Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Saudi Arabia and Gulf Countries: A Review.

PubMed

Al-Ghafli, Hawra; Al-Hajoj, Sahal

2017-01-01

Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) are causing growing health problems worldwide. This is indicated by an increasing amount of scientific reports showing not only well-identified species reemerging but also emergence of new species. The emergence and reemergence of NTM are particularly worrying in developing countries due to scarce published data and improper identification. Here we aimed to examine the main epidemiological aspects and diagnostic challenges associated with NTM in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and compare these findings to the international arena findings. Data revealed that countries of the GCC are largely dominated by rapidly growing mycobacteria species such as M. fortuitum (29%) and M. abscessus (17%) with high rate of definitive respiratory diseases. On the other hand, most of the developed countries are dominated by slowly growing mycobacteria such as MAC, M. kansasii , and M. gordonae . More efforts are needed, however, to gain insights into NTM issues in countries of the GCC.

Amelioration and retrofitting of educational buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casciati, Fabio; Casciati, Sara

2018-01-01

Following a seismic event that occurred years ago in Central Italy, the public opinion was growing and growing a concern on the adequacy of educational buildings all across Italy. This activated several political decisions and a consequent technical effort is in progress. Technically speaking one has to manage the classical problem of retrofitting existing buildings. However, the legal environment goes across national codes, targeted guidelines and the professional need of achieving pragmatic solutions based on ethical and social acceptation schemes.This paper introduces the topic in its worldwide exception and focuses then on some operative aspects in the Italian situation. It outlines the consolidated steps along this technical process and emphasizes the weak aspects one meets when going across the designers' reports.

A systematic review: Students with mental health problems--a growing problem.

PubMed

Storrie, Kim; Ahern, Kathy; Tuckett, Anthony

2010-02-01

The number of university students with a serious mental illness has risen significantly over the past few years. A systematic review was conducted that addressed emotional and or mental health problems of university students worldwide. In total, 572 articles were identified, of which 11 met inclusion criteria. Issues identified included types of problems experienced by students, how staff dealt with these students, barriers to seeking help, tools that facilitated help-seeking and epidemiological trends in the university student population. Recommendations include (i) providing better links between the university and external mental health providers, and (ii) increasing students' awareness of existing support services within and external to the university. As it is unrealistic to expect all academic staff to have the expertise required to deal with students with emotional problems, it is also recommended that (iii) policies and personnel with expertise in mental health are available to provide guidance for staff.

Problem gambling worldwide: An update and systematic review of empirical research (2000–2015)

PubMed Central

Calado, Filipa; Griffiths, Mark D.

2016-01-01

Background and aims Problem gambling has been identified as an emergent public health issue, and there is a need to identify gambling trends and to regularly update worldwide gambling prevalence rates. This paper aims to review recent research on adult gambling and problem gambling (since 2000) and then, in the context of a growing liberalization of the gambling market in the European Union, intends to provide a more detailed analysis of adult gambling behavior across European countries. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out using academic databases, Internet, and governmental websites. Results Following this search and utilizing exclusion criteria, 69 studies on adult gambling prevalence were identified. These studies demonstrated that there are wide variations in past-year problem gambling rates across different countries in the world (0.12–5.8%) and in Europe (0.12–3.4%). However, it is difficult to directly compare studies due to different methodological procedures, instruments, cut-offs, and time frames. Despite the variability among instruments, some consistent results with regard to demographics were found. Discussion and conclusion The findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring of problem gambling prevalence rates in order to examine the influence of cultural context on gambling patterns, assess the effectiveness of policies on gambling-related harms, and establish priorities for future research. PMID:27784180

The evolving market structures of gambling: case studies modelling the socioeconomic assignment of gaming machines in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

Marshall, David C; Baker, Robert G V

2002-01-01

The expansion of gambling industries worldwide is intertwined with the growing government dependence on gambling revenue for fiscal assignments. In Australia, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) have dominated recent gambling industry growth. As EGMs have proliferated, growing recognition has emerged that EGM distribution closely reflects levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. More machines are located in less advantaged regions. This paper analyses time-series socioeconomic distributions of EGMs in Melbourne, Australia, an immature EGM market, and then compares the findings with the mature market in Sydney. Similar findings in both cities suggest that market assignment of EGMs transcends differences in historical and legislative environments. This indicates that similar underlying structures are evident in both markets. Modelling the spatial structures of gambling markets provides an opportunity to identify regions most at risk of gambling related problems. Subsequently, policies can be formulated which ensure fiscal revenue from gambling can be better targeted towards regions likely to be most afflicted by excessive gambling-related problems.

Cancer of the oral cavity- a growing concern in the Micronesia: a case report from the Marshall Islands.

PubMed

Bhandary, Sangita; Bhandary, Prahlad

2003-03-01

Cancer of the oral cavity is of growing concern worldwide. In the Micronesia, there has been a recent increase in use of betel nut and tobacco chewing in addition to already existing problem of smoking and alcohol drinking. These deleterious habits have further added the risk for development of oral cancers in the Marshall Islands. The oral cancers have good prognosis, which is directly related to the early diagnosis and treatment. Advanced staged cancers need mutilating surgery in addition to radiotherapy and carry high mortality rate. The epidemiology, etiology and recent approaches in the management of oral cavity cancer has been discussed along with a case report of advanced cancer of the floor of the mouth from the Marshall Islands.

Research progress of surfactant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Minyi; Mo, Lingyun; Qin, Ruqiong; Liang, Liying; Zhang, Fan

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of surfactant and the large growing use of the materials, the safety of surfactant may be a problem that draw worldwide attention. The surfactant can be discharged into environment through various approach and may cause toxic effects in organism. This paper reviews the environmental effects of surfactant materials for plants and animals, and raises some questions by describing the results of environmental toxicology. We put it that it is a great significant of promote the sustainable development of surfactant industry through a comprehensive understanding of surfactant environmental safety.

The cost-effectiveness of insulin glargine vs. neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin in type 2 diabetes: a focus on health economics.

PubMed

Levin, P

2008-07-01

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem, in particular because of long-term complications affecting essential organs, such as the eyes and kidneys, which can lead to a reduction in life expectancy and high healthcare costs. The number of individuals with diabetes mellitus is projected to rise worldwide from 171 million people in 2000 to 366 million people in 2030. With the number of patients with diabetes continually growing, the burden of pressure on worldwide health systems is huge. Accordingly, regulatory and marketing approvals of new medicines are beginning to incorporate economic evaluation techniques to determine their cost-effectiveness. Overall, the studies included in this review show that the initiation of insulin glargine is cost-effective and is expected to lead to substantial improvements in both life years (LYs) and quality-adjusted LYs compared with neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin.

Update: Acute Heart Failure (VII): Nonpharmacological Management of Acute Heart Failure.

PubMed

Plácido, Rui; Mebazaa, Alexandre

2015-09-01

Acute heart failure is a major and growing public health problem worldwide with high morbidity, mortality, and cost. Despite recent advances in pharmacological management, the prognosis of patients with acute decompensated heart failure remains poor. Consequently, nonpharmacological approaches are being developed and increasingly used. Such techniques may include several modalities of ventilation, ultrafiltration, mechanical circulatory support, myocardial revascularization, and surgical treatment, among others. This document reviews the nonpharmacological approach in acute heart failure, indications, and prognostic implications. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Human fertility and differential birth rates in American eugenics and genetics: a brief history.

PubMed

Cooke, K J

1998-05-01

Eugenics is a broad term used to describe a variety of social and state-sponsored reform movements. Although we usually think of Nazi atrocities when we hear the word "eugenics," in this article I discuss the manifestations of hereditary reform worldwide. In particular, I consider the history of eugenics in America, focusing on concerns about the differences in birth rates between various racial, ethnic, and educational groups. In the early twentieth century, the social and cultural expectations that surrounded the growing knowledge in genetics implied an ethical imperative for physicians. Physicians were expected to use their knowledge about genetics to help them decide what sort of advice and assistance should be given to those who wanted knowledge about birth control, or help in resolving problems concerning sterility and infertility. Today, with growing knowledge about human genetics, physicians are subject to increasing pressure to make similar judgments.

Estimating the Worldwide Extent of Illegal Fishing

PubMed Central

Agnew, David J.; Pearce, John; Pramod, Ganapathiraju; Peatman, Tom; Watson, Reg; Beddington, John R.; Pitcher, Tony J.

2009-01-01

Illegal and unreported fishing contributes to overexploitation of fish stocks and is a hindrance to the recovery of fish populations and ecosystems. This study is the first to undertake a world-wide analysis of illegal and unreported fishing. Reviewing the situation in 54 countries and on the high seas, we estimate that lower and upper estimates of the total value of current illegal and unreported fishing losses worldwide are between $10 bn and $23.5 bn annually, representing between 11 and 26 million tonnes. Our data are of sufficient resolution to detect regional differences in the level and trend of illegal fishing over the last 20 years, and we can report a significant correlation between governance and the level of illegal fishing. Developing countries are most at risk from illegal fishing, with total estimated catches in West Africa being 40% higher than reported catches. Such levels of exploitation severely hamper the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. Although there have been some successes in reducing the level of illegal fishing in some areas, these developments are relatively recent and follow growing international focus on the problem. This paper provides the baseline against which successful action to curb illegal fishing can be judged. PMID:19240812

Electronic waste management approaches: an overview.

PubMed

Kiddee, Peeranart; Naidu, Ravi; Wong, Ming H

2013-05-01

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. This paper presents an overview of toxic substances present in e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries. Several tools including life cycle assessment (LCA), material flow analysis (MFA), multi criteria analysis (MCA) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) have been developed to manage e-wastes especially in developed countries. The key to success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect e-waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can complement each other to solve this issue. A national scheme such as EPR is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problems. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ESPA: EELV secondary payload adapter with whole-spacecraft isolation for primary and secondary payloads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maly, Joseph R.; Haskett, Scott A.; Wilke, Paul S.; Fowler, E. C.; Sciulli, Dino; Meink, Troy E.

2000-04-01

ESPA, the Secondary Payload Adapter for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles, addresses two of the major problems currently facing the launch industry: the vibration environment of launch vehicles, and the high cost of putting satellites into orbit. (1) During the 1990s, billions of dollars have been lost due to satellite malfunctions, resulting in total or partial mission failure, which can be directly attributed to vibration loads experienced by payloads during launch. Flight data from several recent launches have shown that whole- spacecraft launch isolation is an excellent solution to this problem. (2) Despite growing worldwide interest in small satellites, launch costs continue to hinder the full exploitation of small satellite technology. Many small satellite users are faced with shrinking budgets, limiting the scope of what can be considered an 'affordable' launch opportunity.

It shouldn't happen to a dog … or a veterinarian: clinical paradigms for canine vector-borne diseases.

PubMed

Irwin, Peter J

2014-02-01

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) comprise a diverse group of viral, bacterial, protozoal, and helminth pathogens, transmitted predominantly by ticks and fleas, and cause significant health problems for dogs worldwide. Growing numbers of reports indicate that CVBDs are emerging in regions where they previously did not exist and this, combined with pathogens that are inherently difficult to detect, is providing companion animal veterinarians with some significant diagnostic challenges. This review discusses six paradigms concerning the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and zoonotic implications of CVBDs from a veterinary clinical perspective. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanosensors and nanomaterials for monitoring glucose in diabetes

PubMed Central

Cash, Kevin J.; Clark, Heather A.

2010-01-01

Worldwide, diabetes is a rapidly growing problem that is managed at the individual level by monitoring and controlling blood glucose levels to minimize the negative effects of the disease. Because of limitations in diagnostic methods, significant research efforts are focused on developing improved methods to measure glucose. Nanotechnology has impacted these efforts by increasing the surface area of sensors, improving the catalytic properties of electrodes and providing nanoscale sensors. Herein, we discuss developments in the past several years on both nanosensors that directly measure glucose as well as nanomaterials that improve glucose sensor function. Finally, we discuss challenges that must be overcome to apply these developments in the clinic. PMID:20869318

Herbal Medicines: challenges in the modern world. Part 5. status and current directions of complementary and alternative herbal medicine worldwide.

PubMed

Enioutina, Elena Yu; Salis, Emma R; Job, Kathleen M; Gubarev, Michael I; Krepkova, Lubov V; Sherwin, Catherine M T

2017-03-01

Herbal medicine (HM) use is growing worldwide. Single herb preparations, ethnic and modern HM formulations are widely used as adjunct therapies or to improve consumer wellbeing. Areas covered: This final part in the publication series summarizes common tendencies in HM use as adjunct or alternative medicine, education of healthcare professionals and consumers, current and proposed guidelines regulating of production. We discuss potential HM-HM and HM-drug interactions that could lead to severe adverse events in situations where HMs are taken without proper medical professional oversight. Expert commentary: A number of serious problems have arisen with the steady global increase in HM use. HM interaction with conventional drugs (CD) may result in inadequate dosing of CD or adverse reactions; HM-HM interaction within herbal supplements could lead to toxicity of formulations. Inadequate education of clinicians and patients regarding medicinal properties of HMs must be addressed regionally and globally to ensure consumer safety.

What can we learn in drug allergy management from World Health Organization's international classifications?

PubMed

Tanno, L K; Torres, M J; Castells, M; Demoly, P

2018-05-01

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) represent growing health problem worldwide, affecting more than 7% of the general population, and represent an important public health problem. However, knowledge in DHRs morbidity and mortality epidemiological data is still not optimal and international comparable standards remain poorly accessed. Institutional databases worldwide increasingly use the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system to classify diagnoses, health services utilization, and death data. The misclassification of disorders in the ICD system contributes to a lack of ascertainment and recognition of their importance for healthcare planning and resource allocation. It also hampers clinical practice and prevention actions. To further inform the allergy community and to ensure that the revision process is transparent as advised in the WHO ICD-11 revision agenda, we report the advances and use of the pioneering "Drug hypersensitivity" subsection of ICD-11 and implementation in the WHO International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). The new classification addressed to DHRs will enable the collection of more accurate epidemiological data to support quality management of patients with drug allergies and better facilitate healthcare planning and decision-making and public health measures to prevent and reduce the morbidity and mortality attributable to DHRs. © 2017 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Exploring Challenges in Developing a Smart and Effective Assistive System for Improving the Experience of the Elderly Drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Sebin; Meng, Hong-Ying; Qin, Sheng-Feng

2017-09-01

As the overall population ages, driving-related accidents and injuries, associated with elderly drivers, have risen. Existing research about elderly drivers mainly focuses on factual data collection and analysis, indicating the elderly's growing fatal accident rates and their different behaviours compared to younger drivers. However, few research has focused on design-led practical solutions to mitigate the elderly's growing fatal accidents, by considering their usability and body conditions, afflicting the elderly, such as decreased vision, hearing, and reaction times. In this paper, first, current worldwide situations on growing fatal accident rates for elderly drivers is reviewed and the key impact factors are identified and discussed with regarding to usability and design trend in the automotive technology for elderly. Second, existing smart vehicle technology-based solutions to promote safe driving are explored and their pros and cons are discussed and analysed. Most of solutions are not created by people with driving difficulties, which are caused by health problems most commonly afflicting the elderly. Thirdly, diverse design-led research activities are taken, such as a survey, observation, and interviews to gain new understanding of what kinds of driving problems elderly drivers have and demonstrate how new system concepts could be developed for the elderly's benefits. Finally, it is found that the elderly's low vision and late reaction are main factors causing their driving difficulties. Based on this finding, usable vehicle system design ideas have been proposed, by utilising facial expression sensing technology as a solution. The proposed solutions would ensure reducing both the elderly's driving problems and high fatal accident rates and provide a more enjoyable driving environment for the elderly population.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: An important piece in the puzzle of cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed

Costa, Cátia; Santos, Beatriz; Severino, Davide; Cabanelas, Nuno; Peres, Marisa; Monteiro, Isabel; Leal, Margarida

2015-01-01

The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is a clinical entity characterized by recurring episodes of apnea and/or hypopnea during sleep, due to a total or partial collapse, respectively, of the upper airway. This collapse originates a set of pathophysiological changes that determine the appearance of several cardiovascular complications. OSA contributes for the development of hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias and coronary heart disease. Nowadays it is recognized to be an important public health problem, taking into account not just its repercussions but also its prevalence, since the main risk factor for the disease is obesity, a growing problem worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. The present review summarizes the current knowledge about OSA, as regards its definition, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, cardiovascular effects and treatment. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Expanding Worldwide Awareness of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sisk, Dorothy A.

1990-01-01

This article documents the growing worldwide concern for identifying and serving gifted students, primarily via curriculum and instructional differentiation through special classes, enrichment, and acceleration. Programs in Brazil, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, Israel, the Philippines, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Poland, Indonesia, Taiwan,…

Nanosensors and nanomaterials for monitoring glucose in diabetes.

PubMed

Cash, Kevin J; Clark, Heather A

2010-12-01

Worldwide, diabetes is a rapidly growing problem that is managed at the individual level by monitoring and controlling blood glucose levels to minimize the negative effects of the disease. Because of limitations in diagnostic methods, significant research efforts are focused on developing improved methods to measure glucose. Nanotechnology has impacted these efforts by increasing the surface area of sensors, improving the catalytic properties of electrodes and providing nanoscale sensors. Here, we discuss developments in the past several years on both nanosensors that directly measure glucose and nanomaterials that improve glucose sensor function. Finally, we discuss challenges that must be overcome to apply these developments in the clinic. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspective on the development of vaccines against Lyme disease.

PubMed

Edelman, R

1991-08-01

Lyme disease, the multisystem illness caused by the tick-borne spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi, has emerged as a threat to public health worldwide. It is a particularly vexing problem in the United States where it is growing in range and intensity. In fact, in some hyperendemic regions of New York and New England, Lyme disease is now such a threat that it interferes with all sorts of outdoor activities, and has even led to depreciation of real estate values. Family dogs in these areas seem to have been particularly hard hit by a near epidemic of lameness caused by Lyme arthritis. Persons at high risk for infection, such as outdoor workers, campers and hikers, suburbanites with lawns to cut, and pregnant women exposed to potentially infected Ixodes ticks, are clamouring for some means of protection beyond simple behaviour modification and tick avoidance which are known not always to work. Hence, the interest in human and veterinary vaccines against Lyme disease is growing.

Youth Purpose Worldwide: A Tapestry of Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moran, Seana

2017-01-01

Interest in youth purpose is growing among scholars around the world. With globalization, better understanding of life purposes in different countries becomes more important as this generation's youth are influenced by ideas and events anywhere. This special issue contributes to this inclusive, worldwide frame of mind by showcasing work done…

USAID Worldwide Education and Training Workshop (Arlington, Virginia, August 17-21, 2009)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Agency for International Development, 2009

2009-01-01

The 2009 Worldwide Education and Training Workshop brought together over 375 members of the international development community to share best practices in addressing the growing challenges in the field of education for social and economic development. This paper presents synopses of the presentations delivered during the workshop.

Crossing Cultures and Borders in International Online Distance Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadykova, Gulnara; Dautermann, Jennie

2009-01-01

The growing demand for higher education worldwide, along with global expansion of telecommunication technologies, give online distance education a potential world-wide reach for institutions in many countries. Given the persistent international digital divide and the potential for the host institutions and languages to be those of wealthy,…

The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem

PubMed Central

Anderson, Beth; Ahsan, Habibul; Aposhian, H. Vasken; Graziano, Joseph H.; Thompson, Claudia; Suk, William A.

2013-01-01

Background: Concerns for arsenic exposure are not limited to toxic waste sites and massive poisoning events. Chronic exposure continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of persons. Objectives: We reviewed recent information on worldwide concerns for arsenic exposures and public health to heighten awareness of the current scope of arsenic exposure and health outcomes and the importance of reducing exposure, particularly during pregnancy and early life. Methods: We synthesized the large body of current research pertaining to arsenic exposure and health outcomes with an emphasis on recent publications. Discussion: Locations of high arsenic exposure via drinking water span from Bangladesh, Chile, and Taiwan to the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water is 10 µg/L; however, concentrations of > 3,000 µg/L have been found in wells in the United States. In addition, exposure through diet is of growing concern. Knowledge of the scope of arsenic-associated health effects has broadened; arsenic leaves essentially no bodily system untouched. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. Dermatological, developmental, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine effects are also evident. Most remarkably, early-life exposure may be related to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases during adulthood. Conclusions: These data call for heightened awareness of arsenic-related pathologies in broader contexts than previously perceived. Testing foods and drinking water for arsenic, including individual private wells, should be a top priority to reduce exposure, particularly for pregnant women and children, given the potential for life-long effects of developmental exposure. PMID:23458756

The broad scope of health effects from chronic arsenic exposure: update on a worldwide public health problem.

PubMed

Naujokas, Marisa F; Anderson, Beth; Ahsan, Habibul; Aposhian, H Vasken; Graziano, Joseph H; Thompson, Claudia; Suk, William A

2013-03-01

Concerns for arsenic exposure are not limited to toxic waste sites and massive poisoning events. Chronic exposure continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of persons. We reviewed recent information on worldwide concerns for arsenic exposures and public health to heighten awareness of the current scope of arsenic exposure and health outcomes and the importance of reducing exposure, particularly during pregnancy and early life. We synthesized the large body of current research pertaining to arsenic exposure and health outcomes with an emphasis on recent publications. Locations of high arsenic exposure via drinking water span from Bangladesh, Chile, and Taiwan to the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water is 10 µg/L; however, concentrations of > 3,000 µg/L have been found in wells in the United States. In addition, exposure through diet is of growing concern. Knowledge of the scope of arsenic-associated health effects has broadened; arsenic leaves essentially no bodily system untouched. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. Dermatological, developmental, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine effects are also evident. Most remarkably, early-life exposure may be related to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases during adulthood. These data call for heightened awareness of arsenic-related pathologies in broader contexts than previously perceived. Testing foods and drinking water for arsenic, including individual private wells, should be a top priority to reduce exposure, particularly for pregnant women and children, given the potential for life-long effects of developmental exposure.

Geospatial strategy for sustainable management of municipal solid waste for growing urban environment.

PubMed

Pandey, Prem Chandra; Sharma, Laxmi Kant; Nathawat, Mahendra Singh

2012-04-01

This paper presents the implementation of a Geospatial approach for improving the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal suitability site assessment in growing urban environment. The increasing trend of population growth and the absolute amounts of waste disposed of worldwide have increased substantially reflecting changes in consumption patterns, consequently worldwide. MSW is now a bigger problem than ever. Despite an increase in alternative techniques for disposing of waste, land-filling remains the primary means. In this context, the pressures and requirements placed on decision makers dealing with land-filling by government and society have increased, as they now have to make decisions taking into considerations environmental safety and economic practicality. The waste disposed by the municipal corporation in the Bhagalpur City (India) is thought to be different from the landfill waste where clearly scientific criterion for locating suitable disposal sites does not seem to exist. The location of disposal sites of Bhagalpur City represents the unconsciousness about the environmental and public health hazards arising from disposing of waste in improper location. Concerning about urban environment and health aspects of people, a good method of waste management and appropriate technologies needed for urban area of Bhagalpur city to improve this trend using Multi Criteria Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing for selection of suitable disposal sites. The purpose of GIS was to perform process to part restricted to highly suitable land followed by using chosen criteria. GIS modeling with overlay operation has been used to find the suitability site for MSW.

Contact zoonosis related to aquaculture: a growing concern

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aquaculture develops fast worldwide, with new cultured species and increased global transport of live aquaculture products. There is a growing recognition of zoonotic disease agents causing epidemics and carrier states in cultured fish and shellfish, especially from warm water systems, transmitted t...

Integrated disease management strategies in sugarcane cultivation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sugarcane diseases cause severe losses to sugar production around the world. More than 100 bacterial, fungal, phytoplasma and viral diseases are present in sugarcane growing areas worldwide. Some diseases are present in most sugarcane growing regions while others are confined to specific countries. ...

Electronic waste management approaches: An overview

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

Kiddee, Peeranart; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095; Naidu, Ravi, E-mail: ravi.naidu@crccare.com

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Human toxicity of hazardous substances in e-waste. ► Environmental impacts of e-waste from disposal processes. ► Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to and solve e-waste problems. ► Key issues relating to tools managing e-waste for sustainable e-waste management. - Abstract: Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. This paper presents an overview of toxic substances present inmore » e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries. Several tools including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have been developed to manage e-wastes especially in developed countries. The key to success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect e-waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can complement each other to solve this issue. A national scheme such as EPR is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problems.« less

Breast cancer: a neglected disease for the majority of affected women worldwide

PubMed Central

Love, Richard R.

2011-01-01

Recent progress with declines in mortality in some high income countries has obscured the fact that for the majority of women worldwide who are newly diagnosed, breast cancer is a neglected disease in the context of other numerically more frequent health problems. For this growing majority, it is also an orphan disease, in that detailed knowledge about tumor characteristics and relevant host biology necessary to provide even basic care are absent. With the possible exception of nutritional recommendations, current international cancer policy and planning initiatives are irrelevant to breast cancer. The progress that has occurred in high income countries has come at extraordinary fiscal expense and patient toxicity, which of themselves suggest non-relevance to women and health care practitioners in middle and low income countries. The implications of these circumstances seem clear: if the promise of the now 60 year-old Declaration of Human Rights, that the fruits of medical science accrue to all mankind, is to be realized with respect to breast cancer, a basic and translational global research initiative should be launched. PMID:21410589

The Changing Debate on Internationalisation of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teichler, Ulrich

2004-01-01

"Internationalisation", the growing border-crossing activities between national systems of higher education is losing ground to "globalisation", increasing border-crossing activities of blurred national systems which is often employed to depict world-wide trends and growing global competition. This article addresses recent issues of knowledge…

Worldwide surplus of LP-gases to grow, expert tells European meet in Venice

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

Not Available

1988-07-01

There appears to be a growing consensus among students of the LP-gas industry that (1) the worldwide surplus of supplies of LP-gases will continue and grow, and (2) this will provide ample opportunity for market development between now and the year 2000, but (3) that development will be largely in the field of petro-chemical feedstocks, although (4) if the price should not remain competitive with feedstocks such as naphtha, the surpluses could find their way into the U.S., if (5) the price is right. This viewpoint was set forth for the benefit of the delegates to the convention May 19-20more » of the European LP-Gas Association in Venice, Italy, by Rick Haun, vice president of Purvin and Gertz, the Dallas consulting firm.« less

First report of mango malformation disease caused by Fusarium pseudocircinatum in Mexico

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) malformation disease (MMD) is one of the most important diseases affecting this crop worldwide, causing severe economic loss due to reduction of yield. Subsequent to the first report in India in 1891 (3), MMD has spread worldwide to most mango-growing regions. Several spe...

Managing weeds in commercial edamame production: current options and their outcomes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Edamame, a specialty food-grade soybean popular among health-conscious consumers, is growing in popularity worldwide. Despite a well-developed soybean industry, nearly all edamame consumed in the U.S. is imported from Asia. Considerable interest exists to grow edamame domestically; however, weed int...

The Public Health Threat of Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A Call to Action

PubMed Central

Onyemaechi, NOC; Ofoma, UR

2016-01-01

Public health experts worldwide concede that there is a global epidemic of road traffic accidents (RTA). Globally, RTA is the leading cause of injury-related deaths. In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise and are Nigeria's third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability. Do RTA constitute a public health problem in Nigeria? If so, is there a pragmatic approach to combat this problem? A systematic literature search using the advanced features of various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google, and directory of open access journals was carried out using the key words “ RTA, public health problem, government response, Nigeria.” Out of initial 850 articles retrieved from the search 15 articles that suited the study were included in this review. There is need to view RTA s as an issue of urgent national importance that needs urgent attention aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic impact. Policy makers at the various levels of government need to recognize this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses that will back up with meticulous implementation. PMID:28480093

The Public Health Threat of Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A Call to Action.

PubMed

Onyemaechi, Noc; Ofoma, U R

2016-01-01

Public health experts worldwide concede that there is a global epidemic of road traffic accidents (RTA). Globally, RTA is the leading cause of injury-related deaths. In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise and are Nigeria's third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability. Do RTA constitute a public health problem in Nigeria? If so, is there a pragmatic approach to combat this problem? A systematic literature search using the advanced features of various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google, and directory of open access journals was carried out using the key words " RTA, public health problem, government response, Nigeria." Out of initial 850 articles retrieved from the search 15 articles that suited the study were included in this review. There is need to view RTA s as an issue of urgent national importance that needs urgent attention aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic impact. Policy makers at the various levels of government need to recognize this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses that will back up with meticulous implementation.

Anti-drug vaccines to treat substance abuse.

PubMed

Kinsey, Berma M; Jackson, David C; Orson, Frank M

2009-01-01

Substance abuse is a growing world-wide problem. The big four drugs of abuse that might lend themselves to immunotherapy are nicotine, cocaine, morphine/heroin and methamphetamine. Tobacco abuse has a well-known enormous impact on major chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, while the last three, aside from their neuropsychological effects, are illegal, leading to crime and incarceration as well as the transmission of viral diseases. Having an efficient vaccine that would generate antibodies to sequester the drug and prevent its access to the brain could go a long way toward helping a motivated addict quit the addiction. This review will discuss what has been done to bring such vaccines to human use, and what the challenges are for the future of this promising intervention.

The practice of skin-bleaching for a cosmetic purpose in immigrant communities.

PubMed

Mahé, Antoine

2014-01-01

Using skin-lightening compounds for a cosmetic purpose that are normally restricted to medical use or forbidden has become a world-wide practice. Complications are numerous. Immigrant communities often import their practice from their original country. A review of the literature on the subject of complications of cosmetic skin-bleaching, with special focus on data concerning immigrants originating from highly endemic countries, was conducted. Complications of cosmetic skin-bleaching are common, involving mainly the skin although some general complications are also reported with a growing incidence. The high frequency of this practice, added to the frequency of various complications, suggests it might be considered as a genuine public health problem currently. © 2014 International Society of Travel Medicine.

