has a high content of information and education activities, which produced significant increases in knowledge and use of contraception in the communities covered. It has been a fundamental support for the social marketing program, creating much of the demand for contraceptive products that the social marketing program has filled. The social marketing program has given good results in terms of volume of sales and in cost-effectiveness since 1976, prompting calls for replacement of the community contraceptive distribution program by the social marketing program in those sectors where knowledge and use of contraception have achieved acceptable levels. An experiment in the Department of Santander in 1984 and 1985 gave very favorable results, suggesting that community contraceptive distribution programs should be replaced by social marketing programs in all more developed markets. But economic problems in 1985 and the decision of manufacturers to decrease the profit margin for PROFAMILIA jeopardized the social marketing program. The community distribution program covered about 20% of the market. Reduced profits in the social marketing program threatened its continued expansion, at the same time that potential demand was growing because of increases in the fertile aged population and increased use of contraception. To meet the need, PROFAMILIA combined the community contraceptive distribution and social marketing programs into a new entity to be called community marketing. The strategy of the community marketing program will be to maintain PROFAMILIA's participation in the market and aid the growth of demand for contraceptives through educational and informational activities. The distribution scheme must continue to cover all the established points of sale in pharmacies despite the reduced profit margins.

Distribution of Archaeal Communities along the Coast of the Gulf of Finland and Their Response to Oil Contamination

PubMed Central

Yan, Lijuan; Yu, Dan; Hui, Nan; Naanuri, Eve; Viggor, Signe; Gafarov, Arslan; Sokolov, Sergei L.; Heinaru, Ain; Romantschuk, Martin

2018-01-01

The Baltic Sea is vulnerable to environmental changes. With the increasing shipping activities, the risk of oil spills remains high. Archaea are widely distributed in many environments. However, the distribution and the response of archaeal communities to oil contamination have rarely been investigated in brackish habitats. Hence, we conducted a survey to investigate the distribution, diversity, composition, and species interactions of indigenous archaeal communities at oil-contaminated sites along the coast of the Gulf of Finland (GoF) using high-throughput sequencing. Surface water and littoral sediment samples were collected at presumably oil-contaminated (oil distribution facilities) and clean sites along the coastline of the GoF in the winter 2015 and the summer 2016. Another three samples of open sea surface water were taken as offshore references. Of Archaea, Euryarchaeota dominated in the surface water and the littoral sediment of the coast of the GoF, followed by Crenarchaeota (including Thaumarchaeota, Thermoprotei, and Korarchaeota based on the Greengenes database used). The unclassified sequences accounted for 5.62% of the total archaeal sequences. Our study revealed a strong dependence of the archaeal community composition on environmental variables (e.g., salinity, pH, oil concentration, TOM, electrical conductivity, and total DNA concentration) in both littoral sediment and coastal water in the GoF. The composition of archaeal communities was season and ecosystem dependent. Archaea was highly diverse in the three ecosystems (littoral sediment, coastal water, and open sea water). Littoral sediment harbored the highest diversity of archaea. Oil was often detected in the littoral sediment but rarely detected in water at those presumably contaminated sites. Although the composition of archaeal community in the littoral sediment was sensitive to low-input oil contamination, the unchanged putative functional profiles and increased interconnectivity of the archaeal core species network plausibly revealed resilience and the potential for oil degradation. Halobacteriaceae and putative cytochrome P450 pathways were significantly enriched in the oil-contaminated littoral sediment. The archaeal taxa formed highly interconnected and interactive networks, in which Halobacteriaceae, Thermococcus, and methanogens were the main components, implying a potential relevant trophic connection between hydrocarbon degradation, methanogenesis, sulfate reduction, and/or fermentative growth. PMID:29410652

Community-based programmes to promote use of bicycle helmets in children aged 0-14 years: a systematic review.

PubMed

Spinks, Anneliese; Turner, Cathy; McClure, Rod; Acton, Caroline; Nixon, Jim

2005-09-01

Hospital-based research has shown that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury in bicycle riders. These studies have provided the impetus for community-wide interventions to increase the numbers of cyclists who wear helmets; however, the effectiveness of such programmes is undetermined. This study employs extensive search strategies to review the scientific literature to establish the effectiveness of community-wide programmes to increase helmet use among cyclists. Thirteen community-wide intervention studies using substantive methodologies were located in 16 published papers. The community-wide interventions include mandating helmet wearing, education campaigns, distribution of free or subsidized helmets or, more frequently, combinations of all of these methods of influence. All studies reported success in influencing helmet wearing across communities. However, none of the studies reveals enough detail of the mix or techniques employed in the interventions to replicate the interventions. While it is encouraging that all of the studies showed positive results, the way forward for further implementation of helmet wearing is for adequate documentation of successful interventions.

Systematic review of community-based, school-based, and combined delivery modes for reaching school-aged children in mass drug administration programs for schistosomiasis.

PubMed

Burnim, Michael; Ivy, Julianne A; King, Charles H

2017-10-01

The mainstay of current schistosomiasis control programs is mass preventive chemotherapy of school-aged children with praziquantel. This treatment is delivered through school-based, community-based, or combined school- and community-based systems. Attaining very high coverage rates for children is essential in mass schistosomiasis treatment programs, as is ensuring that there are no persistently untreated subpopulations, a potential challenge for school-based programs in areas with low school enrollment. This review sought to compare the different treatment delivery methods based both on their coverage of school-aged children overall and on their coverage specifically of non-enrolled children. In addition, qualitative community or programmatic factors associated with high or low coverage rates were identified, with suggestions for overall coverage improvement. This review was registered prospectively with PROSPERO (CRD 42015017656). Five hundred forty-nine publication of potential relevance were identified through database searches, reference lists, and personal communications. Eligible studies included those published before October 2015, written in English or French, containing quantitative or qualitative data about coverage rates for MDA of school-aged children with praziquantel. Among the 22 selected studies, combined community- and school-based programs achieved the highest median coverage rates (89%), followed by community-based programs (72%). School-based programs had both the lowest median coverage of children overall (49%) and the lowest coverage of the non-enrolled subpopulation of children. Qualitatively, major factors affecting program success included fear of side effects, inadequate education about schistosomiasis, lack of incentives for drug distributors, and inequitable distribution to minority groups. This review provides an evidence-based framework for the development of future schistosomiasis control programs. Based on our results, a combined community and school-based delivery system should maximize coverage for both in- and out-of-school children, especially when combined with interventions such as snacks for treated children, educational campaigns, incentives for drug distributors, and active inclusion of marginalized groups. ClinicalTrials.gov CRD42015017656.

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF DRINKING WATER MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: A PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH

EPA Science Inventory

Culture-based methods are traditionally used to determine microbiological quality of drinking water even though these methods are highly selective and tend to underestimate the densities and diversity bacterial populations inhabiting distribution systems. In order to better under...

Alignment-Independent Comparisons of Human Gastrointestinal Tract Microbial Communities in a Multidimensional 16S rRNA Gene Evolutionary Space▿

PubMed Central

Rudi, Knut; Zimonja, Monika; Kvenshagen, Bente; Rugtveit, Jarle; Midtvedt, Tore; Eggesbø, Merete

2007-01-01

We present a novel approach for comparing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries that is independent of both DNA sequence alignment and definition of bacterial phylogroups. These steps are the major bottlenecks in current microbial comparative analyses. We used direct comparisons of taxon density distributions in an absolute evolutionary coordinate space. The coordinate space was generated by using alignment-independent bilinear multivariate modeling. Statistical analyses for clone library comparisons were based on multivariate analysis of variance, partial least-squares regression, and permutations. Clone libraries from both adult and infant gastrointestinal tract microbial communities were used as biological models. We reanalyzed a library consisting of 11,831 clones covering complete colons from three healthy adults in addition to a smaller 390-clone library from infant feces. We show that it is possible to extract detailed information about microbial community structures using our alignment-independent method. Our density distribution analysis is also very efficient with respect to computer operation time, meeting the future requirements of large-scale screenings to understand the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities. PMID:17337554

Lessons learned from Ontario wind energy disputes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, Stewart; Mabee, Warren; Baxter, Jamie; Christidis, Tanya; Driver, Liz; Hill, Stephen; McMurtry, J. J.; Tomkow, Melody

2016-02-01

Issues concerning the social acceptance of wind energy are major challenges for policy-makers, communities and wind developers. They also impact the legitimacy of societal decisions to pursue wind energy. Here we set out to identify and assess the factors that lead to wind energy disputes in Ontario, Canada, a region of the world that has experienced a rapid increase in the development of wind energy. Based on our expertise as a group comprising social scientists, a community representative and a wind industry advocate engaged in the Ontario wind energy situation, we explore and suggest recommendations based on four key factors: socially mediated health concerns, the distribution of financial benefits, lack of meaningful engagement and failure to treat landscape concerns seriously. Ontario's recent change from a feed-in-tariff-based renewable electricity procurement process to a competitive bid process, albeit with more attention to community engagement, will only partially address these concerns.

Unifying ecology and macroevolution with individual-based theory

PubMed Central

Rosindell, James; Harmon, Luke J; Etienne, Rampal S

2015-01-01

A contemporary goal in both ecology and evolutionary biology is to develop theory that transcends the boundary between the two disciplines, to understand phenomena that cannot be explained by either field in isolation. This is challenging because macroevolution typically uses lineage-based models, whereas ecology often focuses on individual organisms. Here, we develop a new parsimonious individual-based theory by adding mild selection to the neutral theory of biodiversity. We show that this model generates realistic phylogenies showing a slowdown in diversification and also improves on the ecological predictions of neutral theory by explaining the occurrence of very common species. Moreover, we find the distribution of individual fitness changes over time, with average fitness increasing at a pace that depends positively on community size. Consequently, large communities tend to produce fitter species than smaller communities. These findings have broad implications beyond biodiversity theory, potentially impacting, for example, invasion biology and paleontology. PMID:25818618

Stream pH as an abiotic gradient influencing distributions of trout in Pennsylvania streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocovsky, P.M.; Carline, R.F.

2005-01-01

Elevation and stream slope are abiotic gradients that limit upstream distributions of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta in streams. We sought to determine whether another abiotic gradient, base-flow pH, may also affect distributions of these two species in eastern North America streams. We used historical data from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's fisheries management database to explore the effects of reach elevation, slope, and base-flow pH on distributional limits to brook trout and brown trout in Pennsylvania streams in the Appalachian Plateaus and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to calculate a canonical axis that separated allopatric brook trout populations from allopatric brown trout populations and allowed us to assess which of the three independent variables were important gradients along which communities graded from allopatric brook trout to allopatric brown trout. Canonical structure coefficients from DFA indicated that in both physiographic provinces, stream base-flow pH and slope were important factors in distributional limits; elevation was also an important factor in the Ridge and Valley Province but not the Appalachian Plateaus Province. Graphs of each variable against the proportion of brook trout in a community also identified apparent zones of allopatry for both species on the basis of pH and stream slope. We hypothesize that pH-mediated interspecific competition that favors brook trout in competition with brown trout at lower pH is the most plausible mechanism for segregation of these two species along pH gradients. Our discovery that trout distributions in Pennsylvania are related to stream base-flow pH has important implications for brook trout conservation in acidified regions. Carefully designed laboratory and field studies will be required to test our hypothesis and elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the partitioning of brook trout and brown trout along pH gradients. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

Phenology of particle size distributions and primary productivity in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (Station ALOHA)

PubMed Central

Letelier, Ricardo M.; Whitmire, Amanda L.; Barone, Benedetto; Bidigare, Robert R.; Church, Matthew J.; Karl, David M.

2015-01-01

Abstract The particle size distribution (PSD) is a critical aspect of the oceanic ecosystem. Local variability in the PSD can be indicative of shifts in microbial community structure and reveal patterns in cell growth and loss. The PSD also plays a central role in particle export by influencing settling speed. Satellite‐based models of primary productivity (PP) often rely on aspects of photophysiology that are directly related to community size structure. In an effort to better understand how variability in particle size relates to PP in an oligotrophic ecosystem, we collected laser diffraction‐based depth profiles of the PSD and pigment‐based classifications of phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) on an approximately monthly basis at the Hawaii Ocean Time‐series Station ALOHA, in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. We found a relatively stable PSD in the upper water column. However, clear seasonality is apparent in the vertical distribution of distinct particle size classes. Neither laser diffraction‐based estimations of relative particle size nor pigment‐based PFTs was found to be significantly related to the rate of 14C‐based PP in the light‐saturated upper euphotic zone. This finding indicates that satellite retrievals of particle size, based on particle scattering or ocean color would not improve parameterizations of present‐day bio‐optical PP models for this region. However, at depths of 100–125 m where irradiance exerts strong control on PP, we do observe a significant linear relationship between PP and the estimated carbon content of 2–20 μm particles. PMID:27812434

Phenology of particle size distributions and primary productivity in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (Station ALOHA).

PubMed

White, Angelicque E; Letelier, Ricardo M; Whitmire, Amanda L; Barone, Benedetto; Bidigare, Robert R; Church, Matthew J; Karl, David M

2015-11-01

The particle size distribution (PSD) is a critical aspect of the oceanic ecosystem. Local variability in the PSD can be indicative of shifts in microbial community structure and reveal patterns in cell growth and loss. The PSD also plays a central role in particle export by influencing settling speed. Satellite-based models of primary productivity (PP) often rely on aspects of photophysiology that are directly related to community size structure. In an effort to better understand how variability in particle size relates to PP in an oligotrophic ecosystem, we collected laser diffraction-based depth profiles of the PSD and pigment-based classifications of phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) on an approximately monthly basis at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA, in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. We found a relatively stable PSD in the upper water column. However, clear seasonality is apparent in the vertical distribution of distinct particle size classes. Neither laser diffraction-based estimations of relative particle size nor pigment-based PFTs was found to be significantly related to the rate of 14 C-based PP in the light-saturated upper euphotic zone. This finding indicates that satellite retrievals of particle size, based on particle scattering or ocean color would not improve parameterizations of present-day bio-optical PP models for this region. However, at depths of 100-125 m where irradiance exerts strong control on PP, we do observe a significant linear relationship between PP and the estimated carbon content of 2-20 μm particles.

Exploring community health through the Sustainable Livelihoods framework.

PubMed

Barnidge, Ellen K; Baker, Elizabeth A; Motton, Freda; Fitzgerald, Teresa; Rose, Frank

2011-02-01

Health disparities are a major concern in the United States. Research suggests that inequitable distribution of money, power, and resources shape the circumstances for daily life and create and exacerbate health disparities. In rural communities, inequitable distribution of these structural factors seems to limit employment opportunities. The Sustainable Livelihoods framework, an economic development model, provides a conceptual framework to understand how distribution of these social, economic, and political structural factors affect employment opportunities and community health in rural America. This study uses photo-elicitation interviews, a qualitative, participatory method, to understand community members' perceptions of how distribution of structural factors through creation and maintenance of institutional practices and policies influence employment opportunities and, ultimately, community health for African Americans living in rural Missouri.

Demonstrating the value of community-based ('citizen science') observations for catchment modelling and characterisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starkey, Eleanor; Parkin, Geoff; Birkinshaw, Stephen; Large, Andy; Quinn, Paul; Gibson, Ceri

2017-05-01

Despite there being well-established meteorological and hydrometric monitoring networks in the UK, many smaller catchments remain ungauged. This leaves a challenge for characterisation, modelling, forecasting and management activities. Here we demonstrate the value of community-based ('citizen science') observations for modelling and understanding catchment response as a contribution to catchment science. The scheme implemented within the 42 km2 Haltwhistle Burn catchment, a tributary of the River Tyne in northeast England, has harvested and used quantitative and qualitative observations from the public in a novel way to effectively capture spatial and temporal river response. Community-based rainfall, river level and flood observations have been successfully collected and quality-checked, and used to build and run a physically-based, spatially-distributed catchment model, SHETRAN. Model performance using different combinations of observations is tested against traditionally-derived hydrographs. Our results show how the local network of community-based observations alongside traditional sources of hydro-information supports characterisation of catchment response more accurately than using traditional observations alone over both spatial and temporal scales. We demonstrate that these community-derived datasets are most valuable during local flash flood events, particularly towards peak discharge. This information is often missed or poorly represented by ground-based gauges, or significantly underestimated by rainfall radar, as this study clearly demonstrates. While community-based observations are less valuable during prolonged and widespread floods, or over longer hydrological periods of interest, they can still ground-truth existing traditional sources of catchment data to increase confidence during characterisation and management activities. Involvement of the public in data collection activities also encourages wider community engagement, and provides important information for catchment management.

Microbial Communities in Long-Term, Water-Flooded Petroleum Reservoirs with Different in situ Temperatures in the Huabei Oilfield, China

PubMed Central

Tang, Yue-Qin; Li, Yan; Zhao, Jie-Yu; Chi, Chang-Qiao; Huang, Li-Xin; Dong, Han-Ping; Wu, Xiao-Lei

2012-01-01

The distribution of microbial communities in the Menggulin (MGL) and Ba19 blocks in the Huabei Oilfield, China, were studied based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. The dominant microbes showed obvious block-specific characteristics, and the two blocks had substantially different bacterial and archaeal communities. In the moderate-temperature MGL block, the bacteria were mainly Epsilonproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, and the archaea were methanogens belonging to Methanolinea, Methanothermobacter, Methanosaeta, and Methanocella. However, in the high-temperature Ba19 block, the predominant bacteria were Gammaproteobacteria, and the predominant archaea were Methanothermobacter and Methanosaeta. In spite of shared taxa in the blocks, differences among wells in the same block were obvious, especially for bacterial communities in the MGL block. Compared to the bacterial communities, the archaeal communities were much more conserved within blocks and were not affected by the variation in the bacterial communities. PMID:22432032

Enhancing Access to Land Remote Sensing Data through Mainstream Social Media Channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohre, T.; Maiersperger, T.

2011-12-01

Social media tools are changing the way that people discover information, communicate, and collaborate. Government agencies supporting the Land Remote Sensing user community have begun taking advantage of standard social media tools and capabilities. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) data centers have started providing outreach utilizing services including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube videos. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds have become more standard means of sharing information, and a DataCasting tool was created as a NASA Technology Infusion effort to make RSS-based technology for accessing Earth Science information available. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has also started using social media to allow the community access to news feeds and real-time earthquake alerts; listen to podcasts; get updates on new USGS publications, videos, and photographs; and more. Twitter feeds have been implemented in 2011 for the USGS Land Cover and Landsat user communities. In early 2011, the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) user working group suggested the investigation of concepts for creating and distributing "bundles" of data, which would aggregate theme-based data sets from multiple sources. The LP DAAC is planning to explore the use of standard social bookmarking tools to support community developed bundles through the use of tools such as Delicious, Digg, or StumbleUpon. This concept would allow science users to organize and discover common links to data resources based on community developed tags, or a folksonomy. There are challenges that will need to be addressed such as maintaining the quality of tags but a social bookmarking system may have advantages over traditional search engines or formal ontologies for identifying and labeling various data sets relevant to a theme. As classification is done by the community of scientists who understand the data, the tagged data sets will result in a growing inventory of useful bundles.

Achieving water security through community-based agreements in rural Northwestern Costa Rica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bautista Solís, P.; Bommel, P.; Campos, X.; Suarez, A.; Leclerc, G.

2016-12-01

Community-based drinking water organizations have the responsibility in supplying water for domestic use to 29% of the Costa Rican population. Nowadays, more than 1.500 of these organizations face important challenges for achieving this critical mission, such as fulfilling national drinking-water quality standards, and improving their organization and administration to secure water supply and distribution under climate change. We conducted action-research in two communities with similar geographical and demographic conditions: Cuajiniquil and Colas de Gallo located in the drought prone Guanacaste region in Costa Rica. Both communities are contrasted regarding to their assets and organization. We addressed the following research question: Can a participatory process help communities assess the situation of their aqueduct and its management, project themselves in the future, and build more resilient strategies to face domestic water restrictions? Through 16 participatory sessions, we adapted the Wat-a-Game (WAG) toolkit to the problem of domestic water provision in these communities, creating the WAG-Tico role-playing game. This was complemented by two other activities: visits by regional actors sharing their experience, and exchange visits between both communities for cross-learning about community-based water management. The process resulted in a locally-led collaboration between both communities and the emergence of community commitments for improving drought resilience. WAG-Tico sensibilized participants to appreciate the value of community organization and the impacts of climate change on water supply, and develop aqueduct management rules. Exchange visits and regional actors interventions promoted opportunities for accessing to external resources (i.e. social, human and financial). Colas de Gallo created its first water committee for building a community aqueduct and their first drilled well. Cuajiniquil has committed in protecting its water springs, organized training of women for repairing leaks in household water pipes, and a community contest for reducing water consumption. In this paper we analyze the synergic roles of distinct learning spaces to promote the emergence of community-based agreements that improved rural drinking water management.

Dissemination of colorectal cancer screening by Filipino American community health advisors: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Maxwell, Annette E; Danao, Leda L; Bastani, Roshan

2013-07-01

Filipino Americans underutilize life-saving screening tests for colorectal cancer, resulting in late stage of diagnosis and poor survival relative to other racial/ethnic groups. Education regarding colorectal cancer screening and distribution of free fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kits are evidence-based interventions that can significantly increase screening. However, this community will only benefit if the intervention is broadly disseminated. We assessed the feasibility of promoting colorectal cancer screening in Filipino American community settings working with community health advisors, and the practicality of conducting one-on-one or small group education, in addition to passing out free FOBT kits. Twenty community health advisors from 4 organizations engaged in recruitment and education activities with 132 participants. Community health advisors consistently completed screening questionnaires to establish eligibility and kept logs of FOBT distribution. However, they did not consistently record eligible participants who did not consent to participate. Process checklists that indicated what information was covered in each educational session and postsession follow-up logs were partially completed. Almost all participants reported receipt of intervention components and receipt of screening at 4-month follow-up and reported high acceptability of the program. The pilot study established the feasibility of working with community health advisors to promote colorectal cancer screening in Filipino American community settings. Findings informed the design of a dissemination trial that is currently ongoing with regards to monitoring recruitment, intervention implementation and follow-up and allowing flexibility regarding one-on-one or small group education.

Ocean biogeochemistry modeled with emergent trait-based genomics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coles, V. J.; Stukel, M. R.; Brooks, M. T.; Burd, A.; Crump, B. C.; Moran, M. A.; Paul, J. H.; Satinsky, B. M.; Yager, P. L.; Zielinski, B. L.; Hood, R. R.

2017-12-01

Marine ecosystem models have advanced to incorporate metabolic pathways discovered with genomic sequencing, but direct comparisons between models and “omics” data are lacking. We developed a model that directly simulates metagenomes and metatranscriptomes for comparison with observations. Model microbes were randomly assigned genes for specialized functions, and communities of 68 species were simulated in the Atlantic Ocean. Unfit organisms were replaced, and the model self-organized to develop community genomes and transcriptomes. Emergent communities from simulations that were initialized with different cohorts of randomly generated microbes all produced realistic vertical and horizontal ocean nutrient, genome, and transcriptome gradients. Thus, the library of gene functions available to the community, rather than the distribution of functions among specific organisms, drove community assembly and biogeochemical gradients in the model ocean.

The SWAN Scientific Discourse Ontology

PubMed Central

Ciccarese, Paolo; Wu, Elizabeth; Kinoshita, June; Wong, Gwendolyn T.; Ocana, Marco; Ruttenberg, Alan

2015-01-01

SWAN (Semantic Web Application in Neuromedicine) is a project to construct a semantically-organized, community-curated, distributed knowledge base of Theory, Evidence, and Discussion in biomedicine. Unlike Wikipedia and similar approaches, SWAN’s ontology is designed to represent and foreground both harmonizing and contradictory assertions within the total community discourse. Releases of the software, content and ontology will be initially by and for the Alzheimer Disease (AD) research community, with the obvious potential for extension into other disease research areas. The Alzheimer Research Forum, a 4,000-member web community for AD researchers, will host SWAN’s initial public release, currently scheduled for late 2007. This paper presents the current version of SWAN’s ontology of scientific discourse and presents our current thinking about its evolution including extensions and alignment with related communities, projects and ontologies. PMID:18583197

Using Amplicon Sequencing To Characterize and Monitor Bacterial Diversity in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

PubMed Central

Shaw, Jennifer L. A.; Weyrich, Laura S.; Sawade, Emma; Drikas, Mary; Cooper, Alan J.

2015-01-01

Drinking water assessments use a variety of microbial, physical, and chemical indicators to evaluate water treatment efficiency and product water quality. However, these indicators do not allow the complex biological communities, which can adversely impact the performance of drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), to be characterized. Entire bacterial communities can be studied quickly and inexpensively using targeted metagenomic amplicon sequencing. Here, amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene region was performed alongside traditional water quality measures to assess the health, quality, and efficiency of two distinct, full-scale DWDSs: (i) a linear DWDS supplied with unfiltered water subjected to basic disinfection before distribution and (ii) a complex, branching DWDS treated by a four-stage water treatment plant (WTP) prior to disinfection and distribution. In both DWDSs bacterial communities differed significantly after disinfection, demonstrating the effectiveness of both treatment regimes. However, bacterial repopulation occurred further along in the DWDSs, and some end-user samples were more similar to the source water than to the postdisinfection water. Three sample locations appeared to be nitrified, displaying elevated nitrate levels and decreased ammonia levels, and nitrifying bacterial species, such as Nitrospira, were detected. Burkholderiales were abundant in samples containing large amounts of monochloramine, indicating resistance to disinfection. Genera known to contain pathogenic and fecal-associated species were also identified in several locations. From this study, we conclude that metagenomic amplicon sequencing is an informative method to support current compliance-based methods and can be used to reveal bacterial community interactions with the chemical and physical properties of DWDSs. PMID:26162884

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF DRINKING WATER MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: A PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH

EPA Science Inventory

The microbiological quality of drinking water is assessed using culture-based methods that are highly selective and that tend to underestimate the densities and diversity of microbial populations inhabiting distribution systems. In order to better understand the effect of differe...

Comparison of outpatient medically attended and community-level influenza-like illness-New York City, 2013-2015.

PubMed

Russell, Kate E; Fowlkes, Ashley; Stockwell, Melissa S; Vargas, Celibell Y; Saiman, Lisa; Larson, Elaine L; LaRussa, Philip; Di Lonardo, Steve; Popowich, Michael; St George, Kirsten; Steffens, Andrea; Reed, Carrie

2018-05-01

Surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the United States is primarily conducted through medical settings despite a significant burden of non-medically attended ILI. To assess consistency between surveillance for respiratory viruses in outpatient and community settings using ILI surveillance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza Incidence Surveillance Project (IISP) and the Mobile Surveillance for Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) and Influenza-Like Illness in the Community (MoSAIC) Study. The Influenza Incidence Surveillance Project conducts ILI surveillance in 3 primary care clinics in New York City, and MoSAIC conducts community-based ILI/ARI surveillance through text messaging among a cohort of New York City residents. Both systems obtain respiratory specimens from participants with ILI/ARI and test for multiple pathogens. We conducted a retrospective review of ILI cases in IISP and MoSAIC from January 2013 to May 2015 with descriptive analyses of clinical and laboratory data. Five-hundred twelve MoSAIC and 669 IISP participants met an ILI criteria (fever with cough or sore throat) and were included. Forty percent of MoSAIC participants sought care; the majority primary care. Pathogens were detected in 63% of MoSAIC and 70% of IISP cases. The relative distribution of influenza and other respiratory viruses detected was similar; however, there were statistically significant differences in the frequency that were not explained by care seeking. Outpatient and community-based surveillance in the one found similar timing and relative distribution of respiratory viruses, but community surveillance in a single neighborhood may not fully capture the variations in ILI etiology that occur more broadly. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Emergent properties of climate-vegetation feedbacks in the North American Monsoon Macrosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathias, A.; Niu, G.; Zeng, X.

2012-12-01

The ability of ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change and associated disturbances (e.g. wildfires, spread of invasive species) is greatly affected by the stability of feedback interactions between climate and vegetation. In order to study climate-vegetation interactions, such as CO2 and H2O exchange in the North American Monsoon System (NAMS), we plan to couple a community land surface model (NoahMP or CLM) used in regional climate models (WRF) with an individual based, spatially explicit vegetation model (ECOTONE). Individual based modeling makes it possible to link individual plant traits with properties of plant communities. Community properties, such as species composition and species distribution arise from dynamic interactions of individual plants with each other, and with their environment. Plants interact with each other through intra- and interspecific competition for resources (H2O, nitrogen), and the outcome of these interactions depends on the properties of the plant community and the environment itself. In turn, the environment is affected by the resulting change in community structure, which may have an impact on the drivers of climate change. First, we performed sensitivity tests of ECOTONE to assess its ability to reproduce vegetation distribution in the NAMS. We compared the land surface model and ECOTONE with regard to their capability to accurately simulate soil moisture, CO2 flux and above ground biomass. For evaluating the models we used the eddy-correlation sensible and latent heat fluxes, CO2 flux and observations of other climate and environmental variables (e.g. soil temperature and moisture) from the Santa Rita experimental range. The model intercomparison helped us understand the advantages and disadvantages of each model, providing us guidance for coupling the community land surface model (NoahMP or CLM) with ECOTONE.

Species abundance distribution and population dynamics in a two-community model of neutral ecology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallade, M.; Houchmandzadeh, B.

2006-11-01

Explicit formulas for the steady-state distribution of species in two interconnected communities of arbitrary sizes are derived in the framework of Hubbell’s neutral model of biodiversity. Migrations of seeds from both communities as well as mutations in both of them are taken into account. These results generalize those previously obtained for the “island-continent” model and they allow an analysis of the influence of the ratio of the sizes of the two communities on the dominance/diversity equilibrium. Exact expressions for species abundance distributions are deduced from a master equation for the joint probability distribution of species in the two communities. Moreover, an approximate self-consistent solution is derived. It corresponds to a generalization of previous results and it proves to be accurate over a broad range of parameters. The dynamical correlations between the abundances of a species in both communities are also discussed.

Assessing the vulnerability of human and biological communities to changing ecosystem services using a GIS-based multi-criteria decision support tool

USGS Publications Warehouse

Villarreal, Miguel; Norman, Laura M.; Labiosa, William B.

2012-01-01

In this paper we describe an application of a GIS-based multi-criteria decision support web tool that models and evaluates relative changes in ecosystem services to policy and land management decisions. The Santa Cruz Watershed Ecosystem Portfolio (SCWEPM) was designed to provide credible forecasts of responses to ecosystem drivers and stressors and to illustrate the role of land use decisions on spatial and temporal distributions of ecosystem services within a binational (U.S. and Mexico) watershed. We present two SCWEPM sub-models that when analyzed together address bidirectional relationships between social and ecological vulnerability and ecosystem services. The first model employs the Modified Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Index (M-SEVI), which assesses community vulnerability using information from U.S. and Mexico censuses on education, access to resources, migratory status, housing situation, and number of dependents. The second, relating land cover change to biodiversity (provisioning services), models changes in the distribution of terrestrial vertebrate habitat based on multitemporal vegetation and land cover maps, wildlife habitat relationships, and changes in land use/land cover patterns. When assessed concurrently, the models exposed some unexpected relationships between vulnerable communities and ecosystem services provisioning. For instance, the most species-rich habitat type in the watershed, Desert Riparian Forest, increased over time in areas occupied by the most vulnerable populations and declined in areas with less vulnerable populations. This type of information can be used to identify ecological conservation and restoration targets that enhance the livelihoods of people in vulnerable communities and promote biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Pyrosequencing-based assessment of microbial community shifts in leachate from animal carcass burial lysimeter.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun Young; Seo, Jiyoung; Kim, Tae-Hun; Shim, Bomi; Cha, Seok Mun; Yu, Seungho

2017-06-01

This study examined the use of microbial community structure as a bio-indicator of decomposition levels. High-throughput pyrosequencing technology was used to assess the shift in microbial community of leachate from animal carcass lysimeter. The leachate samples were collected monthly for one year and a total of 164,639 pyrosequencing reads were obtained and used in the taxonomic classification and operational taxonomy units (OTUs) distribution analysis based on sequence similarity. Our results show considerable changes in the phylum-level bacterial composition, suggesting that the microbial community is a sensitive parameter affected by the burial environment. The phylum classification results showed that Proteobacteria (Pseudomonas) were the most influential taxa in earlier decomposition stage whereas Firmicutes (Clostridium, Sporanaerobacter, and Peptostreptococcus) were dominant in later stage under anaerobic conditions. The result of this study can provide useful information on a time series of leachate profiles of microbial community structures and suggest patterns of microbial diversity in livestock burial sites. In addition, this result can be applicable to predict the decomposition stages under clay loam based soil conditions of animal livestock. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National Geomagnetism Program: Current Status & Five-Year Plan, 2006-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Love, Jeffrey J.

2006-01-01

Executive Summary: The U.S. Geological Survey's Geomagnetism Program serves the scientific community and the broader public by collecting and distributing magnetometer data from an array of ground-based observatories and by conducting scientific analysis on those data. Preliminary, variational time-series can be collected and distributed in near-real time, while fully calibrated, absolute time-series are distributed after processing. The data are used by the civilian and military parts of the Federal Government, by private industry, and by academia, for a wide variety of purposes of both immediately practical importance and long-term scientific interest, including space-weather diagnosis and related hazard mitigation, mapping of the magnetic field and measurement of its activity, and research on the nature of the Earth's interior and the near-Earth space environment. This document reviews the current status of the Program, in terms of its situation within the Government and within the scientific community; summarizes the Program's operations, its staffing situation, and its facilities; describes the diversity of uses of Program magnetometer data; and presents a plan for the next 5 years for enhancing the Program's data-based services, developing products, and conducting scientific research.

DISTRIBUTED STRUCTURE-SEARCHABLE TOXICITY ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The ability to assess the potential genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, or other toxicity of pharmaceutical or industrial chemicals based on chemical structure information is a highly coveted and shared goal of varied academic, commercial, and government regulatory groups. These diverse interests often employ different approaches and have different criteria and use for toxicity assessments, but they share a need for unrestricted access to existing public toxicity data linked with chemical structure information. Currently, there exists no central repository of toxicity information, commercial or public, that adequately meets the data requirements for flexible analogue searching, SAR model development, or building of chemical relational databases (CRD). The Distributed Structure-Searchable Toxicity (DSSTox) Public Database Network is being proposed as a community-supported, web-based effort to address these shared needs of the SAR and toxicology communities. The DSSTox project has the following major elements: 1) to adopt and encourage the use of a common standard file format (SDF) for public toxicity databases that includes chemical structure, text and property information, and that can easily be imported into available CRD applications; 2) to implement a distributed source approach, managed by a DSSTox Central Website, that will enable decentralized, free public access to structure-toxicity data files, and that will effectively link knowledgeable toxicity data s

Characterisation of the physical composition and microbial community structure of biofilms within a model full-scale drinking water distribution system.

PubMed

Fish, Katherine E; Collins, Richard; Green, Nicola H; Sharpe, Rebecca L; Douterelo, Isabel; Osborn, A Mark; Boxall, Joby B

2015-01-01

Within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), microorganisms form multi-species biofilms on internal pipe surfaces. A matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is produced by the attached community and provides structure and stability for the biofilm. If the EPS adhesive strength deteriorates or is overcome by external shear forces, biofilm is mobilised into the water potentially leading to degradation of water quality. However, little is known about the EPS within DWDS biofilms or how this is influenced by community composition or environmental parameters, because of the complications in obtaining biofilm samples and the difficulties in analysing EPS. Additionally, although biofilms may contain various microbial groups, research commonly focuses solely upon bacteria. This research applies an EPS analysis method based upon fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with digital image analysis (DIA), to concurrently characterize cells and EPS (carbohydrates and proteins) within drinking water biofilms from a full-scale DWDS experimental pipe loop facility with representative hydraulic conditions. Application of the EPS analysis method, alongside DNA fingerprinting of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities, was demonstrated for biofilms sampled from different positions around the pipeline, after 28 days growth within the DWDS experimental facility. The volume of EPS was 4.9 times greater than that of the cells within biofilms, with carbohydrates present as the dominant component. Additionally, the greatest proportion of EPS was located above that of the cells. Fungi and archaea were established as important components of the biofilm community, although bacteria were more diverse. Moreover, biofilms from different positions were similar with respect to community structure and the quantity, composition and three-dimensional distribution of cells and EPS, indicating that active colonisation of the pipe wall is an important driver in material accumulation within the DWDS.

Microscale spatial distribution and health assessment of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at nine communities in Xi'an, China.

PubMed

Xu, Hongmei; Ho, Steven Sai Hang; Gao, Meiling; Cao, Junji; Guinot, Benjamin; Ho, Kin Fai; Long, Xin; Wang, Jingzhi; Shen, Zhenxing; Liu, Suixin; Zheng, Chunli; Zhang, Qian

2016-11-01

Spatial variability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was investigated in Xi'an, China, in summer of 2013. Sixteen priority PAHs were quantified in 24-h integrated air samples collected simultaneously at nine urban and suburban communities. The total quantified PAHs mass concentrations ranged from 32.4 to 104.7 ng m -3 , with an average value of 57.1 ± 23.0 ng m -3 . PAHs were observed higher concentrations at suburban communities (average: 86.3 ng m -3 ) than at urban ones (average: 48.8 ng m -3 ) due to a better enforcement of the pollution control policies at the urban scale, and meanwhile the disorganized management of motor vehicles and massive building constructions in the suburbs. Elevated PAH levels were observed in the industrialized regions (west and northwest of Xi'an) from Kriging interpolation analysis. Satellite-based visual interpretations of land use were also applied for the supporting the spatial distribution of PAHs among the communities. The average benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent toxicity (Σ[BaP] eq ) at the nine communities was 6.9 ± 2.2 ng m -3 during the sampling period, showing a generally similar spatial distribution to PAHs levels. On average, the excess inhalation lifetime cancer risk derived from Σ[BaP] eq indicated that eight persons per million of community residents would develop cancer due to PM 2.5 -bound PAHs exposure in Xi'an. The great in-city spatial variability of PAHs confirmed the importance of multiple points sampling to conduct exposure health risk assessment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterisation of the Physical Composition and Microbial Community Structure of Biofilms within a Model Full-Scale Drinking Water Distribution System

PubMed Central

Fish, Katherine E.; Collins, Richard; Green, Nicola H.; Sharpe, Rebecca L.; Douterelo, Isabel; Osborn, A. Mark; Boxall, Joby B.