Families parenting adolescents with substance abuse--recovering the mother's voice: a narrative literature review.

PubMed

Smith, Jackie M; Estefan, Andrew

2014-11-01

Alcohol and substance dependency are complex, problematic phenomena, which are growing worldwide. In particular, drug use and abuse among young people is a significant concern. Although addiction presents as a problem of dependent individuals, families are also profoundly affected by the family member's addiction. In this narrative literature review, we review published research from 1937 to 2014 to capture a narrative and historical perspective of addiction and family. We condense and analyze the experiences of parents with alcohol- and drug-dependent children, to emphasize the need for a more specific, in-depth exploration of mothers' experiences. Such exploration may advance nurses' understandings of individual, familial, and social complexities of parenting an addicted child. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sequential anaerobic/aerobic biodegradation of chloroethenes--aspects of field application.

PubMed

Tiehm, Andreas; Schmidt, Kathrin R

2011-06-01

Because of a range of different industrial activities, sites contaminated with chloroethenes are a world-wide problem. Chloroethenes can be biodegraded by reductive dechlorination under anaerobic conditions as well as by oxidation under aerobic conditions. The tendency of chloroethenes to undergo reductive dechlorination decreases with a decreasing number of chlorine substituents, whereas with less chlorine substituents chloroethenes more easily undergo oxidative degradation. There is currently a growing interest in aerobic metabolic degradation of chloroethenes, which demonstrates advantages compared to cometabolic degradation pathways. Sequential anaerobic/aerobic biodegradation can overcome the disadvantages of reductive dechlorination and leads to complete mineralization of the chlorinated pollutants. This approach shows promise for site remediation in natural settings and in engineered systems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Challenges in legislation, recycling system and technical system of waste electrical and electronic equipment in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Shengen; Ding, Yunji; Liu, Bo; Pan, De'an; Chang, Chein-chi; Volinsky, Alex A

2015-11-01

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide. Effective and efficient management and treatment of WEEE has become a global problem. As one of the world's largest electronic products manufacturing and consumption countries, China plays a key role in the material life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment. Over the past 20 years, China has made a great effort to improve WEEE recycling. Centered on the legal, recycling and technical systems, this paper reviews the progresses of WEEE recycling in China. An integrated recycling system is proposed to realize WEEE high recycling rate for future WEEE recycling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spirulina: The Alga That Can End Malnutrition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Ripley D.

1985-01-01

One approach to eliminating malnutrition worldwide is to grow spirulina in recycled village wastes. Spirulina is a blue-green alga and a natural concentrated food. Spirulina can give poor villages a nutritional food supplement they can grow themselves and can reduce infectious disease at the same time. (Author/RM)

Variances in nutrient content and yield of alfalfa protein concentrate processed with five methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The demand for protein is growing with increased populations and world affluence. A sustainable and affordable protein source is needed to support the growing aquaculture industry worldwide. Alfalfa produces high levels of protein and provides numerous environmental services, potentially making it a...

Genome-wide association mapping reveals novel QTL for seedling leaf rust resistance in a worldwide collection of winter wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Leaf rust is a major disease that causes significant wheat yield losses worldwide. Growing resistant cultivars is an effective approach to reduce disease losses. The short-lived nature of leaf rust resistance (Lr) genes necessitates a continuous search for novel sources of resistance. We performe...

Blended Learning Citation Patterns and Publication Networks across Seven Worldwide Regions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spring, Kristian J.; Graham, Charles R.

2017-01-01

The field of international blended learning (BL) is primed to benefit from stronger communication and collaboration. Collaboration is currently limited, and regions vary greatly in terms of citations. However, BL is growing worldwide and each region is an important part of the community. The goal of this research is to explore where the most…

The Worldwide Trend to High Participation Higher Education: Dynamics of Social Stratification in Inclusive Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

2016-01-01

Worldwide participation in higher education now includes one-third of the age cohort and is growing at an unprecedented rate. The tendency to rapid growth, leading towards high participation systems (HPS), has spread to most middle-income and some low-income countries. Though expansion of higher education requires threshold development of the…

Musca domestica laboratory susceptibility to three ethnobotanical culinary plants.

PubMed

El Zayyat, Elham A; Soliman, Mohammed I; Elleboudy, Noha A; Ofaa, Shaimaa E

2015-10-01

Throughout history, synanthropic Musca domestica had remained a worldwide problem whenever poor sanitation and bad hygienic conditions exists. Houseflies growing resistance to chemical insecticides are a rising environmental problem that necessitates search for alternatives. Mentha cervina, Ocimum basilicum, and Coriandrum sativum were tested for bioactivity on M. domestica adults and larvae. They are culinary Mediterranean plants. In adulticidal bioassay, using both CDC bottles and fumigation techniques, basil was the most effective extract with LC50 1.074 and 34.996 g/L, respectively. Concerning larvicidal bioassay by fumigation technique, coriander had the highest toxicity index with LC50 29.521 g/L. In both dipping and feeding technique, basil had the highest toxicity with LC50 32.643 and 0.749 g/L, respectively. Basil showed the highest toxicity results in four out of the five models tested followed by coriander then mint; this result highlights the potentiality of basil as a green insecticide in management of flies and opens new insight in the industrialization of basil-based fly control products.

Muscle growth and poultry meat quality issues.

PubMed

Petracci, Massimiliano; Cavani, Claudio

2012-01-01

Over the past 50 years the worldwide growing demand of poultry meat has resulted in pressure on breeders, nutritionists and growers to increase the growth rate of birds, feed efficiency, size of breast muscle and reduction in abdominal fatness. Moreover, the shift toward further processed products has emphasized the necessity for higher standards in poultry meat to improve sensory characteristics and functional properties. It is believed that genetic progress has put more stress on the growing bird and it has resulted in histological and biochemical modifications of the muscle tissue by impairing some meat quality traits. The most current poultry meat quality concerns are associated with deep pectoral muscle disease and white striping which impair product appearance, and increased occurrence of problems related with the meat's poor ability to hold water during processing and storage (PSE-like condition) as well as poor toughness and cohesiveness related to immaturity of intramuscular connective tissue. This paper is aimed at making a general statement of recent studies focusing on the relationship between muscle growth and meat quality issues in poultry.

Muscle Growth and Poultry Meat Quality Issues

PubMed Central

Petracci, Massimiliano; Cavani, Claudio

2011-01-01

Over the past 50 years the worldwide growing demand of poultry meat has resulted in pressure on breeders, nutritionists and growers to increase the growth rate of birds, feed efficiency, size of breast muscle and reduction in abdominal fatness. Moreover, the shift toward further processed products has emphasized the necessity for higher standards in poultry meat to improve sensory characteristics and functional properties. It is believed that genetic progress has put more stress on the growing bird and it has resulted in histological and biochemical modifications of the muscle tissue by impairing some meat quality traits. The most current poultry meat quality concerns are associated with deep pectoral muscle disease and white striping which impair product appearance, and increased occurrence of problems related with the meat’s poor ability to hold water during processing and storage (PSE-like condition) as well as poor toughness and cohesiveness related to immaturity of intramuscular connective tissue. This paper is aimed at making a general statement of recent studies focusing on the relationship between muscle growth and meat quality issues in poultry. PMID:22347614

Could gestational diabetes mellitus be managed through dietary bioactive compounds? Current knowledge and future perspectives.

PubMed

Santangelo, Carmela; Zicari, Alessandra; Mandosi, Elisabetta; Scazzocchio, Beatrice; Mari, Emanuela; Morano, Susanna; Masella, Roberta

2016-04-14

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious problem growing worldwide that needs to be addressed with urgency in consideration of the resulting severe complications for both mother and fetus. Growing evidence indicates that a healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables, nuts, extra-virgin olive oil and fish has beneficial effects in both the prevention and management of several human diseases and metabolic disorders. In this review, we discuss the latest data concerning the effects of dietary bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and PUFA on the molecular mechanisms regulating glucose homoeostasis. Several studies, mostly based on in vitro and animal models, indicate that dietary polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, positively modulate the insulin signalling pathway by attenuating hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, reducing inflammatory adipokines, and modifying microRNA (miRNA) profiles. Very few data about the influence of dietary exposure on GDM outcomes are available, although this approach deserves careful consideration. Further investigation, which includes exploring the 'omics' world, is needed to better understand the complex interaction between dietary compounds and GDM.

Post-traumatic stress disorder in disaster survivors.

PubMed

North, C S; Smith, E M

1990-12-01

In spite of the difficulties inherent in the study of traumatic stress in disaster victims, the benefit of obtaining more knowledge on the subject is potentially great, especially considering the numbers of individuals affected. Recent estimates of the frequency of world-wide traumatic events have determined that almost two million households annually experience damages and/or injuries from fire, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes alone. The population that is at risk is expected to grow exponentially with our expanding technology, making it even more vital to acquire knowledge to help the growing number of future disaster victims. Additionally, disaster research can contribute to a better understanding of PTSD and human coping processes that can be generalized to more ordinary stress situations. In the meantime, survivors of major catastrophes who experience acute symptoms of PTSD such as insomnia, nightmares, and jumpiness should be observed for nonresolution of symptoms over time, especially if there is a premorbid history of psychopathology or character problems. Otherwise, survivors may benefit from reassurance that PTSD symptoms are common in the short-term postdisaster period and that they can usually be expected to dissipate with time.

The worldwide epidemic of diabetic retinopathy

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yingfeng; He, Mingguang; Congdon, Nathan

2012-01-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a major microvascular complication of diabetes, has a significant impact on the world's health systems. Globally, the number of people with DR will grow from 126.6 million in 2010 to 191.0 million by 2030, and we estimate that the number with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) will increase from 37.3 million to 56.3 million, if prompt action is not taken. Despite growing evidence documenting the effectiveness of routine DR screening and early treatment, DR frequently leads to poor visual functioning and represents the leading cause of blindness in working-age populations. DR has been neglected in health-care research and planning in many low-income countries, where access to trained eye-care professionals and tertiary eye-care services may be inadequate. Demand for, as well as, supply of services may be a problem. Rates of compliance with diabetes medications and annual eye examinations may be low, the reasons for which are multifactorial. Innovative and comprehensive approaches are needed to reduce the risk of vision loss by prompt diagnosis and early treatment of VTDR. PMID:22944754

The worldwide epidemic of diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Zheng, Yingfeng; He, Mingguang; Congdon, Nathan

2012-01-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a major microvascular complication of diabetes, has a significant impact on the world's health systems. Globally, the number of people with DR will grow from 126.6 million in 2010 to 191.0 million by 2030, and we estimate that the number with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) will increase from 37.3 million to 56.3 million, if prompt action is not taken. Despite growing evidence documenting the effectiveness of routine DR screening and early treatment, DR frequently leads to poor visual functioning and represents the leading cause of blindness in working-age populations. DR has been neglected in health-care research and planning in many low-income countries, where access to trained eye-care professionals and tertiary eye-care services may be inadequate. Demand for, as well as, supply of services may be a problem. Rates of compliance with diabetes medications and annual eye examinations may be low, the reasons for which are multifactorial. Innovative and comprehensive approaches are needed to reduce the risk of vision loss by prompt diagnosis and early treatment of VTDR.

Epidemiology of Tropical Neglected Diseases in Ecuador in the Last 20 Years

PubMed Central

Cartelle Gestal, Monica; Holban, Alina Maria; Escalante, Santiago; Cevallos, Marcelo

2015-01-01

Background Tropical and zoonotic diseases are major problems in developing countries like Ecuador. Poorly designed houses, the high proportion of isolated indigenous population and under developed infrastructure represent a fertile environment for vectors to proliferate. Control campaigns in Ecuador over the years have had varying success, depending on the disease and vectors targeted. Aims In our study we analyse the current situation of some neglected diseases in Ecuador and the efficiency of the control campaigns (by measuring changes in numbers of cases reported) that the Ecuadorian government has been running to limit the spread of these infectious and parasitic diseases. Results Our study reveals that Brucellosis, Chagas Disease, Rabies and Onchocerciasis have been controlled, but small outbreaks are still detected in endemic areas. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis have been increasing steadily in recent years in Ecuador since the first records. The same increase has been reported world-wide also. Better diagnosis has resulted in a higher number of cases being identified, particularly with regard to the linking of outdoor activities and contact with farm animals as contributing vectors. Improvements in diagnosis are due to regular professional training, implementation of automatized systems, establishing diagnosis protocols and the creation of an epidemiological vigilance network that acts as soon as a case is reported. Conclusion Control campaigns performed in Ecuador have been successful in recent years, although natural phenomena limit their efficiency. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis infections remain a growing problem in Ecuador as it is worldwide. PMID:26394405

Epidemiology of Tropical Neglected Diseases in Ecuador in the Last 20 Years.

PubMed

Cartelle Gestal, Monica; Holban, Alina Maria; Escalante, Santiago; Cevallos, Marcelo

2015-01-01

Tropical and zoonotic diseases are major problems in developing countries like Ecuador. Poorly designed houses, the high proportion of isolated indigenous population and under developed infrastructure represent a fertile environment for vectors to proliferate. Control campaigns in Ecuador over the years have had varying success, depending on the disease and vectors targeted. In our study we analyse the current situation of some neglected diseases in Ecuador and the efficiency of the control campaigns (by measuring changes in numbers of cases reported) that the Ecuadorian government has been running to limit the spread of these infectious and parasitic diseases. Our study reveals that Brucellosis, Chagas Disease, Rabies and Onchocerciasis have been controlled, but small outbreaks are still detected in endemic areas. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis have been increasing steadily in recent years in Ecuador since the first records. The same increase has been reported world-wide also. Better diagnosis has resulted in a higher number of cases being identified, particularly with regard to the linking of outdoor activities and contact with farm animals as contributing vectors. Improvements in diagnosis are due to regular professional training, implementation of automatized systems, establishing diagnosis protocols and the creation of an epidemiological vigilance network that acts as soon as a case is reported. Control campaigns performed in Ecuador have been successful in recent years, although natural phenomena limit their efficiency. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis infections remain a growing problem in Ecuador as it is worldwide.

Overweight and Obesity: Prevalence, Consequences, and Causes of a Growing Public Health Problem.

PubMed

Williams, Ellen P; Mesidor, Marie; Winters, Karen; Dubbert, Patricia M; Wyatt, Sharon B

2015-09-01

This review considers a variety of perspectives on overweight and obesity (OW/obesity), including measurement and classification; prevalence and changes in prevalence in recent years; genetic, biological, medical, individual, and social correlates of OW/obesity; and treatment approaches. Despite increased attention, OW/obesity is escalating in prevalence worldwide, and the causes are exceedingly complex. A range of innovative studies, including basic research on gut microflora, dietary composition, pharmacologic interventions, and surgical procedures, is generating findings with potential for future prevention and treatment of OW/obesity. Social system changes such as school programs and the awareness of the roles of personal, family, health provider, and cultural experiences related to OW/obesity have also gained traction for vital prevention and treatment efforts over the past decade.

A worldwide model for boundaries of urban settlements.

PubMed

Oliveira, Erneson A; Furtado, Vasco; Andrade, José S; Makse, Hernán A

2018-05-01

The shape of urban settlements plays a fundamental role in their sustainable planning. Properly defining the boundaries of cities is challenging and remains an open problem in the science of cities. Here, we propose a worldwide model to define urban settlements beyond their administrative boundaries through a bottom-up approach that takes into account geographical biases intrinsically associated with most societies around the world, and reflected in their different regional growing dynamics. The generality of the model allows one to study the scaling laws of cities at all geographical levels: countries, continents and the entire world. Our definition of cities is robust and holds to one of the most famous results in social sciences: Zipf's law. According to our results, the largest cities in the world are not in line with what was recently reported by the United Nations. For example, we find that the largest city in the world is an agglomeration of several small settlements close to each other, connecting three large settlements: Alexandria, Cairo and Luxor. Our definition of cities opens the doors to the study of the economy of cities in a systematic way independently of arbitrary definitions that employ administrative boundaries.

To Profit or Not to Profit: The Private Higher Education Sector in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salto, Dante J.

2018-01-01

Brazil has by far the largest higher education system in Latin America, with a sizable share of students enrolled in private-sector institutions. Its recently established and fast-growing for-profit sector is one of the largest worldwide. The for-profit sector already surpasses the public sector in student enrollment, and its role is growing.…

Can our food production system meet demand in a changing global society?

PubMed

DeHaven, W Ron

2008-10-15

The worldwide demand for animal protein will grow as the world's population grows and the economies of developing countries evolve and mature. The veterinary profession must be a leader in advocating for responsible changes in production practices that will improve the welfare of food animals, ensure a safe and secure food supply, and minimize negative impacts on the environment.

What China's experiment in community building can tell us about tackling health disparities: community building and mental health in mid-life and older life: evidence from China.

PubMed

Muennig, Peter

2014-04-01

Disparities in physical and mental health between advantaged and disadvantaged communities are among the largest threats to population health worldwide. These disparities appear to be growing, probably in part because we do not understand how to address their underlying causes. Many believe the underlying causes are thought to arise directly or indirectly from the psychosocial problems underlying poverty, such as hunger, poor housing, drug use, or crime. One logical solution is therefore to provide more community services targeted at addressing these problems within the most disadvantaged communities. However, to date, data on the efficacy of this approach is lacking. China serves as a possible laboratory for studying the efficacy of community-based programs. This is because the extensive community-based programs present prior to economic reforms in 1978 were removed, and then later re-instated in a quasi-experimental manner. In this issue, Yuying Shen uses multi-level models to explore the impact of this experiment on community mental health in a multi-level associational study. She finds that the quantity (but not their length of time in the community) of such services is positively associated with mental health. This study opens the door to more rigorous analyses that might motivate formal social experiments at the community level worldwide. If successful, such experiments might not only transform what we currently know not just about improving health in disadvantaged communities, but also prove transformative for health policy as a discipline. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Targeting a global health problem: Vaccine design and challenges for the control of tick-borne diseases.

PubMed

de la Fuente, José; Contreras, Marinela; Estrada-Peña, Agustín; Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro

2017-09-12

It has been over twenty years since the first vaccines for the control of tick infestations became commercially available. These vaccines proved their efficacy and the potential of this approach for the control of tick-borne diseases (TBDs), which represent a growing burden for human and animal health worldwide. In all these years, research in this area has produced new tick-derived and pathogen-derived candidate protective antigens. However, the potential of vaccines for the control of TBDs has been underestimated due to major challenges to reduce tick infestations, pathogen infection, multiplication and transmission, tick attachment and feeding time and/or host pathogen infection. Nevertheless, vaccines constitute the most safe and effective intervention for the control of TBDs in humans, domestic and wild animals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing the Waters: From Moringa Seeds to Fruit Peels, Researchers Are Seeking Out New Ways to Clean Up the World?s Drinking Water.

PubMed

Yan, Wudan

2017-01-01

Water on Earth-in our oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands-might seem plentiful, but water that is clean and safe enough to drink actually isn't so abundant. Nearly one in ten people still lacks access to safe water worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In some of the world's most remote and impoverished communities, people live with no taps, showers, flushing toilets, or nearby springs, making it difficult to keep water supplies safe from bacteria, chemicals, and particulates. Moreover, access to clean drinking water isn't just a problem in the developing world; groundwater in developed countries is typically used far more quickly than it is being replenished. As the world population rises, growing numbers of thirsty people could exacerbate already-scant resources.

Designing sustainable work systems: the need for a systems approach.

PubMed

Zink, Klaus J

2014-01-01

There is a growing discussion concerning sustainability. While this discussion was at first mainly focused on a society level--and sometimes regarding especially environmental problems, one can now see that this topic is of increasing relevance for companies worldwide and even the social dimension of this three pillar approach is gaining more and more importance. This leads to some questions: Is sustainability already a part of human factors thinking or do we have to further develop our discipline? How can we define sustainable work systems? What are the topics we have to consider? Do we need a new systems ergonomics perspective regarding whole value creation chains and a life-cycle perspective concerning products (and work systems)? How can we deal with potential contradictions about social, ecological, and economic goals? Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Complications of Bariatric Surgery: What You Can Expect to See in Your GI Practice.

PubMed

Schulman, Allison R; Thompson, Christopher C

2017-11-01

Obesity is one of the most significant health problems worldwide. Bariatric surgery has become one of the fastest growing operative procedures and has gained acceptance as the leading option for weight-loss. Despite improvement in the performance of bariatric surgical procedures, complications are not uncommon. There are a number of unique complications that arise in this patient population and require specific knowledge for proper management. Furthermore, conditions unrelated to the altered anatomy typically require a different management strategy. As such, a basic understanding of surgical anatomy, potential complications, and endoscopic tools and techniques for optimal management is essential for the practicing gastroenterologist. Gastroenterologists should be familiar with these procedures and complication management strategies. This review will cover these topics and focus on major complications that gastroenterologists will be most likely to see in their practice.

[Systematic review of antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolates from Colombian hospitals].

PubMed

González, Leidy; Cortés, Jorge Alberto

2014-01-01

Bacterial resistance is a public health problem worldwide that seriously compromises the possibility to treat infections. To identify levels of resistance to antibiotic markers in Enterobacteriaceae isolates from Colombian hospitals. A systematic literature survey was done including articles indexed in Medline, Embase and LILACS. A manual search was made of Colombian scientific journals and other publications on infectious disease that were not available electronically. In total, 43 observational studies and epidemiological reports were identified with information about resistance among Enterobacteriaceae isolates in Colombian hospitals, mainly from Bogotá, Cali and Medellín. The resistance rate of Escherichia coli ranges from 3 to 11%, 5 to 20% and from 0.2 to 0.8% for piperacillin-tazobactam, third generation cephalosporins and carbapenems, respectively. For Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance rates ranges from 21.8 to 48.1% to piperacillin-tazobactam, 20 to 35% to broad-spectrum cephalosporins and 3 to 8% to carbapenems, with significant variations by cities, levels of care and clinical settings. The spread of bacterial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolated in Colombian hospitals is a growing problem that calls for priority action to cut the chains of transmission.

Married Women's Justification of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: Examining Community Norm and Individual-Level Risk Factors.

PubMed

Jesmin, Syeda S

2015-01-01

One-third of the women worldwide experience intimate partner violence (IPV) that increases their vulnerability to both short- and long-term physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health problems. Surprisingly, IPV is justified by many women globally. Although the IPV literature to date is mostly focused on risk factors associated with actual occurrences, little is known on attitudinal acceptance of such violence. Also, despite the growing scholarship of community influence and health link, IPV research has relatively overlooked the effects of norms at the community level. Using a representative national sample of 13,611 married women in Bangladesh, this study examined the association of community attitudes and women's individual attitudes toward wife beating. The results revealed that women living in communities with permissive attitudes toward wife beating were more likely to justify husbands' beating (OR=4.5). Women married at a younger age, who had less than primary-level education, lived in households categorized as poor or middle class, and did not consume media appeared to be at higher risk for justifying wife beating. This research adds to a growing research body on community influences on health by examining IPV attitudes and community norms link.

Exercise interventions: defusing the world's osteoporosis time bomb.

PubMed Central

Kai, Ming Chan; Anderson, Mary; Lau, Edith M. C.

2003-01-01

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. The associated health care costs are growing in parallel with increases in elderly populations, and it is expected that the number of osteoporotic fractures will double over the next 50 years. The best way to address osteoporosis is prevention. Some interventions to maximize and preserve bone mass have multiple health benefits and are cost-effective. For example, modifications to diet and lifestyle can help to prevent osteoporosis, and could potentially lead to a significant decrease in fracture rates; and exercise is a valuable adjunct to programmes aimed at alleviating the risks and symptoms of osteoporosis. Practising exercise at a young age helps maximize the mineral density of bones while they are still growing and maturing, and continuing to excercise minimizes bone loss later in life. Not only does exercise improve bone health, it also increases muscle strength, coordination, balance, flexibility and leads to better overall health. Walking, aerobic exercise, and t'ai chi are the best forms of exercise to stimulate bone formation and strengthen the muscles that help support bones. Encouraging physical activity at all ages is therefore a top priority to prevent osteoporosis. PMID:14758410

Short- and long-range energy strategies for Japan and the world after the Fukushima nuclear accident

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muraoka, K.; Wagner, F.; Yamagata, Y.; Donné, A. J. H.

2016-01-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station in 2011 has caused profound effects on energy policies in Japan and worldwide. This is particularly because it occurred at the time of the growing awareness of global warming forcing measures towards decarbonised energy production, namely the use of fossil fuels has to be drastically reduced from the present level of more than 80% by 2050. A dilemma has now emerged because nuclear power, a CO2-free technology with proven large-scale energy production capability, lost confidence in many societies, especially in Japan and Germany. As a consequence, there is a world-wide effort now to expand renewable energies (REs), specifically photo-voltaic (PV) and wind power. However, the authors conjecture that PV and wind power can provide only up to a 40% share of the electricity production as long as sufficient storage is not available. Beyond this level, the technological (high grid power) and economic problems (large surplus production) grow. This is the result of the analysis of the growing use of REs in the electricity systems for Germany and Japan. The key element to overcome this situation is to develop suitable energy storage technologies. This is particularly necessary when electricity will become the main energy source because also transportation, process heat and heating, will be supplied by it. Facing the difficulty in replacing all fossil fuels in all countries with different technology standards, a rapid development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) might also be necessary. Therefore, for the short-range strategy up to 2050, all meaningful options have to be developed. For the long-range strategy beyond 2050, new energy sources (such as thermonuclear fusion, solar fuels and nuclear power—if inherently safe concepts will gain credibility of societies again), and large-scale energy storage systems based on novel concepts (such as large-capacity batteries and hydrogen) is required. It is acknowledged that the prediction of the future is difficult; therefore, the only insurance in this situation is by intensified research into all viable options.

Assessing trail conditions in protected areas: Application of a problem-assessment method in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leung, Y.-F.; Marion, J.

1999-01-01

The degradation of trail resources associated with expanding recreation and tourism visitation is a growing management problem in protected areas worldwide. In order to make judicious trail and visitor management decisions, protected area managers need objective and timely information on trail resource conditions. This paper introduces a trail survey method that efficiently characterizes the lineal extent of common trail problems. The method was applied to a large sample of trails within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a highuse protected area in the USA. The Trail ProblemAssessment Method (TPAM) employs a continuous search for multiple indicators of predefined tread problems, yielding census data documenting the location, occurrence and extent of each problem. The present application employed 23 different indicators in three categories to gather inventory, resource condition, and design and maintenance data of each surveyed trail. Seventy-two backcountry hiking trails (528 km), or 35% of the Park's total trail length, were surveyed. Soil erosion and wet soil were found to be the two most common impacts on a lineal extent basis. Trails with serious tread problems were well distributed throughout the Park, although wet muddy treads tended to be concentrated in areas where horse use was high. The effectiveness of maintenance features installed to divert water from trail treads was also evaluated. Water bars were found to be more effective than drainage dips. The TPAM was able to provide Park managers with objective and quantitative information for use in trail planning, management and maintenance decisions, and is applicable to other protected areas elsewhere with different environmental and impact characteristics.

Does the growing of Bt maize change populations or ecological functions of non-target animals compared to the growing of conventional non-GM maize? A systematic review protocol

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since 1996, genetically modified (GM) crops have been grown on an ever increasing area worldwide. Maize producing a Cry protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was among the first GM crops released for commercial production and it is the only GM crop currently cultivated in Europe. A ...

Dark Skies Awareness Programs for the International Year of Astronomy: Involvement, Outcomes and Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.

2010-01-01

The preservation of dark skies is a growing global concern, yet it is one of the easiest environmental problems people can address on local levels. For this reason, the goal of the IYA Dark Skies Awareness Cornerstone Project is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people worldwide involved in a variety of programs. These programs provide resources on light pollution for new technologies like a presence in Second Life and podcasts, for local thematic events at national parks and observatory open houses, for international thematic events like International Dark Skies Week and Earth Hour, for a program in the arts like an international photo contest, for global citizen-science programs that measure night sky brightness worldwide, and for educational materials like a kit with a light shielding demonstration. These programs have been successfully used around the world during IYA to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution on public health, economic issues, ecological consequences, energy conservation, safety and security, and astronomy. The presentation will provide an update, take a look ahead at the project's sustainability, and describe how people can be involved in the future. Information about the programs is at www.darkskiesawareness.org.

Promoting Dark Skies Awareness Programs Beyond the International Year of Astronomy 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.; Dark Skies Working Group

2010-01-01

The preservation of dark skies is a growing global concern, yet it is one of the easiest environmental problems people can address on local levels. For this reason, the goal of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) Dark Skies Awareness Cornerstone Project is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people worldwide involved in a variety of programs. These programs provide resources on light pollution for new technologies like a presence in Second Life and podcasts, for local thematic events at national parks and observatory open houses, for international thematic events like International Dark Skies Week and Earth Hour, for a program in the arts like an international photo contest, for global citizen-science programs that measure night sky brightness worldwide, and for educational materials like a kit with a light shielding demonstration. These programs have been successfully used around the world during IYA2009 to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution on public health, economic issues, ecological consequences, energy conservation, safety and security, and astronomy. The poster will provide an update, take a look ahead at the project's sustainability, and describe how people can be involved in the future. Information about the programs is at www.darkskiesawareness.org.

Cities spearhead climate action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watts, Mark

2017-08-01

Following President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, cities worldwide have pledged support to combat climate change. Along with a growing coalition of businesses and institutions, cities represent a beacon of hope for carbon reduction in politically tumultuous times.

Time Delay Measurements of Key Generation Process on Smart Cards

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

random number generator is available (Chatterjee & Gupta, 2009). The ECC algorithm will grow in usage as information becomes more and more secure. Figure...Worldwide Mobile Enterprise Security Software 2012–2016 Forecast and Analysis), mobile identity and access management is expected to grow by 27.6 percent...iPad, tablets) as well as 80000 BlackBerry phones. The mobility plan itself will be deployed in three phases over 2014, with the first phase

Genetic analysis of porcine circovirus type 2 from dead minks.