2015-01-01

Within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), microorganisms form multi-species biofilms on internal pipe surfaces. A matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is produced by the attached community and provides structure and stability for the biofilm. If the EPS adhesive strength deteriorates or is overcome by external shear forces, biofilm is mobilised into the water potentially leading to degradation of water quality. However, little is known about the EPS within DWDS biofilms or how this is influenced by community composition or environmental parameters, because of the complications in obtaining biofilm samples and the difficulties in analysing EPS. Additionally, although biofilms may contain various microbial groups, research commonly focuses solely upon bacteria. This research applies an EPS analysis method based upon fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with digital image analysis (DIA), to concurrently characterize cells and EPS (carbohydrates and proteins) within drinking water biofilms from a full-scale DWDS experimental pipe loop facility with representative hydraulic conditions. Application of the EPS analysis method, alongside DNA fingerprinting of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities, was demonstrated for biofilms sampled from different positions around the pipeline, after 28 days growth within the DWDS experimental facility. The volume of EPS was 4.9 times greater than that of the cells within biofilms, with carbohydrates present as the dominant component. Additionally, the greatest proportion of EPS was located above that of the cells. Fungi and archaea were established as important components of the biofilm community, although bacteria were more diverse. Moreover, biofilms from different positions were similar with respect to community structure and the quantity, composition and three-dimensional distribution of cells and EPS, indicating that active colonisation of the pipe wall is an important driver in material accumulation within the DWDS. PMID:25706303

Seeing the forest and the trees: multilevel models reveal both species and community patterns

Treesearch

Michelle M. Jackson; Monica G. Turner; Scott M. Pearson; Anthony R. Ives

2012-01-01

Studies designed to understand species distributions and community assemblages typically use separate analytical approaches (e.g., logistic regression and ordination) to model the distribution of individual species and to relate community composition to environmental variation. Multilevel models (MLMs) offer a promising strategy for integrating species and community-...

FODEM: Developing Digital Learning Environments in Widely Dispersed Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suhonen, Jarkko; Sutinen, Erkki

2006-01-01

FODEM (FOrmative DEvelopment Method) is a design method for developing digital learning environments for widely dispersed learning communities. These are communities in which the geographical distribution and density of learners is low when compared to the kind of learning communities in which there is a high distribution and density of learners…

Applying Agile Methods to the Development of a Community-Based Sea Ice Observations Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulsifer, P. L.; Collins, J. A.; Kaufman, M.; Eicken, H.; Parsons, M. A.; Gearheard, S.

2011-12-01

Local and traditional knowledge and community-based monitoring programs are increasingly being recognized as an important part of establishing an Arctic observing network, and understanding Arctic environmental change. The Seasonal Ice Zone Observing Network (SIZONet, http://www.sizonet.org) project has implemented an integrated program for observing seasonal ice in Alaska. Observation and analysis by local sea ice experts helps track seasonal and inter-annual variability of the ice cover and its use by coastal communities. The ELOKA project (http://eloka-arctic.org) is collaborating with SIZONet on the development of a community accessible, Web-based application for collecting and distributing local observations. The SIZONet project is dealing with complicated qualitative and quantitative data collected from a growing number of observers in different communities while concurrently working to design a system that will serve a wide range of different end users including Arctic residents, scientists, educators, and other stakeholders with a need for sea ice information. The benefits of linking and integrating knowledge from communities and university-based researchers are clear, however, development of an information system in this multidisciplinary, multi-participant context is challenging. Participants are geographically distributed, have different levels of technical expertise, and have varying goals for how the system will be used. As previously reported (Pulsifer et al. 2010), new technologies have been used to deal with some of the challenges presented in this complex development context. In this paper, we report on the challenges and innovations related to working as a multi-disciplinary software development team. Specifically, we discuss how Agile software development methods have been used in defining and refining user needs, developing prototypes, and releasing a production level application. We provide an overview of the production application that includes discussion of a hybrid architecture that combines a traditional relational database, schema-less database, advanced free text search, and the preliminary framework for Semantic Web support. The current version of the SIZONet web application is discussed in relation to the high-value features defined as part of the Agile approach. Preliminary feedback indicates a system that meets the needs of multiple user groups.

Disentangling environmental and spatial effects on phylogenetic structure of angiosperm tree communities in China.

PubMed

Qian, Hong; Chen, Shengbin; Zhang, Jin-Long

2017-07-17

Niche-based and neutrality-based theories are two major classes of theories explaining the assembly mechanisms of local communities. Both theories have been frequently used to explain species diversity and composition in local communities but their relative importance remains unclear. Here, we analyzed 57 assemblages of angiosperm trees in 0.1-ha forest plots across China to examine the effects of environmental heterogeneity (relevant to niche-based processes) and spatial contingency (relevant to neutrality-based processes) on phylogenetic structure of angiosperm tree assemblages distributed across a wide range of environment and space. Phylogenetic structure was quantified with six phylogenetic metrics (i.e., phylogenetic diversity, mean pairwise distance, mean nearest taxon distance, and the standardized effect sizes of these three metrics), which emphasize on different depths of evolutionary histories and account for different degrees of species richness effects. Our results showed that the variation in phylogenetic metrics explained independently by environmental variables was on average much greater than that explained independently by spatial structure, and the vast majority of the variation in phylogenetic metrics was explained by spatially structured environmental variables. We conclude that niche-based processes have played a more important role than neutrality-based processes in driving phylogenetic structure of angiosperm tree species in forest communities in China.

Multilevel Drivers of HIV/AIDS among Black Philadelphians: Exploration Using Community Ethnography and Geographic Information Systems

PubMed Central

Brawner, Bridgette M.; Reason, Janaiya L.; Goodman, Bridget A.; Schensul, Jean J.; Guthrie, Barbara

2014-01-01

Background Unequal HIV/AIDS distribution is influenced by certain social and structural contexts that facilitate HIV transmission and concentrate HIV in disease epicenters. Thus, one of the first steps in designing effective community-level HIV/AIDS initiatives is to disentangle the influence of individual, social, and structural factors on HIV risk. Combining ethnographic methodology with geographic information systems (GIS) mapping can allow for a complex exploration of multilevel factors within communities that facilitate HIV transmission in highly affected areas. Objectives We present the formative comparative community-based case study findings of an investigation of individual-, social- , and structural-level factors that contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Black Philadelphians. Methods Communities were defined using census tracts. The methodology included ethnographic and GIS mapping, observation, informal conversations with residents and business owners, and secondary analyses of census tract-level data in four Philadelphia neighborhoods. Results Factors such as overcrowding, disadvantage, permeability in community boundaries, and availability and accessibility of health-related resources varied significantly. Further, HIV/AIDS trended with social and structural inequities above and beyond the community’s racial composition. Discussion This study was a first step to disentangle relationships between community-level factors and potential risk for HIV in an HIV epicenter. The findings also highlight stark sociodemographic differences within and across racial groups, and further substantiate the need for comprehensive, community-level HIV prevention interventions. These findings from targeted United States urban communities have potential applicability for examining the distribution of HIV/AIDS in broader national and international geosocial contexts. PMID:25738621

Vulnerability of fuel distribution systems to hazards in coastal communities : final research report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-30

Coastal communities are vulnerable to disruptions in their fuel distribution networks due to : tropical storms, hurricanes and associated flooding. These disruptions impact communities by : limiting fueling in the days following the storm potentially...

Visibility graph analysis on quarterly macroeconomic series of China based on complex network theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Na; Li, Dong; Wang, Qiwen

2012-12-01

The visibility graph approach and complex network theory provide a new insight into time series analysis. The inheritance of the visibility graph from the original time series was further explored in the paper. We found that degree distributions of visibility graphs extracted from Pseudo Brownian Motion series obtained by the Frequency Domain algorithm exhibit exponential behaviors, in which the exponential exponent is a binomial function of the Hurst index inherited in the time series. Our simulations presented that the quantitative relations between the Hurst indexes and the exponents of degree distribution function are different for different series and the visibility graph inherits some important features of the original time series. Further, we convert some quarterly macroeconomic series including the growth rates of value-added of three industry series and the growth rates of Gross Domestic Product series of China to graphs by the visibility algorithm and explore the topological properties of graphs associated from the four macroeconomic series, namely, the degree distribution and correlations, the clustering coefficient, the average path length, and community structure. Based on complex network analysis we find degree distributions of associated networks from the growth rates of value-added of three industry series are almost exponential and the degree distributions of associated networks from the growth rates of GDP series are scale free. We also discussed the assortativity and disassortativity of the four associated networks as they are related to the evolutionary process of the original macroeconomic series. All the constructed networks have “small-world” features. The community structures of associated networks suggest dynamic changes of the original macroeconomic series. We also detected the relationship among government policy changes, community structures of associated networks and macroeconomic dynamics. We find great influences of government policies in China on the changes of dynamics of GDP and the three industries adjustment. The work in our paper provides a new way to understand the dynamics of economic development.

Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Hydrazine Oxidoreductase (hzo) Gene in the Oxygen Minimum Zone Off Costa Rica

PubMed Central

Kong, Liangliang; Jing, Hongmei; Kataoka, Takafumi; Buchwald, Carolyn; Liu, Hongbin

2013-01-01

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) as an important nitrogen loss pathway has been reported in marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), but the community composition and spatial distribution of anammox bacteria in the eastern tropical North Pacific (ETNP) OMZ are poorly determined. In this study, anammox bacterial communities in the OMZ off Costa Rica (CRD-OMZ) were analyzed based on both hydrazine oxidoreductase (hzo) genes and their transcripts assigned to cluster 1 and 2. The anammox communities revealed by hzo genes and proteins in CRD-OMZ showed a low diversity. Gene quantification results showed that hzo gene abundances peaked in the upper OMZs, associated with the peaks of nitrite concentration. Nitrite and oxygen concentrations may therefore colimit the distribution of anammox bacteria in this area. Furthermore, transcriptional activity of anammox bacteria was confirmed by obtaining abundant hzo mRNA transcripts through qRT-PCR. A novel hzo cluster 2x clade was identified by the phylogenetic analysis and these novel sequences were abundant and widely distributed in this environment. Our study demonstrated that both cluster 1 and 2 anammox bacteria play an active role in the CRD-OMZ, and the cluster 1 abundance and transcriptional activity were higher than cluster 2 in both free-living and particle-attached fractions at both gene and transcriptional levels. PMID:24205176

A qualitative study of nutrition-based initiatives at selected food banks in the feeding America network.

PubMed

Handforth, Becky; Hennink, Monique; Schwartz, Marlene B

2013-03-01

Food banks are the foundation of the US emergency food system. Although their primary mission is to alleviate hunger, the rise in obesity and diet-related diseases among food-insecure individuals has led some food bank personnel to actively promote more nutritious products. A qualitative interview approach was used to assess nutrition-related policies and practices among a sample of 20 food banks from the national Feeding America network. Most food bank personnel reported efforts to provide more fresh produce to their communities. Several described nutrition-profiling systems to evaluate the quality of products. Some food banks had implemented nutrition policies to cease distributing low-nutrient products, such as soda and candy; however, these policies were more controversial than other strategies. The obstacles to implementing strong nutrition policies included fear of reducing the total amount of food distributed, discomfort choosing which foods should not be permitted, and concern about jeopardizing relationships with donors and community partners. Empirical research is needed to measure how food bank nutrition policies influence relationships with food donors, the amount of food distributed, the nutritional quality of food distributed, and the contribution of food bank products to the food security and nutritional status of the communities they serve. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diversity and distribution of archaea community along a stratigraphic permafrost profile from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.

PubMed

Wei, Shiping; Cui, Hongpeng; He, Hao; Hu, Fei; Su, Xin; Zhu, Youhai

2014-01-01

Accompanying the thawing permafrost expected to result from the climate change, microbial decomposition of the massive amounts of frozen organic carbon stored in permafrost is a potential emission source of greenhouse gases, possibly leading to positive feedbacks to the greenhouse effect. In this study, the community composition of archaea in stratigraphic soils from an alpine permafrost of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was investigated. Phylogenic analysis of 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the community was predominantly constituted by Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. The active layer contained a proportion of Crenarchaeota at 51.2%, with the proportion of Euryarchaeota at 48.8%, whereas the permafrost contained 41.2% Crenarchaeota and 58.8% Euryarchaeota, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. OTU1 and OTU11, affiliated to Group 1.3b/MCG-A within Crenarchaeota and the unclassified group within Euryarchaeota, respectively, were widely distributed in all sediment layers. However, OTU5 affiliated to Group 1.3b/MCG-A was primarily distributed in the active layers. Sequence analysis of the DGGE bands from the 16S rRNAs of methanogenic archaea showed that the majority of methanogens belonged to Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales affiliated to Euryarchaeota and the uncultured ZC-I cluster affiliated to Methanosarcinales distributed in all the depths along the permafrost profile, which indicated a dominant group of methanogens occurring in the cold ecosystems.

Diversity and Distribution of Archaea Community along a Stratigraphic Permafrost Profile from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

PubMed Central

Cui, Hongpeng; He, Hao; Hu, Fei; Su, Xin; Zhu, Youhai

2014-01-01

Accompanying the thawing permafrost expected to result from the climate change, microbial decomposition of the massive amounts of frozen organic carbon stored in permafrost is a potential emission source of greenhouse gases, possibly leading to positive feedbacks to the greenhouse effect. In this study, the community composition of archaea in stratigraphic soils from an alpine permafrost of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was investigated. Phylogenic analysis of 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the community was predominantly constituted by Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. The active layer contained a proportion of Crenarchaeota at 51.2%, with the proportion of Euryarchaeota at 48.8%, whereas the permafrost contained 41.2% Crenarchaeota and 58.8% Euryarchaeota, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. OTU1 and OTU11, affiliated to Group 1.3b/MCG-A within Crenarchaeota and the unclassified group within Euryarchaeota, respectively, were widely distributed in all sediment layers. However, OTU5 affiliated to Group 1.3b/MCG-A was primarily distributed in the active layers. Sequence analysis of the DGGE bands from the 16S rRNAs of methanogenic archaea showed that the majority of methanogens belonged to Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales affiliated to Euryarchaeota and the uncultured ZC-I cluster affiliated to Methanosarcinales distributed in all the depths along the permafrost profile, which indicated a dominant group of methanogens occurring in the cold ecosystems. PMID:25525409

Implementation of an evidence-based intervention to promote colorectal cancer screening in community organizations: a cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Maxwell, Annette E; Danao, Leda L; Cayetano, Reggie T; Crespi, Catherine M; Bastani, Roshan

2016-06-01

The implementation of evidence-based strategies to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) screening remains challenging. The aim of this study is to evaluate two strategies to implement an evidence-based intervention to promote CRC screening in Filipino American community organizations. Twenty-two community organizations were randomized to either a basic or enhanced implementation strategy. In both arms, community health advisors recruited participants non-adherent to CRC screening guidelines, conducted educational sessions, distributed print materials and free fecal occult blood test kits, reminded participants to get screened, and mailed letters to participants' providers. In the enhanced arm, leaders of the organizations participated in implementation efforts. While the effectiveness was similar in both arms of the study (screening rate at 6-month follow-up was 53 % in the enhanced arm, 49 % in the basic arm), 223 participants were screened in the enhanced arm versus 122 in the basic arm. The enhanced implementation strategy reached 83 % more participants and achieved a higher public health impact. NCT01351220 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Body size distributions signal a regime shift in a lake ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Communities of organisms, from mammals to microorganisms, have discontinuous distributions of body size. This pattern of size structuring is a conservative trait of community organization and is a product of processes that occur at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we assessed whether body size patterns serve as an indicator of a threshold between alternative regimes. Over the past 7000 years, the biological communities of Foy Lake (Montana,USA) have undergone a major regime shift owing to climate change. We used a palaeoecological record of diatom communities to estimate diatom sizes, and then analysed the discontinuous distribution of organism sizes over time. We used Bayesian classification and regression tree models to determine that all time intervals exhibited aggregations of sizes separated by gaps in the distribution and found a significant change in diatom body size distributions approximately 150 years before the identified ecosystem regime shift. We suggest that discontinuity analysis is a useful addition to the suite of tools for the detection of early warning signals of regime shifts. Communities of organisms from mammals to microorganisms have discontinuous distributions of body size. This pattern of size structuring is a conservative trait of community organization and is a product of processes that occur at discrete spatial and temporal scales within ecosystems. Here, a paleoecological record of diatom community change is use

Social significance of community structure: Statistical view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hui-Jia; Daniels, Jasmine J.

2015-01-01

Community structure analysis is a powerful tool for social networks that can simplify their topological and functional analysis considerably. However, since community detection methods have random factors and real social networks obtained from complex systems always contain error edges, evaluating the significance of a partitioned community structure is an urgent and important question. In this paper, integrating the specific characteristics of real society, we present a framework to analyze the significance of a social community. The dynamics of social interactions are modeled by identifying social leaders and corresponding hierarchical structures. Instead of a direct comparison with the average outcome of a random model, we compute the similarity of a given node with the leader by the number of common neighbors. To determine the membership vector, an efficient community detection algorithm is proposed based on the position of the nodes and their corresponding leaders. Then, using a log-likelihood score, the tightness of the community can be derived. Based on the distribution of community tightness, we establish a connection between p -value theory and network analysis, and then we obtain a significance measure of statistical form . Finally, the framework is applied to both benchmark networks and real social networks. Experimental results show that our work can be used in many fields, such as determining the optimal number of communities, analyzing the social significance of a given community, comparing the performance among various algorithms, etc.

COMPARISON OF LARGE RIVER SAMPLING METHOD USING DIATOM METRICS

EPA Science Inventory

We compared the results of four methods used to assess the algal communities at 60 sites distributed among four rivers. Based on Principle Component Analysis of physical habitat data collected concomitantly with the algal data, sites were separated into those with a mean thalweg...

COMPARISON OF LARGE RIVER SAMPLING METHODS ON ALGAL METRICS

EPA Science Inventory

We compared the results of four methods used to assess the algal communities at 60 sites distributed among four rivers. Based on Principle Component Analysis of physical habitat data collected concomitantly with the algal data, sites were separated into those with a mean thalweg...

Deoxygenation alters bacterial diversity and community composition in the ocean's largest oxygen minimum zone.

PubMed

Beman, J Michael; Carolan, Molly T

2013-01-01

Oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) have a central role in biogeochemical cycles and are expanding as a consequence of climate change, yet how deoxygenation will affect the microbial communities that control these cycles is unclear. Here we sample across dissolved oxygen gradients in the oceans' largest OMZ and show that bacterial richness displays a unimodal pattern with decreasing dissolved oxygen, reaching maximum values on the edge of the OMZ and decreasing within it. Rare groups on the OMZ margin are abundant at lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, including sulphur-cycling Chromatiales, for which 16S rRNA was amplified from extracted RNA. Microbial species distribution models accurately replicate community patterns based on multivariate environmental data, demonstrate likely changes in distributions and diversity in the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean, and highlight the sensitivity of key bacterial groups to deoxygenation. Through these mechanisms, OMZ expansion may alter microbial composition, competition, diversity and function, all of which have implications for biogeochemical cycling in OMZs.

Deoxygenation alters bacterial diversity and community composition in the ocean’s largest oxygen minimum zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beman, J. Michael; Carolan, Molly T.

2013-10-01

Oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) have a central role in biogeochemical cycles and are expanding as a consequence of climate change, yet how deoxygenation will affect the microbial communities that control these cycles is unclear. Here we sample across dissolved oxygen gradients in the oceans’ largest OMZ and show that bacterial richness displays a unimodal pattern with decreasing dissolved oxygen, reaching maximum values on the edge of the OMZ and decreasing within it. Rare groups on the OMZ margin are abundant at lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, including sulphur-cycling Chromatiales, for which 16S rRNA was amplified from extracted RNA. Microbial species distribution models accurately replicate community patterns based on multivariate environmental data, demonstrate likely changes in distributions and diversity in the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean, and highlight the sensitivity of key bacterial groups to deoxygenation. Through these mechanisms, OMZ expansion may alter microbial composition, competition, diversity and function, all of which have implications for biogeochemical cycling in OMZs.

An adaptable product for material processing and life science missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wassick, Gregory; Dobbs, Michael

1995-01-01

The Experiment Control System II (ECS-II) is designed to make available to the microgravity research community the same tools and mode of automated experimentation that their ground-based counterparts have enjoyed for the last two decades. The design goal was accomplished by combining commercial automation tools familiar to the experimenter community with system control components that interface with the on-orbit platform in a distributed architecture. The architecture insulates the tools necessary for managing a payload. By using commercial software and hardware components whenever possible, development costs were greatly reduced when compared to traditional space development projects. Using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components also improved the usability documentation, and reducing the need for training of the system by providing familiar user interfaces, providing a wealth of readily available documentation, and reducing the need for training on system-specific details. The modularity of the distributed architecture makes it very amenable for modification to different on-orbit experiments requiring robotics-based automation.

Advance distribution of misoprostol for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at home births in two districts of Liberia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background A postpartum hemorrhage prevention program to increase uterotonic coverage for home and facility births was introduced in two districts of Liberia. Advance distribution of misoprostol was offered during antenatal care (ANC) and home visits. Feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness of distribution mechanisms and uterotonic coverage were evaluated. Methods Eight facilities were strengthened to provide PPH prevention with oxytocin, PPH management and advance distribution of misoprostol during ANC. Trained traditional midwives (TTMs) as volunteer community health workers (CHWs) provided education to pregnant women, and district reproductive health supervisors (DRHSs) distributed misoprostol during home visits. Data were collected through facility and DRHS registers. Postpartum interviews were conducted with a sample of 550 women who received advance distribution of misoprostol on place of delivery, knowledge, misoprostol use, and satisfaction. Results There were 1826 estimated deliveries during the seven-month implementation period. A total of 980 women (53.7%) were enrolled and provided misoprostol, primarily through ANC (78.2%). Uterotonic coverage rate of all deliveries was 53.5%, based on 97.7% oxytocin use at recorded facility vaginal births and 24.9% misoprostol use at home births. Among 550 women interviewed postpartum, 87.7% of those who received misoprostol and had a home birth took the drug. Sixty-three percent (63.0%) took it at the correct time, and 54.0% experienced at least one minor side effect. No serious adverse events reported among enrolled women. Facility-based deliveries appeared to increase during the program. Conclusions The program was moderately effective at achieving high uterotonic coverage of all births. Coverage of home births was low despite the use of two channels of advance distribution of misoprostol. Although ANC reached a greater proportion of women in late pregnancy than home visits, 46.3% of expected deliveries did not receive education or advance distribution of misoprostol. A revised community-based strategy is needed to increase advance distribution rates and misoprostol coverage rates for home births. Misoprostol for PPH prevention appears acceptable to women in Liberia. Correct timing of misoprostol self-administration needs improved emphasis during counseling and education. PMID:24894566

Advance distribution of misoprostol for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at home births in two districts of Liberia.

PubMed

Smith, Jeffrey Michael; Baawo, Saye Dahn; Subah, Marion; Sirtor-Gbassie, Varwo; Howe, Cuallau Jabbeh; Ishola, Gbenga; Tehoungue, Bentoe Z; Dwivedi, Vikas

2014-06-04

A postpartum hemorrhage prevention program to increase uterotonic coverage for home and facility births was introduced in two districts of Liberia. Advance distribution of misoprostol was offered during antenatal care (ANC) and home visits. Feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness of distribution mechanisms and uterotonic coverage were evaluated. Eight facilities were strengthened to provide PPH prevention with oxytocin, PPH management and advance distribution of misoprostol during ANC. Trained traditional midwives (TTMs) as volunteer community health workers (CHWs) provided education to pregnant women, and district reproductive health supervisors (DRHSs) distributed misoprostol during home visits. Data were collected through facility and DRHS registers. Postpartum interviews were conducted with a sample of 550 women who received advance distribution of misoprostol on place of delivery, knowledge, misoprostol use, and satisfaction. There were 1826 estimated deliveries during the seven-month implementation period. A total of 980 women (53.7%) were enrolled and provided misoprostol, primarily through ANC (78.2%). Uterotonic coverage rate of all deliveries was 53.5%, based on 97.7% oxytocin use at recorded facility vaginal births and 24.9% misoprostol use at home births. Among 550 women interviewed postpartum, 87.7% of those who received misoprostol and had a home birth took the drug. Sixty-three percent (63.0%) took it at the correct time, and 54.0% experienced at least one minor side effect. No serious adverse events reported among enrolled women. Facility-based deliveries appeared to increase during the program. The program was moderately effective at achieving high uterotonic coverage of all births. Coverage of home births was low despite the use of two channels of advance distribution of misoprostol. Although ANC reached a greater proportion of women in late pregnancy than home visits, 46.3% of expected deliveries did not receive education or advance distribution of misoprostol. A revised community-based strategy is needed to increase advance distribution rates and misoprostol coverage rates for home births. Misoprostol for PPH prevention appears acceptable to women in Liberia. Correct timing of misoprostol self-administration needs improved emphasis during counseling and education.

Contrasting the effects of environment, dispersal and biotic interactions to explain the distribution of invasive plants in alpine communities

PubMed Central

GALLIEN, Laure; MAZEL, Florent; LAVERGNE, Sébastien; RENAUD, Julien; DOUZET, Rolland; THUILLER, Wilfried

2015-01-01

Despite considerable efforts devoted to investigate the community assembly processes driving plant invasions, few general conclusions have been drawn so far. Three main processes, generally acting as successive filters, are thought to be of prime importance. The invader has to disperse (1st filter) into a suitable environment (2nd filter) and succeed in establishing in recipient communities through competitive interactions (3rd filter) using two strategies: competition avoidance by the use of different resources (resource opportunity), or competitive exclusion of native species. Surprisingly, despite the general consensus on the importance of investigating these three processes and their interplay, they are usually studied independently. Here we aim to analyse these three filters together, by including them all: abiotic environment, dispersal and biotic interactions, into models of invasive species distributions. We first propose a suite of indices (based on species functional dissimilarities) supposed to reflect the two competitive strategies (resource opportunity and competition exclusion). Then, we use a set of generalised linear models to explain the distribution of seven herbaceous invaders in natural communities (using a large vegetation database for the French Alps containing 5,000 community-plots). Finally, we measure the relative importance of competitive interaction indices, identify the type of coexistence mechanism involved and how this varies along environmental gradients. Adding competition indices significantly improved model’s performance, but neither resource opportunity nor competitive exclusion were common strategies among the seven species. Overall, we show that combining environmental, dispersal and biotic information to model invasions has excellent potential for improving our understanding of invader success. PMID:26290653

Vertical distribution of the soil microbiota along a successional gradient in a glacier forefield.

PubMed

Rime, Thomas; Hartmann, Martin; Brunner, Ivano; Widmer, Franco; Zeyer, Josef; Frey, Beat

2015-03-01

Spatial patterns of microbial communities have been extensively surveyed in well-developed soils, but few studies investigated the vertical distribution of micro-organisms in newly developed soils after glacier retreat. We used 454-pyrosequencing to assess whether bacterial and fungal community structures differed between stages of soil development (SSD) characterized by an increasing vegetation cover from barren (vegetation cover: 0%/age: 10 years), sparsely vegetated (13%/60 years), transient (60%/80 years) to vegetated (95%/110 years) and depths (surface, 5 and 20 cm) along the Damma glacier forefield (Switzerland). The SSD significantly influenced the bacterial and fungal communities. Based on indicator species analyses, metabolically versatile bacteria (e.g. Geobacter) and psychrophilic yeasts (e.g. Mrakia) characterized the barren soils. Vegetated soils with higher C, N and root biomass consisted of bacteria able to degrade complex organic compounds (e.g. Candidatus Solibacter), lignocellulolytic Ascomycota (e.g. Geoglossum) and ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycota (e.g. Laccaria). Soil depth only influenced bacterial and fungal communities in barren and sparsely vegetated soils. These changes were partly due to more silt and higher soil moisture in the surface. In both soil ages, the surface was characterized by OTUs affiliated to Phormidium and Sphingobacteriales. In lower depths, however, bacterial and fungal communities differed between SSD. Lower depths of sparsely vegetated soils consisted of OTUs affiliated to Acidobacteria and Geoglossum, whereas depths of barren soils were characterized by OTUs related to Gemmatimonadetes. Overall, plant establishment drives the soil microbiota along the successional gradient but does not influence the vertical distribution of microbiota in recently deglaciated soils. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An Advanced Professional Pharmacy Experience in a Community Setting Using an Experiential Manual

PubMed Central

Lee, Karen W.; Machado, Matthew R.; Wenzel, Marie M.; Gagnon, James M.; Calomo, Joseph M.

2006-01-01

Objectives To determine the usefulness of a teaching and learning tool used to create structure for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in community pharmacy settings, and to identify differences between respondents' perspectives on the relevance and practicality of implementing specific community pharmacy-related topics during the experience. Design Community practice faculty members designed a manual that outlined a week-by-week schedule of student activities, consistent with the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) outcome-based goals, and included associated teaching, documentation, and assessment tools. The manual was distributed to site preceptors and students. Assessment Eighty-six PharmD students responded to a questionnaire upon completion of their community APPE. Student feedback concerning the impact of the manual relative to interactions with site preceptors and their overall learning experience was relatively positive. Conclusion The manual was an effective teaching and learning tool for students completing a community APPE. PMID:17149421

A trait-based test for habitat filtering: Convex hull volume

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cornwell, W.K.; Schwilk, D.W.; Ackerly, D.D.

2006-01-01

Community assembly theory suggests that two processes affect the distribution of trait values within communities: competition and habitat filtering. Within a local community, competition leads to ecological differentiation of coexisting species, while habitat filtering reduces the spread of trait values, reflecting shared ecological tolerances. Many statistical tests for the effects of competition exist in the literature, but measures of habitat filtering are less well-developed. Here, we present convex hull volume, a construct from computational geometry, which provides an n-dimensional measure of the volume of trait space occupied by species in a community. Combined with ecological null models, this measure offers a useful test for habitat filtering. We use convex hull volume and a null model to analyze California woody-plant trait and community data. Our results show that observed plant communities occupy less trait space than expected from random assembly, a result consistent with habitat filtering. ?? 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.

The four Cs of HIV prevention with African Americans: crisis, condoms, culture, and community.

PubMed

Williams, John K; Wyatt, Gail E; Wingood, Gina

2010-11-01

HIV/AIDS continues to be a devastating epidemic with African American communities carrying the brunt of the impact. Despite extensive biobehavioral research, current strategies have not resulted in significantly decreasing HIV/AIDS cases among African Americans. The next generation of HIV prevention and risk reduction interventions must move beyond basic sex education and condom use and availability. Successful interventions targeting African Americans must optimize strategies that integrate socio-cultural factors and address institutional and historical barriers that hinder or support HIV risk reduction behaviors. Community-based participatory research to decrease the HIV/AIDS disparity by building community capacity and infrastructure and advocating for and distributing equitably, power and resources, must be promoted. Recommendations for paradigm shifts in using innovative theories and conceptual frameworks and for training researchers, clinicians, grant and journal reviewers, and community members are made so that culturally congruent interventions may be tested and implemented at the community level.

Multi-Relational Characterization of Dynamic Social Network Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Ru; Sundaram, Hari; Kelliher, Aisling

The emergence of the mediated social web - a distributed network of participants creating rich media content and engaging in interactive conversations through Internet-based communication technologies - has contributed to the evolution of powerful social, economic and cultural change. Online social network sites and blogs, such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and LiveJournal, thrive due to their fundamental sense of "community". The growth of online communities offers both opportunities and challenges for researchers and practitioners. Participation in online communities has been observed to influence people's behavior in diverse ways ranging from financial decision-making to political choices, suggesting the rich potential for diverse applications. However, although studies on the social web have been extensive, discovering communities from online social media remains challenging, due to the interdisciplinary nature of this subject. In this article, we present our recent work on characterization of communities in online social media using computational approaches grounded on the observations from social science.

Open Source Service Agent (OSSA) in the intelligence community's Open Source Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiene, Bruce F.

1994-01-01

The Community Open Source Program Office (COSPO) has developed an architecture for the intelligence community's new Open Source Information System (OSIS). The architecture is a multi-phased program featuring connectivity, interoperability, and functionality. OSIS is based on a distributed architecture concept. The system is designed to function as a virtual entity. OSIS will be a restricted (non-public), user configured network employing Internet communications. Privacy and authentication will be provided through firewall protection. Connection to OSIS can be made through any server on the Internet or through dial-up modems provided the appropriate firewall authentication system is installed on the client.

Linear triangular optimization technique and pricing scheme in residential energy management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anees, Amir; Hussain, Iqtadar; AlKhaldi, Ali Hussain; Aslam, Muhammad

2018-06-01

This paper presents a new linear optimization algorithm for power scheduling of electric appliances. The proposed system is applied in a smart home community, in which community controller acts as a virtual distribution company for the end consumers. We also present a pricing scheme between community controller and its residential users based on real-time pricing and likely block rates. The results of the proposed optimization algorithm demonstrate that by applying the anticipated technique, not only end users can minimise the consumption cost, but it can also reduce the power peak to an average ratio which will be beneficial for the utilities as well.

Effect of different levels of nitrogen on rhizosphere bacterial community structure in intensive monoculture of greenhouse lettuce.

PubMed

Li, Jian-Gang; Shen, Min-Chong; Hou, Jin-Feng; Li, Ling; Wu, Jun-Xia; Dong, Yuan-Hua

2016-04-28

Pyrosequencing-based analyses revealed significant effects among low (N50), medium (N80), and high (N100) fertilization on community composition involving a long-term monoculture of lettuce in a greenhouse in both summer and winter. The non-fertilized control (CK) treatment was characterized by a higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi; however, the average abundance of Firmicutes typically increased in summer, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes increased in winter in the N-fertilized treatments. Principle component analysis showed that the distribution of the microbial community was separated by a N gradient with N80 and N100 in the same group in the summer samples, while CK and N50 were in the same group in the winter samples, with the other N-level treatments existing independently. Redundancy analysis revealed that available N, NO3(-)-N, and NH4(+)-N, were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of the bacterial community. Correlation analysis showed that nitrogen affected the shifts of microbial communities by strongly driving the shifts of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria in summer samples, and Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria in winter samples. The study demonstrates a novel example of rhizosphere bacterial diversity and the main factors influencing rizosphere microbial community in continuous vegetable cropping within an intensive greenhouse ecosystem.

High Y-chromosomal diversity and low relatedness between paternal lineages on a communal scale in the Western European Low Countries during the surname establishment.

PubMed

Larmuseau, M H D; Boon, N; Vanderheyden, N; Van Geystelen, A; Larmuseau, H F M; Matthys, K; De Clercq, W; Decorte, R

2015-07-01

There is limited knowledge on the biological relatedness between citizens and on the demographical dynamics within villages, towns and cities in pre-17th century Western Europe. By combining Y-chromosomal genotypes, in-depth genealogies and surname data in a strict genetic genealogical approach, it is possible to provide insights into the genetic diversity and the relatedness between indigenous paternal lineages within a particular community at the time of the surname adoption. To obtain these insights, six Flemish communities were selected in this study based on the differences in geography and historical development. After rigorous selection of appropriate DNA donors, low relatedness between Y chromosomes of different surnames was found within each community, although there is co-occurrence of these surnames in each community since the start of the surname adoption between the 14th and 15th century. Next, the high communal diversity in Y-chromosomal lineages was comparable with the regional diversity across Flanders at that time. Moreover, clinal distributions of particular Y-chromosomal lineages between the communities were observed according to the clinal distributions earlier observed across the Flemish regions and Western Europe. No significant indication for genetic differences between communities with distinct historical development was found in the analysis. These genetic results provide relevant information for studies in historical sciences, archaeology, forensic genetics and genealogy.

High Y-chromosomal diversity and low relatedness between paternal lineages on a communal scale in the Western European Low Countries during the surname establishment

PubMed Central

Larmuseau, M H D; Boon, N; Vanderheyden, N; Van Geystelen, A; Larmuseau, H F M; Matthys, K; De Clercq, W; Decorte, R

2015-01-01

There is limited knowledge on the biological relatedness between citizens and on the demographical dynamics within villages, towns and cities in pre-17th century Western Europe. By combining Y-chromosomal genotypes, in-depth genealogies and surname data in a strict genetic genealogical approach, it is possible to provide insights into the genetic diversity and the relatedness between indigenous paternal lineages within a particular community at the time of the surname adoption. To obtain these insights, six Flemish communities were selected in this study based on the differences in geography and historical development. After rigorous selection of appropriate DNA donors, low relatedness between Y chromosomes of different surnames was found within each community, although there is co-occurrence of these surnames in each community since the start of the surname adoption between the 14th and 15th century. Next, the high communal diversity in Y-chromosomal lineages was comparable with the regional diversity across Flanders at that time. Moreover, clinal distributions of particular Y-chromosomal lineages between the communities were observed according to the clinal distributions earlier observed across the Flemish regions and Western Europe. No significant indication for genetic differences between communities with distinct historical development was found in the analysis. These genetic results provide relevant information for studies in historical sciences, archaeology, forensic genetics and genealogy. PMID:25873146

Effect of different levels of nitrogen on rhizosphere bacterial community structure in intensive monoculture of greenhouse lettuce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian-Gang; Shen, Min-Chong; Hou, Jin-Feng; Li, Ling; Wu, Jun-Xia; Dong, Yuan-Hua

2016-04-01

Pyrosequencing-based analyses revealed significant effects among low (N50), medium (N80), and high (N100) fertilization on community composition involving a long-term monoculture of lettuce in a greenhouse in both summer and winter. The non-fertilized control (CK) treatment was characterized by a higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi; however, the average abundance of Firmicutes typically increased in summer, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes increased in winter in the N-fertilized treatments. Principle component analysis showed that the distribution of the microbial community was separated by a N gradient with N80 and N100 in the same group in the summer samples, while CK and N50 were in the same group in the winter samples, with the other N-level treatments existing independently. Redundancy analysis revealed that available N, NO3--N, and NH4+-N, were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of the bacterial community. Correlation analysis showed that nitrogen affected the shifts of microbial communities by strongly driving the shifts of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria in summer samples, and Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria in winter samples. The study demonstrates a novel example of rhizosphere bacterial diversity and the main factors influencing rizosphere microbial community in continuous vegetable cropping within an intensive greenhouse ecosystem.

A national survey of home-based care kits for palliative HIV/AIDS care in South Africa.

PubMed

Mabude, Z A; Beksinska, M E; Ramkissoon, A; Wood, S; Folsom, M

2008-09-01

The objective of this study was to assess home-based care (HBC) kits and programs in South Africa to evaluate the feasibility of scaling up kit production and distribution. South African HBC organizations received structured questionnaires; key informant interviews and a literature review were completed to assess systems for production, distribution and supply of HBC kits. Meetings with stakeholders were held in two Provinces to share and analyze the study findings. The study team distributed questionnaires to 466 organizations and conducted interviews with representatives from 45 organizations, the Provincial Department of Health (DoH) and manufacturers of kits. All identifiable HBC organizations in South Africa were included in the survey. As a result 215 HBC organizations returned questionnaires; including non-governmental organizations (56%), community-based organizations (32%) and organizations affiliated with government health departments. Two types of kits were available: a home kit and a professional kit. The demand for HBC kits exceeded availability, kit contents and availability varied considerably and the supply chain was irregular. Kit production and distribution systems were fragmented. Replenishment of kit items was problematic. End-users are mostly caregivers who have not received adequate training on their use. The study shows that substantial work has been done by HBC organizations in South Africa to respond to the need for palliative care supplies within resource constraints. The growing demand for kits exceeds the supply. There is a need to improve the supply chain management of HBC kits, strengthen referral systems and links between community-based organizations and government departments, expand training opportunities for care givers, and develop monitoring and evaluation systems.

Using Ada to implement the operations management system in a community of experts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, M. S.

1986-01-01

An architecture is described for the Space Station Operations Management System (OMS), consisting of a distributed expert system framework implemented in Ada. The motivation for such a scheme is based on the desire to integrate the very diverse elements of the OMS while taking maximum advantage of knowledge based systems technology. Part of the foundation of an Ada based distributed expert system was accomplished in the form of a proof of concept prototype for the KNOMES project (Knowledge-based Maintenance Expert System). This prototype successfully used concurrently active experts to accomplish monitoring and diagnosis for the Remote Manipulator System. The basic concept of this software architecture is named ACTORS for Ada Cognitive Task ORganization Scheme. It is when one considers the overall problem of integrating all of the OMS elements into a cooperative system that the AI solution stands out. By utilizing a distributed knowledge based system as the framework for OMS, it is possible to integrate those components which need to share information in an intelligent manner.

A novel approach for modelling vegetation distributions and analysing vegetation sensitivity through trait-climate relationships in China

PubMed Central

Yang, Yanzheng; Zhu, Qiuan; Peng, Changhui; Wang, Han; Xue, Wei; Lin, Guanghui; Wen, Zhongming; Chang, Jie; Wang, Meng; Liu, Guobin; Li, Shiqing

2016-01-01

Increasing evidence indicates that current dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) have suffered from insufficient realism and are difficult to improve, particularly because they are built on plant functional type (PFT) schemes. Therefore, new approaches, such as plant trait-based methods, are urgently needed to replace PFT schemes when predicting the distribution of vegetation and investigating vegetation sensitivity. As an important direction towards constructing next-generation DGVMs based on plant functional traits, we propose a novel approach for modelling vegetation distributions and analysing vegetation sensitivity through trait-climate relationships in China. The results demonstrated that a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) trained with a LMA-Nmass-LAI data combination yielded an accuracy of 72.82% in simulating vegetation distribution, providing more detailed parameter information regarding community structures and ecosystem functions. The new approach also performed well in analyses of vegetation sensitivity to different climatic scenarios. Although the trait-climate relationship is not the only candidate useful for predicting vegetation distributions and analysing climatic sensitivity, it sheds new light on the development of next-generation trait-based DGVMs. PMID:27052108

Distributed network management in the flat structured mobile communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balandina, Elena

2005-10-01

Delivering proper management into the flat structured mobile communities is crucial for improving users experience and increase applications diversity in mobile networks. The available P2P applications do application-centric management, but it cannot replace network-wide management, especially when a number of different applications are used simultaneously in the network. The network-wide management is the key element required for a smooth transition from standalone P2P applications to the self-organizing mobile communities that maintain various services with quality and security guaranties. The classical centralized network management solutions are not applicable in the flat structured mobile communities due to the decentralized nature and high mobility of the underlying networks. Also the basic network management tasks have to be revised taking into account specialties of the flat structured mobile communities. The network performance management becomes more dependent on the current nodes' context, which also requires extension of the configuration management functionality. The fault management has to take into account high mobility of the network nodes. The performance and accounting managements are mainly targeted in maintain an efficient and fair access to the resources within the community, however they also allow unbalanced resource use of the nodes that explicitly permit it, e.g. as a voluntary donation to the community or due to the profession (commercial) reasons. The security management must implement the new trust models, which are based on the community feedback, professional authorization, and a mix of both. For fulfilling these and another specialties of the flat structured mobile communities, a new network management solution is demanded. The paper presents a distributed network management solution for flat structured mobile communities. Also the paper points out possible network management roles for the different parties (e.g. operators, service providing hubs/super nodes, etc.) involved in a service providing chain.

Biogeographical distribution of Rimicaris exoculata resident gut epibiont communities along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vent sites.

PubMed

Durand, Lucile; Roumagnac, Marie; Cueff-Gauchard, Valérie; Jan, Cyrielle; Guri, Mathieu; Tessier, Claire; Haond, Marine; Crassous, Philippe; Zbinden, Magali; Arnaud-Haond, Sophie; Cambon-Bonavita, Marie-Anne

2015-10-01

Rimicaris exoculata is a deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp whose enlarged gill chamber houses a complex trophic epibiotic community. Its gut harbours an autochthonous and distinct microbial community. This species dominates hydrothermal ecosystem megafauna along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, regardless of contrasting geochemical conditions prevailing in them. Here, the resident gut epibiont community at four contrasted hydrothermal vent sites (Rainbow, TAG, Logatchev and Ashadze) was analysed and compiled with previous data to evaluate the possible influence of site location, using 16S rRNA surveys and microscopic observations (transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses). Filamentous epibionts inserted between the epithelial cell microvilli were observed on all examined samples. Results confirmed resident gut community affiliation to Deferribacteres, Mollicutes, Epsilonproteobacteria and to a lesser extent Gammaproteobacteria lineages. Still a single Deferribacteres phylotype was retrieved at all sites. Four Mollicutes-related operational taxonomic units were distinguished, one being only identified on Rainbow specimens. The topology of ribotype median-joining networks illustrated a community diversification possibly following demographic expansions, suggesting a more ancient evolutionary history and/or a larger effective population size at Rainbow. Finally, the gill chamber community distribution was also analysed through ribotype networks based on sequences from R. exoculata collected at the Rainbow, Snake Pit, TAG, Logatchev and Ashadze sites. Results allow the refining of hypotheses on the epibiont role and transmission pathways. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Acceptability of the community-level provision of Sayana® Press by medical and nursing students in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

PubMed

Bertrand, Jane T; Makani, Paul Bukutuvwidi; Hernandez, Julie; Akilimali, Pierre; Mukengeshayi, Bitshi; Babazadeh, Saleh; Binanga, Arsene

2017-09-01

The objectives were to assess acceptors' attitudes toward Sayana® Press as a method and toward the mechanism of community-based distribution by medical and nursing (M/N) students, known locally as "DBCs," in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to evaluate the experience of these DBCs. In 2015, surveys were conducted among (1) acceptors of Sayana® Press on the day of the initial injection, (2) these same acceptors 3 months later and (3) the DBCs providing community-based services. The analysis was descriptive and involved no significance testing. Acceptors of Sayana® Press expressed high levels of satisfaction with the method, despite some pain experienced at injection and subsequent side effects. Although most were satisfied with the counseling and services received from the DBCs, less than one third realized that the providers were M/N students. The DBCs expressed satisfaction in serving as community-based distributors; more than 95% would recommend it to others. Their primary complaints were lack of remuneration, stockouts and need for greater supervision. Consistent with results from previous pilot introductions of Sayana® Press in three African countries, clients were highly satisfied with Sayana® Press as a method. The reported preference for resupply at health centers may reflect a lack of client awareness that the DBCs administering methods near the health center were not in fact staff from the health center. The pilot served to gain acceptance for the use of M/N students in community-based distribution, paving the way for additional task-shifting pilots in Kinshasa. Sayana® Press represents a promising new method for increasing access to modern contraception in low-income countries. The Kinshasa experience is the first to test the use of medical and nursing students as providers at the community level. The study reports high levels of satisfaction on three counts: acceptors of the contraceptive method, acceptors of the mode of service delivery, and DBCs in their role as providers of contraception at the community level. However, many clients were not aware that the DBCs were students. The study represents an important contribution to the literature on task-shifting, especially in a country with chronic shortages of healthcare personnel. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in the Spatial Distribution of Elementary Schools and Their Impact on Rural Communities in Czechia in the Second Half of the 20th Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kucerova, Silvie; Kucera, Zdenek

2012-01-01

This article addresses the changes in the spatial distribution of elementary schools in Czechia in the second half of the 20th century and the consequences of these changes on the functioning of rural communities. The spatial distribution of elementary schools, the shape of their catchment areas, and the regional and local communities connected…

Bacterial communities in the collection and chlorinated distribution sections of a drinking water system in Budapest, Hungary.

PubMed

Homonnay, Zalán G; Török, György; Makk, Judit; Brumbauer, Anikó; Major, Eva; Márialigeti, Károly; Tóth, Erika

2014-07-01

Bacterial communities of a bank-filtered drinking water system were investigated by aerobic cultivation and clone library analysis. Moreover, bacterial communities were compared using sequence-aided terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprinting at ten characteristic points located at both the collecting and the distributing part of the water supply system. Chemical characteristics of the samples were similar, except for the presence of chlorine residuals in the distribution system and increased total iron concentration in two of the samples. Assimilable organic carbon (AOC) concentration increased within the collection system, it was reduced by chlorination and it increased again in the distribution system. Neither fecal indicators nor pathogens were detected by standard cultivation techniques. Chlorination reduced bacterial diversity and heterotrophic plate counts. Community structures were found to be significantly different before and after chlorination: the diverse communities in wells and the collection system were dominated by chemolithotrophic (e.g., Gallionella and Nitrospira) and oligocarbophilic-heterotrophic bacteria (e.g., Sphingomonas, Sphingopyxis, and Bradyrhizobium). After chlorination in the distribution system, the most characteristic bacterium was related to the facultative methylotrophic Methylocella spp. Communities changed within the distribution system too, Mycobacterium spp. or Sphingopyxis spp. became predominant in certain samples. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mapping the distribution of the denitrifier community at large scales (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philippot, L.; Bru, D.; Ramette, A.; Dequiedt, S.; Ranjard, L.; Jolivet, C.; Arrouays, D.

2010-12-01

Little information is available regarding the landscape-scale distribution of microbial communities and its environmental determinants. Here we combined molecular approaches and geostatistical modeling to explore spatial patterns of the denitrifying community at large scales. The distribution of denitrifrying community was investigated over 107 sites in Burgundy, a 31 500 km2 region of France, using a 16 X 16 km sampling grid. At each sampling site, the abundances of denitrifiers and 42 soil physico-chemical properties were measured. The relative contributions of land use, spatial distance, climatic conditions, time and soil physico-chemical properties to the denitrifier spatial distribution were analyzed by canonical variation partitioning. Our results indicate that 43% to 85% of the spatial variation in community abundances could be explained by the measured environmental parameters, with soil chemical properties (mostly pH) being the main driver. We found spatial autocorrelation up to 740 km and used geostatistical modelling to generate predictive maps of the distribution of denitrifiers at the landscape scale. Studying the distribution of the denitrifiers at large scale can help closing the artificial gap between the investigation of microbial processes and microbial community ecology, therefore facilitating our understanding of the relationships between the ecology of denitrifiers and N-fluxes by denitrification.

Exposure to community violence and self-harm in California: A multi-level, population-based, case-control study.

PubMed

Matthay, Ellicott C; Farkas, Kriszta; Skeem, Jennifer; Ahern, Jennifer

2018-06-07

Self-harm is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Exposure to community violence is an important and potentially modifiable feature of the social environment that may affect self-harm, but studies to date are limited in the samples and outcomes examined. We conducted a population-based, nested case-control study. Cases were all deaths and hospital visits due to self-harm in California, 2006-2013. We frequency-matched California resident population-based controls from the American Community Survey to cases on age, gender, race/ethnicity, and year of survey/injury. We assessed past-year community violence using deaths and hospital visits due to interpersonal violence in the community of residence. We estimated risk-difference parameters that were defined to avoid extrapolation and to capture associations between changes in the distribution of community violence and the population-level risk of self-harm. After adjustment for confounders, setting past-year community violence to the lowest monthly levels observed within each community over the study period was associated with a 30.1 (95% CI: 29.6 to 30.5) per 100,000 persons per year lower risk of nonfatal self-harm, but no difference in the risk of fatal self-harm. Associations for a parameter corresponding to a hypothetical violence prevention intervention targeting high-violence communities indicated a 5% decrease in self-harm at the population level. In sensitivity analyses, results were robust. This study strengthens evidence on the relationship between community violence and self-harm. Future research should investigate reasons for differential associations by age and gender and whether community violence prevention programs have meaningful impacts on self-harm.

Network-based landscape of research strengths of universities in Mainland China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zihua; Xiao, Qin; Zhan, Qian; Gu, Changgui; Yang, Huijie

2017-07-01

A landscape of a complex system presents a quantitative measure of its global state. The profile of research strength in Mainland China is investigated in detail, by which we illustrate a complex network based framework to extract a landscape from detailed records. First, a measure analogous to the Jaccard similarity is proposed to calculate from the presided funds similarities between the top-ranked universities. The neighbor threshold method is employed to reconstruct the similarity network of the universities. Second, the network is divided into communities. In each community the node with the largest degree and the smallest average shortest path length is taken as the representative of the community, called central node. The node bridging each pair of communities is defined to be a boundary. The central nodes and boundaries cooperatively give us a picture of the research strength landscape. Third, the evolutionary behavior is monitored by the fission and fusion probability matrices, elements of which are the percentage of a community at present time that joins into every community at the next time, and the percentage of a community at next time that comes from every present community, respectively. The landscapes in three successive 4-year durations are identified. It was found that some types of universities, such as the medicine&pharmacy and the finance&economy, conserve in single communities in the more than ten years, respectively. The agriculture&forest universities tend to cluster into one community. Meanwhile the engineering type distributes in different communities and tends to mix with the comprehension type. This framework can be used straightforwardly to analyze temporal networks. It provides also a new network-based method for multivariate time series analysis.

The Visibility of Illicit Drugs: Implications for Community-Based Drug Control Strategies

PubMed Central

Saxe, Leonard; Kadushin, Charles; Beveridge, Andrew; Livert, David; Tighe, Elizabeth; Rindskopf, David; Ford, Julie; Brodsky, Archie

2001-01-01

Objectives. This study examined differences between the visibility of drugs and drug use in more than 2100 neighborhoods, challenging an assumption about drug use in poor, minority, and urban communities. Methods. A telephone survey assessed substance use and attitudes across 41 communities in an evaluation of a national community-based demand reduction program. Three waves of data were collected from more than 42 000 respondents. Results. Measures of neighborhood disadvantage, population density, and proportion of minority residents explained more than 57% of the variance between census tracts in visibility of drug sales but less than 10% of tract-to-tract variance in drug use. Visible drug sales were 6.3 times more likely to be reported in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods than in the least disadvantaged, while illicit drug use was only 1.3 times more likely. Conclusions. The most disadvantaged neighborhoods have the most visible drug problems, but drug use is nearly equally distributed across all communities. Thus, efforts to address drug-related problems in poorer areas need to take into account the broader drug market served by these neighborhoods. PMID:11726381

Phylogenetic overdispersion of plant species in southern Brazilian savannas.

PubMed

Silva, I A; Batalha, M A

2009-08-01

Ecological communities are the result of not only present ecological processes, such as competition among species and environmental filtering, but also past and continuing evolutionary processes. Based on these assumptions, we may infer mechanisms of contemporary coexistence from the phylogenetic relationships of the species in a community. We studied the phylogenetic structure of plant communities in four cerrado sites, in southeastern Brazil. We calculated two raw phylogenetic distances among the species sampled. We estimated the phylogenetic structure by comparing the observed phylogenetic distances to the distribution of phylogenetic distances in null communities. We obtained null communities by randomizing the phylogenetic relationships of the regional pool of species. We found a phylogenetic overdispersion of the cerrado species. Phylogenetic overdispersion has several explanations, depending on the phylogenetic history of traits and contemporary ecological interactions. However, based on coexistence models between grasses and trees, density-dependent ecological forces, and the evolutionary history of the cerrado flora, we argue that the phylogenetic overdispersion of cerrado species is predominantly due to competitive interactions, herbivores and pathogen attacks, and ecological speciation. Future studies will need to include information on the phylogenetic history of plant traits.

Community structure and scale-free collections of Erdős-Rényi graphs.

PubMed

Seshadhri, C; Kolda, Tamara G; Pinar, Ali

2012-05-01

Community structure plays a significant role in the analysis of social networks and similar graphs, yet this structure is little understood and not well captured by most models. We formally define a community to be a subgraph that is internally highly connected and has no deeper substructure. We use tools of combinatorics to show that any such community must contain a dense Erdős-Rényi (ER) subgraph. Based on mathematical arguments, we hypothesize that any graph with a heavy-tailed degree distribution and community structure must contain a scale-free collection of dense ER subgraphs. These theoretical observations corroborate well with empirical evidence. From this, we propose the Block Two-Level Erdős-Rényi (BTER) model, and demonstrate that it accurately captures the observable properties of many real-world social networks.

[Rank distributions in community ecology from the statistical viewpoint].

PubMed

Maksimov, V N

2004-01-01

Traditional statistical methods for definition of empirical functions of abundance distribution (population, biomass, production, etc.) of species in a community are applicable for processing of multivariate data contained in the above quantitative indices of the communities. In particular, evaluation of moments of distribution suffices for convolution of the data contained in a list of species and their abundance. At the same time, the species should be ranked in the list in ascending rather than descending population and the distribution models should be analyzed on the basis of the data on abundant species only.

An examination of the factors affecting people's participation in future health examinations based on community health exam interventions.

PubMed

Tu, Shih-Kai; Liao, Hung-En

2014-01-01

Community-based intervention health examinations were implemented at a health care facility to comply with the government's primary health care promotion policy. The theory of planned behavior model was applied to examine the effect that community-based health examinations had on people's health concepts regarding seeking future health examinations. The research participants were individuals who had received a health examination provided at two branches of a hospital in central Taiwan in 2012. The hospital's two branches held a total of 14 free community-based health examination sessions. The hospital provided health examination equipment and staff to perform health examinations during public holidays. We conducted an exploratory questionnaire survey to collect data and implemented cross-sectional research based on anonymous self-ratings to examine the public's intention to receive future community-based or hospital-based health examinations. Including of 807 valid questionnaires, accounting for 89.4% of the total number of questionnaires distributed. The correlation coefficients of the second-order structural model indicate that attitudes positively predict behavioral intentions (γ = .66, p < .05), and subjective norms also positively predict behavioral intentions (γ = .66, p < .01). By contrast, perceived behavioral control has no significant relationship with behavioral intentions (γ = -.71, p > .05). The results of the first-order structural model indicated that the second-order constructs had a high explanatory power for the first-order constructs. People's health concepts regarding health examinations and their desire to continue receiving health examinations must be considered when promoting health examinations in the community. Regarding hospital management and the government's implementation of primary health care, health examination services should address people's medical needs to increase coverage and participation rates and reduce the waste of medical resources.

Challenges in Services to the South Pacific Region for International Nongovernmental Organizations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holdsworth, J. K.; Winkley, B.

1990-01-01

Establishing community-based rehabilitation projects for visually impaired populations in developing countries in the South Pacific presents challenges in communication, logistics, security, and other factors. Program development must consider differences in geography, population distribution, resources, cultural and religious values, and needs.…

Preparing Preservice Educators to Teach Critical, Place-Based Literacies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Anna

2018-01-01

Secondary education means helping students develop a diverse repertoire of literacy skills, but the focus has been on disciplinary and digital literacies practiced by geographically distributed communities (an international, middle class curriculum) rather than on practices associated with orality, the trades, and minority, immigrant, and…

The online community based decision making support system for mitigating biased decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Sunghyun; Seo, Jiwan; Choi, Seungjin; Kim, Junho; Han, Sangyong

2016-10-01

As the Internet technology and social media advance, various information and opinions are shared and distributed through the online communities. However, the existence of implicit and explicit bias of opinions may have a potential influence on the outcomes. Compared to the importance of mitigating biased information, the study in this field is relatively young and does not address many important issues. In this paper we propose the noble approach to mitigate the biased opinions using conventional machine learning methods. The proposed method extracts the useful features such as inclination and sentiment of the community members. They are classified based on their previous behavior, and the propensity of the members is understood. This information on each community and its members is very useful and improve the ability to make an unbiased decision. The proposed method presented in this paper is shown to have the ability to assist optimal, fair and good decision making while also reducing the influence of implicit bias.

Vertical Distribution of Bacterial Communities in the Indian Ocean as Revealed by Analyses of 16S rRNA and nasA Genes.

PubMed

Jiang, Xuexia; Jiao, Nianzhi

2016-09-01

Bacteria play an important role in the marine biogeochemical cycles. However, research on the bacterial community structure of the Indian Ocean is scarce, particularly within the vertical dimension. In this study, we investigated the bacterial diversity of the pelagic, mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones of the southwestern Indian Ocean (50.46°E, 37.71°S). The clone libraries constructed by 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that most phylotypes retrieved from the Indian Ocean were highly divergent from those retrieved from other oceans. Vertical differences were observed based on the analysis of natural bacterial community populations derived from the 16S rRNA gene sequences. Based on the analysis of the nasA gene sequences from GenBank database, a pair of general primers was developed and used to amplify the bacterial nitrate-assimilating populations. Environmental factors play an important role in mediating the bacterial communities in the Indian Ocean revealed by canonical correlation analysis.

Long-term changes of tree species composition and distribution in Korean mountain forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Boknam; Lee, Hoontaek; Cho, Sunhee; Yoon, Jongguk; Park, Jongyoung; Kim, Hyun Seok

2017-04-01

Long-term changes in the abundance and distribution of tree species in the temperate forests of South Korea remain poorly understood. We investigated how tree species composition and stand distribution change across temperate mountainous forests using the species composition and DBH size collected over the past 15 years (1998-2012) across 130 permanent forest plots of 0.1 ha in Jiri and Baegun mountains in South Korea. The overall net change of tree communities over the years showed positive in terms of stand density, richness, diversity, and evenness. At the species level, the change of relative species composition has been led by intermediate and shade-tolerant species, such as Quercus mongolica, Carpinus laxiflora, Quercus serrate, Quercus variabilis, Styrax japonicus, Lindera erythrocarpa, and Pinus densiflora and was categorized into five species communities, representing gradual increase or decrease, establishment, extinction, fluctuation of species population. At the community level, the change in species composition appeared to have consistent and directional patterns of increase in the annual rate of change in the mean species traits including species density, pole growth rate, adult growth rate, and adult stature. Based on the additive models, the distribution of species diversity was significantly related to topographical variables including elevation, latitude, longitude, slope, topographic wetness index, and curvature where elevation was the most significant driver, followed by latitude and longitude. However, the change in distribution of species diversity was only significantly influenced by latitude and longitude. This is the first study to reveal the long-term dynamics of change in tree species composition and distribution, which are important to broaden our understanding of temperate mountainous forest ecosystem in South Korea.

[Biomass distribution patterns of Alnus hirsuta and Betula platyphylla-swamp ecotone communities in Changbai Mountains].

PubMed

Mu, Changcheng; Wan, Shucheng; Su, Ping; Song, Hongwen; Sun, Zhihu

2004-12-01

In order to reveal the growth patterns of dominant tree species and the distribution patterns of community biomass along the horizontal environmental gradients or among the vertical layers of communities in Changbai Mountains, this paper studied the biomass distribution patterns of Alnus hirsuta-swamp and Betula platyphylla-swamp ecotone communities. The results showed that there were some differences in growth rate and in adaptability to habitats between A. hirsuta and B. platyphylla. In the wetland habitats of the ecotone, A. hirsuta grew 1-2 times faster than B. platyphylla, but along the gradient from swamp to forest, it grew slowly, while B. platyphylla grew fast. Therefore, A. hirsuta was a favorite tree species in wetland habitats. The distribution pattern of organ biomass was similar between A. hirsute and B. platyphylla, the trunk being 1/2, tree root 1/4, branch 1/10, bark 1.5/20, and leaf 1/20. The vertical distribution pattern of biomass was also similar between A. hirsute-swamp and B. platyphylla-swamp ecotone communities, the tree, shrub, and herbage layer accounted for 87%-90%, 7%-9%, and 2%-3%, respectively in the whole ecotone communities. The community biomass increased linearly from swamp to forest with the change of environment factors.

Earthworm abundance and distribution pattern in contrasting plant communities within a tropical wet forest in Puerto Rico

Treesearch

G. Gonzalez; X. Zou; A. Sabat; N. Fetcher

1999-01-01

Plant communities may impose strong control on soil fauna properties. We examined the abundance and distribution pattern of earthworms in two contrasting plant communities within a tropical wet forest in Puerto Rico. The Dacryodes community occurs in well-drained soils and is dominated by Dacryodes excels, Manilkara bidentata, Guarea guidonea, and Sloanea berteriana....

Recent warming leads to a rapid borealization of fish communities in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fossheim, Maria; Primicerio, Raul; Johannesen, Edda; Ingvaldsen, Randi B.; Aschan, Michaela M.; Dolgov, Andrey V.

2015-07-01

Arctic marine ecosystems are warming twice as fast as the global average. As a consequence of warming, many incoming species experience increasing abundances and expanding distribution ranges in the Arctic. The Arctic is expected to have the largest species turnover with regard to invading and locally extinct species, with a modelled invasion intensity of five times the global average. Studies in this region might therefore give valuable insights into community-wide shifts of species driven by climate warming. We found that the recent warming in the Barents Sea has led to a change in spatial distribution of fish communities, with boreal communities expanding northwards at a pace reflecting the local climate velocities. Increased abundance and distribution areas of large, migratory fish predators explain the observed community-wide distributional shifts. These shifts change the ecological interactions experienced by Arctic fish species. The Arctic shelf fish community retracted northwards to deeper areas bordering the deep polar basin. Depth might limit further retraction of some of the fish species in the Arctic shelf community. We conclude that climate warming is inducing structural change over large spatial scales at high latitudes, leading to a borealization of fish communities in the Arctic.

SSU rDNA sequence diversity and seasonally differentiated distribution of nanoplanktonic ciliates in neritic Bohai and Yellow Seas as revealed by T-RFLP.

PubMed

Dong, Jun; Shi, Fei; Li, Han; Zhang, Xiaoming; Hu, Xiaozhong; Gong, Jun

2014-01-01

Nanociliates have been frequently found to be important players in the marine microbial loop, however, little is known about their diversity and distribution in coastal ecosystems. We investigated the molecular diversity and distribution patterns of nanoplanktonic oligotrich and choreotrich (OC) ciliates in surface water of three neritic basins of northern China, the South Yellow Sea (SYS), North Yellow Sea (NYS), and Bohai Sea (BS) in June and November 2011. SSU rRNA gene clone libraries generated from three summertime samples (sites B38, B4 and H8) were analyzed and revealed a large novel ribotype diversity, of which many were low-abundant phylotypes belonging to the subclass Oligotrichia, but divergent from described morphospecies. Based on the data of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of all 35 samples, we found that the T-RF richness was generally higher in the SYS than in the BS, and negatively correlated with the molar ratio of P to Si. Overall, multidimensional scaling and permutational multivariate analysis of variance of the community turnover demonstrated a distinct seasonal pattern but no basin-to-basin differentiation across all samples. Nevertheless, significant community differences among basins were recognized in the winter dataset. Mantel tests showed that the environmental factors, P:Si ratio, water temperature and concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO), determined the community across all samples. However, both biogeographic distance and environment shaped the community in winter, with DO being the most important physicochemical factor. Our results indicate that the stoichiometric ratio of P:Si is a key factor, through which the phytoplankton community may be shaped, resulting in a cascade effect on the diversity and community composition of OC nanociliates in the N-rich, Si-limited coastal surface waters, and that the Yellow Sea Warm Current drives the nanociliate community, and possibly the microbial food webs, in the coastal ecosystem in winter.

Entropy-based heavy tailed distribution transformation and visual analytics for monitoring massive network traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Keesook J.; Hodge, Matthew; Ross, Virginia W.

2011-06-01

For monitoring network traffic, there is an enormous cost in collecting, storing, and analyzing network traffic datasets. Data mining based network traffic analysis has a growing interest in the cyber security community, but is computationally expensive for finding correlations between attributes in massive network traffic datasets. To lower the cost and reduce computational complexity, it is desirable to perform feasible statistical processing on effective reduced datasets instead of on the original full datasets. Because of the dynamic behavior of network traffic, traffic traces exhibit mixtures of heavy tailed statistical distributions or overdispersion. Heavy tailed network traffic characterization and visualization are important and essential tasks to measure network performance for the Quality of Services. However, heavy tailed distributions are limited in their ability to characterize real-time network traffic due to the difficulty of parameter estimation. The Entropy-Based Heavy Tailed Distribution Transformation (EHTDT) was developed to convert the heavy tailed distribution into a transformed distribution to find the linear approximation. The EHTDT linearization has the advantage of being amenable to characterize and aggregate overdispersion of network traffic in realtime. Results of applying the EHTDT for innovative visual analytics to real network traffic data are presented.

Bryophyte communities as biomonitors of environmental factors in the Goujiang karst bauxite, southwestern China.

PubMed

Wang, Shiqiang; Zhang, Zhaohui; Wang, Zhihui

2015-12-15

Bauxite mining on karst results in several ecological and environmental issues including heavy metal pollution, soil erosion and the destruction of vegetation. In turn, these may affect the distribution of plant communities and endanger human health. In general, bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are pioneer plants, lacking roots, vascular systems and well-developed cuticles. Due to their high sensitivity to the environment, they are often used to monitor air and soil pollution. A total of 25 bryophyte taxa from 19 genera and 9 families were recorded on Goujiang karst bauxite near the city of Zunyi in the Guizhou Province of southwestern China. Eleven principal bryophyte communities were identified, most of which consisted of only one species (monospecific assemblage), although the proportion of these single-species communities differed at the six locations. The levels of heavy metals also differed in soil from the six locations: iron, 8748.9-10,023μg/g; zinc, 146.7-240.9μg/g; copper, 24.6-60.4μg/g; and nickel, 35.6-95.1μg/g. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the bryophyte communities and environmental variables revealed the effect of gradient (slope), altitude and heavy metals in the soil on the distribution of the principal bryophyte communities. More than 36% of bryophyte taxa identified reproduced asexually by gemmae, as gemmiferous bryophyte communities tolerate substrates with high levels of heavy metals more readily than non-gemmiferous communities do. The distribution of heavy metals in the soil is reflected in the distribution of the bryophyte communities. The distribution characteristics of the principal bryophyte communities and of the gemmiferous bryophyte communities are useful in monitoring heavy metal pollution in karst bauxite. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distributed HUC-based modeling with SUMMA for ensemble streamflow forecasting over large regional domains.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharia, M.; Wood, A.; Clark, M. P.; Bennett, A.; Nijssen, B.; Clark, E.; Newman, A. J.

2017-12-01

Most operational streamflow forecasting systems rely on a forecaster-in-the-loop approach in which some parts of the forecast workflow require an experienced human forecaster. But this approach faces challenges surrounding process reproducibility, hindcasting capability, and extension to large domains. The operational hydrologic community is increasingly moving towards `over-the-loop' (completely automated) large-domain simulations yet recent developments indicate a widespread lack of community knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of such systems for forecasting. A realistic representation of land surface hydrologic processes is a critical element for improving forecasts, but often comes at the substantial cost of forecast system agility and efficiency. While popular grid-based models support the distributed representation of land surface processes, intermediate-scale Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC)-based modeling could provide a more efficient and process-aligned spatial discretization, reducing the need for tradeoffs between model complexity and critical forecasting requirements such as ensemble methods and comprehensive model calibration. The National Center for Atmospheric Research is collaborating with the University of Washington, the Bureau of Reclamation and the USACE to implement, assess, and demonstrate real-time, over-the-loop distributed streamflow forecasting for several large western US river basins and regions. In this presentation, we present early results from short to medium range hydrologic and streamflow forecasts for the Pacific Northwest (PNW). We employ a real-time 1/16th degree daily ensemble model forcings as well as downscaled Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) meteorological forecasts. These datasets drive an intermediate-scale configuration of the Structure for Unifying Multiple Modeling Alternatives (SUMMA) model, which represents the PNW using over 11,700 HUCs. The system produces not only streamflow forecasts (using the MizuRoute channel routing tool) but also distributed model states such as soil moisture and snow water equivalent. We also describe challenges in distributed model-based forecasting, including the application and early results of real-time hydrologic data assimilation.

Large-scale variation in subsurface stream biofilms: a cross-regional comparison of metabolic function and community similarity.

PubMed

Findlay, S; Sinsabaugh, R L

2006-10-01

We examined bacterial metabolic activity and community similarity in shallow subsurface stream sediments distributed across three regions of the eastern United States to assess whether there were parallel changes in functional and structural attributes at this large scale. Bacterial growth, oxygen consumption, and a suite of extracellular enzyme activities were assayed to describe functional variability. Community similarity was assessed using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns. There were significant differences in streamwater chemistry, metabolic activity, and bacterial growth among regions with, for instance, twofold higher bacterial production in streams near Baltimore, MD, compared to Hubbard Brook, NH. Five of eight extracellular enzymes showed significant differences among regions. Cluster analyses of individual streams by metabolic variables showed clear groups with significant differences in representation of sites from different regions among groups. Clustering of sites based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA banding resulted in groups with generally less internal similarity although there were still differences in distribution of regional sites. There was a marginally significant (p = 0.09) association between patterns based on functional and structural variables. There were statistically significant but weak (r2 approximately 30%) associations between landcover and measures of both structure and function. These patterns imply a large-scale organization of biofilm communities and this structure may be imposed by factor(s) such as landcover and covariates such as nutrient concentrations, which are known to also cause differences in macrobiota of stream ecosystems.

Effects of Pleistocene environmental changes on the distribution and community structure of the mammalian fauna of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceballos, Gerardo; Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquín; Ponce, Eduardo

2010-05-01

Biological communities in Mexico experienced profound changes in species composition and structure as a consequence of the environmental fluctuations during the Pleistocene. Based on the recent and fossil Mexican mammal checklists, we determine the distribution, composition, diversity, and community structure of late Pleistocene mammalian faunas, and analyze extinction patterns and response of individual species to environmental changes. We conclude that (1) differential extinctions occurred at family, genus, and species level, with a major impact on species heavier than 100 kg, including the extinction all proboscideans and several ruminants; (2) Pleistocene mammal communities in Mexico were more diverse than recent ones; and (3) the current assemblages of species are relatively young. Furthermore, Pleistocene relicts support the presence of biogeographic corridors; important refugia existed as well as centers of speciation in isolated regions. We identified seven corridors: eastern USA-Sierra Madre Oriental corridor, Rocky Mountains-Sierra Madre Occidental corridor, Central United States-Northern Mexico corridor, Transvolcanic Belt-Sierra Madre del Sur corridor, western USA-Baja California corridor, Tamaulipas-Central America gulf lowlands corridor, and Sonora-Central America Pacific lowlands corridor. Our study suggests that present mammalian assemblages are very different than the ones in the late Pleistocene.

Using Amplicon Sequencing To Characterize and Monitor Bacterial Diversity in Drinking Water Distribution Systems.

PubMed

Shaw, Jennifer L A; Monis, Paul; Weyrich, Laura S; Sawade, Emma; Drikas, Mary; Cooper, Alan J

2015-09-01

Drinking water assessments use a variety of microbial, physical, and chemical indicators to evaluate water treatment efficiency and product water quality. However, these indicators do not allow the complex biological communities, which can adversely impact the performance of drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), to be characterized. Entire bacterial communities can be studied quickly and inexpensively using targeted metagenomic amplicon sequencing. Here, amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene region was performed alongside traditional water quality measures to assess the health, quality, and efficiency of two distinct, full-scale DWDSs: (i) a linear DWDS supplied with unfiltered water subjected to basic disinfection before distribution and (ii) a complex, branching DWDS treated by a four-stage water treatment plant (WTP) prior to disinfection and distribution. In both DWDSs bacterial communities differed significantly after disinfection, demonstrating the effectiveness of both treatment regimes. However, bacterial repopulation occurred further along in the DWDSs, and some end-user samples were more similar to the source water than to the postdisinfection water. Three sample locations appeared to be nitrified, displaying elevated nitrate levels and decreased ammonia levels, and nitrifying bacterial species, such as Nitrospira, were detected. Burkholderiales were abundant in samples containing large amounts of monochloramine, indicating resistance to disinfection. Genera known to contain pathogenic and fecal-associated species were also identified in several locations. From this study, we conclude that metagenomic amplicon sequencing is an informative method to support current compliance-based methods and can be used to reveal bacterial community interactions with the chemical and physical properties of DWDSs. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetic censusing identifies an unexpectedly sizeable population of an endangered large mammal in a fragmented forest landscape.

PubMed

McCarthy, Maureen S; Lester, Jack D; Howe, Eric J; Arandjelovic, Mimi; Stanford, Craig B; Vigilant, Linda

2015-08-25

As habitat degradation and fragmentation continue to impact wildlife populations around the world, it is critical to understand the behavioral flexibility of species in these environments. In Uganda, the mostly unprotected forest fragment landscape between the Budongo and Bugoma Forests is a potential corridor for chimpanzees, yet little is known about the status of chimpanzee populations in these fragments. From 2011 through 2013, we noninvasively collected 865 chimpanzee fecal samples across 633 km(2) and successfully genotyped 662 (77%) at up to 14 microsatellite loci. These genotypes corresponded to 182 chimpanzees, with a mean of 3.5 captures per individual. We obtained population size estimates of 256 (95% confidence interval 246-321) and 319 (288-357) chimpanzees using capture-with-replacement and spatially explicit capture-recapture models, respectively. The spatial clustering of associated genotypes suggests the presence of at least nine communities containing a minimum of 8-33 individuals each. Putative community distributions defined by the locations of associated genotypes correspond well with the distribution of 14 Y-chromosome haplotypes. These census figures are more than three times greater than a previous estimate based on an extrapolation from small-scale nest count surveys that tend to underestimate population size. The distribution of genotype clusters and Y-chromosome haplotypes together indicate the presence of numerous male philopatric chimpanzee communities throughout the corridor habitat. Our findings demonstrate that, despite extensive habitat loss and fragmentation, chimpanzees remain widely distributed and exhibit distinct community home ranges. Our results further imply that elusive and rare species may adapt to degraded habitats more successfully than previously believed. Their long-term persistence is unlikely, however, if protection is not afforded to them and habitat loss continues unabated.

Bacterial community radial-spatial distribution in biofilms along pipe wall in chlorinated drinking water distribution system of East China.

PubMed

Liu, Jingqing; Ren, Hongxing; Ye, Xianbei; Wang, Wei; Liu, Yan; Lou, Liping; Cheng, Dongqing; He, Xiaofang; Zhou, Xiaoyan; Qiu, Shangde; Fu, Liusong; Hu, Baolan

2017-01-01

Biofilms in the pipe wall may lead to water quality deterioration and biological instability in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs). In this study, bacterial community radial-spatial distribution in biofilms along the pipe wall in a chlorinated DWDS of East China was investigated. Three pipes of large diameter (300, 600, and 600 mm) were sampled in this DWDS, including a ductile cast iron pipe (DCIP) with pipe age of 11 years and two gray cast iron pipes (GCIP) with pipe ages of 17 and 19 years, and biofilms in the upper, middle, and lower parts of each pipe wall were collected. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and culture-based method were used to quantify bacteria. 454 pyrosequencing was used for bacterial community analysis. The results showed that the biofilm density and total solid (TS) and volatile solid (VS) contents increased gradually from the top to the bottom along the pipe wall. Microorganisms were concentrated in the upper and lower parts of the pipe wall, together accounting for more than 80 % of the total biomass in the biofilms. The bacterial communities in biofilms were significantly different in different areas of the pipe wall and had no strong interaction. Compared with the upper and lower parts of the pipe wall, the bacterial community in the middle of the pipe wall was distributed evenly and had the highest diversity. The 16S rRNA genes of various possible pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica, were detected in the biofilms, and the abundances of these possible pathogens were highest in the middle of the pipe wall among three areas. The detachment of the biofilms is the main reason for the deterioration of the water quality in DWDSs. The results of this study suggest that the biofilms in the middle of the pipe wall have highly potential risk for drinking water safety, which provides new ideas for the study of the microbial ecology in DWDS.

One program, multiple training sites: does site of family medicine training influence professional practice location?