PubMed

Wang, Gui-Sheng; Sun, Na; Tian, Fu-Lin; Wen, Yong-Jun; Xu, Cong; Li, Jun; Chen, Qiang; Wang, Jin-Bao

2016-09-01

Circovirus infection is a growing problem in the field of veterinary and public health. It is associated with enteric diseases in both mammalian and avian hosts. In this study, we detected and isolated porcine circovirus strains in the tissue samples of minks that died from diarrhoea in Shandong Province, China. We sequenced the whole genome of two porcine strains of Circovirus, designated as MiSD-1 and MiSD-2， which had a 97.34% similarity on nucleotide sequence and were closely related to porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), but distantly related to mink circoviral species. Phylogenetically MiSD-1 and MiSD-2 are a part of the PCV2b genotype cluster, which is a highly prevalent genotype worldwide. The closer relationship of MiSD-1 and MiSD-2 to PCV2 from pigs than to other mink circoviral species may be evidence of cross-species transmission and considerable zoonotic potential.

The Impacts of Climate Change Mitigation Strategies on Animal Welfare.

PubMed

Shields, Sara; Orme-Evans, Geoffrey

2015-05-21

The objective of this review is to point out that the global dialog on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in animal agriculture has, thus far, not adequately considered animal welfare in proposed climate change mitigation strategies. Many suggested approaches for reducing emissions, most of which could generally be described as calls for the intensification of production, can have substantial effects on the animals. Given the growing world-wide awareness and concern for animal welfare, many of these approaches are not socially sustainable. This review identifies the main emission abatement strategies in the climate change literature that would negatively affect animal welfare and details the associated problems. Alternative strategies are also identified as possible solutions for animal welfare and climate change, and it is suggested that more attention be focused on these types of options when allocating resources, researching mitigation strategies, and making policy decisions on reducing emissions from animal agriculture.

The Aging Cardiovascular System: Understanding It at the Cellular and Clinical Levels.

PubMed

Paneni, Francesco; Diaz Cañestro, Candela; Libby, Peter; Lüscher, Thomas F; Camici, Giovanni G

2017-04-18

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) presents a great burden for elderly patients, their caregivers, and health systems. Structural and functional alterations of vessels accumulate throughout life, culminating in increased risk of developing CVD. The growing elderly population worldwide highlights the need to understand how aging promotes CVD in order to develop new strategies to confront this challenge. This review provides examples of some major unresolved clinical problems encountered in daily cardiovascular practice as we care for elderly patients. Next, the authors summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms implicated in cardiovascular aging, and the potential for targeting novel pathways implicated in endothelial dysfunction, mitochondrial oxidative stress, chromatin remodeling, and genomic instability. Lastly, the authors consider critical aspects of vascular repair, including autologous transplantation of bone marrow-derived stem cells in elderly patients. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heat stroke risk for open-water swimmers during long-distance events.

PubMed

Macaluso, Filippo; Barone, Rosario; Isaacs, Ashwin W; Farina, Felicia; Morici, Giuseppe; Di Felice, Valentina

2013-12-01

Open-water swimming is a rapidly growing sport discipline worldwide, and clinical problems associated with long-distance swimming are now better recognized and managed more effectively. The most prevalent medical risk associated with an open-water swimming event is hypothermia; therefore, the Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA) has instituted 2 rules to reduce this occurrence related to the minimum water temperature and the time taken to complete the race. Another medical risk that is relevant to open-water swimmers is heat stroke, a condition that can easily go unnoticed. The purpose of this review is to shed light on this physiological phenomenon by examining the physiological response of swimmers during long-distance events, to define a maximum water temperature limit for competitions. We conclude that competing in water temperatures exceeding 33°C should be avoided. Copyright © 2013 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet Addiction: A Brief Summary of Research and Practice

PubMed Central

Cash, Hilarie; Rae, Cosette D; Steel, Ann H; Winkler, Alexander

2012-01-01

Problematic computer use is a growing social issue which is being debated worldwide. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems. Surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated alarming prevalence rates between 1.5 and 8.2% [1]. There are several reviews addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and some reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD. The aim of this paper is to give a preferably brief overview of research on IAD and theoretical considerations from a practical perspective based on years of daily work with clients suffering from Internet addiction. Furthermore, with this paper we intend to bring in practical experience in the debate about the eventual inclusion of IAD in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). PMID:23125561

Workshop targets development of geodetic transient detection methods: 2009 SCEC Annual Meeting: Workshop on transient anomalous strain detection; Palm Springs, California, 12-13 September 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murray-Moraleda, Jessica R.; Lohman, Rowena

2010-01-01

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a community of researchers at institutions worldwide working to improve understanding of earthquakes and mitigate earthquake risk. One of SCEC's priority objectives is to “develop a geodetic network processing system that will detect anomalous strain transients.” Given the growing number of continuously recording geodetic networks consisting of hundreds of stations, an automated means for systematically searching data for transient signals, especially in near real time, is critical for network operations, hazard monitoring, and event response. The SCEC Transient Detection Test Exercise began in 2008 to foster an active community of researchers working on this problem, explore promising methods, and combine effective approaches in novel ways. A workshop was held in California to assess what has been learned thus far and discuss areas of focus as the project moves forward.

Ingestion of marine debris by the White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis): Is it increasing over time off southern Brazil?

PubMed

Petry, Maria V; Benemann, Victória R F

2017-04-15

Seabirds are amongst the most affected organisms by plastic pollution worldwide. Ingestion of marine debris has been reported in at least 122 species, and owing to the increasing global production and persistence of these anthropogenic materials within the marine environment, it is expected to be a growing problem to the marine fauna. Here we report evidence of an increasing frequency in marine debris ingestion and a decrease in the amount of plastic pellets ingested by White-chinned Petrels attending south Brazilian waters during the last three decades. Future studies comprising large temporal scales and large sample sizes are needed to better understand the trends of marine debris ingestion by seabirds. We expect our findings to highlight the need for prevention policies and mitigation measures to reduce the amount of solid litter in the oceans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Brief: Refugee numbers could increase due to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zielinski, Sarah

2007-05-01

Climate change could push the number of refugees globally to more than one billion by 2050, according to a new report from the British charity Christian Aid. Currently, there are about 155 million `internally displaced persons' worldwide, driven from their homes due to conflict, ethnic persecution, or natural disasters. The addition of climate change and growing population numbers could exacerbate these ongoing problems. In the report, Mali is presented as a case study where ongoing climate change is forcing farmers to find other ways to feed their families; one result is an increased number of people attempting to migrate to Europe. The report calls on rich nations to devote US$100 billion each year to help poor people adapt to changing weather patterns. The report, ``Human tide: the real migration crisis,'' is available at http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/indepth/705caweekreport/

Population density controls on microbial pollution across the Ganga catchment.

PubMed

Milledge, D G; Gurjar, S K; Bunce, J T; Tare, V; Sinha, R; Carbonneau, P E

2018-01-01

For millions of people worldwide, sewage-polluted surface waters threaten water security, food security and human health. Yet the extent of the problem and its causes are poorly understood. Given rapid widespread global urbanisation, the impact of urban versus rural populations is particularly important but unknown. Exploiting previously unpublished archival data for the Ganga (Ganges) catchment, we find a strong non-linear relationship between upstream population density and microbial pollution, and predict that these river systems would fail faecal coliform standards for irrigation waters available to 79% of the catchment's 500 million inhabitants. Overall, this work shows that microbial pollution is conditioned by the continental-scale network structure of rivers, compounded by the location of cities whose growing populations contribute c. 100 times more microbial pollutants per capita than their rural counterparts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Detection of adulterants in honey using a portable Raman Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Kenneth Leigh

Food adulteration is a growing problem worldwide. In the United States over half of honey consumed is provided with imported products as total domestic production of honey is unable to meet the demand. As pure, natural honey is a labor intensive, relatively expensive product it is a prime target for adulteration with less expensive sweeteners. Previously published work describes the detection of these adulterants in a strict laboratory environment with time consuming techniques and delicate instrumentation. Experiments confirm that adulterants such as high fructose corn syrup and rice malt syrup can be detected in honey using Raman Spectroscopy and portable equipment. When laser light is applied to the products, the result is a Raman signal of inelastically scattered photons representing the fingerprints of the various molecules. When this signal is detected and stored in a laptop computer it can be analyzed for characteristics peculiar to honey and to the adulterants.

Adolescent violence exposure, gender issues and impact.

PubMed

Munni, Ray; Malhi, P

2006-07-01

Youth violence is a growing problem worldwide. Research on adolescent violence in India is limited. Fifteen hundred high school students were investigated to study the prevalence and demographic characteristics of witnesses, victims and perpetrators of violence and to see the impact of violence exposure on their psychosocial adjustments. Sixty nine percent of students had witnessed violence in real life and 28% were of serious nature. Media violence exposure was universal. The prevalence of victims and perpetrators was 27% and 13% respectively. Bullying was prevalent. Male sex was the most important predictive risk factor for witnessing and perpetrating violence (P < or = 0.001). Victims were predominantly females. Those having exposure to violence had poorer school performance and adjustment scores (P < or = 0.05). Thus violence exposure is prevalent even in the lives of Indian adolescents and gender differences exist. Its impact on their psychosocial adjustments is detrimental. Early identification and corrective interventions of these adolescents is vital.

Superbends expand the scope of Berkeley's ALS

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

Robin, David S.; Robinson, Arthur L.; Tamura, Lori S.

2002-01-22

While the ALS has turned out to be a world-leader in providing beams of soft X-rays -- indeed, furnishing these beams remains its core mission -- there has nonetheless been a steadily growing demand from synchrotron radiation users for harder X-rays with higher photon energies. The clamor has been strongest from protein crystallographers whose seemingly insatiable appetite for solving structures of biological macromolecules could not be satisfied by the number of crystallography beamlines available worldwide. But how to provide these X-rays in a cost-effective way without disrupting the thriving research programs of the existing ALS users was the problem. Superconductingmore » bend magnets (superbends) provided the answer for the ALS, which adopted a proposal to replace some of the normal combined-function (gradient) magnets in the curved arcs of the storage ring with superconducting dipoles that could generate higher magnetic fields and thus synchrotron light with a higher critical energy.« less

Cardioprotective peptides from marine sources.

PubMed

Harnedy, Padraigín A; FitzGerald, Richard J

2013-05-01

Elevated blood pressure or hypertension is one of the fastest growing health problems worldwide. Although the etiology of essential hypertension has a genetic component, dietary factors play an important role. With the high costs and adverse side-effects associated with synthetic antihypertensive drugs and the awareness of the link between diet and health there has been increased focus on identification of food components that may contribute to cardiovascular health. In recent years special interest has been paid to the cardioprotective activity of peptides derived from food proteins including marine proteins. These peptides are latent within the sequence of the parent protein and only become active when released by proteolytic digestion during gastrointestinal digestion or through food processing. Current data on antihypertensive activity of marine-derived protein hydrolysates/peptides in animal and human studies is reviewed herein. Furthermore, products containing protein hydrolysates/peptides from marine origin with antihypertensive effects are discussed.

Inflammatory Mediators of Hepatic Steatosis

PubMed Central

Hijona, Elizabeth; Hijona, Lander; Arenas, Juan I.; Bujanda, Luis

2010-01-01

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming a world-wide public health problem. NAFLD represents a spectrum of disease ranging from “simple steatosis”, which is considered relatively benign, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and to NAFLD-associated cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. The etiology of NAFLD and its progression is complex and remains incompletely understood. The progression of the disease involves many factors. Apart from the two hits, the accumulation of TG and the development of fibrosis and necroinflammatory processes, exit numerous molecules associated with these two hits. Among them we can highlight the pro-inflammatory molecules and adiponectins. This review focuses on the growing evidence from both experimental and human studies suggesting a central role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. We review the role of cytokines as key regulators of insulin sensitivity and hepatic lipid overloading, liver injury and inflammation, and fibrosis with an emphasis on potential therapeutic implications. PMID:20300479

Systematic review of the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia.

PubMed

Robinson, P C; Taylor, W J; Merriman, T R

2012-09-01

Gout is a growing health problem worldwide especially in affluent countries, such as Australia. Gout and hyperuricaemia are associated with the metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, obesity and hypertension. More importantly, Australia has a growing prevalence of these important health problems. The aim of this study was to systematically review published information regarding the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia. A systematic search was undertaken of the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases, as well as relevant websites for journal articles and reports relating to the prevalence of hyperuricaemia and gout in Australia. Twenty-five journal articles and five reports were included in the review. Data collected in a standardised way show gout increased in prevalence from 0.5% population prevalence to 1.7% population prevalence from 1968 to 1995/1996. There has been a significant rise in the prevalence of gout in the Australian Aboriginal population from 0% in 1965 to 9.7% in men and 2.9% in women in 2002. Consistent with the rise in gout prevalence, serum uric acid in blood donors has increased from 1959 to 1980 (17% in 30- to 40-year-old men). The rate of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia is high in relation to comparable countries and is increasing. The prevalence of gout in elderly male Australians is second only to New Zealand, which has the highest reported rate in the world. Further research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gout and hyperuricaemia is required as a result of the lack of contemporary data. © 2012 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal © 2012 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Site length for biological assessment of boatable rivers

EPA Science Inventory

There is increasing international interest by water resource management agencies worldwide in developing the capacity for quantitative bioassessments of boatable rivers. This interest stems from legal mandates requiring assessments, plus growing reocgnition of the threats to such...

CORAL REEF BIOCRITERIA

EPA Science Inventory

Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing the greatest decline of their known existence and few tools are available to offset the growing impacts of human coastal and watershed activities. Biocriteria are a potentially effective means to evaluate and restore impaired waters, but are...

Metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes in youth: from diagnosis to treatment

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Overweight and obesity in youth is a worldwide public health problem. Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescents have a substantial effect upon many systems, resulting in clinical conditions such as metabolic syndrome, early atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity and the type of body fat distribution are still the core aspects of insulin resistance and seem to be the physiopathologic links common to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and T2D. The earlier the appearance of the clustering of risk factors and the higher the time of exposure, the greater will be the chance of developing coronary disease with a more severe endpoint. The age when the event may occur seems to be related to the presence and aggregation of risk factors throughout life. The treatment in this age-group is non pharmacological and aims at promoting changes in lifestyle. However, pharmacological treatments are indicated in special situations. The major goals in dietary treatments are not only limited to weight loss, but also to an improvement in the quality of life. Modification of risk factors associated to comorbidities, personal satisfaction of the child or adolescent and trying to establish healthy life habits from an early age are also important. There is a continuous debate on the best possible exercise to do, for children or adolescents, in order to lose weight. The prescription of physical activity to children and adolescents requires extensive integrated work among multidisciplinary teams, patients and their families, in order to reach therapeutic success. The most important conclusion drawn from this symposium was that if the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity continues at this pace, the result will be a population of children and adolescents with metabolic syndrome. This would lead to high mortality rates in young adults, changing the current increasing trend of worldwide longevity. Government actions and a better understanding of the causes of this problem must be implemented worldwide, by aiming at the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents. PMID:20718958

The Growing Threat of Light Pollution to Ground-Based Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Richard F.; Luginbuhl, Christian; Wainscoat, Richard J.; Duriscoe, Dan

2018-01-01

With few exceptions, growing sky glow from artificial sources negatively impacts the sky background recorded at major observatories around the world. We report techniques for measuring night sky brightness and extracting the contribution of artificial sky glow at observatories and other protected sites. The increase in artificial ambient light and its changing spectrum with LED replacements is likely to be significant. A compendium of worldwide regulatory approaches to astronomical site protection gives insight on multiple effective strategies.

VITELLOGENISIS AND IT'S ENDOCRINE CONTROL IN DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS

EPA Science Inventory

Vitellogenesis, the production of vitellin (major yolk protein), is controlled in decapod crustaceans by several hormones. With increasing efforts world-wide to successfully culture economically important crustaceans, such as shrimp, there is growing interest in attaining a bette...

Cross border reproductive care (CBRC): a growing global phenomenon with multidimensional implications (a systematic and critical review).

PubMed

Salama, Mahmoud; Isachenko, Vladimir; Isachenko, Evgenia; Rahimi, Gohar; Mallmann, Peter; Westphal, Lynn M; Inhorn, Marcia C; Patrizio, Pasquale

2018-05-28

Many people travel abroad to access fertility treatments. This growing phenomenon is known as cross border reproductive care (CBRC) or fertility tourism. Due to its complex nature and implications worldwide, CBRC has become an emerging dilemma deserving more attention on the global healthcare agenda. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review of the literature was performed for all relevant full-text articles published in PubMed in English during the past 18 years to explore CBRC phenomenon in the new millennium. Little is known about the accurate magnitude and scope of CBRC around the globe. In this systematic and critical review, we identify three major dimensions of CBRC: legal, economic, and ethical. We analyze each of these dimensions from clinical and practical perspectives. CBRC is a growing reality worldwide with potential benefits and risks. Therefore, it is very crucial to regulate the global market of CBRC on legal, economic, and ethical bases in order to increase harmonization and reduce any forms of exploitation. Establishment of accurate international statistics and a global registry will help diminish the current information gap surrounding the CBRC phenomenon.

Integrating microfinance and health strategies: examining the evidence to inform policy and practice.

PubMed

Leatherman, Sheila; Metcalfe, Marcia; Geissler, Kimberley; Dunford, Christopher

2012-03-01

Single solutions continue to be inadequate in confronting the prevalent problems of poverty, ill health and insufficient health system capacity worldwide. The poor need access to an integrated set of financial and health services to have income security and better health. Over 3500 microfinance institutions (MFIs) provide microcredit and financial services to more than 155 million households worldwide. Conservative estimates indicate that at least 34 million of these households are very poor by the definition in the Millennium Development Goals, representing around 170 million people, many in remote areas beyond the reach of health agencies, both private and governmental. A small but increasing number of MFIs offer health-related services, such as education, clinical care, community health workers, health-financing and linkages to public and private health providers. Multiple studies indicate the effectiveness of microfinance and its impact on poverty. A small but growing number of studies also attempt to show that MFIs are capable of contributing to health improvement by increasing knowledge that leads to behavioural changes, and by enhancing access to health services through addressing financial, geographic and other barriers. While these studies are of uneven quality, they indicate positive health benefits in diverse areas such as maternal and child health, malaria and other infectious disease, and domestic violence. While more rigorous research is needed to inform policy and guide programme implementation to integrate microfinance and health interventions that can reliably enhance the well-being of the poor, there is useful evidence to support the design and delivery of integrated programmes now. Worldwide, current public health programmes and health systems are proving to be inadequate to meet population needs. The microfinance sector offers an underutilized opportunity for delivery of health-related services to many hard-to-reach populations.

Tick-host conflict: immunoglobulin E antibodies to tick proteins in patients with anaphylaxis to tick bite

PubMed Central

Mateos-Hernández, Lourdes; Villar, Margarita; Moral, Angel; GarcíaRodríguez, Carmen; Arias, Teresa Alfaya; de la Osa, Verónica; Brito, Francisco Feo; Fernández de Mera, Isabel G.; Alberdi, Pilar; Ruiz-Fons, Francisco; Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro; Estrada-Peña, Agustín; de la Fuente, José

2017-01-01

Tick-borne infectious diseases and allergies are a growing problem worldwide. Tick bite allergy has been associated with the direct effect of immunoglobulin E (IgE) response to tick salivary antigens, or secondary to the induction of allergy to red meat consumption through IgE antibodies against the carbohydrate α-Gal (Gal α 1-3Gal β 1-(3)4GlcNAc-R). However, despite the growing burden of this pathology, the proteins associated with anaphylaxis to tick bite have not been characterized. To address this question, a comparative proteomics approach was used to characterize tick proteins producing an IgE antibody response in a healthy individual with record of tick bites, which had not resulted in any allergic reactions, and two patients with anaphylactic reactions to Rhipicephalus bursa or Hyalomma marginatum tick bites. Both patients and the healthy individual were red meat tolerant. The results supported a patient-specific IgE antibody response to tick species responsible for the anaphylaxis to tick bite. Both patients and the healthy individual serologically recognized tick proteins with and without α-Gal modifications, with proteins differentially recognized by patients but not control sera. These proteins could be used as potential antigens for diagnostics, treatment and prevention of tick bite-induced allergies. PMID:28423486

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: An expanded review

PubMed Central

Benedict, Mark; Zhang, Xuchen

2017-01-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses the simple steatosis to more progressive steatosis with associated hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and in some cases hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is a growing epidemic, not only in the United States, but worldwide in part due to obesity and insulin resistance leading to liver accumulation of triglycerides and free fatty acids. Numerous risk factors for the development of NAFLD have been espoused with most having some form of metabolic derangement or insulin resistance at the core of its pathophysiology. NAFLD patients are at increased risk of liver-related as well as cardiovascular mortality, and NAFLD is rapidly becoming the leading indication for liver transplantation. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for definitive diagnosis, but the development of noninvasive advanced imaging, biochemical and genetic tests will no doubt provide future clinicians with a great deal of information and opportunity for enhanced understanding of the pathogenesis and targeted treatment. As it currently stands several medications/supplements are being used in the treatment of NAFLD; however, none seem to be the “magic bullet” in curtailing this growing problem yet. In this review we summarized the current knowledge of NAFLD epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, pathogenesis, pathologic changes, natural history, and treatment in order to aid in further understanding this disease and better managing NAFLD patients. PMID:28652891

Zoonoses: a potential obstacle to the growing wildlife industry of Namibia

PubMed Central

Magwedere, Kudakwashe; Hemberger, Maria Y.; Hoffman, Louw C.; Dziva, Francis

2012-01-01

Zoonoses, which account for approximately 75% of emerging human infectious diseases worldwide, pose a re-emerging threat to public health. With an ever-increasing interrelationship between humans, livestock and wildlife species, the threat to human health will rise to unprecedented levels. Wildlife species contribute to the majority of emerging diseases; therefore, there is an urgent need to define control systems of zoonoses of wildlife origin but very little information exists. In this review, we examine prevalent zoonotic infections reported in Namibia between 1990 and 2009 and assess their potential impact on the growing wildlife industry. A wide spectrum of zoonotic diseases was confirmed in both livestock and wildlife species, with rabies and anthrax cases being over-represented and also showing the widest species distribution. Whilst vaccination and ante-mortem inspection against these diseases may curb infected livestock species from entering the human food chain, such practices are difficult to implement in free-ranging wildlife species. In this context, there is a need to improve existing control measures and/or develop novel and better interventional strategies to reduce the threat of this re-emerging global problem. This review provides the basis for initiating a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach to control zoonoses in countries with thriving wildlife and game farming. PMID:23077724

Underground Coal-Fires in Xinjiang, China: A Continued Effort in Applying Geophysics to Solve a Local Problem and to Mitigate a Global Hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuttke, M. W.; Halisch, M.; Tanner, D. C.; Cai, Z. Y.; Zeng, Q.; Wang, C.

2012-04-01

Spontaneous uncontrolled coal seam fires are a well known phenomenon that causes severe environmental problems and severe impact on natural coal reserves. Coal fires are a worldwide phenomenon, but in particular in Xinjiang, that covers 17.3 % of Chinas area and hosts approx 42 % of its coal resources. In Xinjiang since more than 50 years a rigorous strategy for fire fighting on local and regional scale is persued. The Xinjiang Coalfield Fire Fighting Bureau (FFB) has developed technologies and methods to deal with any known fire. Many fires have been extinguished already, but the problem is still there if not even growing. This problem is not only a problem for China due to the loss of valuable energy resources, but it is also a worldwide threat because of the generation of substantial amounts of greenhouse gases. Through the FFB, China is struggling to overcome this, but the activities could be much enhanced by the continuation of the already successful conjoint operations. The last ten years have seen two successful cooperative projects between China and Germany on the field of coal-fire fighting, namely the German Technical Cooperation Project on Coal Fire in Xinjiang and the Sino-German Coal Fire Research Initiative funded by the corresponding ministeries of both countries. A persistent task in the fire fighting is the identification and supervision of areas with higher risks for the ignition of coal fires, the exploration of already ignited fire zones to extinguish the fires and the monitoring of extinguished fires to detect as early as possible process that may foster re-ignition. This can be achieved by modeling both the structures and the processes that are involved. This has also been a promising part of the past cooperation projects, yet to be transformed into a standard application of fire fighting procedures. In this contribution we describe the plans for a new conjoint project between China and Germany where on the basis of field investigations and laboratory measurements realistic dynamical models of fire-zones are constructed to increase the understanding of particular coal-fires, to interpret the surface signatures of the coal-fire in terms of location and propagation and to estimate the output of hazardous exhaust products to evaluate the economic benefit of fire extinction.

GMOtrack: generator of cost-effective GMO testing strategies.

PubMed

Novak, Petra Krau; Gruden, Kristina; Morisset, Dany; Lavrac, Nada; Stebih, Dejan; Rotter, Ana; Zel, Jana

2009-01-01

Commercialization of numerous genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has already been approved worldwide, and several additional GMOs are in the approval process. Many countries have adopted legislation to deal with GMO-related issues such as food safety, environmental concerns, and consumers' right of choice, making GMO traceability a necessity. The growing extent of GMO testing makes it important to study optimal GMO detection and identification strategies. This paper formally defines the problem of routine laboratory-level GMO tracking as a cost optimization problem, thus proposing a shift from "the same strategy for all samples" to "sample-centered GMO testing strategies." An algorithm (GMOtrack) for finding optimal two-phase (screening-identification) testing strategies is proposed. The advantages of cost optimization with increasing GMO presence on the market are demonstrated, showing that optimization approaches to analytic GMO traceability can result in major cost reductions. The optimal testing strategies are laboratory-dependent, as the costs depend on prior probabilities of local GMO presence, which are exemplified on food and feed samples. The proposed GMOtrack approach, publicly available under the terms of the General Public License, can be extended to other domains where complex testing is involved, such as safety and quality assurance in the food supply chain.

Cyclist Path Choices Through Shared Space Intersections in England

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

In the last several years, there has been growing worldwide interest in making streets safer for all users pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. One approach, shared space, is a traffic calming technique as well as urban design concept. This techn...

Linking Terrigenous Sediment Delivery to Declines in Coral Reef Ecosystem Services

EPA Science Inventory

Worldwide coral reef conditions continue to decline despite the valuable socioeconomic benefits of these ecosystems. There is growing recognition that quantifying reefs in terms reflecting what stakeholders value is vital for comparing inherent tradeoffs among coastal management ...

Microbiological pathogens: Live poultry considerations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food-borne illness is a significant worldwide public health problem. Salmonella is the predominate food-borne pathogen worldwide, and poultry and poultry products are, reportedly, a prevailing vehicle for salmonellosis. More recently, population-based active surveillance by investigators of the Fo...

STREPTOCOCCUS: A WORLDWIDE FISH HEALTH PROBLEM

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Streptococcus iniae and S. agalactiae are important emergent pathogens that affect many fish species worldwide, especially in warm-water regions. In marine and freshwater systems, these Gram-positive bacteria cause significant economic losses, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars annually. ...

Population pressure, poverty and the environment.

PubMed

Camp, S L

1992-06-01

Using the agricultural revolution as a starting point, human population has grown 50 times since then. The amount of environmental and ecological damage inflicted by humans before the agricultural revolution pales in comparison to the damage done afterwards. It took until 1800, or approximately 9800 years from the beginning of the agricultural revolution, for world population to reach 1 billion. It took only 187 years to reach 5 billion and current projections estimate that it will take only 11 years to add the 6th billion. If the governments of the world do not work together during this decade and bring a family planning message to every couple of reproductive age, the results will be catastrophic. Every year 40-50 million acres of forest are cut down. On average, the people living in developing countries are cutting down forests twice as fast as they can grow back. Deforestation, combined with intensive agriculture, is turning the world's farm land into desert. Soil erosion and desertification threaten 1/3 of the total land surface which is home to 1/5 of the population. While high consumption levels in developed countries and industrial pollution worldwide do have a huge impact, the fact remains that increases in population place increased burdens on the ecology's carrying capacity. While the former problems urgently need to be addressed, reducing population growth rates eases pressure on all the aspects of the environment. China suffers from every kind of ecological problem and its reliance on high sulfur coal as a primary energy source threatens to undo all the efficiency improvements made in developed countries. Water shortages are common in China as they are in many other countries, again a problem that would be less severe if population growth were reduced. Urban areas are the fastest growing and least prepared to handle the increased demand for drinking water and sanitation control. The cost of universal family planning is only US$9 billion.

World-wide architecture of osteoporosis research: density-equalizing mapping studies and gender analysis.

PubMed

Brüggmann, D; Mäule, L-S; Klingelhöfer, D; Schöffel, N; Gerber, A; Jaque, J M; Groneberg, D A

2016-10-01

While research activities on osteoporosis grow constantly, no concise description of the global research architecture exists. Hence, we aim to analyze and depict the world-wide scientific output on osteoporosis combining bibliometric tools, density-equalizing mapping projections and gender analysis. Using the NewQIS platform, we analyzed all osteoporosis-related publications authored from 1900 to 2012 and indexed by the Web of Science. Bibliometric details were analyzed related to quantitative and semi-qualitative aspects. The majority of 57 453 identified publications were original research articles. The USA and Western Europe dominated the field regarding cooperation activity, publication and citation performance. Asia, Africa and South America played a minimal role. Gender analysis revealed a dominance of male scientists in almost all countries except Brazil. Although the scientific performance on osteoporosis is increasing world-wide, a significant disparity in terms of research output was visible between developed and low-income countries. This finding is particularly concerning since epidemiologic evaluations of future osteoporosis prevalences predict enormous challenges for the health-care systems in low-resource countries. Hence, our study underscores the need to address these disparities by fostering future research endeavors in these nations with the aim to successfully prevent a growing global burden related to osteoporosis.