PubMed

Jamieson, Jean L; Kernahan, Jill; Calam, Betty; Sivertz, Kristin S

2013-01-01

Numerous strategies have been suggested to increase recruitment of family physicians to rural communities and smaller regional centers. One approach has been to implement distributed postgraduate education programs where trainees spend substantial time in such communities. The purpose of the current study was to compare the eventual practice location of family physicians who undertook their postgraduate training through a single university but who were based in either metropolitan or distributed, non-metropolitan communities. Since 1998, the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia in Canada has conducted an annual survey of its residents at 2, 5, and 10 years after completion of training. The authors received Ethics Board approval to use this anonymized data to identify personal and educational factors that predict future practice location. The overall response rate was 45%. At 2 years (N=222), residents trained in distributed sites were 15 times more likely to enter practice in rural communities, small towns and regional centers than those who trained in metropolitan teaching centers. This was even more predictive for retention in non-urban practice sites. Among the subgroup of physicians who remained in a single practice location for more than a year preceding the survey, those who trained in smaller sites were 36 times more likely to choose a rural or regional practice setting. While the vast majority of those trained in metropolitan sites chose an urban practice location, a subgroup of those with some rural upbringing were more likely to practice in rural or regional settings. Trainees from distributed sites considered themselves more prepared for practice regardless of ultimate practice location. Participation in a distributed postgraduate family medicine training site is an important predictor of a non-urban practice location. This effect persists for 10 years after completion of training and is independent of other predictors of non-urban practice including gender, rural upbringing, and rural undergraduate training. It is hypothesized that this is due not only to a curriculum that supports preparedness for this type of practice but also to opportunities to develop personal and professional roots in these communities.

CHANGES IN BACTERIAL COMPOSITION OF BIOFILM IN A ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This study examined the development of bacterial biofilms within a metropolitan distribution system. The distribution system is fed with different source water (i.e., groundwater, GW and surface water, SW) and undergoes different treatment processes in separate facilities. The biofilm community was characterized using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and functional potential analysis, generated from total DNA extracted from coupons in biofilm annular reactors fed with onsite drinking water for up to eighteen months. Significant differences in the bacterial community structure were observed between GW and SW. Representatives that explained the dissimilarity between service areas were associated with Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes. After nine months the biofilm bacterial community from both areas were dominated by Mycobacterium species. The distribution of the dominant OTU (Mycobacterium) positively correlated with the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) temperature, but no clear relationship was seen with free chlorine residual, pH, turbidity or total organic carbon (TOC). The results suggest that biofilm microbial communities harbor distinct and diverse bacterial communities, and that source water, treatment processes and environmental conditions may play an important role in shaping the bacterial community in the distribution system. On the other hand, several bacterial groups were present i

Systematic review of community-based, school-based, and combined delivery modes for reaching school-aged children in mass drug administration programs for schistosomiasis

PubMed Central

Burnim, Michael; Ivy, Julianne A.

2017-01-01

Background The mainstay of current schistosomiasis control programs is mass preventive chemotherapy of school-aged children with praziquantel. This treatment is delivered through school-based, community-based, or combined school- and community-based systems. Attaining very high coverage rates for children is essential in mass schistosomiasis treatment programs, as is ensuring that there are no persistently untreated subpopulations, a potential challenge for school-based programs in areas with low school enrollment. This review sought to compare the different treatment delivery methods based both on their coverage of school-aged children overall and on their coverage specifically of non-enrolled children. In addition, qualitative community or programmatic factors associated with high or low coverage rates were identified, with suggestions for overall coverage improvement. Methodology/Principal findings This review was registered prospectively with PROSPERO (CRD 42015017656). Five hundred forty-nine publication of potential relevance were identified through database searches, reference lists, and personal communications. Eligible studies included those published before October 2015, written in English or French, containing quantitative or qualitative data about coverage rates for MDA of school-aged children with praziquantel. Among the 22 selected studies, combined community- and school-based programs achieved the highest median coverage rates (89%), followed by community-based programs (72%). School-based programs had both the lowest median coverage of children overall (49%) and the lowest coverage of the non-enrolled subpopulation of children. Qualitatively, major factors affecting program success included fear of side effects, inadequate education about schistosomiasis, lack of incentives for drug distributors, and inequitable distribution to minority groups. Conclusions/Significance This review provides an evidence-based framework for the development of future schistosomiasis control programs. Based on our results, a combined community and school-based delivery system should maximize coverage for both in- and out-of-school children, especially when combined with interventions such as snacks for treated children, educational campaigns, incentives for drug distributors, and active inclusion of marginalized groups. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov CRD42015017656 PMID:29077723

The relevance and role of homestays in medical education: a scoping study.

PubMed

Hughes, Bonnie Olivia; Moshabela, Mosa; Owen, Jenni; Gaede, Bernhard

2017-01-01

The community-based medical education curriculum is growing in popularity as a strategy to bring universal health coverage to underserved communities by providing medical students with hands-on training in primary health care. Accommodation and immersion of medical students within the community will become increasingly important to the success of community-based curricula. In the context of tourism, homestays, where local families host guests, have shown to provide an immersive accommodation experience. By exploring homestays in the educational context, this scoping study investigates their role in providing an immersive pedagogical experience for medical students. A scoping review was performed using the online databases ScienceDirect and the Duke University Library Database, which searches Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, LexisNexis Academic, Web of Science, Proquest, PubMed and WorldCat. Using the inclusion term 'homestays' and excluding the term 'tourism', 181 results were returned. AClose assessment using inclusion criteria narrowed this to 14 relevant articles. There is very little published research specific to the experience of medical students in community homestays, indicating a gap in the literature. However, the existing educational outcomes suggest homestays may have the potential to serve a significant role in medical education, especially as a component of decentralised or community-based programmes. The literature reveals that educational homestays influence language learning, cultural immersion, and the development of professional skills for health science careers. These outcomes relate to the level of engagement between students and hosts, including the catalytic role of community liaisons. Homestays offer a unique depth of experience that has the potential to enrich the education of participating students, and require further research, particularly in the context of distributed and decentralised training platforms for medical and health sciences students. Future studies should explore the potential for homestays as a pedagogical component of community-based medical curriculum. CBME: Community-based medical education.

The relevance and role of homestays in medical education: a scoping study

PubMed Central

Hughes, Bonnie Olivia; Moshabela, Mosa; Owen, Jenni; Gaede, Bernhard

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The community-based medical education curriculum is growing in popularity as a strategy to bring universal health coverage to underserved communities by providing medical students with hands-on training in primary health care. Accommodation and immersion of medical students within the community will become increasingly important to the success of community-based curricula. In the context of tourism, homestays, where local families host guests, have shown to provide an immersive accommodation experience. Objective: By exploring homestays in the educational context, this scoping study investigates their role in providing an immersive pedagogical experience for medical students. Design: A scoping review was performed using the online databases ScienceDirect and the Duke University Library Database, which searches Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, LexisNexis Academic, Web of Science, Proquest, PubMed and WorldCat. Using the inclusion term ‘homestays’ and excluding the term ‘tourism’, 181 results were returned. AClose assessment using inclusion criteria narrowed this to 14 relevant articles. Results: There is very little published research specific to the experience of medical students in community homestays, indicating a gap in the literature. However, the existing educational outcomes suggest homestays may have the potential to serve a significant role in medical education, especially as a component of decentralised or community-based programmes. The literature reveals that educational homestays influence language learning, cultural immersion, and the development of professional skills for health science careers. These outcomes relate to the level of engagement between students and hosts, including the catalytic role of community liaisons. Conclusions: Homestays offer a unique depth of experience that has the potential to enrich the education of participating students, and require further research, particularly in the context of distributed and decentralised training platforms for medical and health sciences students. Future studies should explore the potential for homestays as a pedagogical component of community-based medical curriculum. Abbreviations: CBME: Community-based medical education PMID:28460606

Distribution drivers and physiological responses in geothermal bryophyte communities.

PubMed

García, Estefanía Llaneza; Rosenstiel, Todd N; Graves, Camille; Shortlidge, Erin E; Eppley, Sarah M

2016-04-01

Our ability to explain community structure rests on our ability to define the importance of ecological niches, including realized ecological niches, in shaping communities, but few studies of plant distributions have combined predictive models with physiological measures. Using field surveys and statistical modeling, we predicted distribution drivers in geothermal bryophyte (moss) communities of Lassen Volcanic National Park (California, USA). In the laboratory, we used drying and rewetting experiments to test whether the strong species-specific effects of relative humidity on distributions predicted by the models were correlated with physiological characters. We found that the three most common bryophytes in geothermal communities were significantly affected by three distinct distribution drivers: temperature, light, and relative humidity. Aulacomnium palustre, whose distribution is significantly affected by relative humidity according to our model, and which occurs in high-humidity sites, showed extreme signs of stress after drying and never recovered optimal values of PSII efficiency after rewetting. Campylopus introflexus, whose distribution is not affected by humidity according to our model, was able to maintain optimal values of PSII efficiency for 48 hr at 50% water loss and recovered optimal values of PSII efficiency after rewetting. Our results suggest that species-specific environmental stressors tightly constrain the ecological niches of geothermal bryophytes. Tests of tolerance to drying in two bryophyte species corresponded with model predictions of the comparative importance of relative humidity as distribution drivers for these species. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Towards a Community Environmental Observation Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertl, Stefan; Lettenbichler, Anton

2014-05-01

The Community Environmental Observation Network (CEON) is dedicated to the development of a free sensor network to collect and distribute environmental data (e.g. ground shaking, climate parameters). The data collection will be done with contributions from citizens, research institutions and public authorities like communities or schools. This will lead to a large freely available data base which can be used for public information, research, the arts,..... To start a free sensor network, the most important step is to provide easy access to free data collection and -distribution tools. The initial aims of the project CEON are dedicated to the development of these tools. A high quality data logger based on open hardware and free software is developed and a software suite of already existing free software for near-real time data communication and data distribution over the Internet will be assembled. Foremost, the development focuses on the collection of data related to the deformation of the earth (such as ground shaking, surface displacement of mass movements and glaciers) and the collection of climate data. The extent to other measurements will be considered in the design. The data logger is built using open hardware prototyping platforms like BeagleBone Black and Arduino. Main features of the data logger are: a 24Bit analog-to-digital converter; a GPS module for time reference and positioning; wireless mesh networking using Optimized Link State Routing; near real-time data transmission and communication; and near real-time differential GNSS positioning using the RTKLIB software. The project CEON is supported by the Internet Foundation Austria (IPA) within the NetIdee 2013 call.

Local Breast Cancer Spatial Patterning: A Tool for Community Health Resource Allocation to Address Local Disparities in Breast Cancer Mortality

PubMed Central

Brantley-Sieders, Dana M.; Fan, Kang-Hsien; Deming-Halverson, Sandra L.; Shyr, Yu; Cook, Rebecca S.

2012-01-01

Despite available demographic data on the factors that contribute to breast cancer mortality in large population datasets, local patterns are often overlooked. Such local information could provide a valuable metric by which regional community health resources can be allocated to reduce breast cancer mortality. We used national and statewide datasets to assess geographical distribution of breast cancer mortality rates and known risk factors influencing breast cancer mortality in middle Tennessee. Each county in middle Tennessee, and each ZIP code within metropolitan Davidson County, was scored for risk factor prevalence and assigned quartile scores that were used as a metric to identify geographic areas of need. While breast cancer mortality often correlated with age and incidence, geographic areas were identified in which breast cancer mortality rates did not correlate with age and incidence, but correlated with additional risk factors, such as mammography screening and socioeconomic status. Geographical variability in specific risk factors was evident, demonstrating the utility of this approach to identify local areas of risk. This method revealed local patterns in breast cancer mortality that might otherwise be overlooked in a more broadly based analysis. Our data suggest that understanding the geographic distribution of breast cancer mortality, and the distribution of risk factors that contribute to breast cancer mortality, will not only identify communities with the greatest need of support, but will identify the types of resources that would provide the most benefit to reduce breast cancer mortality in the community. PMID:23028869

Emergence of bursts and communities in evolving weighted networks.

PubMed

Jo, Hang-Hyun; Pan, Raj Kumar; Kaski, Kimmo

2011-01-01

Understanding the patterns of human dynamics and social interaction and the way they lead to the formation of an organized and functional society are important issues especially for techno-social development. Addressing these issues of social networks has recently become possible through large scale data analysis of mobile phone call records, which has revealed the existence of modular or community structure with many links between nodes of the same community and relatively few links between nodes of different communities. The weights of links, e.g., the number of calls between two users, and the network topology are found correlated such that intra-community links are stronger compared to the weak inter-community links. This feature is known as Granovetter's "The strength of weak ties" hypothesis. In addition to this inhomogeneous community structure, the temporal patterns of human dynamics turn out to be inhomogeneous or bursty, characterized by the heavy tailed distribution of time interval between two consecutive events, i.e., inter-event time. In this paper, we study how the community structure and the bursty dynamics emerge together in a simple evolving weighted network model. The principal mechanisms behind these patterns are social interaction by cyclic closure, i.e., links to friends of friends and the focal closure, links to individuals sharing similar attributes or interests, and human dynamics by task handling process. These three mechanisms have been implemented as a network model with local attachment, global attachment, and priority-based queuing processes. By comprehensive numerical simulations we show that the interplay of these mechanisms leads to the emergence of heavy tailed inter-event time distribution and the evolution of Granovetter-type community structure. Moreover, the numerical results are found to be in qualitative agreement with empirical analysis results from mobile phone call dataset.

A multistate dynamic site occupancy model for spatially aggregated sessile communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fukaya, Keiichi; Royle, J. Andrew; Okuda, Takehiro; Nakaoka, Masahiro; Noda, Takashi

2017-01-01

Estimation of transition probabilities of sessile communities seems easy in principle but may still be difficult in practice because resampling error (i.e. a failure to resample exactly the same location at fixed points) may cause significant estimation bias. Previous studies have developed novel analytical methods to correct for this estimation bias. However, they did not consider the local structure of community composition induced by the aggregated distribution of organisms that is typically observed in sessile assemblages and is very likely to affect observations.We developed a multistate dynamic site occupancy model to estimate transition probabilities that accounts for resampling errors associated with local community structure. The model applies a nonparametric multivariate kernel smoothing methodology to the latent occupancy component to estimate the local state composition near each observation point, which is assumed to determine the probability distribution of data conditional on the occurrence of resampling error.By using computer simulations, we confirmed that an observation process that depends on local community structure may bias inferences about transition probabilities. By applying the proposed model to a real data set of intertidal sessile communities, we also showed that estimates of transition probabilities and of the properties of community dynamics may differ considerably when spatial dependence is taken into account.Results suggest the importance of accounting for resampling error and local community structure for developing management plans that are based on Markovian models. Our approach provides a solution to this problem that is applicable to broad sessile communities. It can even accommodate an anisotropic spatial correlation of species composition, and may also serve as a basis for inferring complex nonlinear ecological dynamics.

Unifying ecology and macroevolution with individual-based theory.

PubMed

Rosindell, James; Harmon, Luke J; Etienne, Rampal S

2015-05-01

A contemporary goal in both ecology and evolutionary biology is to develop theory that transcends the boundary between the two disciplines, to understand phenomena that cannot be explained by either field in isolation. This is challenging because macroevolution typically uses lineage-based models, whereas ecology often focuses on individual organisms. Here, we develop a new parsimonious individual-based theory by adding mild selection to the neutral theory of biodiversity. We show that this model generates realistic phylogenies showing a slowdown in diversification and also improves on the ecological predictions of neutral theory by explaining the occurrence of very common species. Moreover, we find the distribution of individual fitness changes over time, with average fitness increasing at a pace that depends positively on community size. Consequently, large communities tend to produce fitter species than smaller communities. These findings have broad implications beyond biodiversity theory, potentially impacting, for example, invasion biology and paleontology. © 2015 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and CNRS.

Community-Based Participatory Research in an Obesity Prevention Media Campaign for Mexican Americans: Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!

PubMed Central

Reininger, Belinda M.; Barroso, Cristina S.; Mitchell-Bennett, Lisa; Cantu, Ethel; Fernandez, Maria E.; Gonzalez, Dora Alicia; Chavez, Marge; Freeberg, Diamantina; McAlister, Alfred

2009-01-01

Background and Methods To address obesity and related morbidities, community-based participatory research (CBPR) strategies were employed to design / evaluate a Spanish language media campaign promoting physical activity and healthful food choices among Mexican Americans. Qualitative evaluation strategies including content analyses on types and focus of media messages were conducted. Focus groups assessed appeal and trustworthiness of messages. Results All media campaign products feature role models and experts. Campaign messages primarily (98%) appear in TV morning show segments. Newsletters present individual and family role model stories. Majority of newsletters (68%) are distributed through churches and “promotora” outreach efforts. Conclusions CBPR lends itself to the selection and tailoring of evidence-based media campaigns. Moreover, CBPR guidance resulted in media messages that are credible and appealing to audience. Process evaluation strategies that gather information from the community provide solid evidence for how to modify the campaign to best meet audience expectations. PMID:19131541

Abundance and composition of indigenous bacterial communities in a multi-step biofiltration-based drinking water treatment plant.

PubMed

Lautenschlager, Karin; Hwang, Chiachi; Ling, Fangqiong; Liu, Wen-Tso; Boon, Nico; Köster, Oliver; Egli, Thomas; Hammes, Frederik

2014-10-01

Indigenous bacterial communities are essential for biofiltration processes in drinking water treatment systems. In this study, we examined the microbial community composition and abundance of three different biofilter types (rapid sand, granular activated carbon, and slow sand filters) and their respective effluents in a full-scale, multi-step treatment plant (Zürich, CH). Detailed analysis of organic carbon degradation underpinned biodegradation as the primary function of the biofilter biomass. The biomass was present in concentrations ranging between 2-5 × 10(15) cells/m(3) in all filters but was phylogenetically, enzymatically and metabolically diverse. Based on 16S rRNA gene-based 454 pyrosequencing analysis for microbial community composition, similar microbial taxa (predominantly Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Nitrospira and Chloroflexi) were present in all biofilters and in their respective effluents, but the ratio of microbial taxa was different in each filter type. This change was also reflected in the cluster analysis, which revealed a change of 50-60% in microbial community composition between the different filter types. This study documents the direct influence of the filter biomass on the microbial community composition of the final drinking water, particularly when the water is distributed without post-disinfection. The results provide new insights on the complexity of indigenous bacteria colonizing drinking water systems, especially in different biofilters of a multi-step treatment plant. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community characteristics that attract physicians in Japan: a cross-sectional analysis of community demographic and economic factors.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Inoue, Kazuo; Noguchi, Satomi; Toyokawa, Satoshi; Kajii, Eiji

2009-02-18

In many countries, there is a surplus of physicians in some communities and a shortage in others. Population size is known to be correlated with the number of physicians in a community, and is conventionally considered to represent the power of communities to attract physicians. However, associations between other demographic/economic variables and the number of physicians in a community have not been fully evaluated. This study seeks other parameters that correlate with the physician population and show which characteristics of a community determine its "attractiveness" to physicians. Associations between the number of physicians and selected demographic/economic/life-related variables of all of Japan's 3132 municipalities were examined. In order to exclude the confounding effect of community size, correlations between the physician-to-population ratio and other variable-to-population ratios or variable-to-area ratios were evaluated with simple correlation and multiple regression analyses. The equity of physician distribution against each variable was evaluated by the orenz curve and Gini index. Among the 21 variables selected, the service industry workers-to-population ratio (0.543), commercial land price (0.527), sales of goods per person (0.472), and daytime population density (0.451) were better correlated with the physician-to-population ratio than was population density (0.409). Multiple regression analysis showed that the service industry worker-to-population ratio, the daytime population density, and the elderly rate were each independently correlated with the physician-to-population ratio (standardized regression coefficient 0.393, 0.355, 0.089 respectively; each p<0.001). Equity of physician distribution was higher against service industry population (Gini index=0.26) and daytime population (0.28) than against population (0.33). Daytime population and service industry population in a municipality are better parameters of community attractiveness to physicians than population. Because attractiveness is supposed to consist of medical demand and the amenities of urban life, the two parameters may represent the amount of medical demand and/or the extent of urban amenities of the community more precisely than population does. The conventional demand-supply analysis based solely on population as the demand parameter may overestimate the inequity of the physician distribution among communities.

Community response to blasting.

PubMed

Fidell, S; Horonjeff, R; Schultz, T; Teffeteller, S

1983-09-01

Annoyance due to chronic exposure to blast noise and vibration was assessed in residential areas near two surface mines and a quarry. It was found possible to base useful prediction of the prevalence of high annoyance on a metric of outdoor ground vibration related to high centiles of the long term distribution of exposure levels.

Designing Online Learning Communities of Practice: A Democratic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Elsebeth Korsgaard; Murchu, Daithi O.

2004-01-01

This study addresses the problem of designing an appropriate learning space or architecture for distributed online courses using net-based communication technologies. We apply Wenger's criteria to explore, identify and discuss the design architectures of two online courses from two comparable online Master's programmes, developed and delivered in…

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners ESIP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilmes, Curt

2013-01-01

A broad-based, distributed community of science, data and information technology practitioners. With over 150 member organizations, the ESIP Federation brings together public, academic, commercial, and nongovernmental organizations to share knowledge, expertise, technology and best practices to improve opportunities for increasing access, discovery, integration and usability of Earth science data.

Can we develop general predictive models of mycorrhizal fungal community-environment relationships?

Treesearch

Erik A. Lilleskov; Jeri L. Parrent

2007-01-01

Our understanding of the controls on mycorrhizal fungal species distribution and community organization is in its early childhood - especially when compared with that of the more mature fields of plant and animal community ecology and biogeography - largely because of the historical difficulty of gathering species distribution information.

Impact of dilution on microbial community structure and functional potential: comparison of numerical simulations and batch culture experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, R. B.; Garland, J. L.; Bolster, C. H.; Mills, A. L.

2001-01-01

A series of microcosm experiments was performed using serial dilutions of a sewage microbial community to inoculate a set of batch cultures in sterile sewage. After inoculation, the dilution-defined communities were allowed to regrow for several days and a number of community attributes were measured in the regrown assemblages. Based upon a set of numerical simulations, community structure was expected to differ along the dilution gradient; the greatest differences in structure were anticipated between the undiluted-low-dilution communities and the communities regrown from the very dilute (more than 10(-4)) inocula. Furthermore, some differences were expected among the lower-dilution treatments (e.g., between undiluted and 10(-1)) depending upon the evenness of the original community. In general, each of the procedures used to examine the experimental community structures separated the communities into at least two, often three, distinct groups. The groupings were consistent with the simulated dilution of a mixture of organisms with a very uneven distribution. Significant differences in community structure were detected with genetic (amplified fragment length polymorphism and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism), physiological (community level physiological profiling), and culture-based (colony morphology on R2A agar) measurements. Along with differences in community structure, differences in community size (acridine orange direct counting), composition (ratio of sewage medium counts to R2A counts, monitoring of each colony morphology across the treatments), and metabolic redundancy (i.e., generalist versus specialist) were also observed, suggesting that the differences in structure and diversity of communities maintained in the same environment can be manifested as differences in community organization and function.

Phylogenetic groups among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Brazil: relationship with antimicrobial resistance and origin.

PubMed

de Melo, Maíra Espíndola Silva; Cabral, Adriane Borges; Maciel, Maria Amélia Vieira; da Silveira, Vera Magalhães; de Souza Lopes, Ana Catarina

2011-05-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of phylogenetic groups among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Recife, Brazil and to assess the relationship between the groups and the isolation sites and resistance profile. Ninety four isolates of K. pneumoniae from hospital or community infections and from normal microbiota were analyzed by gyrA PCR-RFLP, antibiotic susceptibility, and adonitol fermentation. The results revealed the distinction of three phylogenetic groups, as it has also been reported in Europe, showing that these clusters are highly conserved within K. pneumoniae. Group KpI was dominantly represented by hospital and community isolates while groups KpII and KpIII displayed mainly normal microbiota isolates. The resistance to third generation cephalosporins, aztreonam, imipenem, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and streptomycin was only observed in KpI. The percentage of resistance was higher in KpI, followed by KpII and KpIII. The differences in the distribution of K. pneumoniae phylogenetic groups observed in this study suggest distinctive clinical and epidemiological characteristics among the three groups, which is important to understand the epidemiology of infections caused by this organism. This is the first study in Brazil on K. pneumoniae isolates from normal microbiota and community infections regarding the distribution of phylogenetic groups based on the gyrA gene.

The poorest of the poor: a poverty appraisal of households affected by visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India.

PubMed

Boelaert, M; Meheus, F; Sanchez, A; Singh, S P; Vanlerberghe, V; Picado, A; Meessen, B; Sundar, S

2009-06-01

To provide data about wealth distribution in visceral leishmaniasis (VL)-affected communities compared to that of the general population of Bihar State, India. After extensive disease risk mapping, 16 clusters with high VL transmission were selected in Bihar. An exhaustive census of all households in the clusters was conducted and socio-economic household characteristics were documented by questionnaire. Data on the general Bihar population taken from the National Family Health Survey of India were used for comparison. An asset index was developed based on Principal Components Analysis and the distribution of this asset index for the VL communities was compared with that of the general population of Bihar. 83% of households in communities with high VL attack rates belonged to the two lowest quintiles of the Bihar wealth distribution. All socio-economic indicators showed significantly lower wealth for those households. Visceral leishmaniasis clearly affects the poorest of the poor in India. They are most vulnerable, as this vector-born disease is linked to poor housing and unhealthy habitats. The disease leads the affected households to more destitution because of its impact on household income and wealth. Support for the present VL elimination initiative is important in the fight against poverty.

Goal setting practice in services delivering community-based stroke rehabilitation: a United Kingdom (UK) wide survey.

PubMed

Scobbie, Lesley; Duncan, Edward A; Brady, Marian C; Wyke, Sally

2015-01-01

We investigated the nature of services providing community-based stroke rehabilitation across the UK, and goal setting practice used within them, to inform evaluation of a goal setting and action planning (G-AP) framework. We designed, piloted and electronically distributed a survey to health professionals working in community-based stroke rehabilitation settings across the UK. We optimised recruitment using a multi-faceted strategy. Responses were analysed from 437 services. Services size, composition and input was highly variable; however, most were multi-disciplinary (82%; n = 335/407) and provided input to a mixed diagnostic group of patients (71%; n = 312/437). Ninety one percent of services (n = 358/395) reported setting goals with "all" or "most" stroke survivors. Seventeen percent (n = 65/380) reported that no methods were used to guide goal setting practice; 47% (n = 148/315) reported use of informal methods only. Goal setting practice varied, e.g. 98% of services (n = 362/369) reported routinely asking patients about goal priorities; 39% (n = 141/360) reported routinely providing patients with a copy of their goals. Goal setting is embedded within community-based stroke rehabilitation; however, practice varies and is potentially sub-optimal. Further evaluation of the G-AP framework is warranted to inform optimal practice. Evaluation design will take account of the diverse service models that exist. Implications for Rehabilitation Community-based stroke rehabilitation services across the UK are diverse and tend to see a mixed diagnostic group of patients. Goal setting is implemented routinely within community-based stroke rehabilitation services; however, practice is variable and potentially sub-optimal. Further evaluation of the G-AP framework is warranted to assess its effectiveness in practice.

Determinants of Spatial Distribution in a Bee Community: Nesting Resources, Flower Resources, and Body Size

PubMed Central

Torné-Noguera, Anna; Rodrigo, Anselm; Arnan, Xavier; Osorio, Sergio; Barril-Graells, Helena; da Rocha-Filho, Léo Correia; Bosch, Jordi

2014-01-01

Understanding biodiversity distribution is a primary goal of community ecology. At a landscape scale, bee communities are affected by habitat composition, anthropogenic land use, and fragmentation. However, little information is available on local-scale spatial distribution of bee communities within habitats that are uniform at the landscape scale. We studied a bee community along with floral and nesting resources over a 32 km2 area of uninterrupted Mediterranean scrubland. Our objectives were (i) to analyze floral and nesting resource composition at the habitat scale. We ask whether these resources follow a geographical pattern across the scrubland at bee-foraging relevant distances; (ii) to analyze the distribution of bee composition across the scrubland. Bees being highly mobile organisms, we ask whether bee composition shows a homogeneous distribution or else varies spatially. If so, we ask whether this variation is irregular or follows a geographical pattern and whether bees respond primarily to flower or to nesting resources; and (iii) to establish whether body size influences the response to local resource availability and ultimately spatial distribution. We obtained 6580 specimens belonging to 98 species. Despite bee mobility and the absence of environmental barriers, our bee community shows a clear geographical pattern. This pattern is mostly attributable to heterogeneous distribution of small (<55 mg) species (with presumed smaller foraging ranges), and is mostly explained by flower resources rather than nesting substrates. Even then, a large proportion (54.8%) of spatial variability remains unexplained by flower or nesting resources. We conclude that bee communities are strongly conditioned by local effects and may exhibit spatial heterogeneity patterns at a scale as low as 500–1000 m in patches of homogeneous habitat. These results have important implications for local pollination dynamics and spatial variation of plant-pollinator networks. PMID:24824445

Determinants of spatial distribution in a bee community: nesting resources, flower resources, and body size.

PubMed

Torné-Noguera, Anna; Rodrigo, Anselm; Arnan, Xavier; Osorio, Sergio; Barril-Graells, Helena; da Rocha-Filho, Léo Correia; Bosch, Jordi

2014-01-01

Understanding biodiversity distribution is a primary goal of community ecology. At a landscape scale, bee communities are affected by habitat composition, anthropogenic land use, and fragmentation. However, little information is available on local-scale spatial distribution of bee communities within habitats that are uniform at the landscape scale. We studied a bee community along with floral and nesting resources over a 32 km2 area of uninterrupted Mediterranean scrubland. Our objectives were (i) to analyze floral and nesting resource composition at the habitat scale. We ask whether these resources follow a geographical pattern across the scrubland at bee-foraging relevant distances; (ii) to analyze the distribution of bee composition across the scrubland. Bees being highly mobile organisms, we ask whether bee composition shows a homogeneous distribution or else varies spatially. If so, we ask whether this variation is irregular or follows a geographical pattern and whether bees respond primarily to flower or to nesting resources; and (iii) to establish whether body size influences the response to local resource availability and ultimately spatial distribution. We obtained 6580 specimens belonging to 98 species. Despite bee mobility and the absence of environmental barriers, our bee community shows a clear geographical pattern. This pattern is mostly attributable to heterogeneous distribution of small (<55 mg) species (with presumed smaller foraging ranges), and is mostly explained by flower resources rather than nesting substrates. Even then, a large proportion (54.8%) of spatial variability remains unexplained by flower or nesting resources. We conclude that bee communities are strongly conditioned by local effects and may exhibit spatial heterogeneity patterns at a scale as low as 500-1000 m in patches of homogeneous habitat. These results have important implications for local pollination dynamics and spatial variation of plant-pollinator networks.

Global burden, distribution, and interventions for infectious diseases of poverty

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Infectious diseases of poverty (IDoP) disproportionately affect the poorest population in the world and contribute to a cycle of poverty as a result of decreased productivity ensuing from long-term illness, disability, and social stigma. In 2010, the global deaths from HIV/AIDS have increased to 1.5 million and malaria mortality rose to 1.17 million. Mortality from neglected tropical diseases rose to 152,000, while tuberculosis killed 1.2 million people that same year. Substantial regional variations exist in the distribution of these diseases as they are primarily concentrated in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with geographic overlap and high levels of co-infection. Evidence-based interventions exist to prevent and control these diseases, however, the coverage still remains low with an emerging challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, community-based delivery platforms are increasingly being advocated to ensure sustainability and combat co-infections. Because of the high morbidity and mortality burden of these diseases, especially in resource-poor settings, it is imperative to conduct a systematic review to identify strategies to prevent and control these diseases. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of one of these strategies, that is community-based delivery for the prevention and treatment of IDoP. In this paper, we describe the burden, epidemiology, and potential interventions for IDoP. In subsequent papers of this series, we describe the analytical framework and the methodology used to guide the systematic reviews, and report the findings and interpretations of our analyses of the impact of community-based strategies on individual IDoPs. PMID:25110585

Community financing of local ivermectin distribution in Nigeria: potential payment and cost-recovery outlook.

PubMed

Onwujekwe, O E; Shu, E N; Okonkwo, P O

2000-04-01

The preferred payment mechanism in a community financing scheme for local ivermectin distribution was elicited from randomly selected household heads from three communities in Nigeria using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. The majority of the respondents in the three communities were prepared to pay for local ivermectin distribution. Additionally, the average amounts the respondents were prepared to pay per person treated ($0.28, $0.30 and $0.38 in Nike, Achi and Toro, respectively) were all more than the $0.20 ceiling recommended by the partners of the African Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). Thus, the cost-recovery outlook is bright in these communities. However, the preferred payment modality varied. Fee-for-service was the predominant payment modality in the Achi and Nike communities, while the Toro community preferred pre-payment. This study demonstrates that many communities have different payment preferences for endemic disease control efforts. This knowledge will help in developing acceptable and sustainable schemes. The imposition of unacceptable payment mechanisms will lead to an unwillingness to pay.

Sizing community energy storage systems to reduce transformer overloading with emphasis on plug-in electric vehicle loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trowler, Derik Wesley

The research objective of this study was to develop a sizing method for community energy storage systems with emphasis on preventing distribution transformer overloading due to plug-in electric vehicle charging. The method as developed showed the formulation of a diversified load profile based upon residential load data for several customers on the American Electric Power system. Once a load profile was obtained, plug-in electric vehicle charging scenarios which were based upon expected adoption and charging trends were superimposed on the load profile to show situations where transformers (in particular 25 kVA, 50 kVA, and 100 kVA) would be overloaded during peak hours. Once the total load profiles were derived, the energy and power requirements of community energy storage systems were calculated for a number of scenarios with different combinations of numbers of homes and plug-in electric vehicles. The results were recorded and illustrated into charts so that one could determine the minimum size per application. Other topics that were covered in this thesis were the state of the art and future trends in plug-in electric vehicle and battery chemistry adoption and development. The goal of the literature review was to confirm the already suspected notion that Li-ion batteries are best suited and soon to be most cost-effective solution for applications requiring small, efficient, reliable, and light-weight battery systems such as plug-in electric vehicles and community energy storage systems. This thesis also includes a chapter showing system modeling in MATLAB/SimulinkRTM. All in all, this thesis covers a wide variety of considerations involved in the designing and deploying of community energy storage systems intended to mitigate the effects of distribution transformer overloading.

A New Approach to Predict Microbial Community Assembly and Function Using a Stochastic, Genome-Enabled Modeling Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, E.; Brodie, E.; Anantharaman, K.; Karaoz, U.; Bouskill, N.; Banfield, J. F.; Steefel, C. I.; Molins, S.

2016-12-01

Characterizing and predicting the microbial and chemical compositions of subsurface aquatic systems necessitates an understanding of the metabolism and physiology of organisms that are often uncultured or studied under conditions not relevant for one's environment of interest. Cultivation-independent approaches are therefore important and have greatly enhanced our ability to characterize functional microbial diversity. The capability to reconstruct genomes representing thousands of populations from microbial communities using metagenomic techniques provides a foundation for development of predictive models for community structure and function. Here, we discuss a genome-informed stochastic trait-based model incorporated into a reactive transport framework to represent the activities of coupled guilds of hypothetical microorganisms. Metabolic pathways for each microbe within a functional guild are parameterized from metagenomic data with a unique combination of traits governing organism fitness under dynamic environmental conditions. We simulate the thermodynamics of coupled electron donor and acceptor reactions to predict the energy available for cellular maintenance, respiration, biomass development, and enzyme production. While `omics analyses can now characterize the metabolic potential of microbial communities, it is functionally redundant as well as computationally prohibitive to explicitly include the thousands of recovered organisms into biogeochemical models. However, one can derive potential metabolic pathways from genomes along with trait-linkages to build probability distributions of traits. These distributions are used to assemble groups of microbes that couple one or more of these pathways. From the initial ensemble of microbes, only a subset will persist based on the interaction of their physiological and metabolic traits with environmental conditions, competing organisms, etc. Here, we analyze the predicted niches of these hypothetical microbes and assess the ability of a stochastically assembled community of organisms to predict subsurface biogeochemical dynamics.

Assessing community child passenger safety efforts in three Northwest Tribes.

PubMed

Smith, M L; Berger, L R

2002-12-01

To identify strengths and weaknesses in community based child passenger safety programs by developing a scoring instrument and conducting observations of child restraint use in three Native American communities. The three communities are autonomous Tribal reservations in the Pacific Northwest. Their per capita incomes and rates of unemployment are comparable. In each community, 100 children under 5 years old were observed for car seat use. A six item community assessment tool (100 points maximum) awarded points for such items as the type (primary or secondary) and enforcement of child restraint laws; availability of car seats from distribution programs; extent of educational programs; and access to data on vehicle injuries. For children from birth to 4 years, the car seat use rate ranged from 12%-21%. Rates for infants (71%-80%) far exceeded rates for 1-4 year old children (5%-14%). Community scores ranged from 0 to 31.5 points. There was no correlation between scores and observed car seat use. One reason was the total lack of enforcement of restraint laws. A community assessment tool can highlight weaknesses in child passenger efforts. Linking such a tool with an objective measure of impact can be applied to other injury problems, such as fire safety or domestic violence. The very process of creating and implementing a community assessment can enhance agency collaboration and publicize evidence based "best practices" for injury prevention. Further study is needed to address methodologic issues and to examine crash and medical data in relation to community child passenger safety scores.

A Model for Strengthening Collaborative Research Capacity: Illustrations From the Atlanta Clinical Translational Science Institute.

PubMed

Rodgers, Kirsten C; Akintobi, Tabia; Thompson, Winifred Wilkins; Evans, Donoria; Escoffery, Cam; Kegler, Michelle C

2014-06-01

Community-engaged research is effective in addressing health disparities but may present challenges for both academic institutions and community partners. Therefore, the need to build capacity for conducting collaborative research exists. The purpose of this study is to present a model for building research capacity in academic-community partnerships. The Building Collaborative Research Capacity Model was developed as part of the Community Engagement Research Program (CERP) of the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI). Six domains of collaborative research capacity were identified and used to develop a model. Inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes of building collaborative research capacity are described. To test this model, a competitive request for applications was widely distributed and four community-based organizations were funded to participate in a 2-year program with the aim of conducting a pilot study and submitting a research proposal for funding to National Institutes of Health or another major funding agency. During the first year, the community-based organization partners were trained on conducting collaborative research and matched with an academic partner from an ACTSI institution. Three of the academic-community partnerships submitted pilot study results and two submitted a grant proposal to a national agency. The Building Collaborative Research Capacity Model is an innovative approach to strengthening academic-community partnerships. This model will help build needed research capacity, serve as a framework for academicians and community partners, and lead to sustainable partnerships that improve community health. © 2013 Society for Public Health Education.

A test of the cross-scale resilience model: Functional richness in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wardwell, D.A.; Allen, Craig R.; Peterson, G.D.; Tyre, A.J.