The role of hybridization in facilitating tree invasion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hybridization events can generate additional genetic diversity on which natural selection can act and at times enhance invasiveness of the species. Invasive tree species are a growing ecological concern worldwide, and some of these invasions involve hybridization events pre- or post-introduction. Th...

Improving the cold flow properties of biodiesel by fractionation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Production of biodiesel is increasing world-wide and contributing to the growing development of renewable alternative fuels. Biodiesel has many fuel properties such as density, viscosity, lubricity, and cetane number that make it compatible for combustion in compression-ignition (diesel) engines. ...

Transcultural Nursing Education: A Worldwide Imperative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leininger, Madeleine

1994-01-01

The nursing profession must make changes in all aspects of nursing as it shifts from a largely unicultural to multicultural focus to prepare thousands of nurses in the growing and imperative area of transcultural nursing in curriculum development, research, teaching, clinical practice, and consultation. (JOW)

STONY CORAL RAPID BIOASSESSMENT PROTOCOL

EPA Science Inventory

At a time when coral reefs worldwide are in the greatest decline of their known existence, and despite the enormous value of coral reef ecosystem services, there are relatively few tools available to resource managers to offset the growing impact of human activities. However, we...

Mental health work in school health services and school nurses' involvement and attitudes, in a Norwegian context.

PubMed

Skundberg-Kletthagen, Hege; Moen, Øyfrid Larsen

2017-12-01

To explore school nurses' experiences with and attitudes towards working with young people with mental health problem in the school health services. Worldwide, 10%-20% of children and adolescents are affected by mental health problems. When these occur during youth, they constitute a considerable burden and are one of the main causes of disability among adolescents. School nurses are at the forefront of care for children and adolescents, identifying pupils struggling with physical, mental, psychosocial or emotional issues. A qualitative, explorative study was performed based on open-ended questions in a cross-sectional study of 284 school nurses in Norway. Inclusion criteria were as follows: working as a school nurse in the school health services with children and adolescents between the ages of 11-18 years. A qualitative inductive content analysis was conducted. Three generic categories emerged: perception of their role and experiences with mental health: the school nurses acknowledge their important role in work with adolescents focusing on their mental health. Perception of their professional competence: the school nurses described a lack of confidence and unmet training needs concerning mental health problems. Experiences with collaboration: the school nurses requested more knowledge about inter- and multidisciplinary cooperation regarding follow-up of pupils with mental health problems. The school nurses lacked knowledge and confidence in respect of working with children and adolescents suffering from mental health problems. This may be a barrier to giving pupils adequate aid. Nurses need to acquire more knowledge about mental health problems among children and adolescents as this is a growing public health issue. Educational programmes for school nurses need to be revised to achieve this. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Information Partners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luskin, Bernard J.; Krinsky, Ira W.

1994-01-01

The growing number of mergers, takeovers, and joint ventures has dramatic implications for communications, publishing, and education worldwide. Apple Computer and IBM have created Kaleida, a standard for software used in devices that combine text, sound, video, and graphics. Apple, AT&T, Matsushita, Motorola, Philips, and Sony are developing a…

Mixed Phylogenetic Signal in Fish Toxicity Data across Chemical Classes

EPA Science Inventory

Chemical use in society is growing rapidly and is one of the five major pressures on biodiversity worldwide. Since empirical toxicity studies of pollutants generally focus on a handful of model organisms, reliable approaches are needed to assess sensitivity to chemicals across th...

The OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siess, Judith A.

Taking an international approach to reflect the growing number of one-person libraries (OPLs) worldwide, this handbook and directory for OPLs covers organizational culture, customer service, time management and planning, budgeting, accounting, technology, collection development, education, downsizing, outsourcing, and many other key management…

Hyperspectral imaging to identify salt-tolerant wheat lines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In order to address the worldwide growing demand for food, agriculture is facing certain challenges and limitations. One of the important threats limiting crop productivity is salinity. Identifying salt tolerate varieties is crucial to mitigate the negative effects of this abiotic stress in agricult...

Social Moderation, Assessment and Assuring Standards for Accounting Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watty, Kim; Freeman, Mark; Howieson, Bryan; Hancock, Phil; O'Connell, Brendan; de Lange, Paul; Abraham, Anne

2014-01-01

Evidencing student achievement of standards is a growing imperative worldwide. Key stakeholders (including current and prospective students, government, regulators and employers) want confidence that threshold learning standards in an accounting degree have been assured. Australia's new higher education regulatory environment requires that student…

Setting the Stage for California Coffee Farming

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditional coffee farming has occurred worldwide at equatorial latitudes below 25° under very specific growing conditions with acidic soils, warm temperatures and high humidity. Environmental conditions have been found to have large impacts on the quality and taste of the berry, which in turn affec...

A new insight into cold stress in poultry production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since growing animals are vulnerable to extreme temperature, climate changes become an important critical constraint to several species in the world. In poultry production, while heat stress has been a rising concern for producers and scientists, cold stress has also caused economic loss worldwide. ...

Climate change accelerates growth of urban trees in metropolises worldwide.

PubMed

Pretzsch, Hans; Biber, Peter; Uhl, Enno; Dahlhausen, Jens; Schütze, Gerhard; Perkins, Diana; Rötzer, Thomas; Caldentey, Juan; Koike, Takayoshi; Con, Tran van; Chavanne, Aurélia; Toit, Ben du; Foster, Keith; Lefer, Barry

2017-11-13

Despite the importance of urban trees, their growth reaction to climate change and to the urban heat island effect has not yet been investigated with an international scope. While we are well informed about forest growth under recent conditions, it is unclear if this knowledge can be simply transferred to urban environments. Based on tree ring analyses in ten metropolises worldwide, we show that, in general, urban trees have undergone accelerated growth since the 1960s. In addition, urban trees tend to grow more quickly than their counterparts in the rural surroundings. However, our analysis shows that climate change seems to enhance the growth of rural trees more than that of urban trees. The benefits of growing in an urban environment seem to outweigh known negative effects, however, accelerated growth may also mean more rapid ageing and shortened lifetime. Thus, city planners should adapt to the changed dynamics in order to secure the ecosystem services provided by urban trees.

A Gaming Approach to the Acid Rain Problem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baba, Norio; And Others

1984-01-01

Describes an educational microcomputer gaming system for dealing with the acid rain problem in Western Europe and discusses its objectives, rules, problems, and future perspectives. Usefulness of gaming as an operational aid in formulating appropriate energy policies worldwide is emphasized. (MBR)

Experience with a Massive Open Online Course in Rural Rwanda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warugaba, Christine; Naughton, Brienna; Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany; Muhirwa, Ernest; Amoroso, Cheryl L.

2016-01-01

The growing utilization of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is opening opportunities for students worldwide, but the completion rate for MOOCs is low (Liyanagunawardena, Adams, & Williams, 2013). Partners In Health (PIH) implemented a "flipped" MOOC in Rwanda that incorporated in-class sessions to facilitate participant…

Management Options For Reducing The Release Of Antibiotics And Antibiotic Resistance Genes To The Environment

EPA Science Inventory

Background: There is growing concern worldwide about the role of polluted soil and water - 77 environments in the development and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. 78 Objective: To identify management options for reducing the spread of antibiotics and 79 antibiotic resist...

Sphaeropsis Shoot Blight

Treesearch

Jill Pokorny

1998-01-01

Sphaeropsis shoot blight, formerly called Diplodia shoot blight, is worldwide in distribution and can infect many conifer hosts. Although many pine species are reported hosts, this disease causes severe damage only to trees that are predisposed by unfavorable environmental conditions. Non-native, exotic pine species growing outside their natural range are especially...

WATER QUALITY MONITORING OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS USING PASSIVE SAMPLERS

EPA Science Inventory

The demand on freshwater to sustain the needs of the growing population is of worldwide concern. Often this water is used, treated, and released for reuse by other communities. The anthropogenic contaminants present in this water may include complex mixtures of pesticides, prescr...

Incorporating Population Variability and Susceptible Subpopulations into Dosimetry for High-Throughput Toxicity Testing

EPA Science Inventory

Momentum is growing worldwide to use in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) to evaluate human health effects of chemicals. However, the integration of dosimetry into HTS assays and incorporation of population variability will be essential before its application in a risk assess...

Biodiesel lubricity and other properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biodiesel, defined as the mono-alkyl esters of vegetable oils or animal fats, is an “alternative” diesel fuel that is becoming accepted in a steadily growing number of countries worldwide. Since the source of biodiesel varies with the location, and other sources such as recycled oils are continuousl...

Geomorphic classification of rivers

Treesearch

J. M. Buffington; D. R. Montgomery

2013-01-01

Over the last several decades, environmental legislation and a growing awareness of historical human disturbance to rivers worldwide (Schumm, 1977; Collins et al., 2003; Surian and Rinaldi, 2003; Nilsson et al., 2005; Chin, 2006; Walter and Merritts, 2008) have fostered unprecedented collaboration among scientists, land managers, and stakeholders to better understand,...

Processed eucalyptus trees as a substrate component for greenhouse crop production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fast growing eucalyptus species are selected for commercial plantings worldwide and are harvested for a variety of uses. Eucalyptus plantings in south Florida are harvested for landscape mulch production, yet this material may have potential as a container substrate for horticulture crop production....

How Analysis Informs Regulation: Success and Failure of Evolving Approaches to Polyfluoroalkyl Acid Contamination

EPA Science Inventory

Worldwide attention has recently been focused on Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) due to the growing body of evidence indicating that many of these compounds are toxic, bioaccumulative, and persistent in the environment. Advances in analytical chemistry have play...

Cosmopolitanism versus Nationalism in Israeli Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yemini, Miri; Bar-Nissan, Hed; Yossi, Shavit

2014-01-01

Education systems worldwide have served as a nation-building apparatus and national consciousness facilitators since the appearance of the modern nation-state. With the emergence of globalization in recent decades, however, a growing presence of cosmopolitanism and internationalization can be traced in education policy and school curricula.…

A (New) Discursive Framework for Dealing with the Problem of Unsafe Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Walt, Johannes L.

2015-01-01

The problem of unsafe schools, in the sense of schools being afflicted by incidences of violence, crime, and general anti-social behaviour, is a worldwide problem. Not surprisingly, the literature on the subject tends to centre on two issues: understanding the problem, and avoiding or combating the problem. This paper focuses on the second by…

High body mass index is associated with impaired cognitive control.

PubMed

Sellaro, Roberta; Colzato, Lorenza S

2017-06-01

The prevalence of weight problems is increasing worldwide. There is growing evidence that high body mass index (BMI) is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction and cognitive deficits concerning mental flexibility and inhibitory control efficiency. The present study aims at replicating and extending these observations. We compared cognitive control performance of normal weight (BMI < 25) and overweight (BMI ≥ 25) university students on a task tapping either inhibitory control (Experiment 1) or interference control (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 replicated previous findings that found less efficient inhibitory control in overweight individuals. Experiment 2 complemented these findings by showing that cognitive control impairments associated with high BMI also extend to the ability to resolve stimulus-induced response conflict and to engage in conflict-driven control adaptation. The present results are consistent with and extend previous literature showing that high BMI in young, otherwise healthy individuals is associated with less efficient cognitive control functioning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microalgae biorefineries: The Brazilian scenario in perspective.

PubMed

Brasil, B S A F; Silva, F C P; Siqueira, F G

2017-10-25

Biorefineries have the potential to meet a significant part of the growing demand for energy, fuels, chemicals and materials worldwide. Indeed, the bio-based industry is expected to play a major role in energy security and climate change mitigation during the 21th century. Despite this, there are challenges related to resource consumption, processing optimization and waste minimization that still need to be overcome. In this context, microalgae appear as a promising non-edible feedstock with advantages over traditional land crops, such as high productivity, continuous harvesting throughout the year and minimal problems regarding land use. Importantly, both cultivation and microalgae processing can take place at the same site, which increases the possibilities for process integration and a reduction in logistic costs at biorefinery facilities. This review describes the actual scenario for microalgae biorefineries integration to the biofuels and petrochemical industries in Brazil, while highlighting the major challenges and recent advances in microalgae large-scale production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security

PubMed Central

Qaim, Matin; Kouser, Shahzad

2013-01-01

The role of genetically modified (GM) crops for food security is the subject of public controversy. GM crops could contribute to food production increases and higher food availability. There may also be impacts on food quality and nutrient composition. Finally, growing GM crops may influence farmers’ income and thus their economic access to food. Smallholder farmers make up a large proportion of the undernourished people worldwide. Our study focuses on this latter aspect and provides the first ex post analysis of food security impacts of GM crops at the micro level. We use comprehensive panel data collected over several years from farm households in India, where insect-resistant GM cotton has been widely adopted. Controlling for other factors, the adoption of GM cotton has significantly improved calorie consumption and dietary quality, resulting from increased family incomes. This technology has reduced food insecurity by 15–20% among cotton-producing households. GM crops alone will not solve the hunger problem, but they can be an important component in a broader food security strategy. PMID:23755155

Harnessing Integrative Omics to Facilitate Molecular Imaging of the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Family for Precision Medicine.

PubMed

Pool, Martin; de Boer, H Rudolf; Hooge, Marjolijn N Lub-de; van Vugt, Marcel A T M; de Vries, Elisabeth G E

2017-01-01

Cancer is a growing problem worldwide. The cause of death in cancer patients is often due to treatment-resistant metastatic disease. Many molecularly targeted anticancer drugs have been developed against 'oncogenic driver' pathways. However, these treatments are usually only effective in properly selected patients. Resistance to molecularly targeted drugs through selective pressure on acquired mutations or molecular rewiring can hinder their effectiveness. This review summarizes how molecular imaging techniques can potentially facilitate the optimal implementation of targeted agents. Using the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family as a model in (pre)clinical studies, we illustrate how molecular imaging may be employed to characterize whole body target expression as well as monitor drug effectiveness and the emergence of tumor resistance. We further discuss how an integrative omics discovery platform could guide the selection of 'effect sensors' - new molecular imaging targets - which are dynamic markers that indicate treatment effectiveness or resistance.

Transitioning from traditional: pollution, diet and the development of children.

PubMed

Schell, Lawrence M

2012-12-01

Indigenous people in virtually all parts of the world have transitioned from a traditional way of life to incorporate western culture to some degree. The forces driving these transitions are varied although there are some common features. Today, some traditional communities are exposed to pollution from nearby industries that have been located in undeveloped areas to take advantage of natural resources, inexpensive labor, lax regulations, or other features. Avoiding sources of pollution can safeguard health, but may have untoward consequences. When exposure to pollutants is through components of the traditional diet, people must alter their diet to avoid the pollutants, and in so doing, they transition away from traditional culture. Further, avoiding local, contaminated food involves eating commercial, mass produced foods that can contribute to obesity which is a growing problem worldwide. The choice between eating uncontaminated food from stores or maintaining traditional ways including a traditional diet, is a stressful one adding to the overwhelming stress of acculturation.

Genetically modified crops and food security.

PubMed

Qaim, Matin; Kouser, Shahzad

2013-01-01

The role of genetically modified (GM) crops for food security is the subject of public controversy. GM crops could contribute to food production increases and higher food availability. There may also be impacts on food quality and nutrient composition. Finally, growing GM crops may influence farmers' income and thus their economic access to food. Smallholder farmers make up a large proportion of the undernourished people worldwide. Our study focuses on this latter aspect and provides the first ex post analysis of food security impacts of GM crops at the micro level. We use comprehensive panel data collected over several years from farm households in India, where insect-resistant GM cotton has been widely adopted. Controlling for other factors, the adoption of GM cotton has significantly improved calorie consumption and dietary quality, resulting from increased family incomes. This technology has reduced food insecurity by 15-20% among cotton-producing households. GM crops alone will not solve the hunger problem, but they can be an important component in a broader food security strategy.

The Relationship between Metabolic Syndrome and Osteoporosis: A Review

PubMed Central

Wong, Sok Kuan; Chin, Kok-Yong; Suhaimi, Farihah Hj; Ahmad, Fairus; Ima-Nirwana, Soelaiman

2016-01-01

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and osteoporosis are two major healthcare problems worldwide. Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of medical conditions consisting of central obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, in which each acts on bone tissue in different ways. The growing prevalence of MetS and osteoporosis in the population along with the controversial findings on the relationship between both conditions suggest the importance for further investigation and discussion on this topic. This review aims to assess the available evidence on the effects of each component of MetS on bone metabolism from the conventional to the contemporary. Previous studies suggested that the two conditions shared some common underlying pathways, which include regulation of calcium homeostasis, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)/receptor activator of the NF-κB (RANK)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathways. In conclusion, we suggest that MetS may have a potential role in developing osteoporosis and more studies are necessary to further prove this hypothesis. PMID:27338453

Anesthesia and Tau Pathology

PubMed Central

Whittington, Robert A.; Bretteville, Alexis; Dickler, Maya F.; Planel, Emmanuel

2013-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and remains a growing worldwide health problem. As life expectancy continues to increase, the number of AD patients presenting for surgery and anesthesia will steadily rise. The etiology of sporadic AD is thought to be multifactorial, with environmental, biological and genetic factors interacting together to influence AD pathogenesis. Recent reports suggest that general anesthetics may be such a factor and may contribute to the development and exacerbation of this neurodegenerative disorder. Intra-neuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), composed of hyperphosphorylated and aggregated tau protein are one of the main neuropathological hallmarks of AD. Tau pathology is important in AD as it correlates very well with cognitive dysfunction. Lately, several studies have begun to elucidate the mechanisms by which anesthetic exposure might affect the phosphorylation, aggregation and function of this microtubule-associated protein. Here, we specifically review the literature detailing the impact of anesthetic administration on aberrant tau hyperphosphorylation as well as the subsequent development of neurofibrillary pathology and degeneration. PMID:23535147

Photonics: Maintaining competitiveness in the information era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Photonics concerns the use of photons to work with or to replace electrons in certain communications, computer, or control applications traditionally carried out by electronics. It is a key high-technology area, well established in long-distance fiber-optic telecommunications and rapidly growing in other areas of great importance to society. This report concentrates on technical areas where the overall worldwide market for equipment approaches $400 billion per year, i.e., Telecommunications; Information processing; Optical storage and display; Optical sensors; and Policy Issues. It is essential to increase our industrial competitiveness in product development, manufacturing skills, and marketing; There must be continuing industrial effort in long-range research and innovation; The photonics industry should consider the advantages of an industry association that could help organize consortia to conduct cooperative research and address technical problems and policy issues beyond the scope of any one organization; and Government contractors who receive a percentage of sales for their independent research should devote a sizable fraction to projects with a life span of 5 to 10 years.

[CYTED-RITMOS network: toward the search for solutions to promote mobile health in Latin America].

PubMed

Saigí-Rubió, Francesc; Novillo-Ortiz, David; Piette, John D

2017-05-25

The area of mobile technologies applied to health (mHealth) is a growing worldwide trend that has generated enormous expectations for the mitigation of problems related to medical services delivery and public health stemming from a lack of resources and the limited number of specialists. The numerous opportunities offered by mobile technologies, together with their ease of use, have attracted the interest both of governments and universities. This is the case of the Ibero-American Mobile Technologies and Health Network (CYTED-RITMOS, Spanish acronym). As a result of the network's first year of activity, in October 2015 the RITMOS International Workshop was held in Barcelona to present the priority areas in Latin America where research, development, and innovation (R&D+i) projects on mobile health could be carried out and possible solutions found. The objective of this article is to present the potentialities and applicability of mHealth in the Region of the Americas.

Essays on the Future of Continuing Education Worldwide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Warren L., Ed.

Topics chosen for these eight seminar papers divide basically into three categories: discussions on processes and methods for planning for the future of adult education; attempts to project into the future such worldwide problems as urbanism, conflict, the population explosion, and specific adult education trends; and discussion of the current…

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Expanding Global Health Problem

PubMed Central

M’Koma, Amosy E.

2013-01-01

This review provides a summary of the global epidemiology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is now clear that IBD is increasing worldwide and has become a global emergence disease. IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), has been considered a problem in industrial-urbanized societies and attributed largely to a Westernized lifestyle and other associated environmental factors. Its incidence and prevalence in developing countries is steadily rising and has been attributed to the rapid modernization and Westernization of the population. There is a need to reconcile the most appropriate treatment for these patient populations from the perspectives of both disease presentation and cost. In the West, biological agents are the fastest-growing segment of the prescription drug market. These agents cost thousands of dollars per patient per year. The healthcare systems, and certainly the patients, in developing countries will struggle to afford such expensive treatments. The need for biological therapy will inevitably increase dramatically, and the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare providers, patient advocate groups, governments and non-governmental organizations should come to a consensus on how to handle this problem. The evidence that IBD is now affecting a much younger population presents an additional concern. Meta-analyses conducted in patients acquiring IBD at a young age also reveals a trend for their increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), since the cumulative incidence rates of CRC in IBD-patients diagnosed in childhood are higher than those observed in adults. In addition, IBD-associated CRC has a worse prognosis than sporadic CRC, even when the stage at diagnosis is taken into account. This is consistent with additional evidence that IBD negatively impacts CRC survival. A continuing increase in IBD incidence worldwide associated with childhood-onset of IBD coupled with the diseases’ longevity and an increase in oncologic transformation suggest a rising disease burden, morbidity, and healthcare costs. IBD and its associated neoplastic transformation appear inevitable, which may significantly impact pediatric gastroenterology and adult CRC care. Due to an infrastructure gap in terms of access to care between developed vs. developing nations and the uneven representation of IBD across socioeconomic strata, a plan is needed in the developing world regarding how to address this emerging problem. PMID:24833941

Children with Disabilities in Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Focussing on School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ronoh, Steve; Gaillard, J. C.; Marlowe, Jay

2017-01-01

Every year, worldwide, disasters affect approximately seven million children with disabilities, highlighting their potential vulnerability. Although there is a growing move internationally to promote the rights of children with disabilities, they still receive little attention from disaster risk reduction (DRR) researchers and policy makers. They…

Leisure Education and Later-Life Planning: A Conceptual Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mactavish, Jennifer; Mahon, Michael J.

2005-01-01

Older adults with intellectual disability represent a growing segment of the elderly population in developed and, to some extent, in developing nations worldwide. A considerable body of research has addressed this burgeoning demographic over the past 20 years. Although some variations appear within etiological subgroups, the biological processes…

Math and Science Education for the California Workforce: It Starts with K-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EdSource, 2008

2008-01-01

Workforce projections worldwide show a growing need for people with strong backgrounds in math and science. As the eighth largest economy in the world, California benefits particularly from enterprises in the "STEM" fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). How well California's current public school students are…

Food Marketing in Irish Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Colette; Clerkin, Pauline; Gabhainn, Saoirse Nic; Mulvihill, Maureen

2010-01-01

Purpose: Schools are thought to represent a growing marketing opportunity for food advertisers in many countries. Marketing of unhealthy food to children is linked to the increased prevalence of obesity worldwide. This paper aims to explore ways in which schools respond to commercial activity around food marketing. Design/methodology/approach: A…

Higher Education in Europe: A Comparative Female Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piussi, Anna Maria; Arnaus, Remei

2010-01-01

The recognition of women's growing quantitative participation in higher education worldwide has to date been rarely accompanied by analysis of the quality of this participation. In Europe, the national and transnational policies of the past few decades have promoted female inclusion in higher education, through positive action aimed at bridging…

Fiscal Stress: Worldwide Trends in Higher Education Finance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vossensteyn, Hans

2004-01-01

While higher education is generally a high priority in boosting economic development, public budgets to sustain expansion of higher education systems remain limited around the globe. This fiscal stress creates an impetus for governments to develop various strategies to meet the growing demand--from both students and society--for higher education…

Educating Teachers about a Code of Ethical Conduct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, John; Bourke, Roseanna

2010-01-01

Worldwide, there is a growing expectation that teachers will act in a "professional" manner. Professionalism, in this regard, includes identification of a unique body of occupational knowledge, adherence to desirable standards of behaviour, processes to hold members to account and commitment to what the profession regards as morally…

Affirmative Action Implications for Worldwide Family Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liss, Lora

This paper views the interrelatedness of political, economic, and family systems as they are being affected by the growing awareness of sex discrimination. The reduction in sex inequalities throughout the world, regardless of political or economic orientation, will necessitate a new perception of the woman's role in the family unit. The hypothesis…

Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2011-01-01

K-12-level competitive robotics is growing in popularity around the country and worldwide. According to one of the leading organizers of these events, FIRST--For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology--250,000 students from 56 countries take part in its competitions. FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a yearly event the organization puts…

Visions in Our Heads: The Experience of Counselors-in-Training Participating in Study Abroad Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wathen, Cristen C.

2013-01-01

The profession of counseling is growing increasingly internationalized in response to worldwide globalization (Gerstein and AEgisdottir, 2007). Simultaneously, counselor training programs are emphasizing multicultural competency standards for counselors-in-training (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992). The 2009 Council for Accreditation of…

Exploring the Meta-Pragmatic Realm in English Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConachy, Troy

2013-01-01

As the speakership of English worldwide continues to grow, English language teachers are required to devise ways to prepare their learners for communicating successfully across cultures. As pragmatics is particularly tied up with culture, the ways in which individuals from different cultures will orient to pragmatic phenomena in their interaction…

Porcine cluster of differentiation (CD) Markers 2017 Update

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pigs are a major source of food worldwide; preventing and treating their infectious diseases is essential, requiring a thorough understanding of porcine immunity. The use of pigs as models for human physiology is a growing area; progress in this area has been limited because the immune toolkit is no...

Mobilising Knowledge in Complex Health Systems: A Call to Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Bev J.; Best, Allan; Davies, Huw; Hunter, David; Kelly, Michael P.; Marshall, Martin; Rycroft-Malone, Joanne

2017-01-01

Worldwide, policymakers, health system managers, practitioners and researchers struggle to use evidence to improve policy and practice. There is growing recognition that this challenge relates to the complex systems in which we work. The corresponding increase in complexity-related discourse remains primarily at a theoretical level. This paper…

Impact of egg handling and conditions during extended storage on egg quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The international trade of shell eggs has become more important in recent years in order to feed a growing worldwide population, meet food manufacturing demands, and address supply issues during disease outbreaks or product recalls. The primary barriers for the export and import of shell eggs are: ...

Use of aerobic spores as a surrogate for cryptosporidium oocysts in drinking water and supplies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Waterborne illnesses are a growing concern among health agencies worldwide and regulatory efforts to prevent microbial contamination of water supplies are constantly evolving to stay ahead of the threat. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has established several rules to combat the co...

Entomopathogens in conjunction with imidacloprid could be used to manage wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) on spring wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The soil-dwelling larvae of click beetles (wireworms) (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are serious pests of several agricultural crops worldwide. Hypnoidus bicolor and Limonius californicus are two major wireworm species damaging to spring wheat, particularly in the Golden Triangle, an important cereal-grow...

The Future of Educational Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Kurt W.; Goswami, Usha; Geake, John

2010-01-01

The primary goal of the emerging field of educational neuroscience and the broader movement called Mind, Brain, and Education is to join biology with cognitive science, development, and education so that education can be grounded more solidly in research on learning and teaching. To avoid misdirection, the growing worldwide movement needs to avoid…

A FASTER METHOD OF MEASURING RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY FOR BETTER PROTECTION OF SWIMMER'S HEALTH

EPA Science Inventory

Introduction

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are used to monitor recreational water quality worldwide. Current methods of measuring FIB require at least 24-hours for visible bacterial colonies to grow. We previously reported that a faster method (< 2 hours) of measuring FI...

Degrees of Integrity: The Threat of Corruption in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, David W.; Lindner, Samira

2016-01-01

Corruption in higher education is the focus of growing international concern among governments, educators, students, and other stakeholders. Those working in higher education institutions now face a unique convergence of pressures that is creating a heightened threat to the integrity of the higher education enterprise worldwide. This paper draws…

Cloning, expression, and purification of a sesquiterpene cyclase from geosmin-producing Oscillatoria splendida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The aquaculture industry is a growing part of agriculture worldwide. Many of these systems, primarily closed ones, encounter serious issues with off-flavors. Cyanobacteria are the main producers of the two dominant off-flavor compounds, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol. In an effort to begin to und...

Exploring Mental Health Literacy among Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitley, Jessica; Gooderham, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Worldwide, prevalence rates of students experiencing mental health difficulties are growing, with only one in five receiving treatment. The role of teachers in collaborative efforts both to identify and to provide effective services for these students is an essential one. However, scant research has explored the mental health literacy of…

Leaf protein and mineral concentrations across the "miracle tree" genus Moringa

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The moringa tree Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree cultivated across the lowland dry tropics worldwide for its nutritious leaves. Despite its nutritious reputation, there has been no systematic survey of the variation in leaf nutritional quality across M. oleifera grown worl...

I Have a Dream: School Principals as Entrepreneurs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yemini, Miri; Addi-Raccah, Audrey; Katarivas, Keren

2015-01-01

Most policymakers and academics agree that entrepreneurship is indispensable to society's development and well-being. Fostering entrepreneurship has become a matter of highest priority in public policy worldwide. Given the growing pressures of decentralization and competitiveness that schools have faced over the last 20 years, the role of school…

Institutional Level Student Engagement and Organisational Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Velden, Gwen

2012-01-01

Driven by the growing presence of market forces within higher education worldwide, universities are changing the way they engage with students. This article explores how a university's internal culture relates to engagement with students and their views. It builds on wider research into student engagement and organisational cultures. The…

English Code Switching in Indonesian Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setiawan, Dedy

2016-01-01

There is a growing phenomenon, worldwide, of inserting English words, phrases or expressions, into the local language: this is part of the acceptance of English as current world language. Indonesia is experiencing the use of this mixture of language when using either their own Indonesian or local language; English words, phrases and expressions…

Looking the Tiger in the Eye: Overcoming Fear-Based Teacher Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegwert, Joseph C.