2008-01-01

Ecological resilience has been proposed to be generated, in part, in the discontinuous structure of complex systems. Environmental discontinuities are reflected in discontinuous, aggregated animal body mass distributions. Diversity of functional groups within body mass aggregations (scales) and redundancy of functional groups across body mass aggregations (scales) has been proposed to increase resilience. We evaluate that proposition by analyzing mammalian and avian communities of Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. We first determined that body mass distributions for each animal community were discontinuous. We then calculated the variance in richness of function across aggregations in each community, and compared observed values with distributions created by 1000 simulations using a null of random distribution of function, with the same n, number of discontinuities and number of functional groups as the observed data. Variance in the richness of functional groups across scales was significantly lower in real communities than in simulations in eight of nine sites. The distribution of function across body mass aggregations in the animal communities we analyzed was non-random, and supports the contentions of the cross-scale resilience model. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Actual situation analyses of rat-run traffic on community streets based on car probe data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakuragi, Yuki; Matsuo, Kojiro; Sugiki, Nao

2017-10-01

Lowering of so-called "rat-run" traffic on community streets has been one of significant challenges for improving the living environment of neighborhood. However, it has been difficult to quantitatively grasp the actual situation of rat-run traffic by the traditional surveys such as point observations. This study aims to develop a method for extracting rat-run traffic based on car probe data. In addition, based on the extracted rat-run traffic in Toyohashi city, Japan, we try to analyze the actual situation such as time and location distribution of the rat-run traffic. As a result, in Toyohashi city, the rate of using rat-run route increases in peak time period. Focusing on the location distribution of rat-run traffic, in addition, they pass through a variety of community streets. There is no great inter-district bias of the route frequently used as rat-run traffic. Next, we focused on some trips passing through a heavily used route as rat-run traffic. As a result, we found the possibility that they habitually use the route as rat-run because their trips had some commonalities. We also found that they tend to use the rat-run route due to shorter distance than using the alternative highway route, and that the travel speeds were faster than using the alternative highway route. In conclusions, we confirmed that the proposed method can quantitatively grasp the actual situation and the phenomenal tendencies of the rat-run traffic.

Geospatial Data as a Service: Towards planetary scale real-time analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, B. J. K.; Larraondo, P. R.; Antony, J.; Richards, C. J.

2017-12-01

The rapid growth of earth systems, environmental and geophysical datasets poses a challenge to both end-users and infrastructure providers. For infrastructure and data providers, tasks like managing, indexing and storing large collections of geospatial data needs to take into consideration the various use cases by which consumers will want to access and use the data. Considerable investment has been made by the Earth Science community to produce suitable real-time analytics platforms for geospatial data. There are currently different interfaces that have been defined to provide data services. Unfortunately, there is considerable difference on the standards, protocols or data models which have been designed to target specific communities or working groups. The Australian National University's National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) is used for a wide range of activities in the geospatial community. Earth observations, climate and weather forecasting are examples of these communities which generate large amounts of geospatial data. The NCI has been carrying out significant effort to develop a data and services model that enables the cross-disciplinary use of data. Recent developments in cloud and distributed computing provide a publicly accessible platform where new infrastructures can be built. One of the key components these technologies offer is the possibility of having "limitless" compute power next to where the data is stored. This model is rapidly transforming data delivery from centralised monolithic services towards ubiquitous distributed services that scale up and down adapting to fluctuations in the demand. NCI has developed GSKY, a scalable, distributed server which presents a new approach for geospatial data discovery and delivery based on OGC standards. We will present the architecture and motivating use-cases that drove GSKY's collaborative design, development and production deployment. We show our approach offers the community valuable exploratory analysis capabilities, for dealing with petabyte-scale geospatial data collections.

Pilot study of the use of community volunteers to distribute azithromycin for trachoma control in Ghana.

PubMed Central

Solomon, A. W.; Akudibillah, J.; Abugri, P.; Hagan, M.; Foster, A.; Bailey, R. L.; Mabey, D. C.

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the skills of community health volunteers in diagnosing active trachoma and distributing azithromycin in the Northern Region of Ghana. METHODS: Six community health volunteers from Daboya were trained to diagnose trachoma and to treat the disease using azithromycin. They were also informed of the drug's possible side-effects. Under supervision, each volunteer then examined, and if necessary treated, 15 households. The dose of azithromycin was determined by weight; height was also measured. Tablets were given in preference to suspension when possible. RESULTS: The volunteers' diagnostic sensitivity for active trachoma was 63%; their specificity was 96%. At the household level, their "decision to treat" was correct in 83% of households. In 344 treatment episodes, volunteers planned a dose of azithromycin outside the range 15-30 mg/kg on only seven occasions (2.0% of all planned treatments). The volunteers' drug management skills were good, the response of the community was excellent, and adverse reactions were infrequent. Diagnosis of active trachoma, record-keeping skills, and knowledge of side-effects were found to need greater emphasis in any future education programme. Most people aged four years or older were able to swallow tablets. For those taking tablets, the correlation between the data gathered for height and weight shows that calculating azithromycin doses by height is a valid alternative to calculating it by weight. CONCLUSION: Trained community health volunteers have a potential role in identifying active trachoma and distributing azithromycin. To simplify training and logistics, it may be better to base dosage schedules on height rather than weight for those taking tablets, which included most people aged four years or more in the population studied. PMID:11217675

Floral abundance, richness, and spatial distribution drive urban garden bee communities.

PubMed

Plascencia, M; Philpott, S M

2017-10-01

In urban landscapes, gardens provide refuges for bee diversity, but conservation potential may depend on local and landscape features. Foraging and population persistence of bee species, as well as overall pollinator community structure, may be supported by the abundance, richness, and spatial distribution of floral resources. Floral resources strongly differ in urban gardens. Using hand netting and pan traps to survey bees, we examined whether abundance, richness, and spatial distribution of floral resources, as well as ground cover and garden landscape surroundings influence bee abundance, species richness, and diversity on the central coast of California. Differences in floral abundance and spatial distribution, as well as urban cover in the landscape, predicted different bee community variables. Abundance of all bees and of honeybees (Apis mellifera) was lower in sites with more urban land cover surrounding the gardens. Honeybee abundance was higher in sites with patchy floral resources, whereas bee species richness and bee diversity was higher in sites with more clustered floral resources. Surprisingly, bee species richness and bee diversity was lower in sites with very high floral abundance, possibly due to interactions with honeybees. Other studies have documented the importance of floral abundance and landscape surroundings for bees in urban gardens, but this study is the first to document that the spatial arrangement of flowers strongly predicts bee abundance and richness. Based on these findings, it is likely that garden managers may promote bee conservation by managing for floral connectivity and abundance within these ubiquitous urban habitats.

Modelling Vulnerability and Range Shifts in Ant Communities Responding to Future Global Warming in Temperate Forests.

PubMed

Kwon, Tae-Sung; Li, Fengqing; Kim, Sung-Soo; Chun, Jung Hwa; Park, Young-Seuk

2016-01-01

Global warming is likely leading to species' distributional shifts, resulting in changes in local community compositions and diversity patterns. In this study, we applied species distribution models to evaluate the potential impacts of temperature increase on ant communities in Korean temperate forests, by testing hypotheses that 1) the risk of extinction of forest ant species would increase over time, and 2) the changes in species distribution ranges could drive upward movements of ant communities and further alter patterns of species richness. We sampled ant communities at 335 evenly distributed sites across South Korea and modelled the future distribution range for each species using generalized additive models. To account for spatial autocorrelation, autocovariate regressions were conducted prior to generalized additive models. Among 29 common ant species, 12 species were estimated to shrink their suitable geographic areas, whereas five species would benefit from future global warming. Species richness was highest at low altitudes in the current period, and it was projected to be highest at the mid-altitudes in the 2080s, resulting in an upward movement of 4.9 m yr-1. This altered the altitudinal pattern of species richness from a monotonic-decrease curve (common in temperate regions) to a bell-shaped curve (common in tropical regions). Overall, ant communities in temperate forests are vulnerable to the on-going global warming and their altitudinal movements are similar to other faunal communities.

Ocean biogeochemistry modeled with emergent trait-based genomics.

PubMed

Coles, V J; Stukel, M R; Brooks, M T; Burd, A; Crump, B C; Moran, M A; Paul, J H; Satinsky, B M; Yager, P L; Zielinski, B L; Hood, R R

2017-12-01

Marine ecosystem models have advanced to incorporate metabolic pathways discovered with genomic sequencing, but direct comparisons between models and "omics" data are lacking. We developed a model that directly simulates metagenomes and metatranscriptomes for comparison with observations. Model microbes were randomly assigned genes for specialized functions, and communities of 68 species were simulated in the Atlantic Ocean. Unfit organisms were replaced, and the model self-organized to develop community genomes and transcriptomes. Emergent communities from simulations that were initialized with different cohorts of randomly generated microbes all produced realistic vertical and horizontal ocean nutrient, genome, and transcriptome gradients. Thus, the library of gene functions available to the community, rather than the distribution of functions among specific organisms, drove community assembly and biogeochemical gradients in the model ocean. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Developing Interoperable Air Quality Community Portals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falke, S. R.; Husar, R. B.; Yang, C. P.; Robinson, E. M.; Fialkowski, W. E.

2009-04-01

Web portals are intended to provide consolidated discovery, filtering and aggregation of content from multiple, distributed web sources targeted at particular user communities. This paper presents a standards-based information architectural approach to developing portals aimed at air quality community collaboration in data access and analysis. An important characteristic of the approach is to advance beyond the present stand-alone design of most portals to achieve interoperability with other portals and information sources. We show how using metadata standards, web services, RSS feeds and other Web 2.0 technologies, such as Yahoo! Pipes and del.icio.us, helps increase interoperability among portals. The approach is illustrated within the context of the GEOSS Architecture Implementation Pilot where an air quality community portal is being developed to provide a user interface between the portals and clearinghouse of the GEOSS Common Infrastructure and the air quality community catalog of metadata and data services.

KODAMA and VPC based Framework for Ubiquitous Systems and its Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kenichi; Amamiya, Satoshi; Iwao, Tadashige; Zhong, Guoqiang; Kainuma, Tatsuya; Amamiya, Makoto

Recently, agent technologies have attracted a lot of interest as an emerging programming paradigm. With such agent technologies, services are provided through collaboration among agents. At the same time, the spread of mobile technologies and communication infrastructures has made it possible to access the network anytime and from anywhere. Using agents and mobile technologies to realize ubiquitous computing systems, we propose a new framework based on KODAMA and VPC. KODAMA provides distributed management mechanisms by using the concept of community and communication infrastructure to deliver messages among agents without agents being aware of the physical network. VPC provides a method of defining peer-to-peer services based on agent communication with policy packages. By merging the characteristics of both KODAMA and VPC functions, we propose a new framework for ubiquitous computing environments. It provides distributed management functions according to the concept of agent communities, agent communications which are abstracted from the physical environment, and agent collaboration with policy packages. Using our new framework, we conducted a large-scale experiment in shopping malls in Nagoya, which sent advertisement e-mails to users' cellular phones according to user location and attributes. The empirical results showed that our new framework worked effectively for sales in shopping malls.

Restraint use law enforcement intervention in Latino communities.

PubMed

Schaechter, Judy; Uhlhorn, Susan B

2011-11-01

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. Latinos aged 1 to 35 years. Restraint use is an effective means of prevention of motor vehicle crash injury. Effective interventions to raise restraint use include the following: legislation, law enforcement, education, and equipment distribution. The effects of law enforcement interventions in Latino immigrant communities are understudied. We measured the community-level effect of a combined intervention that included warnings and citations phase enforcement in Latino communities. We designed and implemented in two of three Latino-majority communities a multicomponent intervention consisting of a community awareness campaign, restraint use education with equipment distribution, and a two-staged law enforcement intervention. Restraint use observations were conducted in all three communities at baseline, after the warnings phase and again after the citations phase of the intervention were completed. The combined intervention of community awareness, education, child passenger restraint distribution, and law enforcement focused on educational traffic stops with incentives and warnings was associated with a significant increase in both driver and child passenger restraint use in one intervention community, but only driver restraint increased to a level of significance in the other intervention community; significant increase was also noted among nonintervention drivers. The citations phase of the intervention did not result in a significant increase in restraint use and was complicated by interruptions due to unlicensed drivers. The combined effort of community awareness, education, equipment distribution and law enforcement intervention that included incentives and warnings may be effective at increasing seat belt use in Latino communities without the need for citations.

Characterization of Bacterial Communities and Asaia Infection with Field-Collected and Laboratory-Reared Aedes albopictus

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-18

Characterization of bacterial communities and Asaia infection within field-collected and 1 laboratory-reared Aedes albopictus 2 3 4 Elizabeth S...Running Head: Bacterial communities within Ae. albopictus 10 11 #Address correspondence to Elizabeth S. Andrews, elizabeth.s.andrews11.ctr@mail.mil 12...189 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. UNCLASSIFIED Abstract 19 The bacterial communities within

Diversity and distribution of ant communities in Puerto Rico

Treesearch

J.A. Torres

1984-01-01

I studied ants in upland tropical forest, grassland and agricultural land in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, to uncover factors responsible for the distribution and number of species in these communities. Observations, laboratory studies and field experiments were used. Microclimate influenced the distributions of Pheidole fallax, Solenopsis geminata and Monomorium ebeninum...

Comparison of Particle-Associated Bacteria from a Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Distribution Reservoirs with Different Water Sources.

PubMed

Liu, G; Ling, F Q; van der Mark, E J; Zhang, X D; Knezev, A; Verberk, J Q J C; van der Meer, W G J; Medema, G J; Liu, W T; van Dijk, J C

2016-02-02

This study assessed the characteristics of and changes in the suspended particles and the associated bacteria in an unchlorinated drinking water distribution system and its reservoirs with different water sources. The results show that particle-associated bacteria (PAB) were present at a level of 0.8-4.5 × 10(3) cells ml(-1) with a biological activity of 0.01-0.04 ng l(-1) ATP. Different PAB communities in the waters produced from different sources were revealed by a 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing analysis. The quantified biomass underestimation due to the multiple cells attached per particle was ≥ 85%. The distribution of the biologically stable water increased the number of cells per particle (from 48 to 90) but had minor effects on the PAB community. Significant changes were observed at the mixing reservoir. Our results show the characteristics of and changes in suspended PAB during distribution, and highlight the significance of suspended PAB in the distribution system, because suspended PAB can lead to a considerable underestimation of biomass, and because they exist as biofilm, which has a greater mobility than pipe-wall biofilm and therefore presents a greater risk, given the higher probability that it will reach the customers' taps and be ingested.

Counting Jobs and Economic Impacts from Distributed Wind in the United States (Poster)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tegen, S.

This conference poster describes the distributed wind Jobs and Economic Development Imapcts (JEDI) model. The goal of this work is to provide a model that estimates jobs and other economic effects associated with the domestic distributed wind industry. The distributed wind JEDI model is a free input-output model that estimates employment and other impacts resulting from an investment in distributed wind installations. Default inputs are from installers and industry experts and are based on existing projects. User input can be minimal (use defaults) or very detailed for more precise results. JEDI can help evaluate potential scenarios, current or future; informmore » stakeholders and decision-makers; assist businesses in evaluating economic development impacts and estimating jobs; assist government organizations with planning and evaluating and developing communities.« less

Predictors of participant engagement and naloxone utilization in a community-based naloxone distribution program.

PubMed

Rowe, Christopher; Santos, Glenn-Milo; Vittinghoff, Eric; Wheeler, Eliza; Davidson, Peter; Coffin, Philip O

2015-08-01

To describe characteristics of participants and overdose reversals associated with a community-based naloxone distribution program and identify predictors of obtaining naloxone refills and using naloxone for overdose reversal. Bivariate statistical tests were used to compare characteristics of participants who obtained refills and reported overdose reversals versus those who did not. We fitted multiple logistic regression models to identify predictors of refills and reversals; zero-inflated multiple Poisson regression models were used to identify predictors of number of refills and reversals. San Francisco, California, USA. Naloxone program participants registered and reversals reported from 2010 to 2013. Baseline characteristics of participants and reported characteristics of reversals. A total of 2500 participants were registered and 702 reversals were reported from 2010 to 2013. Participants who had witnessed an overdose [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 1.53-2.66; AOR = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.73-4.30] or used heroin (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI =  1.44-2.37; AOR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.54-3.13) or methamphetamine (AOR=1.71, 95% CI=1.37-2.15; AOR=1.61, 95% CI=1.18-2.19) had higher odds of obtaining a refill and reporting a reversal, respectively. African American (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.45-0.88) and Latino (AOR = 0.65, 95% CI =  0.43-1.00) participants had lower odds of obtaining a naloxone refill, whereas Latino participants who obtained at least one refill reported a higher number of refills [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.33 (1.05-1.69)]. Community naloxone distribution programs are capable of reaching sizeable populations of high-risk individuals and facilitating large numbers of overdose reversals. Community members most likely to engage with a naloxone program and use naloxone to reverse an overdose are active drug users. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

The role of local environment and geographical distance in determining community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at the landscape scale.

PubMed

Hazard, Christina; Gosling, Paul; van der Gast, Christopher J; Mitchell, Derek T; Doohan, Fiona M; Bending, Gary D

2013-03-01

Arbuscular fungi have a major role in directing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems yet little is known about their biogeographical distribution. The Baas-Becking hypothesis ('everything is everywhere, but, the environment selects') was tested by investigating the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at the landscape scale and the influence of environmental factors and geographical distance in determining community composition. AMF communities in Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne roots were assessed in 40 geographically dispersed sites in Ireland representing different land uses and soil types. Field sampling and laboratory bioassays were used, with AMF communities characterised using 18S rRNA terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Landscape-scale distribution of AMF was driven by the local environment. AMF community composition was influenced by abiotic variables (pH, rainfall and soil type), but not land use or geographical distance. Trifolium repens and L. perenne supported contrasting communities of AMF, and the communities colonising each plant species were consistent across pasture habitats and over distance. Furthermore, L. perenne AMF communities grouped by soil type within pasture habitats. This is the largest and most comprehensive study that has investigated the landscape-scale distribution of AMF. Our findings support the Baas-Becking hypothesis at the landscape scale and demonstrate the strong influence the local environment has on determining AMF community composition.

Global Patterns of Bacterial Beta-Diversity in Seafloor and Seawater Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Zinger, Lucie; Amaral-Zettler, Linda A.; Fuhrman, Jed A.; Horner-Devine, M. Claire; Huse, Susan M.; Welch, David B. Mark; Martiny, Jennifer B. H.; Sogin, Mitchell; Boetius, Antje; Ramette, Alban

2011-01-01

Background Marine microbial communities have been essential contributors to global biomass, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity since the early history of Earth, but so far their community distribution patterns remain unknown in most marine ecosystems. Methodology/Principal Findings The synthesis of 9.6 million bacterial V6-rRNA amplicons for 509 samples that span the global ocean's surface to the deep-sea floor shows that pelagic and benthic communities greatly differ, at all taxonomic levels, and share <10% bacterial types defined at 3% sequence similarity level. Surface and deep water, coastal and open ocean, and anoxic and oxic ecosystems host distinct communities that reflect productivity, land influences and other environmental constraints such as oxygen availability. The high variability of bacterial community composition specific to vent and coastal ecosystems reflects the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of these habitats. Both pelagic and benthic bacterial community distributions correlate with surface water productivity, reflecting the coupling between both realms by particle export. Also, differences in physical mixing may play a fundamental role in the distribution patterns of marine bacteria, as benthic communities showed a higher dissimilarity with increasing distance than pelagic communities. Conclusions/Significance This first synthesis of global bacterial distribution across different ecosystems of the World's oceans shows remarkable horizontal and vertical large-scale patterns in bacterial communities. This opens interesting perspectives for the definition of biogeographical biomes for bacteria of ocean waters and the seabed. PMID:21931760

The role of local environment and geographical distance in determining community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at the landscape scale

PubMed Central

Hazard, Christina; Gosling, Paul; van der Gast, Christopher J; Mitchell, Derek T; Doohan, Fiona M; Bending, Gary D

2013-01-01

Arbuscular fungi have a major role in directing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems yet little is known about their biogeographical distribution. The Baas-Becking hypothesis (‘everything is everywhere, but, the environment selects') was tested by investigating the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at the landscape scale and the influence of environmental factors and geographical distance in determining community composition. AMF communities in Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne roots were assessed in 40 geographically dispersed sites in Ireland representing different land uses and soil types. Field sampling and laboratory bioassays were used, with AMF communities characterised using 18S rRNA terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Landscape-scale distribution of AMF was driven by the local environment. AMF community composition was influenced by abiotic variables (pH, rainfall and soil type), but not land use or geographical distance. Trifolium repens and L. perenne supported contrasting communities of AMF, and the communities colonising each plant species were consistent across pasture habitats and over distance. Furthermore, L. perenne AMF communities grouped by soil type within pasture habitats. This is the largest and most comprehensive study that has investigated the landscape-scale distribution of AMF. Our findings support the Baas-Becking hypothesis at the landscape scale and demonstrate the strong influence the local environment has on determining AMF community composition. PMID:23096401

The design of a community-based health education intervention for the control of Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Lloyd, L S; Winch, P; Ortega-Canto, J; Kendall, C

1994-04-01

This report describes the process used to develop locally appropriate educational materials and to implement the education component of a community-based Aedes aegypti control program in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The process is broken into five stages: formative research, developing recommendations for behavior change, development of educational messages, development and production of educational materials, and distribution of the materials. Appropriate terminology and taxonomies for dengue were obtained from open in-depth interviews; baseline data from a knowledge, beliefs, and practices questionnaire served to confirm this information. A larval survey of house lots was carried out to identify the Ae. aegypti larval production sites found on individual house lots. This enabled the program to target the most important larval habitats. Community groups were organized to work on the development of messages and production of the educational materials to be used. The education intervention was successful in stimulating changes in both knowledge and behavior, which were measured in the evaluations of the intervention. To be successful, community-based strategies must be flexible and adapted to the local setting because of ecologic, cultural, and social differences between localities.

Microbial community dynamics of an urban drinking water distribution system subjected to phases of chloramination and chlorination treatments.

PubMed

Hwang, Chiachi; Ling, Fangqiong; Andersen, Gary L; LeChevallier, Mark W; Liu, Wen-Tso

2012-11-01

Water utilities in parts of the U.S. control microbial regrowth in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) by alternating postdisinfection methods between chlorination and chloramination. To examine how this strategy influences drinking water microbial communities, an urban DWDS (population ≅ 40,000) with groundwater as the source water was studied for approximately 2 years. Water samples were collected at five locations in the network at different seasons and analyzed for their chemical and physical characteristics and for their microbial community composition and structure by examining the 16S rRNA gene via terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA pyrosequencing technology. Nonmetric multidimension scaling and canonical correspondence analysis of microbial community profiles could explain >57% of the variation. Clustering of samples based on disinfection types (free chlorine versus combined chlorine) and sampling time was observed to correlate to the shifts in microbial communities. Sampling location and water age (<21.2 h) had no apparent effects on the microbial compositions of samples from most time points. Microbial community analysis revealed that among major core populations, Cyanobacteria, Methylobacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae were more abundant in chlorinated water, and Methylophilaceae, Methylococcaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae were more abundant in chloraminated water. No correlation was observed with minor populations that were detected frequently (<0.1% of total pyrosequences), which were likely present in source water and survived through the treatment process. Transient microbial populations including Flavobacteriaceae and Clostridiaceae were also observed. Overall, reversible shifts in microbial communities were especially pronounced with chloramination, suggesting stronger selection of microbial populations from chloramines than chlorine.

Denitrifying Bacteria from the Genus Rhodanobacter Dominate Bacterial Communities in the Highly Contaminated Subsurface of a Nuclear Legacy Waste Site

PubMed Central

Green, Stefan J.; Prakash, Om; Jasrotia, Puja; Overholt, Will A.; Cardenas, Erick; Hubbard, Daniela; Tiedje, James M.; Watson, David B.; Schadt, Christopher W.; Brooks, Scott C.

2012-01-01

The effect of long-term mixed-waste contamination, particularly uranium and nitrate, on the microbial community in the terrestrial subsurface was investigated at the field scale at the Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (ORIFRC) site in Oak Ridge, TN. The abundance, community composition, and distribution of groundwater microorganisms were examined across the site during two seasonal sampling events. At representative locations, subsurface sediment was also examined from two boreholes, one sampled from the most heavily contaminated area of the site and another from an area with low contamination. A suite of DNA- and RNA-based molecular tools were employed for community characterization, including quantitative PCR of rRNA and nitrite reductase genes, community composition fingerprinting analysis, and high-throughput pyrotag sequencing of rRNA genes. The results demonstrate that pH is a major driver of the subsurface microbial community structure and that denitrifying bacteria from the genus Rhodanobacter (class Gammaproteobacteria) dominate at low pH. The relative abundance of bacteria from this genus was positively correlated with lower-pH conditions, and these bacteria were abundant and active in the most highly contaminated areas. Other factors, such as the concentration of nitrogen species, oxygen level, and sampling season, did not appear to strongly influence the distribution of Rhodanobacter bacteria. The results indicate that these organisms are acid-tolerant denitrifiers, well suited to the acidic, nitrate-rich subsurface conditions, and pH is confirmed as a dominant driver of bacterial community structure in this contaminated subsurface environment. PMID:22179233

Microbial Community Dynamics of an Urban Drinking Water Distribution System Subjected to Phases of Chloramination and Chlorination Treatments

PubMed Central

Hwang, Chiachi; Ling, Fangqiong; Andersen, Gary L.; LeChevallier, Mark W.

2012-01-01

Water utilities in parts of the U.S. control microbial regrowth in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) by alternating postdisinfection methods between chlorination and chloramination. To examine how this strategy influences drinking water microbial communities, an urban DWDS (population ≅ 40,000) with groundwater as the source water was studied for approximately 2 years. Water samples were collected at five locations in the network at different seasons and analyzed for their chemical and physical characteristics and for their microbial community composition and structure by examining the 16S rRNA gene via terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA pyrosequencing technology. Nonmetric multidimension scaling and canonical correspondence analysis of microbial community profiles could explain >57% of the variation. Clustering of samples based on disinfection types (free chlorine versus combined chlorine) and sampling time was observed to correlate to the shifts in microbial communities. Sampling location and water age (<21.2 h) had no apparent effects on the microbial compositions of samples from most time points. Microbial community analysis revealed that among major core populations, Cyanobacteria, Methylobacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae were more abundant in chlorinated water, and Methylophilaceae, Methylococcaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae were more abundant in chloraminated water. No correlation was observed with minor populations that were detected frequently (<0.1% of total pyrosequences), which were likely present in source water and survived through the treatment process. Transient microbial populations including Flavobacteriaceae and Clostridiaceae were also observed. Overall, reversible shifts in microbial communities were especially pronounced with chloramination, suggesting stronger selection of microbial populations from chloramines than chlorine. PMID:22941076

An integrated approach to preventing cardiovascular disease: community-based approaches, health system initiatives, and public health policy.

PubMed

Karwalajtys, Tina; Kaczorowski, Janusz

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely the product of interactions among modifiable risk factors that are common in developed nations and increasingly of concern in developing countries. Hypertension is an important precursor to the development of CVD, and although detection and treatment rates have improved in recent years in some jurisdictions, effective strategies and policies supporting a shift in distribution of risk factors at the population level remain paramount. Challenges in managing cardiovascular health more effectively include factors at the patient, provider, and system level. Strategies to reduce hypertension and CVD should be population based, incorporate multilevel, multicomponent, and socioenvironmental approaches, and integrate community resources with public health and clinical care. There is an urgent need to improve monitoring and management of risk factors through community-wide, primary care-linked initiatives, increase the evidence base for community-based prevention strategies, further develop and evaluate promising program components, and develop new approaches to support healthy lifestyle behaviors in diverse age, socioeconomic, and ethnocultural groups. Policy and system changes are critical to reduce risk in populations, including legislation and public education to reduce dietary sodium and trans-fatty acids, food pricing policies, and changes to health care delivery systems to explicitly support prevention and management of CVD.

Analysing and recommending options for maintaining universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets: the case of Tanzania in 2011

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Tanzania achieved universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in October 2011, after three years of free mass net distribution campaigns and is now faced with the challenge of maintaining high coverage as nets wear out and the population grows. A process of exploring options for a continuous or “Keep-Up” distribution system was initiated in early 2011. This paper presents for the first time a comprehensive national process to review the major considerations, findings and recommendations for the implementation of a new strategy. Methods Stakeholder meetings and site visits were conducted in five locations in Tanzania to garner stakeholder input on the proposed distribution systems. Coverage levels for LLINs and their decline over time were modelled using NetCALC software, taking realistic net decay rates, current demographic profiles and other relevant parameters into consideration. Costs of the different distribution systems were estimated using local data. Results LLIN delivery was considered via mass campaigns, Antenatal Care-Expanded Programme on Immunization (ANC/EPI), community-based distribution, schools, the commercial sector and different combinations of the above. Most approaches appeared unlikely to maintain universal coverage when used alone. Mass campaigns, even when combined with a continuation of the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (TNVS), would produce large temporal fluctuations in coverage levels; over 10 years this strategy would require 63.3 million LLINs and a total cost of $444 million USD. Community mechanisms, while able to deliver the required numbers of LLINs, would require a massive scale-up in monitoring, evaluation and supervision systems to ensure accurate application of identification criteria at the community level. School-based approaches combined with the existing TNVS would reach most Tanzanian households and deliver 65.4 million LLINs over 10 years at a total cost of $449 million USD and ensure continuous coverage. The cost of each strategy was largely driven by the number of LLINs delivered. Conclusions The most cost-efficient strategy to maintain universal coverage is one that best optimizes the numbers of LLINs needed over time. A school-based approach using vouchers targeting all students in Standards 1, 3, 5, 7 and Forms 1 and 2 in combination with the TNVS appears to meet best the criteria of effectiveness, equity and efficiency. PMID:23641705

"Providing a Roof" and More to Communities Affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines: the Médecins Sans Frontières Experience.

PubMed

Ali, Engy; Ferir, Marie-Christine; Reid, Tony; Gray, Henry; Van Den Boogaard, Wilma; Gonzales, Christopher; Zachariah, Rony

2017-06-01

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013 and left a trail of destruction. As part of its emergency response, Médecins Sans Frontières distributed materials for reconstructing houses and boats as standardized kits to be shared between households. Community engagement was sought and communities were empowered in deciding how to make the distributions. We aimed to answer, Was this effective and what lessons were learned? A cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted in May 2014 and included all community leaders and 269 households in 22 barangays (community administrative areas). All houses were affected by the typhoon, of which 182 (68%) were totally damaged. All households reported having received and used the housing material. However, in 238 (88%) house repair was incomplete because the materials provided were insufficient or inappropriate for the required repairs. This experience of emergency mass distribution of reconstruction or repair materials of houses and boats led by the local community was encouraging. The use of "standardized kits" resulted in equity issues, because households were subjected to variable degrees of damage. A possible way out is to follow up the emergency distribution with a needs assessment and a tailored distribution. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:285-289).

Restrictions to Pharmacy Ownership and Vertical Integration in Estonia-Perception of Different Stakeholders.

PubMed

Gross, Marit; Volmer, Daisy

2016-04-19

From 2020, the ownership of community pharmacies in Estonia will be limited to the pharmacy profession, and the vertical integration of wholesale companies and community pharmacies will not be allowed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of different stakeholders in primary healthcare toward the new regulations of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. A qualitative electronic survey was distributed to the main stakeholders in primary healthcare and higher education institutions providing pharmacy education ( n = 40) in May 2015. For data analysis, the systematic text condensation method was used. The study participants described two opposing positions regarding the development of community pharmacies in the future. Reform supporters emphasized increased professional independence and more healthcare-oriented operation of community pharmacies. Reform opponents argued against these ideas as community pharmacists do not have sufficient practical experience and finances to ensure sustainable development of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. Based on the current perception of all respondents, the future operation of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia is unclear and there is urgent need for implementation criteria for the new regulations.

Community Structure of Active Aerobic Methanotrophs in Red Mangrove (Kandelia obovata) Soils Under Different Frequency of Tides.

PubMed

Shiau, Yo-Jin; Cai, Yuanfeng; Lin, Yu-Te; Jia, Zhongjun; Chiu, Chih-Yu

2018-04-01

Methanotrophs are important microbial communities in coastal ecosystems. They reduce CH 4 emission in situ, which is influenced by soil conditions. This study aimed to understand the differences in active aerobic methanotrophic communities in mangrove forest soils experiencing different inundation frequency, i.e., in soils from tidal mangroves, distributed at lower elevations, and from dwarf mangroves, distributed at higher elevations. Labeling of pmoA gene of active methanotrophs using DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) revealed that methanotrophic activity was higher in the dwarf mangrove soils than in the tidal mangrove soils, possibly because of the more aerobic soil conditions. Methanotrophs affiliated with the cluster deep-sea-5 belonging to type Ib methanotrophs were the most dominant methanotrophs in the fresh mangrove soils, whereas type II methanotrophs also appeared in the fresh dwarf mangrove soils. Furthermore, Methylobacter and Methylosarcina were the most important active methanotrophs in the dwarf mangrove soils, whereas Methylomonas and Methylosarcina were more active in the tidal mangrove soils. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene also confirmed similar differences in methanotrophic communities at the different locations. However, several unclassified methanotrophic bacteria were found by 16S rRNA MiSeq sequencing in both fresh and incubated mangrove soils, implying that methanotrophic communities in mangrove forests may significantly differ from the methanotrophic communities documented in previous studies. Overall, this study showed the feasibility of 13 CH 4 DNA-SIP to study the active methanotrophic communities in mangrove forest soils and revealed differences in the methanotrophic community structure between coastal mangrove forests experiencing different tide frequencies.

Impact of community-based interventions on HIV knowledge, attitudes, and transmission.

PubMed

Salam, Rehana A; Haroon, Sarah; Ahmed, Hashim H; Das, Jai K; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2014-01-01

In 2012, an estimated 35.3 million people lived with HIV, while approximately two million new HIV infections were reported. Community-based interventions (CBIs) for the prevention and control of HIV allow increased access and ease availability of medical care to population at risk, or already infected with, HIV. This paper evaluates the impact of CBIs on HIV knowledge, attitudes, and transmission. We included 39 studies on educational activities, counseling sessions, home visits, mentoring, women's groups, peer leadership, and street outreach activities in community settings that aimed to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS risk factors and ensure treatment adherence. Our review findings suggest that CBIs to increase HIV awareness and risk reduction are effective in improving knowledge, attitudes, and practice outcomes as evidenced by the increased knowledge scores for HIV/AIDS (SMD: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.25, 1.07), protected sexual encounters (RR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.25), condom use (SMD: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.03, 1.58), and decreased frequency of sexual intercourse (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.96). Analysis shows that CBIs did not have any significant impact on scores for self-efficacy and communication. We found very limited evidence on community-based management for HIV infected population and prevention of mother- to-child transmission (MTCT) for HIV-infected pregnant women. Qualitative synthesis suggests that establishment of community support at the onset of HIV prevention programs leads to community acceptance and engagement. School-based delivery of HIV prevention education and contraceptive distribution have also been advocated as potential strategies to target high-risk youth group. Future studies should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of community delivery platforms for prevention of MTCT, and various emerging models of care to improve morbidity and mortality outcomes.

Modeling and evaluating the performance of Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors.

PubMed

Soto, Marcelo A; Thévenaz, Luc

2013-12-16

A thorough analysis of the key factors impacting on the performance of Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors is presented. An analytical expression is derived to estimate the error on the determination of the Brillouin peak gain frequency, based for the first time on real experimental conditions. This expression is experimentally validated, and describes how this frequency uncertainty depends on measurement parameters, such as Brillouin gain linewidth, frequency scanning step and signal-to-noise ratio. Based on the model leading to this expression and considering the limitations imposed by nonlinear effects and pump depletion, a figure-of-merit is proposed to fairly compare the performance of Brillouin distributed sensing systems. This figure-of-merit offers to the research community and to potential users the possibility to evaluate with an objective metric the real performance gain resulting from any proposed configuration.

Methodological approaches for studying the microbial ecology of drinking water distribution systems.

PubMed

Douterelo, Isabel; Boxall, Joby B; Deines, Peter; Sekar, Raju; Fish, Katherine E; Biggs, Catherine A

2014-11-15

The study of the microbial ecology of drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) has traditionally been based on culturing organisms from bulk water samples. The development and application of molecular methods has supplied new tools for examining the microbial diversity and activity of environmental samples, yielding new insights into the microbial community and its diversity within these engineered ecosystems. In this review, the currently available methods and emerging approaches for characterising microbial communities, including both planktonic and biofilm ways of life, are critically evaluated. The study of biofilms is considered particularly important as it plays a critical role in the processes and interactions occurring at the pipe wall and bulk water interface. The advantages, limitations and usefulness of methods that can be used to detect and assess microbial abundance, community composition and function are discussed in a DWDS context. This review will assist hydraulic engineers and microbial ecologists in choosing the most appropriate tools to assess drinking water microbiology and related aspects. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Experimentally testing and assessing the predictive power of species assembly rules for tropical canopy ants

PubMed Central

Fayle, Tom M; Eggleton, Paul; Manica, Andrea; Yusah, Kalsum M; Foster, William A

2015-01-01

Understanding how species assemble into communities is a key goal in ecology. However, assembly rules are rarely tested experimentally, and their ability to shape real communities is poorly known. We surveyed a diverse community of epiphyte-dwelling ants and found that similar-sized species co-occurred less often than expected. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that invasion was discouraged by the presence of similarly sized resident species. The size difference for which invasion was less likely was the same as that for which wild species exhibited reduced co-occurrence. Finally we explored whether our experimentally derived assembly rules could simulate realistic communities. Communities simulated using size-based species assembly exhibited diversities closer to wild communities than those simulated using size-independent assembly, with results being sensitive to the combination of rules employed. Hence, species segregation in the wild can be driven by competitive species assembly, and this process is sufficient to generate observed species abundance distributions for tropical epiphyte-dwelling ants. PMID:25622647

A Framework for Conducting a National Study of Substance Abuse Treatment Programs Serving American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

PubMed Central

Novins, Douglas K.; Moore, Laurie A.; Beals, Janette; Aarons, Gregory A.; Rieckmann, Traci; Kaufman, Carol E.

2013-01-01

Background Because of their broad geographic distribution, diverse ownership and operation, and funding instability, it is a challenge to develop a framework for studying substance abuse treatment programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities at a national level. This is further complicated by the historic reluctance of American Indian and Alaska Native communities to participate in research. Objectives and Methods We developed a framework for studying these substance abuse treatment programs (n = 293) at a national level as part of a study of attitudes toward, and use of, evidence-based treatments among substance abuse treatment programs serving AI/AN communities with the goal of assuring participation of a broad array of programs and the communities that they serve. Results Because of the complexities of identifying specific substance abuse treatment programs, the sampling framework divides these programs into strata based on the American Indian and Alaska Native communities that they serve: (1) the 20 largest tribes (by population); (2) urban AI/AN clinics; (3) Alaska Native Health Corporations; (4) other Tribes; and (5) other regional programs unaffiliated with a specific AI/AN community. In addition, the recruitment framework was designed to be sensitive to likely concerns about participating in research. Conclusion and Scientific Significance This systematic approach for studying substance abuse and other clinical programs serving AI/AN communities assures the participation of diverse AI/AN programs and communities and may be useful in designing similar national studies. PMID:22931088

EnviroAtlas-Communities: Identifying Nature’s Benefits, Deficits, and Opportunities for Equitable Distribution in Populated Places

EPA Science Inventory

Cities, towns, and Tribes rely on clean air, water and other natural resources for economic sustainability and quality of life. Yet natural resources and their benefits are not always fully understood or considered in local decisions. EnviroAtlas is a web-based, easy-to-use map...