2014-01-01

There has been a growing interest in and research on the construction of teachers' professional identity and parameters of practice among researchers worldwide. This piece examines the nature of teachers' perceptions about their professionalism and practice. It also explores teacher isolation stemming from assumptions related to…

Effect of fall-grazed sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) on gastrointestinal nematode infections of growing goats

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infection with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), particularly Haemonchus contortus, a highly pathogenic blood-feeder, has a major effect on profitability of goat production world-wide. High prevalence of anthelmintic-resistant GIN in goats has increased pressure to find effective, alternative non-sy...

Student Leaders at Women's Postsecondary Institutions: A Global Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renn, Kristen A.; Lytle, Jesse H.

2010-01-01

The single-sex higher education sector is growing worldwide as more women seek access to postsecondary education. Although positive learning outcomes--including leadership development--of women's colleges are well documented in the United States, less is known internationally. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study of 46 student leaders…

A Curriculum Framework for Geographical Information Science (GISc) Training at South African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Plessis, H.; van Niekerk, A.

2012-01-01

Geographical information science (GISc) is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. Being a relatively new discipline, universities often provide training as part of geography, surveying, town planning, environmental and computer science programmes. This complicates professional accreditation assessments as the content, outcomes, extent…

Crossing Borders by "Walking Around" Culture: Ethnographic Reflections on Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparapani, Ervin F.; Seo, Byung-In; Smith, Deborah L.

2012-01-01

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) documents that the world has become increasingly multicultural and multilingual as international migration rates grow each year. The cultural and language diversity in the United States exemplifies this worldwide phenomenon. It is the authors' belief that teachers have…

A threshold-based weather model for predicting stripe rust infection in winter wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat stripe rust (WSR) (caused by Puccinia striiformis sp. tritici) is a major threat in most wheat growing regions worldwide, with potential to inflict regular yield losses when environmental conditions are favorable. We propose a threshold-based disease-forecasting model using a stepwise modeling...

Understanding the Causes and Management of Problem Behaviour in Zimbabwean Schools: Teacher Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chitiyo, Morgan; Chitiyo, George; Chitiyo, Jonathan; Oyedele, Victoria; Makoni, Richard; Fonnah, Davidson; Chipangure, Luke

2014-01-01

Problem behaviour continues to present a challenge for school-teachers worldwide. Since school-teachers around the globe have different conceptualisations of what constitutes problem behaviour, the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Zimbabwean school-teachers about their perceived causes of problem behaviour among students in…

Overweight and Obesity among Children (10-13 years) in Bahrain:A comparison between Two International Standards

PubMed Central

O. Musaiger, Abdulrahman; Al-Mannai, Mariam; Al-Marzog, Qazi

2014-01-01

Objective: Obesity has become one of the main public health problems worldwide. Childhood obesity rate is growing very fast in both developed and developing countries. This paper aimed to explore the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children aged 10-13 years in Bahrain, and to find out the difference in this prevalence when using two international standards. Methods: A multistage stratified sampling procedure was used to select 2146 students (1068 males, 1078 females) from public schools in Bahrain. Weight and height were measured and Body Mass Index for age and sex was calculated to determine the obesity levels. Both International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and World Health Organization (WHO) references were used to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Results: The findings revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity ranged from 15.7% to 28.9% among males and from 21.1% to 30.7% among females. The WHO reference standard provided higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than IOTF reference. Conclusion: The study confirmed that obesity is a problem of concern in Bahraini school children and calls for intervention programme to combat obesity in schools. However, the standard used to determine obesity levels should be carefully selected and interpreted. PMID:24948966

Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain.

PubMed

Das-Munshi, J; Clark, C; Dewey, M E; Leavey, G; Stansfeld, S A; Prince, M J

2014-03-01

Worldwide, the Irish diaspora experience health inequalities persisting across generations. The present study sought to establish the prevalence of psychological morbidity in the children of migrant parents from Ireland, and reasons for differences. Data from two British birth cohorts were used for analysis. Each surveyed 17 000 babies born in one week in 1958 and 1970 and followed up through childhood. Validated scales assessed psychological health. Relative to the rest of the cohort, second-generation Irish children grew up in material hardship and showed greater psychological problems at ages 7, 11 (1958 cohort) and 16 (both cohorts). Adjusting for material adversity and maternal psychological distress markedly reduced differences. Relative to non-Irish parents, Irish-born parents were more likely to report chronic health problems (odds ratio [OR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.54), and Irish-born mothers were more likely to be psychologically distressed (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.13-1.84, when child was 10). Effect sizes diminished once material adversity was taken into account. Second-generation Irish children experienced high levels of psychological morbidity, but this was accounted for through adverse material circumstances in childhood and psychological distress in parents. Public health initiatives focusing on settlement experiences may reduce health inequalities in migrant children.

Initiating malaria control programs in the third world: directives for short- and long-term solutions.

PubMed

Basu, Sanjay

2002-01-01

Although malaria is a growing problem affecting several hundred million people each year, many malarial countries lack successful disease control programs. Worldwide malaria incidence rates are dramatically increasing, generating fear among many people who are witnessing malaria control initiatives fail. In this paper, we explore two options for malaria control in poor countries: (1) the production and distribution of a malaria vaccine and (2) the control of mosquitoes that harbor the malaria parasite. We first demonstrate that the development of a malaria vaccine is indeed likely, although it will take several years to produce because of both biological obstacles and insufficient research support. The distribution of such a vaccine, as suggested by some economists, will require that wealthy states promise a market to pharmaceutical companies who have traditionally failed to investigate diseases affecting the poorest of nations. But prior to the development of a malaria vaccine, we recommend the implementation of vector control pro- grams, such as those using Bti toxin, in regions with low vector capacity. Our analysis indicates that both endogenous programs in malarial regions and molecular approaches to parasite control will provide pragmatic solutions to the malaria problem. But the successful control of malaria will require sustained support from wealthy nations, without whom vaccine development and vector control programs will likely fail.

Problem Solving: How Do In-Service Secondary School Teachers of Mathematics Make Sense of a Non-Routine Problem Context?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mwei, Philip K.

2017-01-01

The concept of mathematical problem solving is an important mathematical process in mathematics curricula of education systems worldwide. These math curricula demand that learners are exposed to authentic problems that foster successful problem solving. To attain this very important goal, there must be mathematics teachers well versed in content…

Malnutrition, overweight, and obesity among urban and rural children in north of west Azerbijan, Iran.

PubMed

Nouri Saeidlou, Sakineh; Babaei, Fariba; Ayremlou, Parvin

2014-01-01

Malnutrition is one of the most important causes for improper physical and mental development of children. Childhood obesity is a worldwide public health problem. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has become a growing matter of public health concern worldwide. The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity in children under 5 years old in Salmas district. The current study is a cross-sectional study conducted on 902 of children under 5 years old to assess the nutritional status in Salmas district and performed from 16 until 30 October, 2011, with the cooperation of the Office of Community Nutrition Improvement and the United Nations Children's Fund. ENA (Emergency Nutrition Assessment) and Spss software were used for data analysis. 49.6% of children were boys and 50.4% were girls. The prevalence of malnutrition based on underweight, stunting, and wasting was estimated to be 2.3%, 7.3%, and 1.4% among children, respectively. Stunting was more common in rural areas and this difference was significant (P < 0.001). In this area stunting, overweight and obesity were the most important priorities that health officials must pay more attention to. ENA software has a special ability to determine the samples and clusters and is a simple, rapid, and accurate method, especially in epidemiological studies in the country, and can be a convenient tool and its use is suggested for the same studies.

Malnutrition, Overweight, and Obesity among Urban and Rural Children in North of West Azerbijan, Iran

PubMed Central

Nouri Saeidlou, Sakineh; Babaei, Fariba

2014-01-01

Introduction. Malnutrition is one of the most important causes for improper physical and mental development of children. Childhood obesity is a worldwide public health problem. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has become a growing matter of public health concern worldwide. The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity in children under 5 years old in Salmas district. Methods. The current study is a cross-sectional study conducted on 902 of children under 5 years old to assess the nutritional status in Salmas district and performed from 16 until 30 October, 2011, with the cooperation of the Office of Community Nutrition Improvement and the United Nations Children's Fund. ENA (Emergency Nutrition Assessment) and Spss software were used for data analysis. Results. 49.6% of children were boys and 50.4% were girls. The prevalence of malnutrition based on underweight, stunting, and wasting was estimated to be 2.3%, 7.3%, and 1.4% among children, respectively. Stunting was more common in rural areas and this difference was significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion. In this area stunting, overweight and obesity were the most important priorities that health officials must pay more attention to. ENA software has a special ability to determine the samples and clusters and is a simple, rapid, and accurate method, especially in epidemiological studies in the country, and can be a convenient tool and its use is suggested for the same studies. PMID:24971170

Worldwide application of prevention science in adolescent health

PubMed Central

Catalano, Richard F; Fagan, Abigail A; Gavin, Loretta E; Greenberg, Mark T; Irwin, Charles E; Ross, David A; Shek, Daniel T L

2015-01-01

The burden of morbidity and mortality from non-communicable disease has risen worldwide and is accelerating in low-income and middle-income countries, whereas the burden from infectious diseases has declined. Since this transition, the prevention of non-communicable disease as well as communicable disease causes of adolescent mortality has risen in importance. Problem behaviours that increase the short-term or long-term likelihood of morbidity and mortality, including alcohol, tobacco, and other drug misuse, mental health problems, unsafe sex, risky and unsafe driving, and violence are largely preventable. In the past 30 years new discoveries have led to prevention science being established as a discipline designed to mitigate these problem behaviours. Longitudinal studies have provided an understanding of risk and protective factors across the life course for many of these problem behaviours. Risks cluster across development to produce early accumulation of risk in childhood and more pervasive risk in adolescence. This understanding has led to the construction of developmentally appropriate prevention policies and programmes that have shown short-term and long-term reductions in these adolescent problem behaviours. We describe the principles of prevention science, provide examples of efficacious preventive interventions, describe challenges and potential solutions to take efficacious prevention policies and programmes to scale, and conclude with recommendations to reduce the burden of adolescent mortality and morbidity worldwide through preventive intervention. PMID:22538180

Downy mildew: a serious disease threat to rose health worldwide

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Peronospora sparsa is a downy mildew-causing oomycete that can infect roses, blackberries and other members of the rose family. During the last 20 years, this disease has become a serious problem for rose growers in the U.S. and worldwide. While much is known about the disease and its treatment, inc...

Snapshot of photovoltaics - February 2018

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jäger-Waldau, Arnulf

2018-05-01

Solar photovoltaic electricity generation is the fastest growing power generation source world-wide. The significant cost reduction of solar PV over the last decade, and the zero fuel cost volatility have increased the attractiveness. In 2017, the newly installed solar PV power of over 90 GW was more than all the world-wide cumulative installed PV capacity until the mid of 2012. China was again the main driver behind this strong growth with more than 50 GW of annual installations in 2017. Apart from the electricity sector, renewable energy sources for the generation of heat and environmental friendly synthetic-fuels for the transport sector will become more and more important in the future.

Data on the migration of health-care workers: sources, uses, and challenges.

PubMed Central

Diallo, Khassoum

2004-01-01

The migration of health workers within and between countries is a growing concern worldwide because of its impact on health systems in developing and developed countries alike. Policy decisions need to be made at the national, regional and international levels to manage more effectively this phenomenon, but those decisions will be effective and correctly implemented and evaluated only if they are based on adequate statistical data. Most statistics on the migration of health-care workers are neither complete nor fully comparable, and they are often underused, limited (because they often give only a broad description of the phenomena) and not as timely as required. There is also a conflict between the wide range of potential sources of data and the poor statistical evidence on the migration of health personnel. There are two major problems facing researchers who wish to provide evidence on this migration: the problems commonly faced when studying migration in general, such as definitional and comparability problems of "worker migrations" and those related to the specific movements of the health workforce. This paper presents information on the uses of statistics and those who use them, the strengths and limitations of the main data sources, and other challenges that need to be met to obtain good evidence on the migration of health workers. This paper also proposes methods to improve the collection, analysis, sharing, and use of statistics on the migration of health workers. PMID:15375450

[Biofuels, food security and transgenic crops].

PubMed

Acosta, Orlando; Chaparro-Giraldo, Alejandro

2009-01-01

Soaring global food prices are threatening to push more poor people back below the poverty line; this will probably become aggravated by the serious challenge that increasing population and climate changes are posing for food security. There is growing evidence that human activities involving fossil fuel consumption and land use are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and consequently changing the climate worldwide. The finite nature of fossil fuel reserves is causing concern about energy security and there is a growing interest in the use of renewable energy sources such as biofuels. There is growing concern regarding the fact that biofuels are currently produced from food crops, thereby leading to an undesirable competition for their use as food and feed. Nevertheless, biofuels can be produced from other feedstocks such as lingo-cellulose from perennial grasses, forestry and vegetable waste. Biofuel energy content should not be exceeded by that of the fossil fuel invested in its production to ensure that it is energetically sustainable; however, biofuels must also be economically competitive and environmentally acceptable. Climate change and biofuels are challenging FAO efforts aimed at eradicating hunger worldwide by the next decade. Given that current crops used in biofuel production have not been domesticated for this purpose, transgenic technology can offer an enormous contribution towards improving biofuel crops' environmental and economic performance. The present paper critically presents some relevant relationships between biofuels, food security and transgenic plant technology.

InsightSTEM Campus Ambassadors: A Global Student Network to Promote Exploration in STEM Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noel-Storr, Jacob; InsightSTEM Campus Ambassadors

2016-06-01

InsightSTEM has the mission to democratize STEM knowledge worldwide. Here, we present our InsightSTEM Campus Ambassadors program, and our growing global network of students worldwide. Our Campus Ambassadors are committed to advancing their careers in STEM fields, and in promoting exploration in STEM education -- while developing education and outreach skills that they can use during their student years, and moving forwards in their careers. We discuss the challenges of operating a remote student network worldwide, including addressing the needs of students in many different settings, on every continent. We illustrate how we can capture the passions of STEM students in allowing others to explore STEM knowledge. We explain how we deliver "profession development" for our cadre students, and leave them with education and outreach skills that move beyond "showing up and giving a PowerPoint presentation" to developing strategies to really engage multiple audiences in the exploration of STEM knowledge.

Integrating Qualitative Components in Quantitative Courses Using Facebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milburn, Ashlea Bennett; Braham, Andrew; McClinton, Jeton

2014-01-01

Given Facebook's growing audience among young adults worldwide and the increasing importance of technology, educators are beginning to explore the appropriateness of its use in higher education. The objectives of this paper are to describe the use of Facebook in a transportation logistics course and to compare student perceptions of using Facebook…

"Soccer": The Beautiful Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spires, Todd

2008-01-01

Soccer, or football as it is called in the rest of the world, is the most popular and fastest-growing global sport, with an estimated 240 million people regularly playing what Brazilian star Pele called "the beautiful game." Millions, worldwide, watch it on television. In 2006, the average viewership for each match of the month-long World Cup was…

Energy Policy and Environmental Possibilities: Biofuels and Key Protagonists of Ecological Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holleman, Hannah

2012-01-01

While a growing body of research indicates the severe ecological and social costs of biofuel production worldwide, the U.S. government continues to promote the expansion of this fuel sector. Recent congressional testimony regarding the promotion of biofuels via the renewable fuel standard (RFS) offers a strategic research site for sociological…

Internet Based Learning (IBL) in Higher Education: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yadav, Rajan; Tiruwa, Anurag; Suri, Pradeep Kumar

2017-01-01

Purpose: The growing use of internet-based learning (IBL) platforms in institutions of higher education is producing profound changes in the traditional teaching learning process worldwide. This paper aims to identify and understand the ways in which higher education institutions draw benefits by the use of such means, synthesizing the literature…

A Human Fecal Contamination Score for Ranking Recreational Sites using the HF183/BacR287 Quantitative Real-Time PCR Method

EPA Science Inventory

Human fecal pollution of recreational waters remains a public health concern worldwide. As a result, there is a growing interest in the application of human-associated fecal source identification quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for water quality research and manag...

Canopy warming caused photosynthetic acclimation and reduced seed yield in maize grown at ambient and elevated [CO2

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) and attendant increases in growing season temperature are expected be the most important global change factors impacting production agriculture. Although maize is the most highly produced crop worldwide, few studies have evaluated the interactive effects ...

Simple and Rapid System for Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Technique: A Laboratory Exercise for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurye, Praveen; Basu, Arpita; Biswas, Jayanta Kumar; Bandyopadhyay, Tapas Kumar; Naskar, Malay

2018-01-01

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is the most classical technique favored worldwide for resolution of macromolecules in many biochemistry laboratories due to its incessant advanced developments and wide modifications. These ever-growing advancements in the basic laboratory equipments lead to emergence of many expensive, complex, and tricky…

In Translation: School Leaders Learning in and from Leadership Practice While Confronting Pressing Policy Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drago-Severson, Eleanor; Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia

2018-01-01

Background/Context: Worldwide, principals face enormous challenges while translating policies and mandates for which they are accountable into their mission and practice. While some of these school-level challenges are technical, many are adaptive (Heifetz), requiring leaders and those in their care to grow their cognitive and affective…

Field evaluation of three sources of genetic resistance to sudden death syndrome of soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is a disease that causes yield loss in soybean growing regions across the USA and worldwide. While several quantitative trait loci (QTL) for SDS resistance have been mapped, studies to further evaluate these QTL are limited. The objec...

A Review of Knowledge Gaps and Tools for Orbivirus Research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although recognized as causing emerging and re-emerging disease outbreaks world-wide since the late 1800’s, there has been growing interest in the U.S. and Europe in recent years in orbiviruses, their insect vectors, and the diseases they cause in domestic livestock and wildlife. This is due, in par...

Toward understanding molecular mechanisms of durable and non-durable resistance to stripe rust in wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stripe rust of wheat, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, continues causing severe damage worldwide. Durable resistance is a key for sustainable control of the disease. High-temperature adult-plant (HTAP) resistance, which expresses when weather becomes warm and plants grow old, has bee...

Intra-Sectoral Diversity: A Political Economy of Thai Private Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Praphamontripong, Prachayani

2010-01-01

Private higher education (PHE) worldwide has been a rapid development in the last several decades. The private sector will continue to grow, diversify and undoubtedly play a significant role in the political economy of higher education. Nevertheless, systematically empirical studies on the trio relationships among PHE, institutional diversity and…

The Determinants of Private Tutoring Participation and Attendant Expenditures in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Jin Hwa; Lee, Kyung Hee

2010-01-01

With the growing worldwide prevalence of private tutoring, the causes and effects of private tutoring have been drawing increasing attention both academically and policy wise. This study intends to draw policy implications by investigating the determinants of private tutoring participation of school-aged children and expenditures per child for…

Formational Mechanism and Regional Growth Patterns of Private Higher Education in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Bao

2009-01-01

Private higher education was probably the fastest-growing sector of postsecondary education worldwide at the turn of the twenty-first century. China is no exception. With the recent expansion and differentiation of higher education, private higher education, in conjunction with public higher education, has become a main force for enhancing the…

Qualities of the Professional English Language Teacher Educator: Implications for Achieving Quality and Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Issa, Ali S. M.

2017-01-01

There is a growing body of literature about the qualities of professional teacher educators (TEs) and their impact on preparing professional teachers. However, English Language Teaching (ELT) research has fallen behind in this regard, despite the fact that different programs worldwide suffer from different limitations, due to certain aspects…

A human fecal contamination index for ranking impaired recreational watersusing the HF183 quantitative real-time PCR method

EPA Science Inventory

Human fecal pollution of surface water remains a public health concern worldwide. As a result, there is a growing interest in the application of human-associated fecal source identification quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for recreational water quality risk managem...

Advancing sustainable forestry by using engineered wood or bio-composites

Treesearch

Jerrold E. Winandy

2005-01-01

As worldwide demand for timber and bio-fiber resources grows, sustainable resource management and industrial utilization must collaborate to develop a shared vision for both long-term sustainable management of forest and bio-resources and sustainable economic development. Engineered wood- and bio-composites offer a tool that can both achieve resource sustainability and...

Quantifying flooding effects on hardwood seedling survival and growth for bottomland restoration

Treesearch

John M. Kabrick; Daniel C. Dey; J.W. Van Sambeek; Mark V. Coggeshall; Douglass F. Jacobs

2012-01-01

Growing interest worldwide in bottomland hardwood restoration necessitates improved ecological understanding of flooding effects on forest tree seedlings using methodology that accurately reflects field conditions. We examined hardwood seedling survival and growth in an outdoor laboratory where the timing, depth, duration, and flow rate of flood water can be carefully...

Importance of Animals in Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A conservative projection shows the world's population growing by 32% (to 9.5 billion) by 2050 and 53% (to 11 billion) by 2100 compared with its current level of 7.2 billion. Because most arable land worldwide is already in use, and water and energy also are limiting, increased production of food wi...

"Works for Children." Annual Report, 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Child Development Initiatives (NJ1), 2009

2009-01-01

International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) is a Dutch non-profit organization with a world-wide brief, and a focus on transitional and developing countries. ICDI promotes the well-being of children growing up in difficult circumstances. As a result of the global recession, 2009 was a challenging year for many organizations working in the…

Communicating in and through "Murderball": Masculinity and Disability in Wheelchair Rugby

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindemann, Kurt; Cherney, James L.

2008-01-01

This article investigates communicative practices surrounding wheelchair rugby, a growing sport played worldwide by people with quadriplegia. Researchers have studied extensively the practice of using sport for rehabilitation, but the role of communication in this process has been overlooked. We argue that participating in this sport is itself a…

Food insecurity is associated with subsequent cognitive decline in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Living with hunger and fear of not having enough food is a growing worldwide concern. In our previous cross-sectional study, we found that food insecurity was associated with poor cognitive function, but the direction of this relation remains unclear. Objective: We investigated whether f...

Perceived Discrimination and International Students' Learning: An Empirical Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karuppan, Corinne M.; Barari, Mahua

2011-01-01

At a time when the number of internationally mobile students worldwide has been growing steadily, the US share of this market has been declining. Since, as it is often claimed, international students are the best ambassadors for their host countries, an effective recruitment strategy is to enhance their learning experience, with the expectation…

Influence of thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digestion treatment of wastewater solids on concentrations of Triclosan, Triclocarban, and their transformation products in biosolids

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The growing concern worldwide regarding the presence of emerging contaminants in biosolids calls for a better understanding of how different treatment technologies at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) can influence concentrations prior to biosolids land application. This study focuses on t...

Agriculture and food availability -- remote sensing of agriculture for food security monitoring in the developing world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Budde, Michael E.; Rowland, James; Funk, Christopher C.

2010-01-01

For one-sixth of the world’s population - roughly 1 billion children, women and men - growing, buying or receiving adequate, affordable food to eat is a daily uncertainty. The World Monetary Fund reports that food prices worldwide increased 43 percent in 2007-2008, and unpredictable growing conditions make subsistence farming, on which many depend, a risky business. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are part of a network of both private and government institutions that monitor food security in many of the poorest nations in the world.

Teens and the Misuse of Prescription Drugs: Evidence-Based Recommendations to Curb a Growing Societal Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twombly, Eric C.; Holtz, Kristen D.

2008-01-01

The misuse of prescription drugs by teens in the United States is a growing public health problem. This article provides a systematic synthesis of multiple strands of literature to recommend effective prevention methods. Using a social-ecological framework, we review the scope of the problem of prescription drug use among teens. Then, we analyze…

Determination of Eligibility in Related Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Donors: Ethical and Clinical Considerations. Recommendations from a Working Group of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Association.

PubMed

Bitan, Menachem; van Walraven, Suzanna M; Worel, Nina; Ball, Lynne M; Styczynski, Jan; Torrabadella, Marta; Witt, Volker; Shaw, Bronwen E; Seber, Adriana; Yabe, Hiromasa; Greinix, Hildegard T; Peters, Christina; Gluckman, Eliane; Rocha, Vanderson; Halter, Joerg; Pulsipher, Michael A

2016-01-01

Related donors for hematopoietic cell (HC) transplantation are a growing population in recent years because of expanding indications for allogeneic transplantation. The safety and welfare of the donor are major concerns for the transplantation community, especially for related sibling donors of young recipients who are children and, thus, not able to fully consent. Because donation of HC does not improve the donor's own physical health and carries a risk of side effects, careful assessment of medical risks specific to the individual donor, as well as consideration of ethical and legal aspects associated with donation from a child, must be considered. In addition, donor centers must balance the needs of both the donor and the recipient, understanding the inherent conflict parents may have as they can be overly focused on the very sick child receiving a transplant, rather than on the relatively less significant health or emotional problems that a sibling donor may have, which could impact risk with donation. Likewise, consideration must be made regarding the nature of the relationship of the sibling donor to the recipient and also aspects of performing research on pediatric HC donors. In this article, as members of the Donor Issues Committee of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, we review key ethical concerns associated with pediatric donation and then give recommendations for screening potential child donors with underlying health conditions. These recommendations are aimed at protecting the physical and emotional well-being of childhood donors and arise out of the Third International Conference on Health and Safety of Donors sponsored by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deep and Surface Learning in Problem-Based Learning: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolmans, Diana H. J. M.; Loyens, Sofie M. M.; Marcq, Hélène; Gijbels, David

2016-01-01

In problem-based learning (PBL), implemented worldwide, students learn by discussing professionally relevant problems enhancing application and integration of knowledge, which is assumed to encourage students towards a deep learning approach in which students are intrinsically interested and try to understand what is being studied. This review…

Supporting Preschoolers and Their Families Who Are Recently Resettled Refugees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Jennifer J.; Medici, Andrea; Stewart, Emily; Cohen, Zachary

2011-01-01

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the number of refugees worldwide was 10.5 million in 2009 and this number continues to grow (United Nations Refugee Agency, 2010). There is a shortage of evidence based practices and information regarding the state of service provision for young refugee children and their families in…

Multiculturalism in Technology-Based Education: Case Studies on ICT-Supported Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia-Penalvo, Francicso Jose

2013-01-01

Our differences in language, cultures, and history around the world play a vital role in the way we learn. As technology-based education continues to be used worldwide, there is an ever growing interest in how multiculturalism comes into effect. Multiculturalism in Technology-Based Education: Case Studies on ICT-Supported Approaches explores the…

Academic Librarians' Practices and Perceptions on Web-Based Instruction for Academic Library Patrons as Adult Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Deborah Michelle

2016-01-01

Academic librarians are encouraged to provide library services, resources, and instruction to all patrons, including the adult learner. Statistics reported that worldwide, adults are a growing student population in colleges and universities; however, the adult learner as an academic library patron is often neglected. Academic libraries can…

Quality in E-Learning: A Framework for Promoting and Assuring Quality in Virtual Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masoumi, D.; Lindstrom, B.

2012-01-01

With the growing demand for e-learning along with striving for excellence associated with globalization, there are worldwide calls for enhancing and assuring quality in e-learning, specifically in the context of the developing countries. Such calls for quality enhancement, accountability, added value, value for money, self-evaluation, and role…

The Role of Affect in Intraindividual Variability in Task Performance for Young Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Yuko Goto

2017-01-01

Young learners (defined as children ages 5-12) of English as a foreign language are growing in number worldwide. At the policy level, foreign language (FL) programs for young learners are increasingly emphasizing the use of task-based language teaching (TBLT). In practice, however, designing and implementing tasks for young learners poses numerous…

The effectiveness of Light Rail transit in achieving regional CO2 emissions targets is linked to building energy use: insights from system dynamics modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Cities worldwide face the challenges of accommodating a growing population, while reducing emissions to meet climate mitigation targets. Public transit investments are often proposed as a way to curb emissions while maintaining healthy urban economies. However, cities face a syst...

Developing a Capacity to Make "English for Everyone" Worthwhile: Reconsidering Outcomes and How to Start Achieving Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wedell, Martin

2008-01-01

Past decades have seen a growing assumption worldwide that national governments should provide "English for Everyone" (EFE) as a core component of their school curricula. Personal and national benefits expected from such English provision are generally expressed in terms of developing learners' abilities to communicate in English. Despite enormous…

The Educational Resettlement of Refugee Children: Examining Several Theoretical Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerner, Amy B.

2012-01-01

Each year, approximately 100,000 refugees arrive in the United States (Refugee Council USA). Nearly half of these arrivals are children. The number of refugees worldwide has more than sextupled since the 1950s, and according to the United States Committee for Refugees and immigrants (USCRI) this number is expected to continue to grow in coming…

Wilderness: An international community knocking on Asia's door

Treesearch

Alan Watson; Vance Martin; Chau Chin Lin

2009-01-01

The concept of wilderness may trace its roots to the U.S., but a worldwide wilderness community has developed and is growing in strength, though with limited representation from Asia. With the primary purpose of protecting nature, wilderness designation can occur through legislation or policy development, but with similar outcomes of providing long-term protection and...

The Third Way: A Call for Breaking the Dependency on the Mainstream English Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davari, Hossein; Aghagolzadeh, Ferdows; Golfam, Arsalan; Kambuziya, Aliyeh Kord Zafaranlu

2014-01-01

The worldwide spread of English, especially through the tenets and assumptions of the mainstream English language teaching (ELT) has had ideological, socio-cultural and political implications in the field of education. Reviewing these tenets and assumptions, this paper attempts to reveal this growing industry through publicizing the spread of…

Community-School Collaborations in Science: Towards Improved Outcomes through Better Understanding of Boundary Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tytler, Russell; Symington, David; Cripps Clark, John

2017-01-01

There is growing interest, worldwide, in collaboration between schools and community organisations in contributing to and enriching school science programs, yet such collaborations are inadequately understood. This paper reports data from an Australian study designed to probe the views of members of the community who have participated in a broad…

Reconciling an invasive plant’s role in aquatic food webs: a case study of an adaptive management process for water hyacinth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

1. Globally, invasive species have a multitude of ecological and socio-economic impacts. However, invasive species can provide novel structure and habitat for native species. The growing rate of biological invasions world-wide presents an urgent dilemma: how can natural resource managers minimize ne...