Staff Evaluation of the JCCC Success Center Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weglarz, Shirley G.

This report describes a survey conducted at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) (Kansas) to measure staff perceptions, attitudes, and satisfaction with a variety of aspects of the Success Center/Student Services model, upon which the college's two-year old Success Center is based. Surveys were distributed in December 2001 to 107 Student Center…

The Instructional Effects of Knowledge-Based Community of Practice Learning Environment on Student Achievement and Knowledge Convergence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Darryl C.

2013-01-01

The increased accessibility of technology and Internet connections has enabled organizations to provide their workforces with the opportunity to engage in distributed education. "Harnessing this innovation calls for organizational and technological infrastructures that support the interplay of knowledge and knowing" (Cook & Brown, 1999, p. 381).…

Depth gradients in food web processes linking habitats in large lakes: Lake Superior as an exemplar ecosystem

EPA Science Inventory

In large lakes around the world, water depth is often associated with shifts in ecological communities. Depth-based changes in the abundance and distribution of invertebrate and fish species suggest that there may be concomitant changes in patterns of resource allocation. Using L...

Japan InK: Distributing the Information Networked Knowledge (InK) Base to the Japanese Research Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naito, Eisuke

This paper discusses knowledge management (KM) in relation to a shared cataloging system in Japanese university libraries. The first section describes the Japanese scene related to knowledge management and the working environment, including the SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization) model, the context of knowledge, and…

Education in the Digital Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thierstein, Joel

2009-01-01

Education is moving into the digital age. Pedagogies have changed to engage the latest digital technologies. The methods of distribution are now a blend between face-to-face and some other combination of virtual interfaces. The content is moving from traditional text-based learning to text-plus-multimedia. The community is now involved in the…

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF 16S RRNA GENE SEQUENCES REVEALS THE PREVALENCE OF MYCOBACTERIA SP., ALPHA-PROTEOBACTERIA, AND UNCULTURED BACTERIA IN DRINKING WATER MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have shown that culture-based methods tend to underestimate the densities and diversity of bacterial populations inhabiting water distribution systems (WDS). In this study, the phylogenetic diversity of drinking water bacteria was assessed using sequence analysis...

Response of Sierra Nevada forests to projected climate-wildfire interactions.

PubMed

Liang, Shuang; Hurteau, Matthew D; Westerling, Anthony LeRoy

2017-05-01

Climate influences forests directly and indirectly through disturbance. The interaction of climate change and increasing area burned has the potential to alter forest composition and community assembly. However, the overall forest response is likely to be influenced by species-specific responses to environmental change and the scale of change in overstory species cover. In this study, we sought to quantify how projected changes in climate and large wildfire size would alter forest communities and carbon (C) dynamics, irrespective of competition from nontree species and potential changes in other fire regimes, across the Sierra Nevada, USA. We used a species-specific, spatially explicit forest landscape model (LANDIS-II) to evaluate forest response to climate-wildfire interactions under historical (baseline) climate and climate projections from three climate models (GFDL, CCSM3, and CNRM) forced by a medium-high emission scenario (A2) in combination with corresponding climate-specific large wildfire projections. By late century, we found modest changes in the spatial distribution of dominant species by biomass relative to baseline, but extensive changes in recruitment distribution. Although forest recruitment declined across much of the Sierra, we found that projected climate and wildfire favored the recruitment of more drought-tolerant species over less drought-tolerant species relative to baseline, and this change was greatest at mid-elevations. We also found that projected climate and wildfire decreased tree species richness across a large proportion of the study area and transitioned more area to a C source, which reduced landscape-level C sequestration potential. Our study, although a conservative estimate, suggests that by late century, forest community distributions may not change as intact units as predicted by biome-based modeling, but are likely to trend toward simplified community composition as communities gradually disaggregate and the least tolerant species are no longer able to establish. The potential exists for substantial community composition change and forest simplification beyond this century. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dynamic Systems for Individual Tracking via Heterogeneous Information Integration and Crowd Source Distributed Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-04

51   6.6   Power Consumption: Communications ...simulations executing on mobile computing platforms, an area not widely studied to date in the distributed simulation research community . A...simulation community . These initial studies focused on two conservative synchronization algorithms widely used in the distributed simulation field

Redistributed Leadership for Sustainable Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargreaves, Andy; Fink, Dean

2006-01-01

Distributed leadership in schools is not exclusive to professional learning communities; it is distributed in all schools, for good purposes and for bad, by design and by emergence. In this article, we describe a normative view of distributed leadership that tends to be a leadership of advocacy, and we offer a descriptive perspective that argues…

45 CFR 2519.600 - How are funds for Higher Education programs distributed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How are funds for Higher Education programs...) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE HIGHER EDUCATION INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE Distribution of Funds § 2519.600 How are funds for Higher Education programs distributed? All funds under this...

Exploring the Relationship between the Dimensions of Distributed Leadership in Arkansas Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Sara Ellen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory factor analysis within the community college sector using the Distributed Leadership Scale. The instrument, which was designed from the original Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale(c) (CSDE, 2004), measured readiness and engagement in shared leadership practices within the community…

Parton distributions and lattice QCD calculations: A community white paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Huey-Wen; Nocera, Emanuele R.; Olness, Fred; Orginos, Kostas; Rojo, Juan; Accardi, Alberto; Alexandrou, Constantia; Bacchetta, Alessandro; Bozzi, Giuseppe; Chen, Jiunn-Wei; Collins, Sara; Cooper-Sarkar, Amanda; Constantinou, Martha; Del Debbio, Luigi; Engelhardt, Michael; Green, Jeremy; Gupta, Rajan; Harland-Lang, Lucian A.; Ishikawa, Tomomi; Kusina, Aleksander; Liu, Keh-Fei; Liuti, Simonetta; Monahan, Christopher; Nadolsky, Pavel; Qiu, Jian-Wei; Schienbein, Ingo; Schierholz, Gerrit; Thorne, Robert S.; Vogelsang, Werner; Wittig, Hartmut; Yuan, C.-P.; Zanotti, James

2018-05-01

In the framework of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), parton distribution functions (PDFs) quantify how the momentum and spin of a hadron are divided among its quark and gluon constituents. Two main approaches exist to determine PDFs. The first approach, based on QCD factorization theorems, realizes a QCD analysis of a suitable set of hard-scattering measurements, often using a variety of hadronic observables. The second approach, based on first-principle operator definitions of PDFs, uses lattice QCD to compute directly some PDF-related quantities, such as their moments. Motivated by recent progress in both approaches, in this document we present an overview of lattice-QCD and global-analysis techniques used to determine unpolarized and polarized proton PDFs and their moments. We provide benchmark numbers to validate present and future lattice-QCD calculations and we illustrate how they could be used to reduce the PDF uncertainties in current unpolarized and polarized global analyses. This document represents a first step towards establishing a common language between the two communities, to foster dialogue and to further improve our knowledge of PDFs.

Parton distributions and lattice QCD calculations: A community white paper

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Huey-Wen; Nocera, Emanuele R.; Olness, Fred

In the framework of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), parton distribution functions (PDFs) quantify how the momentum and spin of a hadron are divided among its quark and gluon constituents. Two main approaches exist to determine PDFs. The first approach, based on QCD factorization theorems, realizes a QCD analysis of a suitable set of hard-scattering measurements, often using a variety of hadronic observables. The second approach, based on first-principle operator definitions of PDFs, uses lattice QCD to compute directly some PDF-related quantities, such as their moments. Motivated by recent progress in both approaches, in this paper we present an overview of lattice-QCDmore » and global-analysis techniques used to determine unpolarized and polarized proton PDFs and their moments. We provide benchmark numbers to validate present and future lattice-QCD calculations and we illustrate how they could be used to reduce the PDF uncertainties in current unpolarized and polarized global analyses. Finally, this document represents a first step towards establishing a common language between the two communities, to foster dialogue and to further improve our knowledge of PDFs.« less

Parton distributions and lattice QCD calculations: A community white paper

DOE PAGES

Lin, Huey-Wen; Nocera, Emanuele R.; Olness, Fred; ...

2018-01-31

In the framework of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), parton distribution functions (PDFs) quantify how the momentum and spin of a hadron are divided among its quark and gluon constituents. Two main approaches exist to determine PDFs. The first approach, based on QCD factorization theorems, realizes a QCD analysis of a suitable set of hard-scattering measurements, often using a variety of hadronic observables. The second approach, based on first-principle operator definitions of PDFs, uses lattice QCD to compute directly some PDF-related quantities, such as their moments. Motivated by recent progress in both approaches, in this paper we present an overview of lattice-QCDmore » and global-analysis techniques used to determine unpolarized and polarized proton PDFs and their moments. We provide benchmark numbers to validate present and future lattice-QCD calculations and we illustrate how they could be used to reduce the PDF uncertainties in current unpolarized and polarized global analyses. Finally, this document represents a first step towards establishing a common language between the two communities, to foster dialogue and to further improve our knowledge of PDFs.« less

Creating the sustainable conditions for knowledge information sharing in virtual community.

PubMed

Wang, Jiangtao; Yang, Jianmei; Chen, Quan; Tsai, Sang-Bing

2016-01-01

Encyclopedias are not a new platform for the distribution of knowledge, but they have recently drawn a great deal of attention in their online iteration. Peer production in particular has emerged as a new mode of providing information with value and offering competitive advantage in information production. Large numbers of volunteers actively share their knowledge by continuously editing articles in Baidu encyclopedias. Most articles in the online communities are the cumulative and integrated products of the contributions of many coauthors. Email-based surveys and objective data mining were here used to collect analytical data. Critical mass theory is here used to analyze the characteristics of these collective actions and to explain the emergence and sustainability of these actions in the Baidu Encyclopedia communities. These results show that, based on the collective action framework, the contributors group satisfied the two key characteristics that ensure the collective action of knowledge contribution will both take place and become self-sustaining. This analysis not only facilitates the identification of collective actions related to individuals sharing knowledge in virtual communities, but also can provide an insight for other similar virtual communities' management and development.

Student Leadership Distribution: Effects of a Student-Led Leadership Program on School Climate and Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedersen, Jeff; Yager, Stuart; Yager, Robert

2012-01-01

This study focuses on the understandings educators developed from two schools concerning how distributed leadership involving a select group of students affected the climate and community of their schools. Findings suggest that student-led leadership roles within the school community have an impact on creating a positive school-wide climate; a…

Addressing unmet mental health and substance abuse needs: a partnered planning effort between grassroots community agencies, faith-based organizations, service providers, and academic institutions.

PubMed

Wong, Eunice C; Chung, Bowen; Stover, Gabriel; Stockdale, Susan; Jones, Felica; Litt, Paula; Klap, Ruth S; Patel, Kavita; Wells, Kenneth B

2011-01-01

To conduct a process evaluation of the Restoration Center Los Angeles, a community-academic partnered planning effort aimed at holistically addressing the unmet mental health and substance abuse needs of the Los Angeles African American community. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions on key domains of partnership effectiveness were conducted with a random stratified sample of participants varying by level of involvement. Eleven partners representing grassroots community agencies, faith-based organizations, service providers, and academic institutions. Common themes identified by an evaluation consultant and partners relating to partnership effectiveness, perceived benefits and costs, and future expectations. Findings underscore the importance of considering the potential issues that may arise with the increasing diversity of partners and perspectives. Many of the challenges and facilitating factors that arise within academic-community partnerships were similarly experienced between the diverse set of community partners. Challenges that affected partnership development between community-to-community partners included differences in expectations regarding the final goal of the project, trust-building, and the distribution of funds. Despite such challenges, partners were able to jointly develop a final set of recommendations for the creation of restoration centers, which was viewed as a major accomplishment. Limited guidance exists on how to navigate differences that arise between community members who have shared identities on some dimensions (eg, African American ethnicity, Los Angeles residence) but divergent identities on other dimensions (eg, formal church affiliation). With increasing diversity of community representation, careful attention needs to be dedicated to not only the development of academic-community partnerships but also community-community partnerships.

A Web-based Distributed Voluntary Computing Platform for Large Scale Hydrological Computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demir, I.; Agliamzanov, R.

2014-12-01

Distributed volunteer computing can enable researchers and scientist to form large parallel computing environments to utilize the computing power of the millions of computers on the Internet, and use them towards running large scale environmental simulations and models to serve the common good of local communities and the world. Recent developments in web technologies and standards allow client-side scripting languages to run at speeds close to native application, and utilize the power of Graphics Processing Units (GPU). Using a client-side scripting language like JavaScript, we have developed an open distributed computing framework that makes it easy for researchers to write their own hydrologic models, and run them on volunteer computers. Users will easily enable their websites for visitors to volunteer sharing their computer resources to contribute running advanced hydrological models and simulations. Using a web-based system allows users to start volunteering their computational resources within seconds without installing any software. The framework distributes the model simulation to thousands of nodes in small spatial and computational sizes. A relational database system is utilized for managing data connections and queue management for the distributed computing nodes. In this paper, we present a web-based distributed volunteer computing platform to enable large scale hydrological simulations and model runs in an open and integrated environment.

Body size distributions signal a regime shift in a lake ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spanbauer, Trisha; Allen, Craig R.; Angeler, David G.; Eason, Tarsha; Fritz, Sherilyn C.; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Nash, Kirsty L.; Stone, Jeffery R.; Stow, Craig A.; Sundstrom, Shana M.

2016-01-01

Communities of organisms, from mammals to microorganisms, have discontinuous distributions of body size. This pattern of size structuring is a conservative trait of community organization and is a product of processes that occur at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we assessed whether body size patterns serve as an indicator of a threshold between alternative regimes. Over the past 7000 years, the biological communities of Foy Lake (Montana, USA) have undergone a major regime shift owing to climate change. We used a palaeoecological record of diatom communities to estimate diatom sizes, and then analysed the discontinuous distribution of organism sizes over time. We used Bayesian classification and regression tree models to determine that all time intervals exhibited aggregations of sizes separated by gaps in the distribution and found a significant change in diatom body size distributions approximately 150 years before the identified ecosystem regime shift. We suggest that discontinuity analysis is a useful addition to the suite of tools for the detection of early warning signals of regime shifts.

Long-term spatial and temporal microbial community dynamics in a large-scale drinking water distribution system with multiple disinfectant regimes.

PubMed

Potgieter, Sarah; Pinto, Ameet; Sigudu, Makhosazana; du Preez, Hein; Ncube, Esper; Venter, Stephanus

2018-08-01

Long-term spatial-temporal investigations of microbial dynamics in full-scale drinking water distribution systems are scarce. These investigations can reveal the process, infrastructure, and environmental factors that influence the microbial community, offering opportunities to re-think microbial management in drinking water systems. Often, these insights are missed or are unreliable in short-term studies, which are impacted by stochastic variabilities inherent to large full-scale systems. In this two-year study, we investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of the microbial community in a large, full scale South African drinking water distribution system that uses three successive disinfection strategies (i.e. chlorination, chloramination and hypochlorination). Monthly bulk water samples were collected from the outlet of the treatment plant and from 17 points in the distribution system spanning nearly 150 km and the bacterial community composition was characterised by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Like previous studies, Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria dominated the drinking water bacterial communities, with an increase in Betaproteobacteria post-chloramination. In contrast with previous reports, the observed richness, diversity, and evenness of the bacterial communities were higher in the winter months as opposed to the summer months in this study. In addition to temperature effects, the seasonal variations were also likely to be influenced by changes in average water age in the distribution system and corresponding changes in disinfectant residual concentrations. Spatial dynamics of the bacterial communities indicated distance decay, with bacterial communities becoming increasingly dissimilar with increasing distance between sampling locations. These spatial effects dampened the temporal changes in the bulk water community and were the dominant factor when considering the entire distribution system. However, temporal variations were consistently stronger as compared to spatial changes at individual sampling locations and demonstrated seasonality. This study emphasises the need for long-term studies to comprehensively understand the temporal patterns that would otherwise be missed in short-term investigations. Furthermore, systematic long-term investigations are particularly critical towards determining the impact of changes in source water quality, environmental conditions, and process operations on the changes in microbial community composition in the drinking water distribution system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distributed Damage Estimation for Prognostics based on Structural Model Decomposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daigle, Matthew; Bregon, Anibal; Roychoudhury, Indranil

2011-01-01

Model-based prognostics approaches capture system knowledge in the form of physics-based models of components, and how they fail. These methods consist of a damage estimation phase, in which the health state of a component is estimated, and a prediction phase, in which the health state is projected forward in time to determine end of life. However, the damage estimation problem is often multi-dimensional and computationally intensive. We propose a model decomposition approach adapted from the diagnosis community, called possible conflicts, in order to both improve the computational efficiency of damage estimation, and formulate a damage estimation approach that is inherently distributed. Local state estimates are combined into a global state estimate from which prediction is performed. Using a centrifugal pump as a case study, we perform a number of simulation-based experiments to demonstrate the approach.

Modelling Vulnerability and Range Shifts in Ant Communities Responding to Future Global Warming in Temperate Forests

PubMed Central

Kim, Sung-Soo; Chun, Jung Hwa; Park, Young-Seuk

2016-01-01

Global warming is likely leading to species’ distributional shifts, resulting in changes in local community compositions and diversity patterns. In this study, we applied species distribution models to evaluate the potential impacts of temperature increase on ant communities in Korean temperate forests, by testing hypotheses that 1) the risk of extinction of forest ant species would increase over time, and 2) the changes in species distribution ranges could drive upward movements of ant communities and further alter patterns of species richness. We sampled ant communities at 335 evenly distributed sites across South Korea and modelled the future distribution range for each species using generalized additive models. To account for spatial autocorrelation, autocovariate regressions were conducted prior to generalized additive models. Among 29 common ant species, 12 species were estimated to shrink their suitable geographic areas, whereas five species would benefit from future global warming. Species richness was highest at low altitudes in the current period, and it was projected to be highest at the mid-altitudes in the 2080s, resulting in an upward movement of 4.9 m yr−1. This altered the altitudinal pattern of species richness from a monotonic-decrease curve (common in temperate regions) to a bell-shaped curve (common in tropical regions). Overall, ant communities in temperate forests are vulnerable to the on-going global warming and their altitudinal movements are similar to other faunal communities. PMID:27504632

Mapping spatial patterns of denitrifiers at large scales (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philippot, L.; Ramette, A.; Saby, N.; Bru, D.; Dequiedt, S.; Ranjard, L.; Jolivet, C.; Arrouays, D.

2010-12-01

Little information is available regarding the landscape-scale distribution of microbial communities and its environmental determinants. Here we combined molecular approaches and geostatistical modeling to explore spatial patterns of the denitrifying community at large scales. The distribution of denitrifrying community was investigated over 107 sites in Burgundy, a 31 500 km2 region of France, using a 16 X 16 km sampling grid. At each sampling site, the abundances of denitrifiers and 42 soil physico-chemical properties were measured. The relative contributions of land use, spatial distance, climatic conditions, time and soil physico-chemical properties to the denitrifier spatial distribution were analyzed by canonical variation partitioning. Our results indicate that 43% to 85% of the spatial variation in community abundances could be explained by the measured environmental parameters, with soil chemical properties (mostly pH) being the main driver. We found spatial autocorrelation up to 739 km and used geostatistical modelling to generate predictive maps of the distribution of denitrifiers at the landscape scale. Studying the distribution of the denitrifiers at large scale can help closing the artificial gap between the investigation of microbial processes and microbial community ecology, therefore facilitating our understanding of the relationships between the ecology of denitrifiers and N-fluxes by denitrification.

Weak interactions, omnivory and emergent food-web properties.

PubMed

Emmerson, Mark; Yearsley, Jon M

2004-02-22

Empirical studies have shown that, in real ecosystems, species-interaction strengths are generally skewed in their distribution towards weak interactions. Some theoretical work also suggests that weak interactions, especially in omnivorous links, are important for the local stability of a community at equilibrium. However, the majority of theoretical studies use uniform distributions of interaction strengths to generate artificial communities for study. We investigate the effects of the underlying interaction-strength distribution upon the return time, permanence and feasibility of simple Lotka-Volterra equilibrium communities. We show that a skew towards weak interactions promotes local and global stability only when omnivory is present. It is found that skewed interaction strengths are an emergent property of stable omnivorous communities, and that this skew towards weak interactions creates a dynamic constraint maintaining omnivory. Omnivory is more likely to occur when omnivorous interactions are skewed towards weak interactions. However, a skew towards weak interactions increases the return time to equilibrium, delays the recovery of ecosystems and hence decreases the stability of a community. When no skew is imposed, the set of stable omnivorous communities shows an emergent distribution of skewed interaction strengths. Our results apply to both local and global concepts of stability and are robust to the definition of a feasible community. These results are discussed in the light of empirical data and other theoretical studies, in conjunction with their broader implications for community assembly.

Phylogenetic diversity and spatial distribution of the microbial community associated with the Caribbean deep-water sponge Polymastia cf. corticata by 16S rRNA, aprA, and amoA gene analysis.

PubMed

Meyer, Birte; Kuever, Jan

2008-08-01

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based analyses of 16S rRNA, aprA, and amoA genes demonstrated that a phylogenetically diverse and complex microbial community was associated with the Caribbean deep-water sponge Polymastia cf. corticata Ridley and Dendy, 1887. From the 38 archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA phylotypes identified, 53% branched into the sponge-specific, monophyletic sequence clusters determined by previous studies (considering predominantly shallow-water sponge species), whereas 26% appeared to be P. cf. corticata specifically associated microorganisms ("specialists"); 21% of the phylotypes were confirmed to represent seawater- and sediment-derived proteobacterial species ("contaminants") acquired by filtration processes from the host environment. Consistently, the aprA and amoA gene-based analyses indicated the presence of environmentally derived sulfur- and ammonia-oxidizers besides putative sponge-specific sulfur-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria and a sulfate-reducing archaeon. A sponge-specific, endosymbiotic sulfur cycle as described for marine oligochaetes is proposed to be also present in P. cf. corticata. Overall, the results of this work support the recent studies that demonstrated the sponge species specificity of the associated microbial community while the biogeography of the host collection site has only a minor influence on the composition. In P. cf. corticata, the specificity of the sponge-microbe associations is even extended to the spatial distribution of the microorganisms within the sponge body; distinct bacterial populations were associated with the different tissue sections, papillae, outer and inner cortex, and choanosome. The local distribution of a phylotype within P. cf. corticata correlated with its (1) phylogenetic affiliation, (2) classification as sponge-specific or nonspecifically associated microorganism, and (3) potential ecological role in the host sponge.

Group and individual stability of three parenting dimensions

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The Parental Bonding Instrument, present self-report version, (PBI-PCh) includes three scales, Warmth, Protectiveness and Authoritarianism, which describe three dimensions of current parenting. The purposes of this study were to (1) evaluate the true and observed stability of these parenting dimensions related to older children, (2) explore the distribution of individual-level change across nine months and (3) test potential parental predictors of parenting instability. Methods Questionnaires were distributed to school-based samples of community parents of both genders (n = 150) twice, nine months apart. These questionnaires measured parenting, parental personality and emotional symptoms. Results Based on 1) stability correlations, 2) true stability estimates from structural equation modeling (SEM) and 3) distribution of individual-level change, Warmth appeared rather stable, although not as stable as personality traits. Protectiveness was moderately stable, whereas Authoritarianism was the least stable parenting dimension among community parents. The differences in stability between the three dimensions were consistent in both estimated true stability and observed stability. Most of the instability in Warmth originated from a minority of parents with personality, childhood care characteristics and lower current parenting warmth. For the Protectiveness dimension, instability was associated with higher Protectiveness scores. Conclusions True instability with all three self-reported parenting dimensions can occur across nine months in a community sample related to older children (7-15), but it may occur with varying degrees among dimensions and subpopulations. The highest stability was found for the Warmth parenting dimension, but a subgroup of "unstably cold" parents could be identified. Stability needs to be taken into account when interpreting longitudinal research on parenting and when planning and evaluating parenting interventions in research and clinical practice. PMID:21609442

Timing of sea ice retreat can alter phytoplankton community structure in the western Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujiwara, A.; Hirawake, T.; Suzuki, K.; Imai, I.; Saitoh, S.-I.

2014-04-01

This study assesses the response of phytoplankton assemblages to recent climate change, especially with regard to the shrinking of sea ice in the northern Chukchi Sea of the western Arctic Ocean. Distribution patterns of phytoplankton groups in the late summers of 2008-2010 were analysed based on HPLC pigment signatures and, the following four major algal groups were inferred via multiple regression and cluster analyses: prasinophytes, diatoms, haptophytes and dinoflagellates. A remarkable interannual difference in the distribution pattern of the groups was found in the northern basin area. Haptophytes dominated and dispersed widely in warm surface waters in 2008, whereas prasinophytes dominated in cold water in 2009 and 2010. A difference in the onset date of sea ice retreat was evident among years-the sea ice retreat in 2008 was 1-2 months earlier than in 2009 and 2010. The spatial distribution of early sea ice retreat matched the areas in which a shift in algal community composition was observed. Steel-Dwass's multiple comparison tests were used to assess the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the four clusters. We found a statistically significant difference in temperature between the haptophyte-dominated cluster and the other clusters, suggesting that the change in the phytoplankton communities was related to the earlier sea ice retreat in 2008 and the corollary increase in sea surface temperatures. Longer periods of open water during the summer, which are expected in the future, may affect food webs and biogeochemical cycles in the western Arctic due to shifts in phytoplankton community structure.

Timing of sea ice retreat can alter phytoplankton community structure in the western Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

name prefix surname suffix, given; Fujiwara, A.; Hirawake, T.; Suzuki, K.; Imai, I.; Saitoh, S.-I.

2013-09-01

This study assesses the response of phytoplankton assemblages to recent climate change, especially with regard to the shrinking of sea ice in the northern Chukchi Sea of the western Arctic Ocean. Distribution patterns of phytoplankton groups in the late summers of 2008-2010 were analyzed based on HPLC pigment signatures and, the following four major algal groups were inferred via multiple regression and cluster analyses: prasinophytes, diatoms, haptophytes and dinoflagellates. A remarkable interannual difference in the distribution pattern of the groups was found in the northern basin area. Haptophytes dominated and dispersed widely in warm surface waters in 2008, whereas prasinophytes dominated in cold water in 2009 and 2010. A difference in the onset date of sea ice retreat was evident among years - the sea ice retreat in 2008 was 1-2 months earlier than in 2009 and 2010. The spatial distribution of early sea ice retreat matched the areas in which a shift in algal community composition was observed. Steel-Dwass's multiple comparison tests were used to assess the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the four clusters. We found a statistically significant difference in temperature between the haptophyte-dominated cluster and the other clusters, suggesting that the change in the phytoplankton communities was related to the earlier sea ice retreat in 2008 and the corollary increase in sea surface temperatures. Longer periods of open water during the summer, which are expected in the future, may affect food webs and biogeochemical cycles in the western Arctic due to shifts in phytoplankton community structure.

Temporal variations in the abundance and composition of biofilm communities colonizing drinking water distribution pipes.

PubMed

Kelly, John J; Minalt, Nicole; Culotti, Alessandro; Pryor, Marsha; Packman, Aaron

2014-01-01

Pipes that transport drinking water through municipal drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are challenging habitats for microorganisms. Distribution networks are dark, oligotrophic and contain disinfectants; yet microbes frequently form biofilms attached to interior surfaces of DWDS pipes. Relatively little is known about the species composition and ecology of these biofilms due to challenges associated with sample acquisition from actual DWDS. We report the analysis of biofilms from five pipe samples collected from the same region of a DWDS in Florida, USA, over an 18 month period between February 2011 and August 2012. The bacterial abundance and composition of biofilm communities within the pipes were analyzed by heterotrophic plate counts and tag pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes, respectively. Bacterial numbers varied significantly based on sampling date and were positively correlated with water temperature and the concentration of nitrate. However, there was no significant relationship between the concentration of disinfectant in the drinking water (monochloramine) and the abundance of bacteria within the biofilms. Pyrosequencing analysis identified a total of 677 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (3% distance) within the biofilms but indicated that community diversity was low and varied between sampling dates. Biofilms were dominated by a few taxa, specifically Methylomonas, Acinetobacter, Mycobacterium, and Xanthomonadaceae, and the dominant taxa within the biofilms varied dramatically between sampling times. The drinking water characteristics most strongly correlated with bacterial community composition were concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, total chlorine and monochloramine, as well as alkalinity and hardness. Biofilms from the sampling date with the highest nitrate concentration were the most abundant and diverse and were dominated by Acinetobacter.

After the flood: an evaluation of in-home drinking water treatment with combined flocculent-disinfectant following Tropical Storm Jeanne -- Gonaives, Haiti, 2004.

PubMed

Colindres, Romulo E; Jain, Seema; Bowen, Anna; Mintz, Eric; Domond, Polyana

2007-09-01

Tropical Storm Jeanne struck Haiti in September 2004, causing widespread flooding which contaminated water sources, displaced thousands of families and killed approximately 2,800 people. Local leaders distributed PūR, a flocculent-disinfectant product for household water treatment, to affected populations. We evaluated knowledge, attitudes, practices, and drinking water quality among a sample of PūR recipients. We interviewed representatives of 100 households in three rural communities who received PūR and PūR-related education. Water sources were tested for fecal contamination and turbidity; stored household water was tested for residual chlorine. All households relied on untreated water sources (springs [66%], wells [15%], community taps [13%], and rivers [6%]). After distribution, PūR was the most common in-home treatment method (58%) followed by chlorination (30%), plant-based flocculation (6%), boiling (5%), and filtration (1%). Seventy-eight percent of respondents correctly answered five questions about how to use PūR; 81% reported PūR easy to use; and 97% reported that PūR-treated water appears, tastes, and smells better than untreated water. Although water sources tested appeared clear, fecal coliform bacteria were detected in all sources (range 1 - >200 cfu/100 ml). Chlorine was present in 10 (45%) of 22 stored drinking water samples in households using PūR. PūR was well-accepted and properly used in remote communities where local leaders helped with distribution and education. This highly effective water purification method can help protect disaster-affected communities from waterborne disease.

Exploring the process of capacity-building among community-based health promotion workers in Alberta, Canada.

PubMed

Montemurro, Genevieve R; Raine, Kim D; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Mayan, Maria

2014-09-01

Community capacity-building is a central element to health promotion. While capacity-building features, domains and relationships to program sustainability have been well examined, information on the process of capacity-building as experienced by practitioners is needed. This study examined this process as experienced by coordinators working within a community-based chronic disease prevention project implemented in four communities in Alberta (Canada) from 2005-2010 using a case study approach with a mixed-method design. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, a focus group and program documents tracking coordinator activity. Qualitative analysis followed the constant comparative method using open, axial and selective coding. Quantitative data were analyzed for frequency of major activity distribution. Capacity-building process involves distinct stages of networking, information exchange, partnering, prioritizing, planning/implementing and supporting/ sustaining. Stages are incremental though not always linear. Contextual factors exert a great influence on the process. Implications for research, practice and policy are discussed. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Bacterial composition in a metropolitan drinking water distribution system utilizing different source waters.

PubMed

Gomez-Alvarez, Vicente; Humrighouse, Ben W; Revetta, Randy P; Santo Domingo, Jorge W

2015-03-01

We investigated the bacterial composition of water samples from two service areas within a drinking water distribution system (DWDS), each associated with a different primary source of water (groundwater, GW; surface water, SW) and different treatment process. Community analysis based on 16S rRNA gene clone libraries indicated that Actinobacteria (Mycobacterium spp.) and α-Proteobacteria represented nearly 43 and 38% of the total sequences, respectively. Sequences closely related to Legionella, Pseudomonas, and Vibrio spp. were also identified. In spite of the high number of sequences (71%) shared in both areas, multivariable analysis revealed significant differences between the GW and SW areas. While the dominant phylotypes where not significantly contributing in the ordination of samples, the populations associated with the core of phylotypes (1-10% in each sample) significantly contributed to the differences between both service areas. Diversity indices indicate that the microbial community inhabiting the SW area is more diverse and contains more distantly related species coexisting with local assemblages as compared with the GW area. The bacterial community structure of SW and GW service areas were dissimilar, suggesting that their respective source water and/or water quality parameters shaped by the treatment processes may contribute to the differences in community structure observed.

African American community leaders' policy recommendations for reducing racial disparities in HIV infection, treatment, and care: results from a community-based participatory research project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Nunn, Amy; Sanders, Julia; Carson, Lee; Thomas, Gladys; Cornwall, Alexandra; Towey, Caitlin; Lee, Hwajin; Tasco, Marian; Shabazz-El, Waheedah; Yolken, Annajane; Smith, Tyrone; Bell, Gary; Feller, Sophie; Smith, Erin; James, George; Shelton Dunston, Brenda; Green, Derek

2015-01-01

African Americans account for 45% of new HIV infections in the United States. Little empirical research investigates African American community leaders' normative recommendations for addressing these disparities. Philadelphia's HIV infection rate is 5 times the national average, nearly 70% of new infections are among African Americans, and 2% of African Americans in Philadelphia are living with HIV/AIDS. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we convened focus groups among 52 African American community leaders from diverse backgrounds to solicit normative recommendations for reducing Philadelphia's racial disparities in HIV infection. Leaders recommended that (a) Philadelphia's city government should raise awareness about HIV/AIDS with media campaigns featuring local leaders, (b) local HIV-prevention interventions should address social and structural factors influencing HIV risks rather than focus exclusively on mode of HIV transmission, (c) resources should be distributed to the most heavily affected neighborhoods of Philadelphia, and (d) faith institutions should play a critical role in HIV testing, treatment, and prevention efforts. We developed a policy memo highlighting these normative recommendations for how to enhance local HIV prevention policy. This policy memo led to Philadelphia City Council hearings about HIV/AIDS in October 2010 and subsequently informed local HIV/AIDS prevention policy and development of local HIV prevention interventions. This community-based participatory research case study offers important lessons for effectively engaging community leaders in research to promote HIV/AIDS policy change. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Trust transitivity in social networks.

PubMed

Richters, Oliver; Peixoto, Tiago P

2011-04-05

Non-centralized recommendation-based decision making is a central feature of several social and technological processes, such as market dynamics, peer-to-peer file-sharing and the web of trust of digital certification. We investigate the properties of trust propagation on networks, based on a simple metric of trust transitivity. We investigate analytically the percolation properties of trust transitivity in random networks with arbitrary in/out-degree distributions, and compare with numerical realizations. We find that the existence of a non-zero fraction of absolute trust (i.e. entirely confident trust) is a requirement for the viability of global trust propagation in large systems: The average pair-wise trust is marked by a discontinuous transition at a specific fraction of absolute trust, below which it vanishes. Furthermore, we perform an extensive analysis of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) web of trust, in view of the concepts introduced. We compare different scenarios of trust distribution: community- and authority-centered. We find that these scenarios lead to sharply different patterns of trust propagation, due to the segregation of authority hubs and densely-connected communities. While the authority-centered scenario is more efficient, and leads to higher average trust values, it favours weakly-connected "fringe" nodes, which are directly trusted by authorities. The community-centered scheme, on the other hand, favours nodes with intermediate in/out-degrees, in detriment of the authorities and its "fringe" peers.

Trust Transitivity in Social Networks

PubMed Central

Richters, Oliver; Peixoto, Tiago P.

2011-01-01

Non-centralized recommendation-based decision making is a central feature of several social and technological processes, such as market dynamics, peer-to-peer file-sharing and the web of trust of digital certification. We investigate the properties of trust propagation on networks, based on a simple metric of trust transitivity. We investigate analytically the percolation properties of trust transitivity in random networks with arbitrary in/out-degree distributions, and compare with numerical realizations. We find that the existence of a non-zero fraction of absolute trust (i.e. entirely confident trust) is a requirement for the viability of global trust propagation in large systems: The average pair-wise trust is marked by a discontinuous transition at a specific fraction of absolute trust, below which it vanishes. Furthermore, we perform an extensive analysis of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) web of trust, in view of the concepts introduced. We compare different scenarios of trust distribution: community- and authority-centered. We find that these scenarios lead to sharply different patterns of trust propagation, due to the segregation of authority hubs and densely-connected communities. While the authority-centered scenario is more efficient, and leads to higher average trust values, it favours weakly-connected “fringe” nodes, which are directly trusted by authorities. The community-centered scheme, on the other hand, favours nodes with intermediate in/out-degrees, in detriment of the authorities and its “fringe” peers. PMID:21483683

Research on the Orientation and Application of Distributed Energy Storage in Energy Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Ming; Zhou, Pengcheng; Li, Ran; Zhou, Jingjing; Chen, Tao; Li, Zhe

2018-01-01

Energy storage is indispensable resources to achieve a high proportion of new energy power consumption in electric power system. As an important support to energy Internet, energy storage system can achieve a variety of energy integration operation to ensure maximum energy efficiency. In this paper, firstly, the SWOT analysis method is used to express the internal and external advantages and disadvantages of distributed energy storage participating in the energy Internet. Secondly, the function orientation of distributed energy storage in energy Internet is studied, based on which the application modes of distributed energy storage in virtual power plant, community energy storage and auxiliary services are deeply studied. Finally, this paper puts forward the development strategy of distributed energy storage which is suitable for the development of China’s energy Internet, and summarizes and prospects the application of distributed energy storage system.

Building capacity to address tobacco-related disparities among American Indian and Hispanic/Latino communities: conceptual and systemic considerations.

PubMed

Báezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes; Beebe, Laura A; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J

2007-10-01

To discuss systemic and conceptual issues that surround capacity building for tobacco control in traditionally underserved communities, by presenting two case studies, one in an American Indian community and another in a Hispanic/Latino community. Key informant interviews, cross-sectional surveys and case study methods were used to create community-specific conceptual frameworks for building capacity for tobacco control. These models of capacity building serve as the backdrop for the development of the two case studies. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, MEASUREMENTS: Interview and survey participants were identified through convenience and snowball sampling, using a community-based participatory process in an American Indian community in Oklahoma and among the Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Partnership (H/LTEP) organizations in California. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, two case studies were created based on the results of interviews with key informants in each of the respective communities, outcomes of efforts to build capacity in tobacco control are presented. The extent to which American Indian and Hispanic/Latino communities have the capacity to address effectively the disproportionate burden of tobacco abuse is contingent upon the presence of leadership, collaboration, programs, distribution of funds and resources, development of policies and an underlying understanding of community strengths, history, values and participation. Common characteristics emerge from the case studies that help bridge differences in definition and measurement across both populations and programs. The conceptual frameworks for capacity building presented provide insight that enhances the ability of priority populations to engage in tobacco control strategies using culturally and language appropriate interventions.

Distribution to the Astronomy Community of the Compressed Digitized Sky Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postman, Marc

1996-03-01

The Space Telescope Science Institute has compressed an all-sky collection of ground-based images and has printed the data on a two volume, 102 CD-ROM disc set. The first part of the survey (containing images of the southern sky) was published in May 1994. The second volume (containing images of the northern sky) was published in January 1995. Software which manages the image retrieval is included with each volume. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is handling the distribution of the lOx compressed data and has sold 310 sets as of October 1996. ASP is also handling the distribution of the recently published 100x version of the northern sky survey which is publicly available at a low cost. The target markets for the 100x compressed data set are the amateur astronomy community, educational institutions, and the general public. During the next year, we plan to publish the first version of a photometric calibration database which will allow users of the compressed sky survey to determine the brightness of stars in the images.