Barley 4H QTL confers NFNB resistance to a global set of P. teres f. teres isolates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Net form net blotch (NFNB), caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres Drechs., is prevalent in barley-growing regions worldwide. A population of 132 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from a cross of the barley varieties 'Falcon' and 'Azhul' were used to evaluate resistance to NFNB due to their di...

The Phenomenon of Becoming Religious among Secular Pupils at High Schools in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamir, Sara

2017-01-01

The phenomenon of adopting a religious lifestyle is growing worldwide in general and in Israel in particular. In the Israeli context, the transition from a secular lifestyle to a religious one is defined as "repentance". Sociologists define the repentant as someone who has changed his or her beliefs, opinions and behaviours in the…

Impact of drought on morphological, physiological and nutrient use efficiency of elite Cacao genotypes from Bahia-Brazil, Tarapoto-Peru and Puerto Rico-USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Worldwide, drought is considered one of the most limiting abiotic stress factors for cacao growth, development and production. Climatic changes that are occurring in the tropics such as inconsistent and reduced rainfall patterns, and high temperatures in many cacao growing regions has impacted yiel...

Teachers' Perceptions of Technology Integration in the United Arab Emirates School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almekhlafi, Abdurrahman Ghaleb; Almeqdadi, Farouq Ahmad

2010-01-01

Technology is a growing part of any society today. Educational technology has become a cornerstone for any country's efforts to improve students' performance at K-12 schools. It has become the focus of educators worldwide. However, research studies investigating technology integration, particularly at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) K-12 schools,…

Introduction to SWAT+, a completely restructured version of the soil and water assessment tool

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

SWAT+ is a completely revised version of SWAT that was developed to face present and future challenges in water resources modeling and management and to meet the needs of the growing worldwide user community. SWAT+ addresses several of the limitations of the model reported in the large body of peer...

The Contribution of TIMSS to the Link between School and Classroom Factors and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drent, Marjolein; Meelissen, Martina R. M.; van der Kleij, Fabienne M.

2013-01-01

Worldwide, the interest of policy-makers in participating in studies from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has been growing rapidly over the past two decades. These studies offer the opportunity to relate the teaching and…

"Kitchen Table Prejudices" in the Diverse Classrooms of Today: Some Research-Based Approaches to Teaching Majority Students about Minority Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asmar, Christine

2017-01-01

Worldwide awareness is slowly growing that Indigenous histories and perspectives are, or should be, integral to the attributes of global citizens graduating from our universities. In this context, an investigation of how Indigenous perspectives are being taught in Australian universities offered a heretofore underutilized avenue toward getting…

The Outlook in Business and Related Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Robert

2009-01-01

As oil prices fluctuate widely and a worldwide recession grows, people are seeing a fundamental shift in the U.S. economy and in consumer buying behavior. This shift is forcing every organization to maximize its efficiency in order to remain profitable and is thereby creating a higher demand for new staff who have management and project management…

Asia and the Pacific: Issues of Educational Policy, Curriculum, and Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Donald C., Ed.; And Others

The Pacific region is growing in worldwide importance in terms of politics, economics, and culture. The emergence of this area of the world provides an opportunity for new directions in social studies education. This book addresses the Pacific Rim issues from the viewpoints of educators from 9 Pacific nations: Australia, Canada, Fiji, Japan,…

Tracking the Rise of Web Information Needs for Mobile Education and an Emerging Trend of Digital Divide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Meilan; Trussell, Robert P.; Tillman, Daniel A.; An, Song A.

2015-01-01

In recent years, smartphones and tablets have been rapidly adopted by consumers worldwide. Within the United States, a growing number of school districts have incorporated tablets into classroom instruction. As mobile technology becomes further integrated into households and classrooms, parents, teachers, and students might need information for…

Search Engine Technology Impetus for the Knowledge Revolution in Business Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Owen P., Jr.

2004-01-01

Two equally powerful forces are helping shape the future of business education. First is the growing requirement for competent business managers on a worldwide basis. Second are the changing demands on our academic libraries as a result of the ongoing digital revolution. These dynamics call for new and innovative education systems such as…

The Use of Simulation in Audiology Education to Improve Students' Professional Competency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alanazi, Ahmad A.

2017-01-01

Thousands of children are diagnosed with hearing loss every year in the United States (U.S.) and worldwide. The advanced technology and the growing body of research support the early identification, diagnosis, and intervention of these children, so training audiology students and other healthcare students (e.g., nursing students) is important.…

Transnational Spaces of Education: The Growth of the International School Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayden, Mary

2011-01-01

One area in which the impact of globalisation can be seen is that of education. This article suggests that there are currently two main aspects of the growing internationalisation of education at school level: the internationalisation of national systems of education and the growth in numbers of international schools worldwide. It is the latter…

Financing EU Student Mobility: A Proposed Credit Union Scheme for Europe. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.17.10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoareau, Cecile

2010-01-01

Governments worldwide face the challenge of financing a growing student population with limited resources, especially in the current context of difficult economic recovery. Student loan schemes, because they appear as cost-efficient and are defendable on the lines of social equity (students invest in their future), are increasingly politically…

Part-Time Lecturers Teaching Part-Time Learners at University: A Transformation Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

February, C.; Koetsier, J.; Walters, S.

2010-01-01

The relationship between the academic labour market and the global labour market provides an important context for this research. There appear to be growing numbers of part-time lecturers at universities worldwide, which is seen as an extension of casualisation of labour more generally. From a social justice perspective, it is therefore of concern…

A Simple and Practical Index to Measure Dementia-Related Quality of Life.

PubMed

Arons, Alexander M M; Schölzel-Dorenbos, Carla J M; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M; Krabbe, Paul F M

2016-01-01

Research on new treatments for dementia is gaining pace worldwide in an effort to alleviate this growing health care problem. The optimal evaluation of such interventions, however, calls for a practical and credible patient-reported outcome measure. To describe the refinement of the Dementia Quality-of-life Instrument (DQI) and present its revised version. A prototype of the DQI was adapted to cover a broader range of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to improve consistency in the descriptions of its domains. A valuation study was then conducted to assign meaningful numbers to all DQI health states. Pairs of DQI states were presented to a sample of professionals working with people with dementia and a representative sample of the Dutch population. They had to repeatedly select the best DQI state, and their responses were statistically modeled to obtain values for each health state. In total, 207 professionals working with people with dementia and 631 members of the general population completed the paired comparison tasks. Statistically significant differences between the two samples were found for the domains of social functioning, mood, and memory. Severe problems with physical health and severe memory problems were deemed most important by the general population. In contrast, severe mood problems were considered most important by professionals working with people with dementia. The DQI is a simple and feasible measurement instrument that expresses the overall HRQOL of people suffering from dementia in a single meaningful number. Current results suggest that revisiting the discussion of using values from the general population might be warranted in the dementia context. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methamphetamine-Associated Cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Won, Sekon; Hong, Robert A.; Shohet, Ralph V.; Seto, Todd B.; Parikh, Nisha I.

2015-01-01

Methamphetamine and related compounds are now the second most commonly used illicit substance worldwide, after cannabis. Reports of methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy (MAC) are increasing, but MAC has not been well reviewed. This analysis of MAC will provide an overview of the pharmacology of methamphetamine, historical perspective and epidemiology, a review of case and clinical studies, and a summary of the proposed mechanisms for MAC. Clinically, many questions remain, including the appropriate therapeutic interventions for MAC, the incidence and prevalence of cardiac pathology in methamphetamine users, risk factors for developing MAC, and prognosis of these patients. In conclusion, recognition of the significance of MAC among physicians and other medical caregivers is important given the growing use of methamphetamine and related stimulants worldwide. PMID:24037954

It's Not a Math Lesson--We're Learning to Draw! Teachers' Use of Visual Representations in Instructing Word Problem Solving in Sixth Grade of Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boonen, Anton J. H.; Reed, Helen C.; Schoonenboom, Judith; Jolles, Jelle

2016-01-01

Non-routine word problem solving is an essential feature of the mathematical development of elementary school students worldwide. Many students experience difficulties in solving these problems due to erroneous problem comprehension. These difficulties could be alleviated by instructing students how to use visual representations that clarify the…

SHEPHERD CREEK, CINCINNATI, OH: USING TRADABLE CREDITS TO CONTROL EXCESS STORMWATER RUNOFF

EPA Science Inventory

The problem of managing stormwater runoff grows apace with continued urbanization, yet the management tools for this growing non-point source problem have not fully kept up. The rapid growth of stormwater utilities around the nation is an important step toward providing an ef...

Technology improves upper extremity rehabilitation.

PubMed

Kowalczewski, Jan; Prochazka, Arthur

2011-01-01

Stroke survivors with hemiparesis and spinal cord injury (SCI) survivors with tetraplegia find it difficult or impossible to perform many activities of daily life. There is growing evidence that intensive exercise therapy, especially when supplemented with functional electrical stimulation (FES), can improve upper extremity function, but delivering the treatment can be costly, particularly after recipients leave rehabilitation facilities. Recently, there has been a growing level of interest among researchers and healthcare policymakers to deliver upper extremity treatments to people in their homes using in-home teletherapy (IHT). The few studies that have been carried out so far have encountered a variety of logistical and technical problems, not least the difficulty of conducting properly controlled and blinded protocols that satisfy the requirements of high-level evidence-based research. In most cases, the equipment and communications technology were not designed for individuals with upper extremity disability. It is clear that exercise therapy combined with interventions such as FES, supervised over the Internet, will soon be adopted worldwide in one form or another. Therefore it is timely that researchers, clinicians, and healthcare planners interested in assessing IHT be aware of the pros and cons of the new technology and the factors involved in designing appropriate studies of it. It is crucial to understand the technical barriers, the role of telesupervisors, the motor improvements that participants can reasonably expect and the process of optimizing IHT-exercise therapy protocols to maximize the benefits of the emerging technology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Member Input Sought to Ensure AGU's Continued Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, Timothy L.

2008-11-01

As an organization, AGU is indeed fortunate. Our Union has a growing membership worldwide with an average annual increase of 5.9% over the last 5 years. We are financially strong; we have planned carefully and managed our assets and our annual budgets so that we are able to navigate difficult times. Our Fall Meeting is ``the'' event for Earth and space scientists from more than 100 countries. Our publications continue to grow and evolve. Our outreach programs are gaining recognition in the communities we serve. Our development efforts are strengthening our ability to do more without taxing the revenues from meetings and publications. AGU is a preeminent scientific society.

The status of adolescent medicine: building a global adolescent workforce.

PubMed

Lee, Lana; Upadhya, Krishna K; Matson, Pamela A; Adger, Hoover; Trent, Maria E

2016-08-01

Remarkable public health achievements to reduce infant and child mortality as well as improve the health and well-being of children worldwide have successfully resulted in increased survival and a growing population of young people aged 10-24 years. Population trends indicate that the current generation of 1.8 billion young people is the largest in history. However, there is a scarcity of dedicated resources available to effectively meet the health needs of adolescents and young adults worldwide. Growing recognition of the pivotal roles young people play in the cultures, societies, and countries in which they live has spurred an expanding global movement to address the needs of this special population. Building an effective global workforce of highly-skilled adolescent health professionals who understand the unique biological, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors that affect the health of adolescents is a critical step in addressing the health needs of the growing cohort of young people. In this review, we aim to: 1) define a global assessment of the health needs for adolescents around the world; 2) describe examples of current training programs and requirements in adolescent medicine; 3) identify existing gaps and barriers to develop an effective adolescent health workforce; and 4) develop a call for targeted actions to build capacity of the adolescent health workforce, broaden culturally relevant research and evidence-based intervention strategies, and reinforce existing interdisciplinary global networks of youth advocates and adolescent health professionals to maximize the opportunities for training, research, and care delivery.

The status of adolescent medicine: Building a global adolescent workforce

PubMed Central

Lee, Lana; Upadhya, Krishna K; Matson, Pamela; Adger, Hoover; Trent, Maria E

2016-01-01

Remarkable public health achievements to reduce infant and child mortality and improve the health and well-being of children worldwide have successfully resulted in increased survival and a growing population of young people aged 10–24 years. Population trends indicate that the current generation of 1.8 billion young people is the largest in history, but there is a scarcity of dedicated resources available to effectively meet the health needs of adolescents and young adults worldwide. Growing recognition of the pivotal roles young people play in the cultures, societies, and countries in which they live has spurred an expanding global movement to address the needs of this special population. Building an effective global workforce of highly-skilled adolescent health professionals who understand the unique biological, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors that impact the health of adolescents is a critical step in addressing the health needs of the growing cohort of young people. In this review, we aim to: 1) Define a global assessment of the health needs for adolescents around the world; 2) Describe examples of current training programs and requirements in Adolescent Medicine; 3) Identify existing gaps and barriers to develop an effective adolescent health workforce; and 4) Develop a call for targeted actions to build capacity of the adolescent health workforce, broaden culturally relevant research and evidence-based intervention strategies, and reinforce existing interdisciplinary global networks of youth advocates and adolescent health professionals to maximize the opportunities for training, research, and care delivery. PMID:26167974

Reflections on the maternal mortality millennium goal.

PubMed

Lawson, Gerald W; Keirse, Marc J N C

2013-06-01

Nearly every 2 minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman dies because of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Every such death is an overwhelming catastrophe for everyone confronted with it. Most deaths occur in developing countries, especially in Africa and southern Asia, but a significant number also occur in the developed world. We examined the available data on the progress and the challenges to the United Nations' fifth Millennium Development Goal of achieving a 75 percent worldwide reduction in the maternal mortality by 2015 from what it was in 1990. Some countries, such as Belarus, Egypt, Estonia, Honduras, Iran, Lithuania, Malaysia, Romania, Sri Lanka and Thailand, are likely to meet the target by 2015. Many poor countries with weak health infrastructures and high fertility rates are unlikely to meet the goal. Some, such as Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Guyana, Lesotho, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, had worse maternal mortality ratios in 2010 than in 1990, partially because of wars and civil strife. Worldwide, the leading causes of maternal death are still hemorrhage, hypertension, sepsis, obstructed labor, and unsafe abortions, while indirect causes are gaining in importance in developed countries. Maternal death is especially distressing if it was potentially preventable. However, as there is no single cause, there is no silver bullet to correct the problem. Many countries also face new challenges as their childbearing population is growing in age and in weight. Much remains to be done to make safe motherhood a reality. © 2013, Copyright the Authors, Journal compilation © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Risk management and regulations for lower limb medical exoskeletons: a review

PubMed Central

He, Yongtian; Eguren, David; Luu, Trieu Phat; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L

2017-01-01

Gait disability is a major health care problem worldwide. Powered exoskeletons have recently emerged as devices that can enable users with gait disabilities to ambulate in an upright posture, and potentially bring other clinical benefits. In 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of the ReWalk™ Personal Exoskeleton as a class II medical device with special controls. Since then, Indego™ and Ekso™ have also received regulatory approval. With similar trends worldwide, this industry is likely to grow rapidly. On the other hand, the regulatory science of powered exoskeletons is still developing. The type and extent of probable risks of these devices are yet to be understood, and industry standards are yet to be developed. To address this gap, Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience, Clinicaltrials.gov, and PubMed databases were searched for reports of adverse events and inclusion and exclusion criteria involving the use of lower limb powered exoskeletons. Current inclusion and exclusion criteria, which can determine probable risks, were found to be diverse. Reported adverse events and identified risks of current devices are also wide-ranging. In light of these findings, current regulations, standards, and regulatory procedures for medical device applications in the USA, Europe, and Japan were also compared. There is a need to raise awareness of probable risks associated with the use of powered exoskeletons and to develop adequate countermeasures, standards, and regulations for these human-machine systems. With appropriate risk mitigation strategies, adequate standards, comprehensive reporting of adverse events, and regulatory oversight, powered exoskeletons may one day allow individuals with gait disabilities to safely and independently ambulate. PMID:28533700

Cost-of-illness studies in heart failure: a systematic review 2004-2016.

PubMed

Lesyuk, Wladimir; Kriza, Christine; Kolominsky-Rabas, Peter

2018-05-02

Heart failure is a major and growing medical and economic problem worldwide as 1-2% of the healthcare budget are spent for heart failure. The prevalence of heart failure has increased over the past decades and it is expected that there will be further raise due to the higher proportion of elderly in the western societies. In this context cost-of-illness studies can significantly contribute to a better understanding of the drivers and problems which lead to the increasing costs in heart failure. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of published cost-of-illness studies related to heart failure to highlight the increasing cost impact of heart failure. A systematic review was conducted from 2004 to 2016 to identify cost-of-illness studies related to heart failure, searching PubMed (Medline), Cochrane, Science Direct (Embase), Scopus and CRD York Database. Of the total of 16 studies identified, 11 studies reported prevalence-based estimates, 2 studies focused on incidence-based data and 3 articles presented both types of cost data. A large variation concerning cost components and estimates can be noted. Only three studies estimated indirect costs. Most of the included studies have shown that the costs for hospital admission are the most expensive cost element. Estimates for annual prevalence-based costs for heart failure patients range from $868 for South Korea to $25,532 for Germany. The lifetime costs for heart failure patients have been estimated to $126.819 per patient. Our review highlights the considerable and growing economic burden of heart failure on the health care systems. The cost-of-illness studies included in this review show large variations in methodology used and the cost results vary consequently. High quality data from cost-of-illness studies with a robust methodology applied can inform policy makers about the major cost drivers of heart failure and can be used as the basis of further economic evaluations.

Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance

PubMed Central

Samsel, Anthony

2013-01-01

Celiac disease, and, more generally, gluten intolerance, is a growing problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe, where an estimated 5% of the population now suffers from it. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer. Here, we propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup®, is the most important causal factor in this epidemic. Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease. Celiac disease is associated with imbalances in gut bacteria that can be fully explained by the known effects of glyphosate on gut bacteria. Characteristics of celiac disease point to impairment in many cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are involved with detoxifying environmental toxins, activating vitamin D3, catabolizing vitamin A, and maintaining bile acid production and sulfate supplies to the gut. Glyphosate is known to inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes. Deficiencies in iron, cobalt, molybdenum, copper and other rare metals associated with celiac disease can be attributed to glyphosate's strong ability to chelate these elements. Deficiencies in tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and selenomethionine associated with celiac disease match glyphosate's known depletion of these amino acids. Celiac disease patients have an increased risk to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which has also been implicated in glyphosate exposure. Reproductive issues associated with celiac disease, such as infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects, can also be explained by glyphosate. Glyphosate residues in wheat and other crops are likely increasing recently due to the growing practice of crop desiccation just prior to the harvest. We argue that the practice of “ripening” sugar cane with glyphosate may explain the recent surge in kidney failure among agricultural workers in Central America. We conclude with a plea to governments to reconsider policies regarding the safety of glyphosate residues in foods. PMID:24678255

Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance.

PubMed

Samsel, Anthony; Seneff, Stephanie

2013-12-01

Celiac disease, and, more generally, gluten intolerance, is a growing problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe, where an estimated 5% of the population now suffers from it. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer. Here, we propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup(®), is the most important causal factor in this epidemic. Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease. Celiac disease is associated with imbalances in gut bacteria that can be fully explained by the known effects of glyphosate on gut bacteria. Characteristics of celiac disease point to impairment in many cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are involved with detoxifying environmental toxins, activating vitamin D3, catabolizing vitamin A, and maintaining bile acid production and sulfate supplies to the gut. Glyphosate is known to inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes. Deficiencies in iron, cobalt, molybdenum, copper and other rare metals associated with celiac disease can be attributed to glyphosate's strong ability to chelate these elements. Deficiencies in tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and selenomethionine associated with celiac disease match glyphosate's known depletion of these amino acids. Celiac disease patients have an increased risk to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which has also been implicated in glyphosate exposure. Reproductive issues associated with celiac disease, such as infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects, can also be explained by glyphosate. Glyphosate residues in wheat and other crops are likely increasing recently due to the growing practice of crop desiccation just prior to the harvest. We argue that the practice of "ripening" sugar cane with glyphosate may explain the recent surge in kidney failure among agricultural workers in Central America. We conclude with a plea to governments to reconsider policies regarding the safety of glyphosate residues in foods.

[Problem issues related to HIV/AIDS in Eastern European and Central Asian countries].

PubMed

Onishchenko, G G

2007-01-01

HIV has been spreading over the territories of our countries for 18 years, and it is still possible to resist the epidemic in a unique and efficient way. In June 2001, the UNO General Assembly Special Session was devoted to the problem of HIV/AIDS in full. Its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (Resolution S-26/2) defines main directions of this work both in world-wide, regional, and international scopes. It should be stressed that first of all the Declaration emphasizes the necessity to improve management and coordination of efforts at the global, regional, and national levels, which is of special importance to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where a new phase of HIV infection epidemic has begun and the spread of the virus grows and very soon may gain uncontrollable character. As for the countries of our region, here the epidemic process has been developing mostly through sexual way of transmission for 8 years since 1987, when the first case of HIV infection was revealed. More than 350000 HIV-infected people, including more than 15,000 children, have been registered in Russian Federation. More than 9000 people have died. The proportion of childbearing age women constantly grows, and the number of children born to mothers with AIDS has now exceeded 15,000. To realize the component "Prevention of HIV infection, B and C hepatitis, and revealing and treatment of HIV patients" of the priority national health project, 3.1 billion rubles are allocated for the prophylaxis of and fight against HIV and AIDS. The measures that are planned to take will allow for principle changes in the present situation with medical aid providence of contemporary antiretroviral medicines. Russian Orthodox Church with its parishes, monasteries etc. carries out numerous projects of primary HIV prophylaxis among children and young people in different regions; these projects are directed towards forming moral values.

The use of forests for the purpose of tourism: the case of Belek Tourism Center in Turkey.

PubMed

Kuvan, Yalçin

2005-05-01

The main aim of this article is to examine and review the usage of forests for the purpose of tourism in Turkey with the case study of Antalya-Belek. The use and conversion of forest lands is central to tourism development. Land use change is responsible for the majority of the negative environmental impacts of tourism on natural resources. Worldwide, forests and coastal zones are converted for the construction of tourist facilities. The rapid emergence of mass tourism development in Turkey, encouraged without considering protection and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources, has resulted in serious problems in forest areas. This paper is particularly concerned with land use change in forests (or deforestation) created by the allocation of forest lands to build tourist facilities. In Belek, a tourism center located in Antalya province's coastal areas and the fastest growing destination of the country, all tourist facilities have been established in forest lands under the status of conservation forest. Today, the Belek Conservation Forest is under severe pressure from tourism.

Transcription Factors as Therapeutic Targets in Chronic Kidney Disease.

PubMed

Hishikawa, Akihito; Hayashi, Kaori; Itoh, Hiroshi

2018-05-09

The growing number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is recognized as an emerging problem worldwide. Recent studies have indicated that deregulation of transcription factors is associated with the onset or progression of kidney disease. Several clinical trials indicated that regression of CKD may be feasible via activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), which suggests that transcription factors may be potential drug targets for CKD. Agents stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which may be beneficial for renal anemia and renal protection, are also now under clinical trial. Recently, we have reported that the transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) regulates the glomerular podocyte epigenome, and that the antiproteinuric effect of the renin⁻angiotensin system blockade may be partially mediated by KLF4. KLF4 is one of the Yamanaka factors that induces iPS cells and is reported to be involved in epigenetic remodeling. In this article, we summarize the transcription factors associated with CKD and particularly focus on the possibility of transcription factors being novel drug targets for CKD through epigenetic modulation.

Silver nanoparticles as potential antibacterial agents.

PubMed

Franci, Gianluigi; Falanga, Annarita; Galdiero, Stefania; Palomba, Luciana; Rai, Mahendra; Morelli, Giancarlo; Galdiero, Massimiliano

2015-05-18

Multi-drug resistance is a growing problem in the treatment of infectious diseases and the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has produced antibiotic resistance for many human bacterial pathogens. Advances in nanotechnology have opened new horizons in nanomedicine, allowing the synthesis of nanoparticles that can be assembled into complex architectures. Novel studies and technologies are devoted to understanding the mechanisms of disease for the design of new drugs, but unfortunately infectious diseases continue to be a major health burden worldwide. Since ancient times, silver was known for its anti-bacterial effects and for centuries it has been used for prevention and control of disparate infections. Currently nanotechnology and nanomaterials are fully integrated in common applications and objects that we use every day. In addition, the silver nanoparticles are attracting much interest because of their potent antibacterial activity. Many studies have also shown an important activity of silver nanoparticles against bacterial biofilms. This review aims to summarize the emerging efforts to address current challenges and solutions in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly the use of nanosilver antimicrobials.

Quality palliative care for cancer and dementia in five European countries: some common challenges

PubMed Central

Davies, Nathan; Maio, Laura; van Riet Paap, Jasper; Mariani, Elena; Jaspers, Birgit; Sommerbakk, Ragni; Grammatico, Daniela; Manthorpe, Jill; Ahmedzai, Sam; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra; Iliffe, Steve

2013-01-01

Objectives There is a growing consensus worldwide that palliative care needs to be both more inclusive of conditions other than cancer and to improve. This paper explores some common challenges currently faced by professionals providing palliative care for patients with either cancer or dementia across five countries. Method One focus group (n = 7) and 67 interviews were conducted in 2012 across five countries: England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, with professionals from dementia, cancer and palliative care settings. Results The interviews revealed five common challenges faced across the five countries: communication difficulties (between services; and between professionals, and patients and their families); the variable extent of structural/functional integration of services; the difficulties in funding of palliative care services; problematic processes of care (boundaries, definitions, knowledge, skills and inclusiveness) and, finally, time constraints. Conclusion These are not problems distinct to palliative care, but they may have different origins and explanations compared to other areas of health care. This paper explored deeper themes hidden behind a discourse about barriers and facilitators to improving care. PMID:24131061

Skin cancers in elderly patients.

PubMed

Malaguarnera, Giulia; Giordano, Maria; Cappellani, Alessandro; Berretta, Massimiliano; Malaguarnera, Michele; Perrotta, Rosario Emanuele

2013-11-01

Cancer in older people is a common problem worldwide. Among various types of cancer, skin cancers represent an important percentage. The principal risk factors are sun exposure, family history of skin cancer, fair skin color, but also the age plays an important role in the genesis of skin cancers. In older people there are a more prolonged exposure to carcinogenesis and a decreased functionality of reparation mechanisms of the cells so they acquire a selective advantage of growing and proliferating. At the same time age causes alteration in immune system by increasing NK-cells absolute number and decreasing both the endogenous and the lymphokine-induced lytic activities. The anti-tumor immune response is also mediated by the cytotoxic T- lymphocytes and in the elderly a strong reduction of T-cell function has been demonstrated. In elderly patients the diagnosis and the treatment of skin cancers can be different from younger counterpart. For example in older patients with melanoma is important to evaluate Breslow depth while higher mitotic rate has major value in younger patients. Moreover, the treatment should consider the performance status of patients and their compliance.

Matrix ageing and vascular impacts: focus on elastin fragmentation.

PubMed

Duca, Laurent; Blaise, Sébastien; Romier, Béatrice; Laffargue, Muriel; Gayral, Stéphanie; El Btaouri, Hassan; Kawecki, Charlotte; Guillot, Alexandre; Martiny, Laurent; Debelle, Laurent; Maurice, Pascal

2016-06-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide and represent a major problem of public health. Over the years, life expectancy has considerably increased throughout the world, and the prevalence of CVD is inevitably rising with the growing ageing of the population. The normal process of ageing is associated with progressive deterioration in structure and function of the vasculature, commonly called vascular ageing. At the vascular level, extracellular matrix (ECM) ageing leads to molecular alterations in long half-life proteins, such as elastin and collagen, and have critical effects on vascular diseases. This review highlights ECM alterations occurring during vascular ageing with a specific focus on elastin fragmentation and also the contribution of elastin-derived peptides (EDP) in age-related vascular complications. Moreover, current and new pharmacological strategies aiming at minimizing elastin degradation, EDP generation, and associated biological effects are discussed. These strategies may be of major relevance for preventing and/or delaying vascular ageing and its complications. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. aqueous extract attenuates hepatic steatosis through down-regulation of PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c in diet-induced obese mice.

PubMed

Villalpando-Arteaga, Edgar Vinicio; Mendieta-Condado, Edgar; Esquivel-Solís, Hugo; Canales-Aguirre, Arturo Alejandro; Gálvez-Gastélum, Francisco Javier; Mateos-Díaz, Juan Carlos; Rodríguez-González, Jorge Alberto; Márquez-Aguirre, Ana Laura

2013-04-25

The growing incidence of obesity is a worldwide public health problem leading to a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which extends from steatosis to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. We investigated whether the aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Hs) reduces body weight gain and protects the liver by improving lipid metabolism in high fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6NHsd mice. We found that oral administration of the Hs extract reduced fat tissue accumulation, diminished body weight gain and normalized the glycemic index as well as reduced dyslipidemia compared to the obese mice group that did not receive Hs treatment. In addition, Hs treatment attenuated liver steatosis, down-regulated SREBP-1c and PPAR-γ, blocked the increase of IL-1, TNF-α mRNA and lipoperoxidation and increased catalase mRNA. Our results suggest that the anti-obesity, anti-lipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of the Hs extract are related to the regulation of PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c in the liver.

Globalization and Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Carter, Lyn; Chiu, Mei-Hung; Duit, Reinders; Martin, Sonya; Siry, Christina; Krajcik, Joseph; Shin, Namsoo; Choi, Kyunghee; Lee, Hyunju; Kim, Sung-Won

2013-06-01

Processes of globalization have played a major role in economic and cultural change worldwide. More recently, there is a growing literature on rethinking science education research and development from the perspective of globalization. This paper provides a critical overview of the state and future development of science education research from the perspective of globalization. Two facets are given major attention. First, the further development of science education as an international research domain is critically analyzed. It seems that there is a predominance of researchers stemming from countries in which English is the native language or at least a major working language. Second, the significance of rethinking the currently dominant variants of science instruction from the perspectives of economic and cultural globalization is given major attention. On the one hand, it is argued that processes concerning globalization of science education as a research domain need to take into account the richness of the different cultures of science education around the world. At the same time, it is essential to develop ways of science instruction that make students aware of the various advantages, challenges and problems of international economic and cultural globalization.