Distribution to the Astronomy Community of the Compressed Digitized Sky Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Postman, Marc

1996-01-01

The Space Telescope Science Institute has compressed an all-sky collection of ground-based images and has printed the data on a two volume, 102 CD-ROM disc set. The first part of the survey (containing images of the southern sky) was published in May 1994. The second volume (containing images of the northern sky) was published in January 1995. Software which manages the image retrieval is included with each volume. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is handling the distribution of the lOx compressed data and has sold 310 sets as of October 1996. ASP is also handling the distribution of the recently published 100x version of the northern sky survey which is publicly available at a low cost. The target markets for the 100x compressed data set are the amateur astronomy community, educational institutions, and the general public. During the next year, we plan to publish the first version of a photometric calibration database which will allow users of the compressed sky survey to determine the brightness of stars in the images.

Determination of the distribution of shallow-water seagrass and drift algae communities with acoustic seafloor discrimination.

PubMed

Riegl, B; Moyer, R P; Morris, L; Virnstein, R; Dodge, R E

2005-05-01

The spatial distribution of seagrass and algae communities can be difficult to determine in large, shallow lagoon systems where high turbidity prevents the use of optical methods like aerial photography or satellite imagery. Further complications can arise when algae are not permanently attached to the substratum and drift with tides and currents. A study using acoustic seafloor discrimination was conducted in the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, USA) to determine the extent of drift algae and seagrass. Acoustic surveys using the QTC View V system based on 50 and 200 kHz transducers were conducted near Sebastian Inlet. Results indicate that areas of seagrass can be identified, and are mixed with a high abundance of drift algae. Nearest-neighbor extrapolation was used to fill in spaces between survey lines and thus obtain spatially cohesive maps. These maps were then ground-truthed using data from towed video and compared using confusion matrices, The maps showed a high level of agreement (60%) with the actual distribution of algae, however some confusion existed between bare sand and algae as well as seagrass.

Modeling Dynamic Evolution of Online Friendship Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Lian-Ren; Yan, Qiang

2012-10-01

In this paper, we study the dynamic evolution of friendship network in SNS (Social Networking Site). Our analysis suggests that an individual joining a community depends not only on the number of friends he or she has within the community, but also on the friendship network generated by those friends. In addition, we propose a model which is based on two processes: first, connecting nearest neighbors; second, strength driven attachment mechanism. The model reflects two facts: first, in the social network it is a universal phenomenon that two nodes are connected when they have at least one common neighbor; second, new nodes connect more likely to nodes which have larger weights and interactions, a phenomenon called strength driven attachment (also called weight driven attachment). From the simulation results, we find that degree distribution P(k), strength distribution P(s), and degree-strength correlation are all consistent with empirical data.

The evolution of communities in the international oil trade network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Weiqiong; An, Haizhong; Gao, Xiangyun; Sun, Xiaoqi

2014-11-01

International oil trade is a subset of global trade and there exist oil trade communities. These communities evolve over time and provide clues of international oil trade patterns. A better understanding of the international oil trade patterns is necessary for governments in policy making. To study the evolution of trade communities in the international oil trade network, we set up unweighted and weighted oil trade network models based on complex network theory using data from 2002 to 2011. We detected the communities in the oil trade networks and analyzed their evolutionary properties and stabilities over time. We found that the unweighted and weighted international oil trade networks show many different features in terms of community number, community scale, distribution of countries, quality of partitions, and stability of communities. Two turning points occurred in the evolution of community stability in the international oil trade network. One is the year 2004-2005 which correlates with changes in demand and supply in the world oil market after the Iraq War, and the other is the year 2008-2009 which is connected to the 2008 financial crisis. Different causations of instability show different features and this should be considered by policy makers.

Shifts in the potential distribution of Sky Island plant communities in response to climate change

Treesearch

John A. Kupfer; Jeff Balmat; Jacqueline L. Smith

2005-01-01

To examine potential responses of sky island ecosystem pattern to projected climate changes, we used topographic and climatic data to develop a predictive model of plant community distribution in Saguaro National Park East, AZ. Increasing temperatures led to an upslope movement of communities and increased the area of desert scrub at the expense of montane conifer...

Biogeographical distribution and diversity of bacterial communities in surface sediments of the South China Sea.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Wang, Peng

2013-05-01

This paper aims at an investigation of the features of bacterial communities in surface sediments of the South China Sea (SCS). In particular, biogeographical distribution patterns and the phylogenetic diversity of bacteria found in sediments collected from a coral reef platform, a continental slope, and a deep-sea basin were determined. Bacterial diversity was measured by an observation of 16S rRNA genes, and 18 phylogenetic groups were identified in the bacterial clone library. Planctomycetes, Deltaproteobacteria, candidate division OP11, and Alphaproteobacteria made up the majority of the bacteria in the samples, with their mean bacterial clones being 16%, 15%, 12%, and 9%, respectively. By comparison, the bacterial communities found in the SCS surface sediments were significantly different from other previously observed deep-sea bacterial communities. This research also emphasizes the fact that geographical factors have an impact on the biogeographical distribution patterns of bacterial communities. For instance, canonical correspondence analyses illustrated that the percentage of sand weight and water depth are important factors affecting the bacterial community composition. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of adequately determining the relationship between geographical factors and the distribution of bacteria in the world's seas and oceans.

Exact Solution of Population Redistributions in a Migration Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue-Wen; Zhang, Li-Jie; Yang, Guo-Hong; Xu, Xin-Jian

2013-10-01

We study a migration model, in which individuals migrate from one community to another. The choices of the source community i and the destination one j are proportional to some power of the population of i (kαi) and j (kβj), respectively. Both analytical calculation and numerical simulation show that the population distribution of communities in stationary states is determined by the parameters α and β. The distribution is widely homogeneous with a characteristic size if α > β. Whereas, for α < β, the distribution is highly heterogeneous with the emergence of condensing phenomenon. Between the two regimes, α = β, the distribution gradually shifts from the nonmonotonous (α < 0) to scale-free (α > 0).

Parallel structure among environmental gradients and three trophic levels in a subarctic estuary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Speckman, Suzann G.; Piatt, John F.; Minte-Vera, C. V.; Parrish, Julia K.

2005-01-01

We assessed spatial and temporal variability in the physical environment of a subarctic estuary, and examined concurrent patterns of chlorophyll α abundance (fluorescence), and zooplankton and forage fish community structure. Surveys were conducted in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, during late July and early August from 1997 through 1999. Principle components analysis (PCA) revealed that spatial heterogeneity in the physical oceanographic environment of lower Cook Inlet could be modeled as three marine-estuarine gradients characterized by temperature, salinity, bottom depth, and turbidity. The gradients persisted from 1997 through 1999, and PCA explained 68% to 92% of the variance in physical oceanography for each gradient-year combination. Correlations between chlorophyll α abundance and distribution and the PCA axes were weak. Chlorophyll was reduced by turbidity, and low levels occurred in areas with high levels of suspended sediments. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to order the sample sites based on species composition and to order the zooplankton and forage fish taxa based on similarities among sample sites for each gradient-year. Correlations between the structure of the physical environment (PCA axis 1) and zooplankton community structure (DCA axis 1) were strong (r = 0.43-0.86) in all years for the three marine-estuarine gradients, suggesting that zooplankton community composition was structured by the physical environment. The physical environment (PCA) and forage fish community structure (DCA) were weakly correlated in all years along Gradient 2, defined by halocline intensity and surface temperature and salinity, even though these physical variables were more important for defining zooplankton habitats. However, the physical environment (PCA) and forage fish community structure (DCA) were strongly correlated along the primary marine-estuarine gradient (#1) in 1997 (r = 0.87) and 1998 (r = 0.82). The correlation was poor (r = 0.32) in 1999, when fish community structure changed markedly in lower Cook Inlet. Capelin (Mallotus villosus), walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) were caught farther north than in previous years. Waters were significantly colder and more saline in 1999, a La Nina year, than in other years of the study. Interannual fluctuations in environmental conditions in lower Cook Inlet did not have substantial effects on zooplankton community structure, although abundance of individual taxa varied significantly. The abundance and distribution of chlorophyll α, zooplankton and forage fish were affected much more by spatial variability in physical oceanography than by interannual variability. Our examination of physical-biological linkages in lower Cook Inlet supports the concept of "bottom-up control," i.e., that variability in the physical environment structures higher trophic-level communities by influencing their distribution and abundance across space.

Parallel structure among environmental gradients and three trophic levels in a subarctic estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speckman, Suzann G.; Piatt, John F.; Minte-Vera, Carolina V.; Parrish, Julia K.

2005-07-01

We assessed spatial and temporal variability in the physical environment of a subarctic estuary, and examined concurrent patterns of chlorophyll α abundance (fluorescence), and zooplankton and forage fish community structure. Surveys were conducted in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, during late July and early August from 1997 through 1999. Principle components analysis (PCA) revealed that spatial heterogeneity in the physical oceanographic environment of lower Cook Inlet could be modeled as three marine-estuarine gradients characterized by temperature, salinity, bottom depth, and turbidity. The gradients persisted from 1997 through 1999, and PCA explained 68% to 92% of the variance in physical oceanography for each gradient-year combination. Correlations between chlorophyll α abundance and distribution and the PCA axes were weak. Chlorophyll was reduced by turbidity, and low levels occurred in areas with high levels of suspended sediments. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to order the sample sites based on species composition and to order the zooplankton and forage fish taxa based on similarities among sample sites for each gradient-year. Correlations between the structure of the physical environment (PCA axis 1) and zooplankton community structure (DCA axis 1) were strong ( r = 0.43-0.86) in all years for the three marine-estuarine gradients, suggesting that zooplankton community composition was structured by the physical environment. The physical environment (PCA) and forage fish community structure (DCA) were weakly correlated in all years along Gradient 2, defined by halocline intensity and surface temperature and salinity, even though these physical variables were more important for defining zooplankton habitats. However, the physical environment (PCA) and forage fish community structure (DCA) were strongly correlated along the primary marine-estuarine gradient (#1) in 1997 ( r = 0.87) and 1998 ( r = 0.82). The correlation was poor ( r = 0.32) in 1999, when fish community structure changed markedly in lower Cook Inlet. Capelin ( Mallotus villosus), walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma), and arrowtooth flounder ( Atheresthes stomias) were caught farther north than in previous years. Waters were significantly colder and more saline in 1999, a La Niña year, than in other years of the study. Interannual fluctuations in environmental conditions in lower Cook Inlet did not have substantial effects on zooplankton community structure, although abundance of individual taxa varied significantly. The abundance and distribution of chlorophyll α, zooplankton and forage fish were affected much more by spatial variability in physical oceanography than by interannual variability. Our examination of physical-biological linkages in lower Cook Inlet supports the concept of “bottom-up control,” i.e., that variability in the physical environment structures higher trophic-level communities by influencing their distribution and abundance across space.

Wound care guidelines and formulary for community nurses.

PubMed

Baeyens, T A

2000-03-01

Community nursing is experiencing significant change as a result of developments such as improved technology, care in the community and earlier discharge of patients from hospital. Because of this, increasingly complex clinical care is required in the community, and it has been noted that community nurses are 'under considerable pressure' and show 'evidence of high stress and low morale'. Wound care is one area in which community nurses constantly battle to keep abreast of continual change. Growing product availability and diversity of use, changes in dressing techniques and the ever-increasing costs associated with wound care mean decision-making in wound care is often a complex task. In the Grampian region, a handbook of evidence-based practice guidelines with a product formulary was developed and distributed to all community nurses. The handbook was designed to ease the decision-making process by evaluating evidence-based practice and local preferences to recommend and guide nurses towards effective clinical practice and cost efficiency. All grades of district nurse in the region have been issued with their own copy of the handbook. It is presented in an A5 ring-binder format to make it easy to carry and to facilitate updating using loose-leaf inserts. The use of logos, extra information boxes and colour coding makes it easy for users to find specific areas of interest in the handbook. The success of the handbook has led to debate on the potential for development of a similar resource for use by practice nurses and in local community hospitals.

[Effect of environmental factors on bacterial community structure in petroleum contaminated soil of Karamay oil field].

PubMed

Liang, Jianfang; Yang, Jiangke; Yang, Yang; Chao, Qunfang; Yin, Yalan; Zhao, Yaguan

2016-08-04

This study aimed to study the phylogenetic diversity and community structure of bacteria in petroleum contaminated soils from Karamay oil field, and to analyze the relationship between the community variation and the environment parameters, to provide a reference for bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soils. We collected samples from petroleum contaminated soils in 5 cm, 20 cm and 50 cm depth layers, and measured the environment parameters subsequently. We constructed three 16S rRNA gene clone libraries of these soil samples, and then determined the operation taxonomy units (OTUs) restriction fragment length polymorphism method, and finally sequenced the representative clones of every OUT. The diversity, richness and evenness index of the bacteria communities were calculated by using Biodap software. Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree was constructed based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of bacteria from Karamay oil field and the references from related environments. Canonial correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the relationship between environment parameters and species by using CANOCO 4.5 software. Environment parameters showed that 50 cm deep soil contained the highest amount of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), whereas the 20 cm depth soil contained the lowest amount. The 5 cm depth soil contained the highest amount of total organic carbon (TOC), whereas the 50 cm depth soil contained the lowest amount. Among the 3 layers, 20 cm depth had the highest diversity and richness of bacteria, whereas the bacteria in 50 cm depth was the lowest. Phylogenic analyses suggested that the bacteria in Karamay oil field could be distributed into five groups at the level of phylum, Cluster I to V, respectively belong to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicute, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes. Cluster I accounts for 78.57% of all tested communities. CCA results showed that TN, TP, TOC significantly affected the bacteria community structure. Especially, TOC content is significantly related to the distribution of Pseudomonas. The petroleum-contaminated soil inhabited abundant of bacteria. The diversity index and spatial distribution of these communities were affected by the environment parameters in the soil.

Spatial distribution of bacterial communities and related biochemical properties in Luzhou-flavor liquor-fermented grains.

PubMed

Zheng, Jia; Wu, Chongde; Huang, Jun; Zhou, Rongqing; Liao, Xuepin

2014-12-01

Grain fermenting with separate layers in a fermentation pit is the typical and experiential brewing technology for Chinese Luzhou-flavor liquor. However, it is still unclear to what extent the bacterial communities in the different layers of fermented grains (FG) effects the liquor's quality. In this study, the spatial distributions of bacterial communities in Luzhou-flavor liquor FG (top, middle, and bottom layers) from 2 distinctive factories (Jiannanchun and Fenggu) were investigated using culture-independent approaches (phospholipid fatty acid [PLFA] and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gel electrophoresis [DGGE]). The relationship between bacterial community and biochemical properties was also assessed by Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). No significant variation in moisture was observed in spatial samples, and the highest content of acidity and total ester was detected in the bottom layer (P < 0.05). A high level of ethanol was observed in the top and middle layers of Fenggu and Jiannanchun, respectively. Significant spatial distribution of the total PLFA was only shown in the 50-y-old pits (P < 0.05), and Gram negative bacteria was the prominent community. Bacterial 16S rDNA DGGE analysis revealed that the most abundant bacterial community was in the top layers of the FG both from Fenggu and Jiannanchun, with Lactobacillaceae accounting for 30% of the total DGGE bands and Lactobacillus acetotolerans was the dominant species. FG samples from the same pit had a highly similar bacterial community structure according to the hierarchal cluster tree. CCA suggested that the moisture, acidity, ethanol, and reducing sugar were the main factors affecting the distribution of L. acetotolerans. Our results will facilitate the knowledge about the spatial distribution of bacterial communities and the relationship with their living environment. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Species selection under long-term experimental warming and drought explained by climatic distributions.

PubMed

Liu, Daijun; Peñuelas, Josep; Ogaya, Romà; Estiarte, Marc; Tielbörger, Katja; Slowik, Fabian; Yang, Xiaohong; Bilton, Mark C

2018-03-01

Global warming and reduced precipitation may trigger large-scale species losses and vegetation shifts in ecosystems around the world. However, currently lacking are practical ways to quantify the sensitivity of species and community composition to these often-confounded climatic forces. Here we conducted long-term (16 yr) nocturnal-warming (+0.6°C) and reduced precipitation (-20% soil moisture) experiments in a Mediterranean shrubland. Climatic niche groups (CNGs) - species ranked or classified by similar temperature or precipitation distributions - informatively described community responses under experimental manipulations. Under warming, CNGs revealed that only those species distributed in cooler regions decreased. Correspondingly, under reduced precipitation, a U-shaped treatment effect observed in the total community was the result of an abrupt decrease in wet-distributed species, followed by a delayed increase in dry-distributed species. Notably, while partially correlated, CNG explanations of community response were stronger for their respective climate parameter, suggesting some species possess specific adaptations to either warming or drought that may lead to independent selection to the two climatic variables. Our findings indicate that when climatic distributions are combined with experiments, the resulting incorporation of local plant evolutionary strategies and their changing dynamics over time leads to predictable and informative shifts in community structure under independent climate change scenarios. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Hierarchical modeling and inference in ecology: The analysis of data from populations, metapopulations and communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Royle, J. Andrew; Dorazio, Robert M.

2008-01-01

A guide to data collection, modeling and inference strategies for biological survey data using Bayesian and classical statistical methods. This book describes a general and flexible framework for modeling and inference in ecological systems based on hierarchical models, with a strict focus on the use of probability models and parametric inference. Hierarchical models represent a paradigm shift in the application of statistics to ecological inference problems because they combine explicit models of ecological system structure or dynamics with models of how ecological systems are observed. The principles of hierarchical modeling are developed and applied to problems in population, metapopulation, community, and metacommunity systems. The book provides the first synthetic treatment of many recent methodological advances in ecological modeling and unifies disparate methods and procedures. The authors apply principles of hierarchical modeling to ecological problems, including * occurrence or occupancy models for estimating species distribution * abundance models based on many sampling protocols, including distance sampling * capture-recapture models with individual effects * spatial capture-recapture models based on camera trapping and related methods * population and metapopulation dynamic models * models of biodiversity, community structure and dynamics.

A systematic review on the effectiveness of school and community-based injury prevention programmes on risk behaviour and injury risk in 8-12 year old children.

PubMed

Nauta, Joske; van Mechelen, Willem; Otten, René H J; Verhagen, Evert A L M

2014-03-01

To review existing literature on the effectiveness of community-based and school-based physical activity related injury prevention programmes implemented to increase safety behaviour and decrease injury risk in 8-12 year old children, considering the methodological quality of the studies. A systematic review with quality assessment. A systematic search was performed using the CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed and Sportdiscus databases. Inclusion criteria included the following: children aged 8-12 years; school- or community-based injury prevention programmes; an outcome defined as number of injuries, injury incidence or safety behaviour; published in an English language journal. Methodological quality was assessed for all included studies. The search yielded 5377 records, of which 11 were included in the review; four studies were considered as being of high quality. The focus of studies that were included was on the use of safety devices (8), pedestrian safety (2) and physical activity-related injury prevention (1). For safety device use, short term effects of school- and community-based interventions are promising for 8-12 year olds. Results regarding sustainability of the effect are inconsistent. A mediating effect on the distribution of safety devices was observed. Both financial and non-financial barriers seemed to prevent participants from purchasing a safety device. The short term effects for school- and community-based interventions using safety devices for 8-12 year olds are promising. More high quality research is, however warranted, preferably shifting focus from safety behaviour change to actual physical activity injury reduction. Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supporting Collective Inquiry: A Technology Framework for Distributed Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tissenbaum, Michael

This design-based study describes the implementation and evaluation of a technology framework to support smart classrooms and Distributed Technology Enhanced Learning (DTEL) called SAIL Smart Space (S3). S3 is an open-source technology framework designed to support students engaged in inquiry investigations as a knowledge community. To evaluate the effectiveness of S3 as a generalizable technology framework, a curriculum named PLACE (Physics Learning Across Contexts and Environments) was developed to support two grade-11 physics classes (n = 22; n = 23) engaged in a multi-context inquiry curriculum based on the Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI) pedagogical model. This dissertation outlines three initial design studies that established a set of design principles for DTEL curricula, and related technology infrastructures. These principles guided the development of PLACE, a twelve-week inquiry curriculum in which students drew upon their community-generated knowledge base as a source of evidence for solving ill-structured physics problems based on the physics of Hollywood movies. During the culminating smart classroom activity, the S3 framework played a central role in orchestrating student activities, including managing the flow of materials and students using real-time data mining and intelligent agents that responded to emergent class patterns. S3 supported students' construction of knowledge through the use individual, collective and collaborative scripts and technologies, including tablets and interactive large-format displays. Aggregate and real-time ambient visualizations helped the teacher act as a wondering facilitator, supporting students in their inquiry where needed. A teacher orchestration tablet gave the teacher some control over the flow of the scripted activities, and alerted him to critical moments for intervention. Analysis focuses on S3's effectiveness in supporting students' inquiry across multiple learning contexts and scales of time, and in making timely and effective use of the community's knowledge base, towards producing solutions to sophisticated, ill defined problems in the domain of physics. Video analysis examined whether S3 supported teacher orchestration, freeing him to focus less on classroom management and more on students' inquiry. Three important outcomes of this research are a set of design principles for DTEL environments, a specific technology infrastructure (S3), and a DTEL research framework.

Meeting the ONCHIT population health mandate: a proposed model for security in selective transportable distributed environments.

PubMed

Lorence, Daniel; Chin, John; Richards, Michael

2010-08-01

Goal Two of the US ONCHIT Plan focuses on enabling the use of electronic health information for critical health improvement activities that promote the health of targeted communities, and the US population as a whole. Because of the focus on communities and populations, the activities under this second goal differ fundamentally from those of the first goal, which focus on the care of individuals. Proposed here is a model for health information management in such population-based environments, which allows selective access and use of information, and maintains transportability while ensuring security and confidentiality.

Results of the Collaborative Energy and Water Cycle Information Services (CEWIS) Workshop on Heterogeneous Dataset Analysis Preparation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kempler, Steven; Teng, William; Acker, James; Belvedere, Deborah; Liu, Zhong; Leptoukh, Gregory

2010-01-01

In support of the NASA Energy and Water Cycle Study (NEWS), the Collaborative Energy and Water Cycle Information Services (CEWIS), sponsored by NEWS Program Manager Jared Entin, was initiated to develop an evolving set of community-based data and information services that would facilitate users to locate, access, and bring together multiple distributed heterogeneous energy and water cycle datasets. The CEWIS workshop, June 15-16, 2010, at NASA/GSFC, was the initial step of the process, starting with identifying and scoping the issues, as defined by the community.

Interpreting ecological diversity indices applied to terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism data: insights from simulated microbial communities.

PubMed

Blackwood, Christopher B; Hudleston, Deborah; Zak, Donald R; Buyer, Jeffrey S

2007-08-01

Ecological diversity indices are frequently applied to molecular profiling methods, such as terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), in order to compare diversity among microbial communities. We performed simulations to determine whether diversity indices calculated from T-RFLP profiles could reflect the true diversity of the underlying communities despite potential analytical artifacts. These include multiple taxa generating the same terminal restriction fragment (TRF) and rare TRFs being excluded by a relative abundance (fluorescence) threshold. True community diversity was simulated using the lognormal species abundance distribution. Simulated T-RFLP profiles were generated by assigning each species a TRF size based on an empirical or modeled TRF size distribution. With a typical threshold (1%), the only consistently useful relationship was between Smith and Wilson evenness applied to T-RFLP data (TRF-E(var)) and true Shannon diversity (H'), with correlations between 0.71 and 0.81. TRF-H' and true H' were well correlated in the simulations using the lowest number of species, but this correlation declined substantially in simulations using greater numbers of species, to the point where TRF-H' cannot be considered a useful statistic. The relationships between TRF diversity indices and true indices were sensitive to the relative abundance threshold, with greatly improved correlations observed using a 0.1% threshold, which was investigated for comparative purposes but is not possible to consistently achieve with current technology. In general, the use of diversity indices on T-RFLP data provides inaccurate estimates of true diversity in microbial communities (with the possible exception of TRF-E(var)). We suggest that, where significant differences in T-RFLP diversity indices were found in previous work, these should be reinterpreted as a reflection of differences in community composition rather than a true difference in community diversity.

Evolutionary method for finding communities in bipartite networks.

PubMed

Zhan, Weihua; Zhang, Zhongzhi; Guan, Jihong; Zhou, Shuigeng

2011-06-01

An important step in unveiling the relation between network structure and dynamics defined on networks is to detect communities, and numerous methods have been developed separately to identify community structure in different classes of networks, such as unipartite networks, bipartite networks, and directed networks. Here, we show that the finding of communities in such networks can be unified in a general framework-detection of community structure in bipartite networks. Moreover, we propose an evolutionary method for efficiently identifying communities in bipartite networks. To this end, we show that both unipartite and directed networks can be represented as bipartite networks, and their modularity is completely consistent with that for bipartite networks, the detection of modular structure on which can be reformulated as modularity maximization. To optimize the bipartite modularity, we develop a modified adaptive genetic algorithm (MAGA), which is shown to be especially efficient for community structure detection. The high efficiency of the MAGA is based on the following three improvements we make. First, we introduce a different measure for the informativeness of a locus instead of the standard deviation, which can exactly determine which loci mutate. This measure is the bias between the distribution of a locus over the current population and the uniform distribution of the locus, i.e., the Kullback-Leibler divergence between them. Second, we develop a reassignment technique for differentiating the informative state a locus has attained from the random state in the initial phase. Third, we present a modified mutation rule which by incorporating related operations can guarantee the convergence of the MAGA to the global optimum and can speed up the convergence process. Experimental results show that the MAGA outperforms existing methods in terms of modularity for both bipartite and unipartite networks.

Cold-seep-like macrofaunal communities in organic- and sulfide-rich sediments of the Congo deep-sea fan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olu, K.; Decker, C.; Pastor, L.; Caprais, J.-C.; Khripounoff, A.; Morineaux, M.; Ain Baziz, M.; Menot, L.; Rabouille, C.

2017-08-01

Methane-rich fluids arising from organic matter diagenesis in deep sediment layers sustain chemosynthesis-based ecosystems along continental margins. This type of cold seep develops on pockmarks along the Congo margin, where fluids migrate from deep-buried paleo-channels of the Congo River, acting as reservoirs. Similar ecosystems based on shallow methane production occur in the terminal lobes of the present-day Congo deep-sea fan, which is supplied by huge quantities of primarily terrestrial material carried by turbiditic currents along the 800 km channel, and deposited at depths of up to nearly 5000 m. In this paper, we explore the effect of this carbon enrichment of deep-sea sediments on benthic macrofauna, along the prograding lobes fed by the current active channel, and on older lobes receiving less turbiditic inputs. Macrofaunal communities were sampled using either USNEL cores on the channel levees, or ROV blade cores in the chemosynthesis-based habitats patchily distributed in the active lobe complex. The exceptionally high organic content of the surface sediment in the active lobe complex was correlated with unusual densities of macrofauna for this depth, enhanced by a factor 7-8, compared with those of the older, abandoned lobe, whose sediment carbon content is still higher than in Angola Basin at same depth. Macrofaunal communities, dominated by cossurid polychaetes and tanaids were also more closely related to those colonizing low-flow cold seeps than those of typical deep-sea sediment. In reduced sediments, microbial mats and vesicomyid bivalve beds displayed macrofaunal community patterns that were similar to their cold-seep counterparts, with high densities, low diversity and dominance of sulfide-tolerant polychaetes and gastropods in the most sulfidic habitats. In addition, diversity was higher in vesicomyid bivalve beds, which appeared to bio-irrigate the upper sediment layers. High beta-diversity is underscored by the variability of geochemical gradients in vesicomyid assemblages, and by the vesicomyid population characteristics that vary in density, size and composition. By modifying the sediment geochemistry differently according to their morphology and physiology, the different vesicomyid species play an important role structuring macrofauna composition and vertical distribution. Dynamics of turbiditic deposits at a longer temporal scale (thousands of years) and their spatial distribution in the lobe area also resulted in high heterogeneity of the "cold-seep-like communities". Dynamics of chemosynthetic habitats and associated macrofauna in the active lobe area resembled those previously observed at the Regab pockmark along the Congo margin and rapid succession is expected to cope with high physical disturbance by frequent turbiditic events and huge sedimentation rates. Finally, we propose a model of the temporal evolution of these peculiar habitats and communities on longer timescales in response to changes in distributary channels within the lobe complex.

Female health workers at the doorstep: a pilot of community-based maternal, newborn, and child health service delivery in northern Nigeria.

PubMed

Uzondu, Charles A; Doctor, Henry V; Findley, Sally E; Afenyadu, Godwin Y; Ager, Alastair

2015-03-01

Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. Poor health outcomes are linked to weak health infrastructure, barriers to service access, and consequent low rates of service utilization. In the northern state of Jigawa, a pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility of deploying resident female Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to rural areas to provide essential maternal, newborn, and child health services. Between February and August 2011, a quasi-experimental design compared service utilization in the pilot community of Kadawawa, which deployed female resident CHEWs to provide health post services, 24/7 emergency access, and home visits, with the control community of Kafin Baka. In addition, we analyzed data from the preceding year in Kadawawa, and also compared service utilization data in Kadawawa from 2008-2010 (before introduction of the pilot) with data from 2011-2013 (during and after the pilot) to gauge sustainability of the model. Following deployment of female CHEWs to Kadawawa in 2011, there was more than a 500% increase in rates of health post visits compared with 2010, from about 1.5 monthly visits per 100 population to about 8 monthly visits per 100. Health post visit rates were between 1.4 and 5.5 times higher in the intervention community than in the control community. Monthly antenatal care coverage in Kadawawa during the pilot period ranged from 11.9% to 21.3%, up from 0.9% to 5.8% in the preceding year. Coverage in Kafin Baka ranged from 0% to 3%. Facility-based deliveries by a skilled birth attendant more than doubled in Kadawawa compared with the preceding year (105 vs. 43 deliveries total, respectively). There was evidence of sustainability of these changes over the 2 subsequent years. Community-based service delivery through a resident female community health worker can increase health service utilization in rural, hard-to-reach areas. © Uzondu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. When linking to this article, please use the following permanent link: http://dx.doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-14-00117.

Landscape structure affects distribution of potential disease vectors (Diptera: Culicidae).

PubMed

Zittra, Carina; Vitecek, Simon; Obwaller, Adelheid G; Rossiter, Heidemarie; Eigner, Barbara; Zechmeister, Thomas; Waringer, Johann; Fuehrer, Hans-Peter

2017-04-26

Vector-pathogen dynamics are controlled by fluctuations of potential vector communities, such as the Culicidae. Assessment of mosquito community diversity and, in particular, identification of environmental parameters shaping these communities is therefore of key importance for the design of adequate surveillance approaches. In this study, we assess effects of climatic parameters and habitat structure on mosquito communities in eastern Austria to deliver these highly relevant baseline data. Female mosquitoes were sampled twice a month from April to October 2014 and 2015 at 35 permanent and 23 non-permanent trapping sites using carbon dioxide-baited traps. Differences in spatial and seasonal abundance patterns of Culicidae taxa were identified using likelihood ratio tests; possible effects of environmental parameters on seasonal and spatial mosquito distribution were analysed using multivariate statistical methods. We assessed community responses to environmental parameters based on 14-day-average values that affect ontogenesis. Altogether 29,734 female mosquitoes were collected, and 21 of 42 native as well as two of four non-native mosquito species were reconfirmed in eastern Austria. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in mosquito abundance between sampling years and provinces. Incidence and abundance patterns were found to be linked to 14-day mean sunshine duration, humidity, water-level maxima and the amount of precipitation. However, land cover classes were found to be the most important factor, effectively assigning both indigenous and non-native mosquito species to various communities, which responded differentially to environmental variables. These findings thus underline the significance of non-climatic variables for future mosquito prediction models and the necessity to consider these in mosquito surveillance programmes.

Combining a popularity-productivity stochastic block model with a discriminative-content model for general structure detection.

PubMed

Chai, Bian-fang; Yu, Jian; Jia, Cai-Yan; Yang, Tian-bao; Jiang, Ya-wen

2013-07-01

Latent community discovery that combines links and contents of a text-associated network has drawn more attention with the advance of social media. Most of the previous studies aim at detecting densely connected communities and are not able to identify general structures, e.g., bipartite structure. Several variants based on the stochastic block model are more flexible for exploring general structures by introducing link probabilities between communities. However, these variants cannot identify the degree distributions of real networks due to a lack of modeling of the differences among nodes, and they are not suitable for discovering communities in text-associated networks because they ignore the contents of nodes. In this paper, we propose a popularity-productivity stochastic block (PPSB) model by introducing two random variables, popularity and productivity, to model the differences among nodes in receiving links and producing links, respectively. This model has the flexibility of existing stochastic block models in discovering general community structures and inherits the richness of previous models that also exploit popularity and productivity in modeling the real scale-free networks with power law degree distributions. To incorporate the contents in text-associated networks, we propose a combined model which combines the PPSB model with a discriminative model that models the community memberships of nodes by their contents. We then develop expectation-maximization (EM) algorithms to infer the parameters in the two models. Experiments on synthetic and real networks have demonstrated that the proposed models can yield better performances than previous models, especially on networks with general structures.

Combining a popularity-productivity stochastic block model with a discriminative-content model for general structure detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, Bian-fang; Yu, Jian; Jia, Cai-yan; Yang, Tian-bao; Jiang, Ya-wen

2013-07-01

Latent community discovery that combines links and contents of a text-associated network has drawn more attention with the advance of social media. Most of the previous studies aim at detecting densely connected communities and are not able to identify general structures, e.g., bipartite structure. Several variants based on the stochastic block model are more flexible for exploring general structures by introducing link probabilities between communities. However, these variants cannot identify the degree distributions of real networks due to a lack of modeling of the differences among nodes, and they are not suitable for discovering communities in text-associated networks because they ignore the contents of nodes. In this paper, we propose a popularity-productivity stochastic block (PPSB) model by introducing two random variables, popularity and productivity, to model the differences among nodes in receiving links and producing links, respectively. This model has the flexibility of existing stochastic block models in discovering general community structures and inherits the richness of previous models that also exploit popularity and productivity in modeling the real scale-free networks with power law degree distributions. To incorporate the contents in text-associated networks, we propose a combined model which combines the PPSB model with a discriminative model that models the community memberships of nodes by their contents. We then develop expectation-maximization (EM) algorithms to infer the parameters in the two models. Experiments on synthetic and real networks have demonstrated that the proposed models can yield better performances than previous models, especially on networks with general structures.

Future changes in South American biomass distributions, biome distributions and plant trait spectra is dependent on applied atmospheric forcings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langan, Liam; Scheiter, Simon; Higgins, Steven

2017-04-01

It remains poorly understood why the position of the forest-savanna biome boundary, in a domain defined by precipitation and temperature, differs in South America, Africa and Australia. Process based Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are a valuable tool to investigate the determinants of vegetation distributions, however, many DGVMs fail to predict the spatial distribution or indeed presence of the South American savanna biome. Evidence suggests fire plays a significant role in mediating forest-savanna biome boundaries, however, fire alone appear to be insufficient to predict these boundaries in South America. We hypothesize that interactions between precipitation, constraints on tree rooting depth and fire, affect the probability of savanna occurrence and the position of the savanna-forest boundary. We tested our hypotheses at tropical forest and savanna sites in Brazil and Venezuela using a novel DGVM, aDGVM2, which allows plant trait spectra, constrained by trade-offs between traits, to evolve in response to abiotic and biotic conditions. Plant hydraulics is represented by the cohesion-tension theory, this allowed us to explore how soil and plant hydraulics control biome distributions and plant traits. The resulting community trait distributions are emergent properties of model dynamics. We showed that across much of South America the biome state is not determined by climate alone. Interactions between tree rooting depth, fire and precipitation affected the probability of observing a given biome state and the emergent traits of plant communities. Simulations where plant rooting depth varied in space provided the best match to satellite derived biomass estimates and generated biome distributions that reproduced contemporary biome maps well. Future projections showed that biomass distributions, biome distributions and plant trait spectra will change, however, the magnitude of these changes are highly dependent on the applied atmospheric forcings.

Latitudinal variation in the shape of the species body size distribution: an analysis using freshwater fishes.

PubMed

Knouft, Jason H

2004-05-01

Many taxonomic and ecological assemblages of species exhibit a right-skewed body size-frequency distribution when characterized at a regional scale. Although this distribution has been frequently described, factors influencing geographic variation in the distribution are not well understood, nor are mechanisms responsible for distribution shape. In this study, variation in the species body size-frequency distributions of 344 regional communities of North American freshwater fishes is examined in relation to latitude, species richness, and taxonomic composition. Although the distribution of all species of North American fishes is right-skewed, a negative correlation exists between latitude and regional community size distribution skewness, with size distributions becoming left-skewed at high latitudes. This relationship is not an artifact of the confounding relationship between latitude and species richness in North American fishes. The negative correlation between latitude and regional community size distribution skewness is partially due to the geographic distribution of families of fishes and apparently enhanced by a nonrandom geographic distribution of species within families. These results are discussed in the context of previous explanations of factors responsible for the generation of species size-frequency distributions related to the fractal nature of the environment, energetics, and evolutionary patterns of body size in North American fishes.

Projecting the global distribution of the emerging amphibian fungal pathogen, batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, based on IPCC climate futures

Treesearch

Gisselle Yang Xie; Deanna H. Olson; Andrew R. Blaustein

2016-01-01

Projected changes in climate conditions are emerging as significant risk factors to numerous species, affecting habitat conditions and community interactions. Projections suggest species range shifts in response to climate change modifying environmental suitability and is supported by observational evidence. Both pathogens and their hosts can shift ranges with climate...

Pinyon-juniper woodlands in Zion National Park, Utah

Treesearch

Kimball T. Harper; Stewart C. Sanderson; E. Durant McArthur

2003-01-01

Juniperus osteosperma-Pinus monophylla or P. edulis (P-J) woodlands are the most widespread plant community in Zion National Park (ZNP), southwestern Utah. These woodlands dominate nearly half of the park's land area. Our study of this vegetational complex is based on a sample consisting of 115 macroplots (each 0.01 ha in area) objectively distributed across the...

Designing an Engaged Swarm: Toward a "Techne" for Multi-Class, Interdisciplinary Collaborations with Nonprofit Partners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Seán

2016-01-01

This essay proposes a model of university-community partnership called "an engaged swarm" that mobilizes networks of students from across classes and disciplines to work with off-campus partners such as nonprofits. Based on theories that translate the distributed, adaptive, and flexible activity of actors in biological systems to…

Results of the 1990 Survey of Literacy Service Providers, State of New Mexico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stowell, Penelope, Ed.

The New Mexico Coalition for Literacy conducted a statewide literacy survey in May and June, 1990. Of 78 questionnaires distributed to programs believed to offer some adult literacy service, 34 responses were received, including those from 6 adult basic education programs, 1 adult education program on a reservation, 21 community-based and/or…

Sustaining Youth Participation in a Long-Term Tobacco Control Initiative: Consideration of a Social Justice Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Laurie

2011-01-01

This article presents an in-depth case study of the Healthy Options for Prevention and Education Coalition's Teens Tackle Tobacco initiative, a 3-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) project about the distribution of tobacco vendors and tobacco advertising in Worcester, Massachusetts. Using two theoretical frameworks, positive youth…

Cooling the Campus: Experiences from a Pilot Study to Reduce Electricity Use at Tufts University, USA, Using Social Marketing Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcell, Kristin; Agyeman, Julian; Rappaport, Ann

2004-01-01

A community-based social marketing (CBSM) campaign to reduce student electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions was undertaken at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Social marketing methods follow a commercial marketing model and involve market research into the planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and evaluation of methods…

Tomorrow's Learning Leaders: Developing Leadership and Management for Post-Compulsory Learning. 2002 Survey Report. Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frearson, Michael

The development of leadership and management in postcompulsory learning in England was examined in a survey of managers and leaders at English colleges, work-based learning (WBL) providers, and adult and community learning (ACL) providers. Of the 22,000 questionnaires distributed, nearly 2,000 were completed. The respondents were predominately…

Distribution of Employment Growth in 10 Ozark Communities. A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliveira, Victor J.; Kuehn, John A.