Globalization and Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Carter, Lyn; Chiu, Mei-Hung; Duit, Reinders; Martin, Sonya; Siry, Christina; Krajcik, Joseph; Shin, Namsoo; Choi, Kyunghee; Lee, Hyunju; Kim, Sung-Won

2012-12-01

Processes of globalization have played a major role in economic and cultural change worldwide. More recently, there is a growing literature on rethinking science education research and development from the perspective of globalization. This paper provides a critical overview of the state and future development of science education research from the perspective of globalization. Two facets are given major attention. First, the further development of science education as an international research domain is critically analyzed. It seems that there is a predominance of researchers stemming from countries in which English is the native language or at least a major working language. Second, the significance of rethinking the currently dominant variants of science instruction from the perspectives of economic and cultural globalization is given major attention. On the one hand, it is argued that processes concerning globalization of science education as a research domain need to take into account the richness of the different cultures of science education around the world. At the same time, it is essential to develop ways of science instruction that make students aware of the various advantages, challenges and problems of international economic and cultural globalization.

Naïve Human Antibody Libraries for Infectious Diseases.

PubMed

Chan, Soo Khim; Rahumatullah, Anizah; Lai, Jing Yi; Lim, Theam Soon

2017-01-01

Many countries are facing an uphill battle in combating the spread of infectious diseases. The constant evolution of microorganisms magnifies the problem as it facilitates the re-emergence of old infectious diseases as well as promote the introduction of new and more deadly variants. Evidently, infectious diseases have contributed to an alarming rate of mortality worldwide making it a growing concern. Historically, antibodies have been used successfully to prevent and treat infectious diseases since the nineteenth century using antisera collected from immunized animals. The inherent ability of antibodies to trigger effector mechanisms aids the immune system to fight off pathogens that invades the host. Immune libraries have always been an important source of antibodies for infectious diseases due to the skewed repertoire generated post infection. Even so, the role and ability of naïve antibody libraries should not be underestimated. The naïve repertoire has its own unique advantages in generating antibodies against target antigens. This chapter will highlight the concept, advantages and application of human naïve libraries as a source to isolate antibodies against infectious disease target antigens.

Energy Drink Consumption in Europe: A Review of the Risks, Adverse Health Effects, and Policy Options to Respond

PubMed Central

Breda, João Joaquim; Whiting, Stephen Hugh; Encarnação, Ricardo; Norberg, Stina; Jones, Rebecca; Reinap, Marge; Jewell, Jo

2014-01-01

With the worldwide consumption of energy drinks increasing in recent years, concerns have been raised both in the scientific community and among the general public about the health effects of these products. Recent studies provide data on consumption patterns in Europe; however, more research is needed to determine the potential for adverse health effects related to the increasing consumption of energy drinks, particularly among young people. A review of the literature was conducted to identify published articles that examined the health risks, consequences, and policies related to energy drink consumption. The health risks associated with energy drink consumption are primarily related to their caffeine content, but more research is needed that evaluates the long-term effects of consuming common energy drink ingredients. The evidence indicating adverse health effects due to the consumption of energy drinks with alcohol is growing. The risks of heavy consumption of energy drinks among young people have largely gone unaddressed and are poised to become a significant public health problem in the future. PMID:25360435

The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in developing countries; the current scenario in Pakistan.

PubMed

Yousaf, Muhammad Z; Zia, Sadia; Babar, Masroor E; Ashfaq, Usman A

2011-08-12

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency virus) causes (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) AIDS, in which the immune system of body totally fails to develop any defense against the foreign invaders. Infection with HIV occurs by transfer of blood, semen, and breast milk. HIV/AIDS is a global problem and it results nearly 25 million deaths worldwide. Developing countries like Pakistan have issues regarding Public Health. Currently, epidemic of HIV/AIDS is established in Pakistan and there is a threat of an expanded HIV/AIDS outbreak in the country. The major reason is that population is engaging in high-risk practices, low awareness about HIV/AIDS, and treacherous blood transfusion practices. A supplementary threat to Pakistan is India because both sharing a border and India is facing a rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Local NGOs, National and International organizations are warning that in near future Pakistan may experiences bad situation regarding HIV/AIDS.In the present article we focused current situation of surveillance of HIV/AIDS, its virology, genotype, diagnostics, high-risk groups, reasons of vulnerability in Pakistani population, and the role of different national and international organizations in this situation.

Waste printed circuit board recycling techniques and product utilization.

PubMed

Hadi, Pejman; Xu, Meng; Lin, Carol S K; Hui, Chi-Wai; McKay, Gordon

2015-01-01

E-waste, in particular waste PCBs, represents a rapidly growing disposal problem worldwide. The vast diversity of highly toxic materials for landfill disposal and the potential of heavy metal vapors and brominated dioxin emissions in the case of incineration render these two waste management technologies inappropriate. Also, the shipment of these toxic wastes to certain areas of the world for eco-unfriendly "recycling" has recently generated a major public outcry. Consequently, waste PCB recycling should be adopted by the environmental communities as an ultimate goal. This article reviews the recent trends and developments in PCB waste recycling techniques, including both physical and chemical recycling. It is concluded that the physical recycling techniques, which efficiently separate the metallic and nonmetallic fractions of waste PCBs, offer the most promising gateways for the environmentally-benign recycling of this waste. Moreover, although the reclaimed metallic fraction has gained more attention due to its high value, the application of the nonmetallic fraction has been neglected in most cases. Hence, several proposed applications of this fraction have been comprehensively examined. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resistance to Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in Salmonella from a Broiler Supply Chain

PubMed Central

Gelinski, Jane Mary Lafayette Neves; Bombassaro, Amanda; Baratto, César Milton; Vicente, Vânia Aparecida

2014-01-01

The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae varies worldwide, however, the incidence of ESBL-producing environmental Salmonella isolates is increasing. Salmonella is still one of the most important pathogens that occur in the poultry supply chain. Therefore, this study analyzed the susceptibility of Salmonella isolates collected from a poultry supply chain to β-lactam antibiotics, and examined the phenotypes of the isolates based on enzyme-inducible AmpC β-lactamase analysis. All analysis of the putative positive isolates in the current study confirmed that 27.02% (77/285 analysis) of all ESBL tests realized with the isolates produced a profile of resistance consistent with β-lactamase production. All isolates of S. Minnesota serotype had ESBL phenotype. Aztreonam resistance was the least common amongst the Salmonella isolates, followed by ceftazidime. The presence of inducible chromosomal ESBL was detected in 14 different isolates of the 19 serotypes investigated. These results are very indicatives of the presence of ESBL genes in Salmonella isolates from a broiler supply chain, reaffirming the growing global problem of ESBL resistance. PMID:25402566

Energy drink consumption in europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond.

PubMed

Breda, João Joaquim; Whiting, Stephen Hugh; Encarnação, Ricardo; Norberg, Stina; Jones, Rebecca; Reinap, Marge; Jewell, Jo

2014-01-01

With the worldwide consumption of energy drinks increasing in recent years, concerns have been raised both in the scientific community and among the general public about the health effects of these products. Recent studies provide data on consumption patterns in Europe; however, more research is needed to determine the potential for adverse health effects related to the increasing consumption of energy drinks, particularly among young people. A review of the literature was conducted to identify published articles that examined the health risks, consequences, and policies related to energy drink consumption. The health risks associated with energy drink consumption are primarily related to their caffeine content, but more research is needed that evaluates the long-term effects of consuming common energy drink ingredients. The evidence indicating adverse health effects due to the consumption of energy drinks with alcohol is growing. The risks of heavy consumption of energy drinks among young people have largely gone unaddressed and are poised to become a significant public health problem in the future.

Evaluation of herbicides action on plant bioindicators by genetic biomarkers: a review.

PubMed

de Souza, Cleiton Pereira; Guedes, Thays de Andrade; Fontanetti, Carmem Silvia

2016-12-01

The use of pesticides has increased worldwide, owing to the demand for products of good quality and to satisfy a growing population. Herbicides represent almost half of the total amount of pesticides used. Although important to the reduction of costs and an increase of productivity, their indiscriminate use, as well as that of the other pesticides, is a global environmental problem, since they affect the living organisms. To evaluate the damage caused by herbicides to the environment, different organisms have been used as bioindicators, especially higher plants, due to several advantages. This is a literature review on herbicidal actions in plant bioindicators, as assessed by genetic biomarkers. Also, the present manuscript aimed to characterize the main organisms (Allium cepa, Vicia faba and Tradescantia spp.) and the most used biomarkers (mitotic index, chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, sister chromatid exchange and mutations). We concluded that herbicides induce cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in the assessed bioindicators. The data corroborate the existing warnings of the risks that the indiscriminate and increasing use of pesticides poses to the environment and its biodiversity.

Advances in Imaging Approaches to Fracture Risk Evaluation

PubMed Central

Manhard, Mary Kate; Nyman, Jeffry S.; Does, Mark D.

2016-01-01

Fragility fractures are a growing problem worldwide, and current methods for diagnosing osteoporosis do not always identify individuals who require treatment to prevent a fracture and may misidentify those not a risk. Traditionally, fracture risk is assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, which provides measurements of areal bone mineral density (BMD) at sites prone to fracture. Recent advances in imaging show promise in adding new information that could improve the prediction of fracture risk in the clinic. As reviewed herein, advances in quantitative computed tomography (QCT) predict hip and vertebral body strength; high resolution HR-peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT) and micro-magnetic resonance imaging (μMRI) assess the micro-architecture of trabecular bone; quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measures the modulus or tissue stiffness of cortical bone; and quantitative ultra-short echo time MRI methods quantify the concentrations of bound water and pore water in cortical bone, which reflect a variety of mechanical properties of bone. Each of these technologies provides unique characteristics of bone and may improve fracture risk diagnoses and reduce prevalence of fractures by helping to guide treatment decisions. PMID:27816505

HPV Carcinomas in Immunocompromised Patients

PubMed Central

Reusser, Nicole M.; Downing, Christopher; Guidry, Jacqueline; Tyring, Stephen K.

2015-01-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide and can result in pre-malignancies or overt malignancies of the skin and mucosal surfaces. HPV-related illnesses are an important personal and public health problem causing physical, mental, sexual and financial detriments. Moreover, this set of malignancies severely affects the immunosuppressed population, particularly HIV-positive patients and organ-transplant recipients. There is growing incidence of HPV-associated anogenital malignancies as well as a decrease in the average age of affected patients, likely related to the rising number of high-risk individuals. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of HPV-related malignancy. Current treatment options for HPV infection and subsequent disease manifestations include imiquimod, retinoids, intralesional bleomycin, and cidofovir; however, primary prevention with HPV vaccination remains the most effective strategy. This review will discuss anogenital lesions in immunocompromised patients, cutaneous warts at nongenital sites, the association of HPV with skin cancer in immunocompromised patients, warts and carcinomas in organ-transplant patients, HIV-positive patients with HPV infections, and the management of cutaneous disease in the immunocompromised patient. PMID:26239127

Performance evaluation of NEEM oil and HONGE Oil as cutting fluid in drilling operation of mild steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jyothi, P. N.; Susmitha, M.; Sharan, P.

2017-04-01

Cutting fluids are used in machining industries for improving tool life, reducing work piece and thermal deformation, improving surface finish and flushing away chips from the cutting zone. Although the application of cutting fluids increases the tool life and Machining efficiency, but it has many major problems related to environmental impacts and health hazards along with recycling & disposal. These problems gave provision for the introduction of mineral, vegetable and animal oils. These oils play an important role in improving various machining properties, including corrosion protection, lubricity, antibacterial protection, even emulsibility and chemical stability. Compared to mineral oils, vegetable oils in general possess high viscosity index, high flash point, high lubricity and low evaporative losses. Vegetable oils can be edible or non-edible oils and Various researchers have proved that edible vegetable oils viz., palm oil, coconut oil, canola oil, soya bean oil can be effectively used as eco-friendly cutting fluid in machining operations. But in present situations harnessing edible oils for lubricants formation restricts the use due to increased demands of growing population worldwide and availability. In the present work, Non-edible vegetable oil like Neem and Honge are been used as cutting fluid for drilling of Mild steel and its effect on cutting temperature, hardness and surface roughness are been investigated. Results obtained are compared with SAE 20W40 (petroleum based cutting fluid)and dry cutting condition.

Role of the pharmacist in reducing healthcare costs: current insights

PubMed Central

Dalton, Kieran; Byrne, Stephen

2017-01-01

Global healthcare expenditure is escalating at an unsustainable rate. Money spent on medicines and managing medication-related problems continues to grow. The high prevalence of medication errors and inappropriate prescribing is a major issue within healthcare systems, and can often contribute to adverse drug events, many of which are preventable. As a result, there is a huge opportunity for pharmacists to have a significant impact on reducing healthcare costs, as they have the expertise to detect, resolve, and prevent medication errors and medication-related problems. The development of clinical pharmacy practice in recent decades has resulted in an increased number of pharmacists working in clinically advanced roles worldwide. Pharmacist-provided services and clinical interventions have been shown to reduce the risk of potential adverse drug events and improve patient outcomes, and the majority of published studies show that these pharmacist activities are cost-effective or have a good cost:benefit ratio. This review demonstrates that pharmacists can contribute to substantial healthcare savings across a variety of settings. However, there is a paucity of evidence in the literature highlighting the specific aspects of pharmacists’ work which are the most effective and cost-effective. Future high-quality economic evaluations with robust methodologies and study design are required to investigate what pharmacist services have significant clinical benefits to patients and substantiate the greatest cost savings for healthcare budgets. PMID:29354549

Abuse and Misuse of Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs from Community Pharmacies in Aden City-Yemen.

PubMed

Abood, Ebtesam A; Wazaify, Mayyada

2016-06-06

The abuse and misuse of prescription and nonprescription or the so-called Over-The-Counter (OTC) drugs is a serious and growing public health problem worldwide. The increased availability of these drugs has contributed to a dramatic rise of inappropriate use. The aim of this study was to investigate abuse/misuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs in community pharmacies in Aden city-Yemen and to gather information about suspected drug abusers in the community. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire randomly distributed to 200 community pharmacies (June-September 2013). Data were coded and analyzed using SPSS Results: A total of 170 pharmacists completed the questionnaire (85.0% response rate), more than half of which (57.7%) suspected drug abuse/misuse in their pharmacies. The top four suspected medications of abuse were Alprazolam, Ketoprofen, Tramadol, and antibiotics. Most participating pharmacists in this study (83.3%) noticed an increasing pattern of abuse/misuse. The majority of suspects of prescription and non-prescription drug abuse (64.1%) were either chewing Khat or carrying it while buying the drug from the pharmacists. Abuse/misuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs is present in community pharmacies in Aden and it is linked to the recreational use of Khat. Current methods for controlling the problem are ineffective, and better methods should be developed.

Model or Myopia? Exploiting Water Markets to Address Population and Drought Risks in a Changing World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, P. M.

2012-12-01

Climate change, population demands, and evolving land-use represent strong risks to the sustainable development and stability of world-wide urban water supplies. There is a growing consensus that non-structural supply management instruments such as water markets have significant potential to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities in complex urban water systems. This paper asks a common question, what are the tradeoffs for a city using water market supply instruments?. This question emerges quickly in policy and management, but its answer is deceptively difficult to attain using traditional planning tools and management frameworks. This research demonstrates new frameworks that facilitate rapid evaluation of hypotheses on the reliability, resiliency, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of urban water supply systems. This study considers a broader exploration of the issues of "nonstationarity" and "uncertainty" in urban water planning. As we invest in new information and prediction frameworks for the coupled human-natural systems that define our water, our problem definitions (i.e., objectives, constraints, preferences, and hypotheses) themselves evolve. From a formal mathematical perspective, this means that our management problems are structurally uncertain and nonstationary (i.e., the definition of optimality changes across regions, times, and stakeholders). This uncertainty and nonstationarity in our problem definitions needs to be more explicitly acknowledged in adaptive management and integrated water resources management. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of exploring these issues in the context of a city in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas, USA determining how to use its regional water market to manage population and drought risks.

Internationalization of Higher Education and Language Policy: The Case of a Bilingual University in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Ken; Lin, Chia-Yen

2017-01-01

Universities worldwide, in placing a greater emphasis on global mobility, have recently seen a growing number of in- and outbound students. Parallel to this development has been the need to internationalize individual campuses, an important aspect of which is to have a common language (or languages) used for communication. The language policies in…

Lifelong Learning: Becoming Computer Savvy at a Later Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seals, Cheryl D.; Clanton, Kelley; Agarwal, Ravikant; Doswell, Felicia; Thomas, Chippewa M.

2008-01-01

Senior citizens represent the fastest growing demographic worldwide. As indicated in the Year 2000 U.S. Census, there are 35 million people 65 or older in the United States (U.S.). By 2030, it is estimated that there will be about 70 million older adults in the U.S. alone (Chadwick-Dias, McNulty, & Tullis, 2003). With the older population…

Clean Energy Manufacturing Boosting U.S. Competitiveness

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

None

2015-09-14

Clean energy manufacturing is booming in the United States. U.S. clean energy investment topped $51 billion in 2014 alone, and even more growth is expected in the $250 billion clean energy market worldwide in coming years. America has an important opportunity to continue growing clean energy manufacturing industries, along with the high quality jobs and stronger local economies that come with them.

Changing the Introductory IS Course to Improve Future Enrollments: An Irish Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whelan, Eoin; Firth, David

2012-01-01

A significant challenge facing the IS discipline worldwide is the reversal of the low numbers of students currently enrolling in IS courses. While there is a growing body of literature which offers various insights into the IS enrollment crisis, almost all of this work is either from U.S. scholars or based on findings from U.S. universities. This…

Mind, Brain, and Education: Building a Scientific Groundwork for Learning and Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Kurt W.

2009-01-01

The primary goal of the emerging field of Mind, Brain, and Education is to join biology, cognitive science, development, and education in order to create a sound grounding of education in research. The growing, worldwide movement needs to avoid the myths and distortions of popular conceptions of brain and genetics and build on the best integration…

Mapping the Quality Assurance of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Emergence of a Specialty?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinhardt, Isabel; Schneijderberg, Christian; Götze, Nicolai; Baumann, Janosch; Krücken, Georg

2017-01-01

The quality assurance of teaching and learning as part of universities' governance and quality management has become a major subject in higher education and higher education politics worldwide. In addition, increasing academic attention has been paid to the quality assurance of teaching and learning, as is evident from the growing number of…

Immunolocalization of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid in the shoot internodes of Fargesia yunnanensis bamboo during development

Treesearch

Shuguang Wang; Yongpeng Ma; Chengbin Wan; Chungyun Hse; Todd F. Shupe; Yujun Wang; Changming Wang

2016-01-01

The Bambusoideae subfamily includes the fastest-growing plants worldwide, as a consequence of fast internode elongation. However, few studies have evaluated the temporal and spatial distribution of endogenous hormones during internode elongation. In this paper, endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were detected in different developmental...

Scientists Grow Therapeutic Protein in Engineered Soya Bean Seeds to Prevent AIDS | Poster

Cancer.gov

Genetically modified soya beans provide a scalable, low-cost method of producing microbicides that prevent AIDS, a technique sustainable for resource-poor countries where AIDS is spreading rapidly. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, more than 36 million people worldwide are living with HIV. While the number of AIDS-related deaths are decreasing,

Global Education: Controversy Remains, But Support Growing: Field Strives To Better Link Global Studies, Civics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neil, John

1989-01-01

The pace of global change and the increasing interdependence of people worldwide are the driving forces behind the need for a contemporary global education movement that reinterprets current knowledge to educate students to meet their responsibilities as citizens of an increasingly complex global society. Evaluations of U.S. 18-24-year-olds reveal…

Clean Energy Manufacturing Boosting U.S. Competitiveness

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-06

Clean energy manufacturing is booming in the United States. U.S. clean energy investment topped $51 billion in 2014 alone, and even more growth is expected in the $250 billion clean energy market worldwide in coming years. America has an important opportunity to continue growing clean energy manufacturing industries, along with the high quality jobs and stronger local economies that come with them.

Effects of irrigation on water use and water use efficiency in two fast growing Eucalyptus plantations

Treesearch

Robert M. Hubbard; Jose Stape; Michael G. Ryan; Auro C. Almeida; Juan Rojas

2010-01-01

Eucalyptus plantations occupy almost 20 million ha worldwide and exceed 3.7 million ha in Brazil alone. Improved genetics and silviculture have led to as much as a three-fold increase in productivity in Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil and the large land area occupied by these highly productive ecosystems raises concern over their...

Guayule (parthenium argentatum) pyrolysis biorefining: fuels and chemicals contributed from guayule leaves via tail gas reactive pyrolysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a woody desert shrub cultivated in the southwestern United States, is a source of natural rubber and organic resins that promises to revolutionize the tire and rubber industry. Some 20,000 kg ha-1 yr-1 is reported to be harvested worldwide and expected to grow due to...

France in Black Africa,

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

extensive system for cataloging books and periodical literature on Africa from all worldwide sources, forms a tribute to the years of fruitful effort...symbolic recognition that the growing African elite had valid opinions that should be taken into consider- ation in the making of decisions affecting ...constitutional proposals affecting colonial issues. From this point on, this con- servative group representing Franco-African business interests would continue to

Investigation of a functional role for Titin in the bovine ovary based on the results of an initial whole genome scan for antral follicle count

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A world-wide food shortage is predicted by the year 2050, and biotechnologies are needed to improve production efficiency in agriculture. Biotechnologies that improve reproductive efficiency in domestic farm species will improve the availability and price of food for the growing world population. ...

Control of cereal root pathogens with PGPR: The role of the natural antibiotic phenazine-1-carboxylic acid

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Root pathogens are major agricultural impediments worldwide and must be controlled on the same or less arable land than currently available in order to meet the needs of the rapidly growing world population. In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the USA, where wheat is grown across a wide range of clima...

Improving School Experiences for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kise, Saori S.; Hopkins, Amanda; Burke, Sandra

2017-01-01

Background: Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is one of the most common metabolic diseases in children worldwide and the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is growing. T1D is complicated to manage and adolescents with diabetes face unique, age-specific challenges. The purpose of this article is to discuss ways in which schools can create a positive…

WorldWide Telescope in Research and Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, A.; Fay, J.; Muench, A.; Pepe, A.; Udompraseret, P.; Wong, C.

2012-09-01

The WorldWide Telescope computer program, released to researchers and the public as a free resource in 2008 by Microsoft Research, has changed the way the ever-growing Universe of online astronomical data is viewed and understood. The WWT program can be thought of as a scriptable, interactive, richly visual browser of the multi-wavelength Sky as we see it from Earth, and of the Universe as we would travel within it. In its web API format, WWT is being used as a service to display professional research data. In its desktop format, WWT works in concert (thanks to SAMP and other IVOA standards) with more traditional research applications such as ds9, Aladin and TOPCAT. The WWT Ambassadors Program (founded in 2009) recruits and trains astrophysically-literate volunteers (including retirees) who use WWT as a teaching tool in online, classroom, and informal educational settings. Early quantitative studies of WWTA indicate that student experiences with WWT enhance science learning dramatically. Thanks to the wealth of data it can access, and the growing number of services to which it connects, WWT is now a key linking technology in the Seamless Astronomy environment we seek to offer researchers, teachers, and students alike.

Role of Adiposity-Driven Inflammation in Depressive Morbidity

PubMed Central

Capuron, Lucile; Lasselin, Julie; Castanon, Nathalie

2017-01-01

Depression and metabolic disorders, including overweight and obesity, appear tightly interrelated. The prevalence of these conditions is concurrently growing worldwide, and both depression and overweight/obesity represent substantial risk factors for multiple medical complications. Moreover, there is now multiple evidence for a bidirectional relationship between depression and increased adiposity, with overweight/obesity being associated with an increased prevalence of depression, and in turn, depression augmenting the risk of weight gain and obesity. Although the reasons for this intricate link between depression and increased adiposity remain unclear, converging clinical and preclinical evidence points to a critical role for inflammatory processes and related alterations of brain functions. In support of this notion, increased adiposity leads to a chronic low-grade activation of inflammatory processes, which have been shown elsewhere to have a potent role in the pathophysiology of depression. It is therefore highly possible that adiposity-driven inflammation contributes to the development of depressive disorders and their growing prevalence worldwide. This review will present recent evidence in support of this hypothesis and will discuss the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. Altogether, findings presented here should help to better understand the mechanisms linking adiposity to depression and facilitate the identification of new preventive and/or therapeutic strategies. PMID:27402495

Benefits of copper recognised worldwide.

PubMed

2014-09-01

In an article that first appeared in the June 2014 issue of Health Estate Journal's sister publication, The Clinical Services Journal, the Copper Development Association highlights the growing recognition, both in the UK, and among healthcare research and provider bodies overseas, of the significant part that antimicrobial copper can play in preventing and controlling infection in healthcare settings. Over the past few months, the Association explains, antimicrobial copper's infection-beating properties have been acknowledged by a variety of 'research and horizon-scanning' bodies, among them one in Canada, as well as by a leading UK consultancy and research provider to the NHS. The material is also increasingly being specified by hospitals worldwide following trials which have demonstrated clearly its efficacy in 'beating the bugs'.

Tuberous Sclerosis

MedlinePlus

... on where the tumors grow. They could include Skin problems, such as light patches and thickened skin Seizures Behavior problems Intellectual disabilities Kidney problems Some people have signs ...

Facts about Texas Children. Excerpted from Children, Choice, and Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Lorwen Connie

The environment in which Texas children grow up is crucial to their future and to the future of the state. Almost 500,000 Texas families were poor in 1985. Poverty sets the stage for numerous childhood maladies: infant mortality, health problems, child abuse, learning disabilities, malnutrition, and mental health problems. As poor children grow up…

Depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress among informal caregivers in 58 low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A cross-sectional analysis of community-based surveys.

PubMed

Koyanagi, Ai; DeVylder, Jordan E; Stubbs, Brendon; Carvalho, André F; Veronese, Nicola; Haro, Josep M; Santini, Ziggi I

2018-01-01

Caregiving has been associated with adverse health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of multi-country, population-based studies on mental health outcomes of caregivers especially from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, we assessed the association of caregiving with depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress in 10 high-, 27 middle-, and 21 low-income countries. Cross-sectional community-based data of the World Health Survey including 258,793 adults aged ≥18 years were analyzed. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the association of past 12-month caregiving with past 12-month DSM-IV depression, and past 30-day perceived stress [range 0 (low)-100 (high)] and severe/extreme sleep problems. Nearly 20% of the individuals were engaged in caregiving with particularly high rates observed in high-income countries (HICs) (e.g., Finland 43.3%). Across the entire sample, after adjustment for potential confounders, caregivers had a significantly higher likelihood of having depression (OR = 1.54; 95%CI = 1.37-1.73), sleep problems (OR = 1.37; 95%CI = 1.25-1.50), while their mean perceived stress score was 3.15 (95%CI = 2.46-3.84) points higher. These associations tended to be stronger in HICs. A greater number of caregiving activities was associated with a greater likelihood of depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress regardless of country income levels. In conclusion, caregiving has a negative impact on mental health worldwide with possibly greater effects in HICs. Given the growing contribution of caregivers in long-term care, interventions and policies to alleviate the mental health burden of caregivers are urgently needed to maintain sustainable and effective care practices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil erosion on upland areas by rainfall and overland flow

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil erosion in agricultural watersheds is a systemic problem that has plagued mankind ever since the practice of agriculture began some 9,000 years ago. It is a worldwide problem, the severity of which varies from location to location depending on weather, soil type, topography, cropping practices,...

Insecticide seed treatments for sugarbeet

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pest feeding and vectoring of viruses cause serious problems in sugarbeet production worldwide. In order to ameliorate pest and disease problems on sugarbeet, two seed treatments, Poncho Beta (60 g a.i. clothianidin + 8 g a.i. beta-cyfluthrin/100,000 seed) and Cruiser Tef (60 g a.i. thiamethoxam + 8...

Satellite monitoring of cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom frequency in recreational waters and drinking water sources

EPA Science Inventory

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) cause extensive problems in lakes worldwide, including human and ecological health risks, anoxia and fish kills, and taste and odor problems. CyanoHABs are a particular concern because of their dense biomass and the risk of expos...

Implementing the Japanese Problem-Solving Lesson Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groves, Susie

2013-01-01

While there has been worldwide interest in Japanese Lesson Study as a model for teacher professional learning, there has been less research into authentic implementation of the problem-solving lesson structure that underpins mathematics research lessons in Japan. Findings from a Lesson Study project involving teachers from three Victorian primary…

Neglected populations: safeguarding the health of street-involved children in Ghana.

PubMed

Osei-Twum, Jo-Ann; Wasan, Kishor M

2012-10-01

Ensuring the health of street-involved children is a growing public health challenge. These children are vulnerable, neglected, and rarely a priority for basic service providers and governments. Sizable populations of street-involved children are present in major urban areas worldwide and current trends in urbanization suggest these populations will grow in the coming years. Although migration offers employment and training opportunities, the health and wellbeing of children is negatively impacted by their interactions with the streets. However, systemic barriers may also prevent these children from achieving an adequate health status. The situation of street-involved children in Ghana, West Africa will be discussed. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Science and technology issues in coastal ecotourism. Background paper

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

Not Available

Nature-based tourism, increasingly called 'ecotourism'--one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism worldwide, is fast gaining the attention of developed and developing countries as a potential means to conserve natural resources and support sustainable economic progress. The paper presents information on the ecotourism trends; identifies issues related to resource conservation, ecotourism development and management, and planning; and presents questions for possible further consideration.