Service industries, some manufacturing, and a concentration of retirees can provide a strong economic base in a rural area. Rapid growth of service businesses, especially wholesale and retail firms and other businesses related to tourism and recreation, attracted job-seekers to a 10-county area in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri…

An empirical study on the utility of BRDF model parameters and topographic parameters for mapping vegetation in a semi-arid region with MISR imagery

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Multi-angle remote sensing has been proved useful for mapping vegetation community types in desert regions. Based on Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) multi-angular images, this study compares roles played by Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model parameters with th...

Mapping and determinism of soil microbial community distribution across an agricultural landscape

PubMed Central

Constancias, Florentin; Terrat, Sébastien; Saby, Nicolas P A; Horrigue, Walid; Villerd, Jean; Guillemin, Jean-Philippe; Biju-Duval, Luc; Nowak, Virginie; Dequiedt, Samuel; Ranjard, Lionel; Chemidlin Prévost-Bouré, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Despite the relevance of landscape, regarding the spatial patterning of microbial communities and the relative influence of environmental parameters versus human activities, few investigations have been conducted at this scale. Here, we used a systematic grid to characterize the distribution of soil microbial communities at 278 sites across a monitored agricultural landscape of 13 km². Molecular microbial biomass was estimated by soil DNA recovery and bacterial diversity by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Geostatistics provided the first maps of microbial community at this scale and revealed a heterogeneous but spatially structured distribution of microbial biomass and diversity with patches of several hundreds of meters. Variance partitioning revealed that both microbial abundance and bacterial diversity distribution were highly dependent of soil properties and land use (total variance explained ranged between 55% and 78%). Microbial biomass and bacterial richness distributions were mainly explained by soil pH and texture whereas bacterial evenness distribution was mainly related to land management. Bacterial diversity (richness, evenness, and Shannon index) was positively influenced by cropping intensity and especially by soil tillage, resulting in spots of low microbial diversity in soils under forest management. Spatial descriptors also explained a small but significant portion of the microbial distribution suggesting that landscape configuration also shapes microbial biomass and bacterial diversity. PMID:25833770

A Web-based open-source database for the distribution of hyperspectral signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferwerda, J. G.; Jones, S. D.; Du, Pei-Jun

2006-10-01

With the coming of age of field spectroscopy as a non-destructive means to collect information on the physiology of vegetation, there is a need for storage of signatures, and, more importantly, their metadata. Without the proper organisation of metadata, the signatures itself become limited. In order to facilitate re-distribution of data, a database for the storage & distribution of hyperspectral signatures and their metadata was designed. The database was built using open-source software, and can be used by the hyperspectral community to share their data. Data is uploaded through a simple web-based interface. The database recognizes major file-formats by ASD, GER and International Spectronics. The database source code is available for download through the hyperspectral.info web domain, and we happily invite suggestion for additions & modification for the database to be submitted through the online forums on the same website.

Modular and hierarchical structure of social contact networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Yuanzheng; Song, Zhichao; Qiu, Xiaogang; Song, Hongbin; Wang, Yong

2013-10-01

Social contact networks exhibit overlapping qualities of communities, hierarchical structure and spatial-correlated nature. We propose a mixing pattern of modular and growing hierarchical structures to reconstruct social contact networks by using an individual’s geospatial distribution information in the real world. The hierarchical structure of social contact networks is defined based on the spatial distance between individuals, and edges among individuals are added in turn from the modular layer to the highest layer. It is a gradual process to construct the hierarchical structure: from the basic modular model up to the global network. The proposed model not only shows hierarchically increasing degree distribution and large clustering coefficients in communities, but also exhibits spatial clustering features of individual distributions. As an evaluation of the method, we reconstruct a hierarchical contact network based on the investigation data of a university. Transmission experiments of influenza H1N1 are carried out on the generated social contact networks, and results show that the constructed network is efficient to reproduce the dynamic process of an outbreak and evaluate interventions. The reproduced spread process exhibits that the spatial clustering of infection is accordant with the clustering of network topology. Moreover, the effect of individual topological character on the spread of influenza is analyzed, and the experiment results indicate that the spread is limited by individual daily contact patterns and local clustering topology rather than individual degree.

The species diversity and roots distribution of forest in course of succession in the lower sub-tropical Dinghushan, Guangdong, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Y.

2017-12-01

The study of root biomass distribution provides a good insight into the role of the root system, their structure and function at the ecosystem level. Therefore, many studies of root distribution and root dynamics e have been carried out. In the sub-tropical area of South China, monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest is one of the most characteristic and most valuable zonal vegetation with stand age of 400 years in Dinghushan, where we choose the 4 typical communities (Com.1 Pinus massoniana community; Com.2 Pinus massoniana + Castanopsis chinensis + Schima superba community; Com.3 Castanopsis fissa community; Com.4 Cryptocarya concinna + Castanopsis chinensis + Cryptocarya chinensis + Schima superba community) to study the species diversity and roots distribution. Root systems of representative communities were examined systemically with regard to their structure, underground stratification and biomass distribution, by the method of root biological measure and ecological technique, Excavation of skeleton roots and observation of fine roots were carried out. The conclusions mainly including: The root biomass was increased with the species diversity and evenness of the communities improved in lower sub-tropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in course of succession. The main reason is that the diversity increase resulted in the great increase of total individuals. The individual number is 93 in Com.1 and increase to 7024 in Com.4, and the number of species and total population of individual were fast increased 32 and 2680 after 25 years when man-made needle forest was founded. In a set of successional stages, the amount of tree roots linearly increased in communities series. In monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, the total tree root biomass amounted to 115.70 ton/ha, Needle and broad-leaved mixed forest dominated by coniferous 50.61ton/ ha, Broad-and needle-leaved mixed forest dominated by broad-leaved heliophytes 64.20 ton/ha. Root biomass of community in later successional stage tended to distribute in the upper soil layers with the succession process, and this trend became slower in the later successional stage of the forest. 35% of total root biomass distributed in 0-10 cm layer in Com.2 but it increase to 61% in Com.4. Furthermore, more diversity of the vegetation has more clearly layers roots.

Distribution of soft-bottom macrofauna in the deep open Baltic Sea in relation to environmental variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laine, Ari O.

2003-05-01

To analyse the large-scale distribution of soft-bottom macrofauna in the open Baltic Sea, samples for species abundance and biomass were collected in 1996-1997. Benthic community structure was used to classify and describe different assemblages and the observed distribution of communities was related to environmental factors. Distinct benthic assemblages were found that were dominated by only a few species ( Harmothoe sarsi, Saduria entomon, Monoporeia affinis, Pontoporeia femorata and Macoma balthica). These assemblages were related to different subareas and/or depth zones of the Baltic Sea. Salinity or the combined effects of salinity, dissolved oxygen and sediment organic matter content best explained the patterns in community distribution, indicating the importance of hydrography and sediment quality as structuring factors of the macrozoobenthos communities. When compared to long-term studies on Baltic macrozoobenthos it is evident that the results represent only a momentary state in the succession of the open-sea communities, which have been affected by past changes in hydrography, and will be subject to future changes in accordance with the variable environment, affected by climate.

Comparison of Particle-Associated Bacteria from a Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Distribution Reservoirs with Different Water Sources

PubMed Central

Liu, G.; Ling, F. Q.; van der Mark, E. J.; Zhang, X. D.; Knezev, A.; Verberk, J. Q. J. C.; van der Meer, W. G. J.; Medema, G. J.; Liu, W. T.; van Dijk, J. C.

2016-01-01

This study assessed the characteristics of and changes in the suspended particles and the associated bacteria in an unchlorinated drinking water distribution system and its reservoirs with different water sources. The results show that particle-associated bacteria (PAB) were present at a level of 0.8–4.5 × 103 cells ml−1 with a biological activity of 0.01–0.04 ng l−1 ATP. Different PAB communities in the waters produced from different sources were revealed by a 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing analysis. The quantified biomass underestimation due to the multiple cells attached per particle was ≥ 85%. The distribution of the biologically stable water increased the number of cells per particle (from 48 to 90) but had minor effects on the PAB community. Significant changes were observed at the mixing reservoir. Our results show the characteristics of and changes in suspended PAB during distribution, and highlight the significance of suspended PAB in the distribution system, because suspended PAB can lead to a considerable underestimation of biomass, and because they exist as biofilm, which has a greater mobility than pipe-wall biofilm and therefore presents a greater risk, given the higher probability that it will reach the customers’ taps and be ingested. PMID:26832989

Community-partnered evaluation of depression services for clients of community-based agencies in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles.

PubMed

Miranda, Jeanne; Ong, Michael K; Jones, Loretta; Chung, Bowen; Dixon, Elizabeth L; Tang, Lingqi; Gilmore, Jim; Sherbourne, Cathy; Ngo, Victoria K; Stockdale, Susan; Ramos, Esmeralda; Belin, Thomas R; Wells, Kenneth B

2013-10-01

As medical homes are developing under health reform, little is known regarding depression services need and use by diverse safety-net populations in under-resourced communities. For chronic conditions like depression, primary care services may face new opportunities to partner with diverse community service providers, such as those in social service and substance abuse centers, to support a collaborative care model of treating depression. To understand the distribution of need and current burden of services for depression in under-resourced, diverse communities in Los Angeles. Baseline phase of a participatory trial to improve depression services with data from client screening and follow-up surveys. Of 4,440 clients screened from 93 programs (primary care, mental health, substance abuse, homeless, social and other community services) in 50 agencies, 1,322 were depressed according to an eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) and gave contact information; 1,246 enrolled and 981 completed surveys. Ninety-three programs, including 17 primary care/public health, 18 mental health, 20 substance abuse, ten homeless services, and 28 social/other community services, participated. Comparisons by setting in 6-month retrospective recall of depression services use. Depression prevalence ranged from 51.9 % in mental health to 17.2 % in social-community programs. Depressed clients used two settings on average to receive depression services; 82 % used any setting. More clients preferred counseling over medication for depression treatment. Need for depression care was high, and a broad range of agencies provide depression care. Although most participants had contact with primary care, most depression services occurred outside of primary care settings, emphasizing the need to coordinate and support the quality of community-based services across diverse community settings.

High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid Power System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David; Meiners, Dennis

2016-01-01

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA. Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40% and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David L.

2017-01-01

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA.Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40 and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well-being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

Linking phytoplankton community metabolism to the individual size distribution.

PubMed

Padfield, Daniel; Buckling, Angus; Warfield, Ruth; Lowe, Chris; Yvon-Durocher, Gabriel

2018-05-25

Quantifying variation in ecosystem metabolism is critical to predicting the impacts of environmental change on the carbon cycle. We used a metabolic scaling framework to investigate how body size and temperature influence phytoplankton community metabolism. We tested this framework using phytoplankton sampled from an outdoor mesocosm experiment, where communities had been either experimentally warmed (+ 4 °C) for 10 years or left at ambient temperature. Warmed and ambient phytoplankton communities differed substantially in their taxonomic composition and size structure. Despite this, the response of primary production and community respiration to long- and short-term warming could be estimated using a model that accounted for the size- and temperature dependence of individual metabolism, and the community abundance-body size distribution. This work demonstrates that the key metabolic fluxes that determine the carbon balance of planktonic ecosystems can be approximated using metabolic scaling theory, with knowledge of the individual size distribution and environmental temperature. © 2018 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Distributed Energy Planning for Climate Resilience

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stout, Sherry R; Hotchkiss, Elizabeth L; Day, Megan H

At various levels of government across the United States and globally climate resilient solutions are being adopted and implemented. Solutions vary based on predicted hazards, community context, priorities, complexity, and available resources. Lessons are being learned through the implementation process, which can be replicated regardless of level or type of government entity carrying out the resiliency planning. Through a number of analyses and technical support across the world, NREL has learned key lessons related to resilience planning associated with power generation and water distribution. Distributed energy generation is a large factor in building resilience with clean energy technologies and solutions.more » The technical and policy solutions associated with distributed energy implementation for resilience fall into a few major categories, including spatial diversification, microgrids, water-energy nexus, policy, and redundancy.« less

Reframing the Dissemination Challenge: A Marketing and Distribution Perspective

PubMed Central

Bernhardt, Jay M.

2009-01-01

A fundamental obstacle to successful dissemination and implementation of evidence-based public health programs is the near-total absence of systems and infrastructure for marketing and distribution. We describe the functions of a marketing and distribution system, and we explain how it would help move effective public health programs from research to practice. Then we critically evaluate the 4 dominant strategies now used to promote dissemination and implementation, and we explain how each would be enhanced by marketing and distribution systems. Finally, we make 6 recommendations for building the needed system infrastructure and discuss the responsibility within the public health community for implementation of these recommendations. Without serious investment in such infrastructure, application of proven solutions in public health practice will continue to occur slowly and rarely. PMID:19833993

Reframing the dissemination challenge: a marketing and distribution perspective.

PubMed

Kreuter, Matthew W; Bernhardt, Jay M

2009-12-01

A fundamental obstacle to successful dissemination and implementation of evidence-based public health programs is the near-total absence of systems and infrastructure for marketing and distribution. We describe the functions of a marketing and distribution system, and we explain how it would help move effective public health programs from research to practice. Then we critically evaluate the 4 dominant strategies now used to promote dissemination and implementation, and we explain how each would be enhanced by marketing and distribution systems. Finally, we make 6 recommendations for building the needed system infrastructure and discuss the responsibility within the public health community for implementation of these recommendations. Without serious investment in such infrastructure, application of proven solutions in public health practice will continue to occur slowly and rarely.

The AMPATH Nutritional Information System: Designing a Food Distribution Electronic Record System in Rural Kenya

PubMed Central

Lim, Jason LitJeh; Yih, Yuehwern; Gichunge, Catherine; Tierney, William M.; Le, Tung H.; Zhang, Jun; Lawley, Mark A.; Petersen, Tomeka J.; Mamlin, Joseph J.

2009-01-01

Objective The AMPATH program is a leading initiative in rural Kenya providing healthcare services to combat HIV. Malnutrition and food insecurity are common among AMPATH patients and the Nutritional Information System (NIS) was designed, with cross-functional collaboration between engineering and medical communities, as a comprehensive electronic system to record and assist in effective food distribution in a region with poor infrastructure. Design The NIS was designed modularly to support the urgent need of a system for the growing food distribution program. The system manages the ordering, storage, packing, shipping, and distribution of fresh produce from AMPATH farms and dry food supplements from the World Food Programme (WFP) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) based on nutritionists' prescriptions for food supplements. Additionally, the system also records details of food distributed to support future studies. Measurements Patients fed weekly, patient visits per month. Results With inception of the NIS, the AMPATH food distribution program was able to support 30,000 persons fed weekly, up from 2,000 persons. Patient visits per month also saw a marked increase. Conclusion The NIS' modular design and frequent, effective interactions between developers and users has positively affected the design, implementation, support, and modifications of the NIS. It demonstrates the success of collaboration between engineering and medical communities, and more importantly the feasibility for technology readily available in a modern country to contribute to healthcare delivery in developing countries like Kenya and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. PMID:19717795

An NGO at work: CARE-Ethiopia.

PubMed

1999-01-01

Cooperation for American Relief to Everywhere (CARE) was established in response to the needs of the people after World War II through the distribution of food and clothes. CARE/Ethiopia, which signed its first Basic Agreement with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, was provided with assistance during the 1994 drought that affected Ethiopia. The primary objective of CARE was to alleviate the suffering brought about by severe food shortages and to expand the program to mitigation and development. This approach was based on the premise of a community-based development philosophy and as an implementation strategy for reaching the rural poor. The five programmatic areas highlighted by the CARE projects were the rural and urban infrastructure; water and sanitation; small-scale irrigation; reproductive health and HIV/AIDS; and microcredit. On the other hand, the family planning and HIV/AIDS project aimed to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice of rural communities towards family planning and reproductive health through community-based family planning services. Results of the project evaluation emphasize the significance of community-based programs in the improvement of health status. Two critical program constraints identified in this paper are lack of access to referral-level services and lack of systemic provision of contraceptive commodities. Several suggestions for future programs include the assurance that the volunteers would be provided with aid in work, childcare and free health services for their families.

Communities of Putative Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi Isolated from Alpine Dwarf Shrubs in Japan: Effects of Host Identity and Microhabitat.

PubMed

Koizumi, Takahiko; Nara, Kazuhide

2017-06-24

Dwarf shrubs of the family Ericaceae are common in arctic and alpine regions. Many of these plants are associated with ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) fungi, which allow them to take nutrients and water from the soil under harsh environmental conditions and, thus, affect host plant survival. Despite the importance of ERM fungi to alpine plant communities, limited information is available on the effects of microhabitat and host identity on ERM fungal communities. We investigated the communities of putative ERM fungi isolated from five dwarf shrub species (Arcterica nana, Diapensia lapponica, Empetrum nigrum, Loiseleuria procumbens, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea) that co-occur in an alpine region of Japan, with reference to distinct microhabitats provided by large stone pine (Pinus pumila) shrubs (i.e. bare ground, the edge of stone pine shrubs, and the inside of stone pine shrubs). We obtained 703 fungal isolates from 222 individual plants. These isolates were classified into 55 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on the sequencing of internal transcribed spacer regions in ribosomal DNA. These putative ERM fungal communities were dominated by Helotiales fungi for all host species. Cistella and Trimmatostroma species, which have rarely been detected in ERM roots in previous studies, were abundant. ERM fungal communities were significantly different among microhabitats (R 2 =0.28), while the host effect explained less variance in the fungal communities after excluding the microhabitat effect (R 2 =0.17). Our results suggest that the host effect on ERM fungal communities is minor and the distributions of hosts and fungal communities may be assessed based on microhabitat conditions.

Communities of Putative Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi Isolated from Alpine Dwarf Shrubs in Japan: Effects of Host Identity and Microhabitat

PubMed Central

Koizumi, Takahiko; Nara, Kazuhide

2017-01-01

Dwarf shrubs of the family Ericaceae are common in arctic and alpine regions. Many of these plants are associated with ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) fungi, which allow them to take nutrients and water from the soil under harsh environmental conditions and, thus, affect host plant survival. Despite the importance of ERM fungi to alpine plant communities, limited information is available on the effects of microhabitat and host identity on ERM fungal communities. We investigated the communities of putative ERM fungi isolated from five dwarf shrub species (Arcterica nana, Diapensia lapponica, Empetrum nigrum, Loiseleuria procumbens, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea) that co-occur in an alpine region of Japan, with reference to distinct microhabitats provided by large stone pine (Pinus pumila) shrubs (i.e. bare ground, the edge of stone pine shrubs, and the inside of stone pine shrubs). We obtained 703 fungal isolates from 222 individual plants. These isolates were classified into 55 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on the sequencing of internal transcribed spacer regions in ribosomal DNA. These putative ERM fungal communities were dominated by Helotiales fungi for all host species. Cistella and Trimmatostroma species, which have rarely been detected in ERM roots in previous studies, were abundant. ERM fungal communities were significantly different among microhabitats (R2=0.28), while the host effect explained less variance in the fungal communities after excluding the microhabitat effect (R2=0.17). Our results suggest that the host effect on ERM fungal communities is minor and the distributions of hosts and fungal communities may be assessed based on microhabitat conditions. PMID:28529264

Microarray-Based Analysis of Subnanogram Quantities of Microbial Community DNAs by Using Whole-Community Genome Amplification†

PubMed Central

Wu, Liyou; Liu, Xueduan; Schadt, Christopher W.; Zhou, Jizhong

2006-01-01

Microarray technology provides the opportunity to identify thousands of microbial genes or populations simultaneously, but low microbial biomass often prevents application of this technology to many natural microbial communities. We developed a whole-community genome amplification-assisted microarray detection approach based on multiple displacement amplification. The representativeness of amplification was evaluated using several types of microarrays and quantitative indexes. Representative detection of individual genes or genomes was obtained with 1 to 100 ng DNA from individual or mixed genomes, in equal or unequal abundance, and with 1 to 500 ng community DNAs from groundwater. Lower concentrations of DNA (as low as 10 fg) could be detected, but the lower template concentrations affected the representativeness of amplification. Robust quantitative detection was also observed by significant linear relationships between signal intensities and initial DNA concentrations ranging from (i) 0.04 to 125 ng (r2 = 0.65 to 0.99) for DNA from pure cultures as detected by whole-genome open reading frame arrays, (ii) 0.1 to 1,000 ng (r2 = 0.91) for genomic DNA using community genome arrays, and (iii) 0.01 to 250 ng (r2 = 0.96 to 0.98) for community DNAs from ethanol-amended groundwater using 50-mer functional gene arrays. This method allowed us to investigate the oligotrophic microbial communities in groundwater contaminated with uranium and other metals. The results indicated that microorganisms containing genes involved in contaminant degradation and immobilization are present in these communities, that their spatial distribution is heterogeneous, and that microbial diversity is greatly reduced in the highly contaminated environment. PMID:16820490

Applications of species distribution modeling to paleobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svenning, Jens-Christian; Fløjgaard, Camilla; Marske, Katharine A.; Nógues-Bravo, David; Normand, Signe

2011-10-01

Species distribution modeling (SDM: statistical and/or mechanistic approaches to the assessment of range determinants and prediction of species occurrence) offers new possibilities for estimating and studying past organism distributions. SDM complements fossil and genetic evidence by providing (i) quantitative and potentially high-resolution predictions of the past organism distributions, (ii) statistically formulated, testable ecological hypotheses regarding past distributions and communities, and (iii) statistical assessment of range determinants. In this article, we provide an overview of applications of SDM to paleobiology, outlining the methodology, reviewing SDM-based studies to paleobiology or at the interface of paleo- and neobiology, discussing assumptions and uncertainties as well as how to handle them, and providing a synthesis and outlook. Key methodological issues for SDM applications to paleobiology include predictor variables (types and properties; special emphasis is given to paleoclimate), model validation (particularly important given the emphasis on cross-temporal predictions in paleobiological applications), and the integration of SDM and genetics approaches. Over the last few years the number of studies using SDM to address paleobiology-related questions has increased considerably. While some of these studies only use SDM (23%), most combine them with genetically inferred patterns (49%), paleoecological records (22%), or both (6%). A large number of SDM-based studies have addressed the role of Pleistocene glacial refugia in biogeography and evolution, especially in Europe, but also in many other regions. SDM-based approaches are also beginning to contribute to a suite of other research questions, such as historical constraints on current distributions and diversity patterns, the end-Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, past community assembly, human paleobiogeography, Holocene paleoecology, and even deep-time biogeography (notably, providing insights into biogeographic dynamics >400 million years ago). We discuss important assumptions and uncertainties that affect the SDM approach to paleobiology - the equilibrium postulate, niche stability, changing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations - as well as ways to address these (ensemble, functional SDM, and non-SDM ecoinformatics approaches). We conclude that the SDM approach offers important opportunities for advances in paleobiology by providing a quantitative ecological perspective, and hereby also offers the potential for an enhanced contribution of paleobiology to ecology and conservation biology, e.g., for estimating climate change impacts and for informing ecological restoration.

Classifying Measures of Biological Variation

PubMed Central

Gregorius, Hans-Rolf; Gillet, Elizabeth M.

2015-01-01

Biological variation is commonly measured at two basic levels: variation within individual communities, and the distribution of variation over communities or within a metacommunity. We develop a classification for the measurement of biological variation on both levels: Within communities into the categories of dispersion and diversity, and within metacommunities into the categories of compositional differentiation and partitioning of variation. There are essentially two approaches to characterizing the distribution of trait variation over communities in that individuals with the same trait state or type tend to occur in the same community (describes differentiation tendencies), and individuals with different types tend to occur in different communities (describes apportionment tendencies). Both approaches can be viewed from the dual perspectives of trait variation distributed over communities (CT perspective) and community membership distributed over trait states (TC perspective). This classification covers most of the relevant descriptors (qualified measures) of biological variation, as is demonstrated with the help of major families of descriptors. Moreover, the classification is shown to open ways to develop new descriptors that meet current needs. Yet the classification also reveals the misclassification of some prominent and widely applied descriptors: Dispersion is often misclassified as diversity, particularly in cases where dispersion descriptor allow for the computation of effective numbers; the descriptor GST of population genetics is commonly misclassified as compositional differentiation and confused with partitioning-oriented differentiation, whereas it actually measures partitioning-oriented apportionment; descriptors of β-diversity are ambiguous about the differentiation effects they are supposed to represent and therefore require conceptual reconsideration. PMID:25807558

Challenges With Research Contract Negotiations in Community-Based Cancer Research.

PubMed

Thompson, Michael A; Hurley, Patricia A; Faller, Bryan; Longinette, Jean; Richter, Katie; Stewart, Teresa L; Robert, Nicholas

2016-06-01

Community-based research programs face many barriers to participation in clinical trials. Although the majority of people with cancer are diagnosed and treated in the community setting, only roughly 3% are enrolled onto clinical trials. Research contract and budget negotiations have been consistently identified as time consuming and a barrier to participation in clinical trials. ASCO's Community Research Forum conducted a survey about specific challenges of research contract and budget negotiation processes in community-based research settings. The goal was to ultimately identify potential solutions to these barriers. A survey was distributed to 780 community-based physician investigators and research staff. The survey included questions to provide insight into contract and budget negotiation processes and perceptions about related barriers. A total of 77% of the 150 respondents acknowledged barriers in the process. Respondents most frequently identified budget-related issues (n = 133), inefficiencies in the process (n = 80), or legal review and negotiation issues (n = 70). Of the respondents, 44.1% indicated that contract research organizations made the contract negotiations process harder for their research program, and only 5% believed contract research organizations made the process easier. The contract negotiations process is perceived to be impeded by sponsors through underestimation of costs, lack of flexibility with the contract language, and excessive delays. Improving clinical trial activation processes and reducing inefficiencies would be beneficial to all interested stakeholders, including patients who may ultimately stand to benefit from participation in clinical trials. The following key recommendations were made: standardization of contracts and negotiation processes to promulgate transparency and efficiencies, improve sponsor processes to minimize burden on sites, create and promote use of contract templates and best practices, and provide education and consultation. Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale: Psychometrics of a Dimensional Measure of Obsessive-Compulsive Traits.

PubMed

Park, Laura S; Burton, Christie L; Dupuis, Annie; Shan, Janet; Storch, Eric A; Crosbie, Jennifer; Schachar, Russell J; Arnold, Paul D

2016-04-01

To describe the Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (TOCS), a novel 21-item parent- or self-report questionnaire that covers wide variation in obsessive-compulsive (OC) traits, and to evaluate its psychometric properties in a community-based pediatric sample. The TOCS was completed for 16,718 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 years in a community setting. Internal consistency, convergent validity with the Obsessive-Compulsive Scale of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL-OCS), divergent validity with the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) Symptoms and Normal Behaviour Rating Scale (SWAN), interrater reliability, as well as sensitivity and specificity of the TOCS were assessed. The internal consistency of the 21 TOCS items was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.94). TOCS was moderately correlated with the CBCL-OCS (Spearman correlation = 0.51) and poorly correlated with the SWAN (Pearson correlation = 0.02). Sensitivity and specificity analyses indicated that a TOCS total score of greater than 0 successfully discriminated community-reported obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) cases from noncases. OC traits were continuously distributed both at the total score and dimensional level in our pediatric community sample. TOCS is a multidimensional measure of OC traits in children and adolescents with sound psychometric properties. TOCS reveals that OC traits are common and continuously distributed in a community sample. TOCS may be a useful measure for studies of the characteristics and etiology of OC traits. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Bacterial community dynamics during the early stages of biofilm formation in a chlorinated experimental drinking water distribution system: implications for drinking water discolouration.

PubMed

Douterelo, I; Sharpe, R; Boxall, J

2014-07-01

To characterize bacterial communities during the early stages of biofilm formation and their role in water discolouration in a fully representative, chlorinated, experimental drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Biofilm development was monitored in an experimental DWDS over 28 days; subsequently the system was disturbed by raising hydraulic conditions to simulate pipe burst, cleaning or other system conditions. Biofilm cell cover was monitored by fluorescent microscopy and a fingerprinting technique used to assess changes in bacterial community. Selected samples were analysed by cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Fingerprinting analysis revealed significant changes in the bacterial community structure over time (P < 0·05). Cell coverage increased over time accompanied by an increase in bacterial richness and diversity. Shifts in the bacterial community structure were observed along with an increase in cell coverage, bacterial richness and diversity. Species related to Pseudomonas spp. and Janthinobacterium spp. dominated the process of initial attachment. Based on fingerprinting results, the hydraulic regimes did not affect the bacteriological composition of biofilms, but they did influence their mechanical stability. This study gives a better insight into the early stages of biofilm formation in DWDS and will contribute to the improvement of management strategies to control the formation of biofilms and the risk of discolouration. © 2014 The Authors. published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for Applied Microbiology.

Temporal assessment of microbial communities in soils of two contrasting mangroves.

PubMed

Rigonato, Janaina; Kent, Angela D; Gumiere, Thiago; Branco, Luiz Henrique Zanini; Andreote, Fernando Dini; Fiore, Marli Fátima

Variations in microbial communities promoted by alterations in environmental conditions are reflected in similarities/differences both at taxonomic and functional levels. Here we used a natural gradient within mangroves from seashore to upland, to contrast the natural variability in bacteria, cyanobacteria and diazotroph assemblages in a pristine area compared to an oil polluted area along a timespan of three years, based on ARISA (bacteria and cyanobacteria) and nifH T-RFLP (diazotrophs) fingerprinting. The data presented herein indicated that changes in all the communities evaluated were mainly driven by the temporal effect in the contaminated area, while local effects were dominant on the pristine mangrove. A positive correlation of community structure between diazotrophs and cyanobacteria was observed, suggesting the functional importance of this phylum as nitrogen fixers in mangroves soils. Different ecological patterns explained the microbial behavior in the pristine and polluted mangroves. Stochastic models in the pristine mangrove indicate that there is not a specific environmental factor that determines the bacterial distribution, while cyanobacteria and diazotrophs better fitted in deterministic model in the same area. For the contaminated mangrove site, deterministic models better represented the variations in the communities, suggesting that the presence of oil might change the microbial ecological structures over time. Mangroves represent a unique environment threatened by global change, and this study contributed to the knowledge of the microbial distribution in such areas and its response on persistent contamination historic events. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Bacterial community dynamics during the early stages of biofilm formation in a chlorinated experimental drinking water distribution system: implications for drinking water discolouration

PubMed Central

Douterelo, I; Sharpe, R; Boxall, J

2014-01-01

Aims To characterize bacterial communities during the early stages of biofilm formation and their role in water discolouration in a fully representative, chlorinated, experimental drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Methods and Results Biofilm development was monitored in an experimental DWDS over 28 days; subsequently the system was disturbed by raising hydraulic conditions to simulate pipe burst, cleaning or other system conditions. Biofilm cell cover was monitored by fluorescent microscopy and a fingerprinting technique used to assess changes in bacterial community. Selected samples were analysed by cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Fingerprinting analysis revealed significant changes in the bacterial community structure over time (P < 0·05). Cell coverage increased over time accompanied by an increase in bacterial richness and diversity. Conclusions Shifts in the bacterial community structure were observed along with an increase in cell coverage, bacterial richness and diversity. Species related to Pseudomonas spp. and Janthinobacterium spp. dominated the process of initial attachment. Based on fingerprinting results, the hydraulic regimes did not affect the bacteriological composition of biofilms, but they did influence their mechanical stability. Significance and Importance of the Study This study gives a better insight into the early stages of biofilm formation in DWDS and will contribute to the improvement of management strategies to control the formation of biofilms and the risk of discolouration. PMID:24712449

An electronic consumer health library: NetWellness.

PubMed Central

Guard, R; Haag, D; Kaya, B; Marine, S; Morris, T; Schick, L; Shoemaker, S

1996-01-01

NetWellness is a community-based, consumer-defined grant program supporting the delivery of electronic health information to rural residents of southern Ohio and urban and suburban communities in the Greater Cincinnati tri-state region. NetWellness is a collaboratively developed and publicly and privately funded demonstration project. Information is delivered via ISDN, standard dial, dedicated network connections, and the Internet. TriState Online (Greater Cincinnati's Free-Net) and other southern Ohio Free-Nets are key access points in the larger project communities. The other access points are more than forty workstations distributed at public sites throughout the project's primary geographical area. Design strengths and limitations, training initiatives, technical issues, and the project's impact on medical librarianship are examined in this paper. Also discussed are ways of determining community needs and interest, building political alliances, finding and developing funding sources, and overcoming technical obstacles. NetWellness's Internet address is: http:@www.netwellness.org. PMID:8913548

Community-based opioid overdose prevention programs providing naloxone - United States, 2010.

PubMed

2012-02-17

Drug overdose death rates have increased steadily in the United States since 1979. In 2008, a total of 36,450 drug overdose deaths (i.e., unintentional, intentional [suicide or homicide], or undetermined intent) were reported, with prescription opioid analgesics (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone), cocaine, and heroin the drugs most commonly involved . Since the mid-1990s, community-based programs have offered opioid overdose prevention services to persons who use drugs, their families and friends, and service providers. Since 1996, an increasing number of these programs have provided the opioid antagonist naloxone hydrochloride, the treatment of choice to reverse the potentially fatal respiratory depression caused by overdose of heroin and other opioids. Naloxone has no effect on non-opioid overdoses (e.g., cocaine, benzodiazepines, or alcohol) . In October 2010, the Harm Reduction Coalition, a national advocacy and capacity-building organization, surveyed 50 programs known to distribute naloxone in the United States, to collect data on local program locations, naloxone distribution, and overdose reversals. This report summarizes the findings for the 48 programs that completed the survey and the 188 local programs represented by the responses. Since the first opioid overdose prevention program began distributing naloxone in 1996, the respondent programs reported training and distributing naloxone to 53,032 persons and receiving reports of 10,171 overdose reversals. Providing opioid overdose education and naloxone to persons who use drugs and to persons who might be present at an opioid overdose can help reduce opioid overdose mortality, a rapidly growing public health concern.

Seroincidence of non-typhoid Salmonella infections: convenience vs. random community-based sampling.

PubMed

Emborg, H-D; Simonsen, J; Jørgensen, C S; Harritshøj, L H; Krogfelt, K A; Linneberg, A; Mølbak, K

2016-01-01

The incidence of reported infections of non-typhoid Salmonella is affected by biases inherent to passive laboratory surveillance, whereas analysis of blood sera may provide a less biased alternative to estimate the force of Salmonella transmission in humans. We developed a mathematical model that enabled a back-calculation of the annual seroincidence of Salmonella based on measurements of specific antibodies. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroincidence in two convenience samples from 2012 (Danish blood donors, n = 500, and pregnant women, n = 637) and a community-based sample of healthy individuals from 2006 to 2007 (n = 1780). The lowest antibody levels were measured in the samples from the community cohort and the highest in pregnant women. The annual Salmonella seroincidences were 319 infections/1000 pregnant women [90% credibility interval (CrI) 210-441], 182/1000 in blood donors (90% CrI 85-298) and 77/1000 in the community cohort (90% CrI 45-114). Although the differences between study populations decreased when accounting for different age distributions the estimates depend on the study population. It is important to be aware of this issue and define a certain population under surveillance in order to obtain consistent results in an application of serological measures for public health purposes.

The first community-based sexually transmitted disease/HIV intervention trial for female sex workers in China.

PubMed

Wu, Zunyou; Rou, Keming; Jia, Manhong; Duan, Song; Sullivan, Sheena G

2007-12-01

This study was the first community-based intervention to test feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention targeting sex workers in China. Prospective, community-based, pre/post-intervention trial. Thirty establishments in Chengjiang, 34 in Ruili and 23 in Longchuan were selected for the study. The study participants were female sex workers. Out-reach workers visited the establishments to conduct intervention activities over 6 weeks. The activities included lectures, discussion, video and audio cassettes, and distribution of educational folders and condoms. Pre- and post-intervention cross-sectional surveys assessed changes in sexually transmitted disease (STD)/AIDS knowledge and condom use. After the intervention, knowledge of the three HIV transmission routes increased from 25 to 88% (P < 0.01), knowledge that condoms can reduce the risk of STD/HIV infection increased from 56 to 94% (P < 0.01). Condom use at last sex and in the last three sexual encounters increased from 61 to 85% (P < 0.01) and from 41 to 70%, respectively. Multivariate analyses indicated that the intervention was an independent factor (P < 0.01) for these changes. The intervention programme was effective at increasing HIV/AIDS knowledge and condom use rates among sex workers in the community and should be expanded.

Plant attributes explain the distribution of soil microbial communities in two contrasting regions of the globe.

PubMed

Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Fry, Ellen L; Eldridge, David J; de Vries, Franciska T; Manning, Peter; Hamonts, Kelly; Kattge, Jens; Boenisch, Gerhard; Singh, Brajesh K; Bardgett, Richard D

2018-04-19

We lack strong empirical evidence for links between plant attributes (plant community attributes and functional traits) and the distribution of soil microbial communities at large spatial scales. Using datasets from two contrasting regions and ecosystem types in Australia and England, we report that aboveground plant community attributes, such as diversity (species richness) and cover, and functional traits can predict a unique portion of the variation in the diversity (number of phylotypes) and community composition of soil bacteria and fungi that cannot be explained by soil abiotic properties and climate. We further identify the relative importance and evaluate the potential direct and indirect effects of climate, soil properties and plant attributes in regulating the diversity and community composition of soil microbial communities. Finally, we deliver a list of examples of common taxa from Australia and England that are strongly related to specific plant traits, such as specific leaf area index, leaf nitrogen and nitrogen fixation. Together, our work provides new evidence that plant attributes, especially plant functional traits, can predict the distribution of soil microbial communities at the regional scale and across two hemispheres. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Restrictions to Pharmacy Ownership and Vertical Integration in Estonia—Perception of Different Stakeholders

PubMed Central

Gross, Marit; Volmer, Daisy

2016-01-01

Objectives: From 2020, the ownership of community pharmacies in Estonia will be limited to the pharmacy profession, and the vertical integration of wholesale companies and community pharmacies will not be allowed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of different stakeholders in primary healthcare toward the new regulations of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. Methods: A qualitative electronic survey was distributed to the main stakeholders in primary healthcare and higher education institutions providing pharmacy education (n = 40) in May 2015. For data analysis, the systematic text condensation method was used. Results: The study participants described two opposing positions regarding the development of community pharmacies in the future. Reform supporters emphasized increased professional independence and more healthcare-oriented operation of community pharmacies. Reform opponents argued against these ideas as community pharmacists do not have sufficient practical experience and finances to ensure sustainable development of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. Conclusion: Based on the current perception of all respondents, the future operation of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia is unclear and there is urgent need for implementation criteria for the new regulations. PMID:28970391