Effect of an Educational Program on Adherence to Therapeutic Regimen among Chronic Kidney Disease Stage5 (CKD5) Patients under Maintenance Hemodialysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deif, Hala I. Abo; Elsawi, Khiria; Selim, Mohga; NasrAllah, Mohamed M.

2015-01-01

The burden of chronic disease on health care services worldwide is growing and the increased development of educational interventions which help patients to better manage their conditions is evident internationally. It has been recognized that poor adherence can be a serious risk to the health and wellbeing of patients. Adherence to fluid…

How to Make Lesson Study Work in America and Worldwide: A Japanese Perspective on the Onto-Cultural Basis of (Teacher) Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappleye, Jeremy; Komatsu, Hikaru

2017-01-01

Lesson Study is a Japanese approach to teacher development borrowed by American researchers in the late 1990s seeking to break from top-down, "best practice" approaches. Two decades later, Lesson Study has gained a strong foothold in American policy circles. Seeking to contribute to the growing research base, this article looks deeper…

An Exploration of Student Teachers' Perspectives at the Start of a Post-Graduate Master's Programme on Inclusive and Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamenopoulou, Leda; Buli-Holmberg, Jorun; Siska, Jan

2016-01-01

In this article we explore the perspectives of a group of teaching professionals starting a post-graduate master's programme on inclusive and special education. Set in the current context of growing interest over the preparation of teachers for inclusive education worldwide, this exploration is part of research that looks more broadly at the…

The Contribution of East Asian Countries to Internationally Published Asian Higher Education Research: The Role of System Development and Internationalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Jisun; Horta, Hugo

2015-01-01

Studies of higher education by scholars based in Asia have been growing in volume, following worldwide trends. To a large extent, this growth has been driven by East Asian countries, but little is known about the characteristics of the contribution of these countries. This study analyses their overall and specific contribution. The paper concludes…

Semantic Modelling for Learning Styles and Learning Material in an E-Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhasan, Khawla; Chen, Liming; Chen, Feng

2017-01-01

Various learners with various requirements have led to the raise of a crucial concern in the area of e-learning. A new technology for propagating learning to learners worldwide, has led to an evolution in the e-learning industry that takes into account all the requirements of the learning process. In spite of the wide growing, the e-learning…

A Martian Invasion of Teachable Moments for Environmental Science and Related Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cherif, Abour H.; Adams, Gerald E.; Morabito, David; Aron, Robert; Dunning, Jeremy; Gialamas, Stefanos

2010-01-01

The recent missions to Mars have produced a mass of data and information in all forms and have forced the minds of many people world-wide to rethink their own perspectives on life itself. This drama unfolding about 35 million miles from Earth, and digitally on our TV screens, is offering a growing reservoir for teachable moments. The curiosity and…

Proliferation of Shadow Education Institutions (SEI's) in the Philippines: A Time Series Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Castro, Belinda V.; de Guzman, Allan B.

2013-01-01

While the issue on the existence of shadow education institutions (SEI's) has only recently been the subject of investigation in studies in various countries worldwide, it is clear that its market is a huge industry in much of Asia and is growing fast elsewhere. Capitalizing on the annual number of SEI's gathered from key government agencies and…

Senior Alcohol Services Revisited: Elderly Alcoholism--Current State of the Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlop, Jean D.

This report notes the growing awareness of alcohol problems among the elderly during the past 5 to 10 years, and reviews the final conclusions of the federal demonstration project, Senior Alcohol Services. Five basic concepts are included: (1) there are a growing number of elderly persons with alcohol problems (10-15% of all persons over age 60);…

Worldwide Buoy Technology Survey. Volume 2. Appendix B. Buoy Records. Book 2. Germany - USA

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

arrangement and effectiveness of the complete system could not be addressed in detail within the constraints of this project. In an overall evaluation of...the SRA system , such considerations should also be addressed. The USCG’s Waterway Analysis and Management System (WAMS) is considering this matter as...project. The task includes the screening of worldwide engineering and technical information on buoy systems , approaches to problem solving (particularly

Rapid enumeration of low numbers of moulds in tea based drinks using an automated system.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kouichi; Yamaguchi, Nobuyasu; Baba, Takashi; Amano, Norihide; Nasu, Masao

2011-01-31

Aseptically prepared cold drinks based on tea have become popular worldwide. Contamination of these drinks with harmful microbes is a potential health problem because such drinks are kept free from preservatives to maximize aroma and flavour. Heat-tolerant conidia and ascospores of fungi can survive pasteurization, and need to be detected as quickly as possible. We were able to rapidly and accurately detect low numbers of conidia and ascospores in tea-based drinks using fluorescent staining followed by an automated counting system. Conidia or ascospores were inoculated into green tea and oolong tea, and samples were immediately filtered through nitrocellulose membranes (pore size: 0.8 μm) to concentrate fungal propagules. These were transferred onto potato dextrose agar and incubated for 23 h at 28 °C. Fungi germinating on the membranes were fluorescently stained for 30 min. The stained mycelia were counted selectively within 90s using an automated counting system (MGS-10LD; Chuo Electric Works, Osaka, Japan). Very low numbers (1 CFU/100ml) of conidia or ascospores could be rapidly counted, in contrast to traditional labour intensive techniques. All tested mould strains were detected within 24h while conventional plate counting required 72 h for colony enumeration. Counts of slow-growing fungi (Cladosporium cladosporioides) obtained by automated counting and by conventional plate counting were close (r(2) = 0.986). Our combination of methods enables counting of both fast- and slow-growing fungi, and should be useful for microbiological quality control of tea-based and also other drinks. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sustainable agricultural water management across climates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVincentis, A.

2016-12-01

Fresh water scarcity is a global problem with local solutions. Agriculture is one of many human systems threatened by water deficits, and faces unique supply, demand, quality, and management challenges as the global climate changes and population grows. Sustainable agricultural water management is paramount to protecting global economies and ecosystems, but requires different approaches based on environmental conditions, social structures, and resource availability. This research compares water used by conservation agriculture in temperate and tropical agroecosystems through data collected from operations growing strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, and pistachios in California and corn and soybeans in Colombia. The highly manipulated hydrologic regime in California has depleted water resources and incited various adaptive management strategies, varying based on crop type and location throughout the state. Operations have to use less water more efficiently, and sometimes that means fallowing land in select groundwater basins. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the largely untouched landscape in the eastern plains of Colombia are rapidly being converted into commercial agricultural operations, with a unique opportunity to manage and plan for agricultural development with sustainability in mind. Although influenced by entirely different climates and economies, there are some similarities in agricultural water management strategies that could be applicable worldwide. Cover crops are a successful management strategy for both agricultural regimes, and moving forward it appears that farmers who work in coordination with their neighbors to plan for optimal production will be most successful in both locations. This research points to the required coordination of agricultural extension services as a critical component to sustainable water use, successful economies, and protected environments.

Associations between fungal species and water-damaged building materials.

PubMed

Andersen, Birgitte; Frisvad, Jens C; Søndergaard, Ib; Rasmussen, Ib S; Larsen, Lisbeth S

2011-06-01

Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed Chaetomium spp., Acremonium spp., and Ulocladium spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i) Acremonium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys spp., Ulocladium spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii) Arthrinium phaeospermum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium herbarum, Trichoderma spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii) Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Chaetomium spp., Mucor racemosus, Mucor spinosus, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment.

The burden of diabetes and hyperglycemia in Brazil and its states: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

PubMed

Duncan, Bruce Bartholow; França, Elisabeth Barboza; Passos, Valéria Maria de Azeredo; Cousin, Ewerton; Ishitani, Lenice Harumi; Malta, Deborah Carvalho; Naghavi, Mohsen; Mooney, Meghan; Schmidt, Maria Inês

2017-05-01

The global burden of disease (GBD) 2015 project, extends GBD analyses to include Brazilian federative units separately. We take advantage of GBD methodological advances to describe the current burden of diabetes and hyperglycemia in Brazil. Using standard GBD 2015 methods, we analyzed the burden of diabetes, chronic kidney disease due to diabetes and high fasting plasma glucose in Brazil and its states. The age-standardized rate of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) which was lost to high fasting plasma glucose, a category which encompasses burdens of diabetes and of lesser hyperglycemia, were 2448.85 (95% UI 2165.96-2778.69) /100000 for males, and 1863.90 (95% UI 1648.18-2123.47) /100000 for females in 2015. This rate was more than twice as great in states with highest burden, these being overwhelmingly in the northeast and north, compared with those with lowest rates. The rate of crude DALYs for high fasting plasma glucose, increased by 35% since 1990, while DALYs due to all non-communicable diseases increased only by 12.7%, and DALYs from all causes declined by 20.5%. The worldwide pandemic of diabetes and hyperglycemia now causes a major and growing disease burden in Brazil, especially in states with greater poverty and a lesser educational level. Diabetes and chronic kidney disease due to diabetes, as well as high fasting plasma glucose in general, currently constitute a major and growing public health problem in Brazil. Actions to date for their prevention and control have been slow considering the magnitude of this burden.

China's emergence as the world's leading iron-ore-consuming country

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirk, W.S.

2004-01-01

China has become the leading iron ore consuming nation, and, based on recent steel production capacity increases and plans for more, its consumption will almost certainly to continue to grow. China's iron ore industry, however, faces a number of problems. China's iron ore is low-grade, expensive to process, and its mines are being depleted. For many Chinese steelmakers, particularly in the coastal regions, the delivered cost of domestic iron ore, is more than the delivered cost of foreign ore. Thus China's iron ore imports are expected to increase. As China's growth continues, it will almost certainly surpass Japan to become the leading iron ore importing country as well. Without China's increasing appetite for iron ore, the world iron ore market would be flat or declining. China's recent imports largely offset the slump in demand in North America and Europe. China is regarded by the iron ore industry as the growth sector for the next decade. Although Chinese imports are expected to continue their rapid increase and imports in other Asian countries are expected to continue growing, there appears to be enough greenfield and expansion projects to meet future demand for iron ore worldwide. Present suppliers of iron ore, Australia, Brazil, India, and South Africa, will probably be the chief beneficiaries of China's increasing consumption of iron ore. How long China can continue its extraordinary growth is the primary issue for the future of the iron ore industry. Based on the number and size of planned blast furnaces it appears that China's growth could continue for several more years. ?? 2004 Taylor and Francis.

Teaching Psychosomatic Medicine Using Problem-Based Learning and Role-Playing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heru, Alison M.

2011-01-01

Objective: Problem-based learning (PBL) has been implemented in medical education world-wide. Despite its popularity, it has not been generally considered useful for residency programs. The author presents a model for the implementation of PBL in residency programs. Method: The author presents a description of a PBL curriculum for teaching…

A Survey of Turkish Pre-Service Science Teachers' Attitudes toward the Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özsoy, Sibel

2012-01-01

Problem Statement: Increasing global population and unrestrained consumption of natural resources has resulted in increasing pollution, poor air and water quality and the extinction of animal and plant species. Today, environmental problems are experienced worldwide and threatening the continuity of human life. For the sake of human beings,…

Drug Use in a Rural Secondary School in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ndetei, David M.; Khasakhala, Lincoln I.; Mutiso, Victoria; Ongecha-Owuor, Francisca A.; Kokonya, Donald A.

2010-01-01

Alcohol abuse and alcohol-related use problems among adolescents are highly prevalent and are a major concern worldwide. This study estimated the prevalence of drug abuse, knowledge about drug abuse and its effect on psychosocial well-being and induced behavioral problems among students of a public rural secondary school that admitted both girls…

Teachers' Perspectives on Effective Responses to Overt Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sokol, Nicole; Bussey, Kay; Rapee, Ronald M.

2016-01-01

School communities worldwide are tackling the pervasive problem of school bullying. Teachers hold an important responsibility to prevent and manage bullying problems in the school environment and often play a key role in advising students about how to respond to bullying. This study examined teachers' perspectives on the most effective ways to…

Seed treatments for the control of insects and diseases in sugarbeet

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insect feeding and vectoring of viruses cause serious problems in sugarbeet production worldwide. In order to ameliorate insect and disease problems on sugarbeet, two seed treatments, Poncho Beta (60 g a.i. clothianidin + 8 g a.i. beta-cyfluthrin/100,000 seed) and Cruiser Tef (60 g a.i. thiamethoxa...

E-Business Curricula and Cybercrime: A Continuing Error of Omission?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fusilier, Marcelline; Penrod, Charlie

2013-01-01

The growth of e-business has been accompanied by even faster increases in losses from security breaches, legal problems, and cybercrime. These unnecessary costs inhibit the growth and efficiency of e-business worldwide. Professional education in e-business can help address these problems by providing students with coursework aimed at them. The…

Bully/Victim Problems among Preschool Children: A Review of Current Research Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlachou, Maria; Andreou, Eleni; Botsoglou, Kafenia; Didaskalou, Eleni

2011-01-01

Bullying in schools has been identified as a serious and complex worldwide problem associated with negative short- and long-term effects on children's psychosocial adjustment (Smith 1999; Ttofi and Farrington, "Aggressive Behav" 34(4):352-368, 2008). Entering kindergarten is a crucial developmental step in many children's lives mainly because it…

Student Homicidal Violence in Schools: An International Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondu, Rebecca; Cornell, Dewey G.; Scheithauer, Herbert

2011-01-01

School homicides have become a worldwide phenomenon. In the decade following the Columbine shooting there have been at least forty similar events in other countries. This article addresses the international scope of this problem and some of the complex conceptual issues that make student homicidal violence difficult to define and study. Meaningful…

Acid Rain Study Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunger, Carolyn; And Others

Acid rain is a complex, worldwide environmental problem. This study guide is intended to aid teachers of grades 4-12 to help their students understand what acid rain is, why it is a problem, and what possible solutions exist. The document contains specific sections on: (1) the various terms used in conjunction with acid rain (such as acid…

A World-Wide Overview of Migratory Movements. The Education of Migrant Workers -- Where Do We Stand?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanchard, Francis

1974-01-01

A survey of world migration patterns prefaces a declaration of educational problems and ways of solving them as viewed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The problems are conceptualized on the socio-cultural and occupational levels and involve both the worker and his family. (JH)

Understand the Big Picture So You Can Plan for Network Security

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cervone, Frank

2005-01-01

This article discusses network security for libraries. It indicates that there were only six exploit (security exposure) problems, worldwide, reported to the CERT Coordination Center back in 1988. In that year, the CERT had just been established to provide a clearinghouse for exchanging information about network security problems. By 2003, the…

Lung cancer epidemiology: contemporary and future challenges worldwide.

PubMed

Didkowska, Joanna; Wojciechowska, Urszula; Mańczuk, Marta; Łobaszewski, Jakub

2016-04-01

Over the last century, lung cancer from the rarest of diseases became the biggest cancer killer of men worldwide and in some parts of the world also of women (North America, East Asia, Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand). In 2012 over 1.6 million of people died due to lung cancer. The cause-effect relationship between tobacco smoking and lung cancer occurrence has been proven in many studies, both ecological and clinical. In global perspective one can see the increasing tobacco consumption trend followed by ascending trends of lung cancer mortality, especially in developing countries. In some more developed countries, where the tobacco epidemics was on the rise since the beginning of the 20th century and peaked in its mid, in male population lung cancer incidence trend reversed or leveled off. Despite predicted further decline of incidence rates, the absolute number of deaths will continue to grow in these countries. In the remaining parts of the world the tobacco epidemics is still evolving what brings rapid increase of the number of new lung cancer cases and deaths. Number of lung cancer deaths worldwide is expected to grow up to 3 million until 2035. The figures will double both in men (from 1.1 million in 2012 to 2.1 million in 2035) and women (from 0.5 million in 2012 to 0.9 million in 2035) and the two-fold difference between sexes will persist. The most rapid increase is expected in Africa region (AFRO) and East Mediterranean region (EMRO). The increase of the absolute number of lung cancer deaths in more developed countries is caused mostly by population aging and in less developed countries predominantly by the evolving tobacco epidemic.

Routine screening of harmful microorganisms in beach sands: implications to public health

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sabino, Raquel; Rodrigues, R.; Costa, I.; Carneiro, Carlos; Cunha, M.; Duarte, A.; Faria, N.; Ferriera, F.C.; Gargate, M.J.; Julio, C.; Martins, M.L.; Nevers, Meredith; Oleastro, M.; Solo-Gabriele, H.; Verissimo, C.; Viegas, C.; Whitman, Richard L.; Brandao, J.

2014-01-01

Beaches worldwide provide recreational opportunities to hundreds of millions of people and serve as important components of coastal economies. Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, growing evidence suggests that beach sand can harbor microbes harmful to human health, often in concentrations greater than the beach water. Currently, there are no standards for monitoring, sampling, analyzing, or managing beach sand quality. In addition to indicator microbes, growing evidence has identified pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in a variety of beach sands worldwide. The public health threat associated with these populations through direct and indirect contact is unknown because so little research has been conducted relating to health outcomes associated with sand quality. In this manuscript, we present the consensus findings of a workshop of experts convened in Lisbon, Portugal to discuss the current state of knowledge on beach sand microbiological quality and to develop suggestions for standardizing the evaluation of sand at coastal beaches. The expert group at the “Microareias 2012” workshop recommends that 1) beach sand should be screened for a variety of pathogens harmful to human health, and sand monitoring should then be initiated alongside regular water monitoring; 2) sampling and analysis protocols should be standardized to allow proper comparisons among beach locations; and 3) further studies are needed to estimate human health risk with exposure to contaminated beach sand. Much of the manuscript is focused on research specific to Portugal, but similar results have been found elsewhere, and the findings have worldwide implications.

Forecasting the burden of future postmenopausal hip fractures.

PubMed

Omsland, T K; Magnus, J H

2014-10-01

A growing elderly population is expected worldwide, and the rate of hip fractures is decisive for the future fracture burden. Significant declines in hip fracture rates in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK are required to counteract the impact of the ageing effects. This study aims to evaluate the consequences of the expected growth of the elderly population worldwide on the hip fracture burden using Norway as an example. Furthermore, we wanted to estimate the decline in hip fracture rates required to counteract the anticipated increase in the burden of hip fracture for Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. The burden of future postmenopausal hip fractures in Norway were estimated given (1) constant age-specific rates, (2) continued decline, and (3) different cohort scenarios. Based on population projection estimates and population age-specific hip fracture rates in women 65 years and older, we calculated the required declines in hip fracture rates needed to counteract the growing elderly populations in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. The level of age-specific hip fracture rates had a huge impact on the future hip fracture burden in Norway. Even if the hip fracture rates decline at the same speed, a 22 % increase in the burden of hip fractures can be expected by 2040. An annual decline in hip fracture rates of 1.1-2.2 % until 2040 is required to counteract the effects of the growing elderly population on the future burden of hip fractures in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. Hip fracture rates have a great impact on the burden of hip fractures. The rates will have to decline significantly to counteract the impact of a growing elderly population. A change in preventive strategies and further studies are warranted to identify the complex causes associated to hip fractures.

Global health from a cancer care perspective.

PubMed

Pesec, Madeline; Sherertz, Tracy

2015-01-01

Cancer is now recognized as one of the four leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and incidence is expected to rise significantly in the next two decades. Unfortunately, low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) suffer disproportionately from the world's cancer cases. The growing burden of cancer and maldistribution of cancer care resources in LMIC warrant a massive re-evaluation of the structural inequalities that produce global oncological disparities and a worldwide commitment to improve both prevention and treatment strategies. Efforts to improve cancer care capacity should focus on horizontal strengthening of healthcare systems that provide safe, affordable, effective and sustainable care. In response to current deficiencies, many international organizations have started to partner with LMIC to create solutions. Telemedicine and international collaboration are also promising ways to effect change and improve global oncological care.

[Changes in the transplantation world--from altruism to a utilitarian approach].

PubMed

Mor, Eytan

2006-10-01

The lack of organs for transplantation is a worldwide problem that has created a moral conflict between the traditional altruistic basis of organ donation and alternative solutions based on utilitarian grounds. Survival of grafts achieved in recent decades after unrelated living-donor kidney transplantation between spouses is longer than with deceased donor transplantation. This experience justified the extension of kidney donation beyond the traditional close family relationships including: anonymous donors and paired exchange programs. However, unrelated donation of kidneys within altruistic norms could not provide an ultimate solution for the lack of organs for transplantation. On the other hand, globalization and development of advanced medical technology in developing countries that do not provide transplantation for all their citizens, created an opportunity for a worldwide flourish of transplant tourism as an alternative solution for transplant candidates. Transplant tourism functions according to market laws and is profit-driven, as opposed to the legal organ exchange programs in Europe and the U.S.A., which are non-profit and patient-oriented. The transition from trade in kidneys from unrelated living-donors to the use of other organs (heart, lung and liver) from death penalty prisoners in China was only a matter of deciding where to lay the moral border when justifying the act for the sake of life-saving. Considering the inability of current legal altruistic transplantation practice to supply the growing need for organs, healthcare authorities and professional transplantation organizations have to tackle the donor crisis by designing legally acceptable utilitarian solutions. For instance, through the formation of international organ exchange programs under formal agreements or, in the case of kidney transplantation, through the establishment of a regulated compensated donation system.

Dredging for dilution: A simulation based case study in a Tidal River.

PubMed

Bilgili, Ata; Proehl, Jeffrey A; Swift, M Robinson

2016-02-01

A 2-D hydrodynamic finite element model with a Lagrangian particle module is used to investigate the effects of dredging on the hydrodynamics and the horizontal dilution of pollutant particles originating from a wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) in tidal Oyster River in New Hampshire, USA. The model is driven by the semi-diurnal (M2) tidal component and includes the effect of flooding and drying of riverine mud flats. The particle tracking method consists of tidal advection plus a horizontal random walk model of sub-grid scale turbulent processes. Our approach is to perform continuous pollutant particle releases from the outfall, simulating three different scenarios: a base-case representing the present conditions and two different dredged channel/outfall location configurations. Hydrodynamics are investigated in an Eulerian framework and Lagrangian particle dilution improvement ratios are calculated for all cases. Results show that the simulated hydrodynamics are consistent with observed conditions. Eulerian and Lagrangian residuals predict an outward path suggesting flushing of pollutants on longer (>M2) time scales. Simulated dilution maps show that, in addition to dredging, the relocation of the WWTF outfall into the dredged main channel is required for increased dilution performance. The methodology presented here can be applied to similar managerial problems in all similar systems worldwide with relatively little effort, with the combination of Lagrangian and Eulerian methods working together towards a better solution. The statistical significance brought into methodology, by using a large number of particles (16000 in this case), is to be emphasized, especially with the growing number of networked parallel computer clusters worldwide. This paper improves on the study presented in Bilgili et al., 2006b, by adding an Eulerian analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heart Failure in North America

PubMed Central

Blair, John E. A; Huffman, Mark; Shah, Sanjiv J

2013-01-01

Heart failure is a major health problem that affects patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Within the continent of North America, differences in economic development, genetic susceptibility, cultural practices, and trends in risk factors and treatment all contribute to both inter-continental and within-continent differences in heart failure. The United States and Canada represent industrialized countries with similar culture, geography, and advanced economies and infrastructure. During the epidemiologic transition from rural to industrial in countries such as the United States and Canada, nutritional deficiencies and infectious diseases made way for degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, overweight/obesity, and diabetes. This in turn has resulted in an increase in heart failure incidence in these countries, especially as overall life expectancy increases. Mexico, on the other hand, has a less developed economy and infrastructure, and has a wide distribution in the level of urbanization as it becomes more industrialized. Mexico is under a period of epidemiologic transition and the etiology and incidence of heart failure is rapidly changing. Ethnic differences within the populations of the United States and Canada highlight the changing demographics of each country as well as potential disparities in heart failure care. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction makes up approximately half of all hospital admissions throughout North America; however, important differences in demographics and etiology exist between countries. Similarly, acute heart failure etiology, severity, and management differ between countries in North America. The overall economic burden of heart failure continues to be large and growing worldwide, with each country managing this burden differently. Understanding the inter-and within-continental differences may help improve understanding of the heart failure epidemic, and may aid healthcare systems in delivering better heart failure prevention and treatment. PMID:23597296

Self-growing neural network architecture using crisp and fuzzy entropy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cios, Krzysztof J.

1992-01-01

The paper briefly describes the self-growing neural network algorithm, CID2, which makes decision trees equivalent to hidden layers of a neural network. The algorithm generates a feedforward architecture using crisp and fuzzy entropy measures. The results of a real-life recognition problem of distinguishing defects in a glass ribbon and of a benchmark problem of differentiating two spirals are shown and discussed.

Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed. Education Sector Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillon, Erin; Smiles, Robin V.

2010-01-01

Colleges across the nation are struggling to confront a growing problem in higher education: student debt. As more students borrow more money than ever before, and recent graduates enter the worst job market in a generation, students are increasingly unable to pay back their loans. This report discusses the growing problem of students defaulting…

Enabling an Open Data Ecosystem for the Neurosciences.

PubMed

Wiener, Martin; Sommer, Friedrich T; Ives, Zachary G; Poldrack, Russell A; Litt, Brian

2016-11-02

As the pace and complexity of neuroscience data grow, an open data ecosystem must develop and grow with it to allow neuroscientists the ability to reach for new heights of discovery. However, the problems and complexities of neuroscience data sharing must first be addressed. Among the challenges facing data sharing in neuroscience, the problem of incentives, discoverability, and sustainability may be the most pressing. We here describe these problems and provide potential future solutions to help cultivate an ecosystem for data sharing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The hydraulic architecture of conifers

Treesearch

Uwe G Hacke; Barbara Lachenbruch; Jarmila Pittermann; Stefan Mayr; Jean-Christophe Domec; Paul J. Schulte

2015-01-01

Conifers survive in diverse and sometimes extreme environments (Fig. 2.1a–f). Piñon-juniper communities are found in semi-arid environments, receiving ca. 400 mm of yearly precipitation (Linton et al. 1998), which is less than half the average precipitations received by other coniferous tree species worldwide. Picea mariana and Larix laricina grow in boreal peatlands...

Environmental Compliance Assessment for Army Reserves (ECAAR)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-01

The number of environmental laws and regulations has continued to grow in the United States and worldwide, making compliance with these regulations...they became notices of violation. The concept was to combine Code of Federal Regulations and Army environmental regulations, with good management...items or operations to review, and would list a point of contact for that item to help assessors review the questions, or protocols, quickly and easily

Energy-Water Nexus Knowledge Discovery Framework, Experts’ Meeting Report

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

Bhaduri, Budhendra L.; Simon, AJ; Allen, Melissa R.

Energy and water generation and delivery systems are inherently interconnected. With worldwide demandfor energy growing, the energy sector is experiencing increasing competition for water. With increasingpopulation and changing environmental, socioeconomic, and demographic scenarios, new technology andinvestment decisions must be made for optimized and sustainable energy-water resource management. These decisions require novel scientific insights into the complex interdependencies of energy-water infrastructures across multiple space and time scales.

Population Issues: From Obscurity to Worldwide Interest. Population: Before and after Bucharest [And] Ford Foundation Programs: Review and Projection. A Ford Foundation Reprint.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Lyle; Harkavy, Oscar

This essay traces the actions taken by governments and private agencies in the past two decades to limit population growth and examines the growing emphasis on linking population and development concerns. It was presented to the annual conference of the Ford Foundation's International Division on September 22, 1975. The time between the end of…

The Effect of Fertilization on Sap flux and Canopy Conductance in a Eucalyptus saligna Experimental Forest

Treesearch

R. Hubbard; M. Ryan; C. Giardina; H. Barnard

2004-01-01

Land devoted to plantation forestry (50 million ha) has been increasing worldwide the genus Eucalyptus is a popular plantation species (14 million ha) for its rapid growth and ability to grow well on a wide range of sites. Fertilization is a common silvicultural tool to improve tree growth with potential effects on stand water use, but relationship between wood growth...

The National Drug Control Policy Strategy: Effectiveness of Eradication in Colombia

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-04-07

century. For decades, the mainstay of Colombia’s economic growth and stability revolved around the growing, production, and exportation of coffee ...which represented sixty percent of its exports. This all changed in the mid-1990s with the fall of coffee prices worldwide. Many farmers then sought...1970s, this agrarian deforestation was practiced heavily in Colombia by cannabis growers. Following successful eradication efforts, growers simply

The Virtual Combat Air Staff. The Promise of Information Technologies,

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-08-07

development of specialists . The need for advance planning and orchestration of a growing variety of sup- port functions has required the commander to... ability for almost unlim- ited access to command authorities and fielded forces via worldwide communications, increased situational awareness, and the...mercially developed systems that incorporate the latest technologies, training programs will have to adapt to the rapid pace at which such technologies are

Ketogenic Diets: New Advances for Metabolism-Based Therapies

PubMed Central

Kossoff, Eric H.; Hartman, Adam L.

2014-01-01

Purpose of review Despite myriad anticonvulsants available and in various stages of development, there are thousands of children and adults with epilepsy worldwide still refractory to treatment and not candidates for epilepsy surgery. Many of these patients will now turn to dietary therapies such as the ketogenic diet, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet, modified Atkins diet, and low glycemic index treatment. Recent Findings In the past several years, neurologists are finding new indications to use these dietary treatments, perhaps even as first-line therapy, including infantile spasms, myoclonic-astatic epilepsy (Doose syndrome), Dravet syndrome, and status epilepticus (including FIRES syndrome). Adults are also one of the most rapidly growing populations being treated nowadays; a group of patients previously not typically offered these treatments. In 2009, two controlled trials of the ketogenic diet were published as well as an International Expert Consensus Statement on dietary treatment of epilepsy. Ketogenic diets are also now being increasingly studied for neurologic conditions other than epilepsy, including Alzheimer disease and cancer. Insights from basic science research have helped elucidate the mechanisms by which metabolism-based therapy may be helpful, both in terms of an anticonvulsant and possibly neuroprotective effect. Summary Dietary therapy for epilepsy continues to grow in popularity worldwide, with expanding use for adults and conditions other than epilepsy. PMID:22322415

Elective oocyte cryopreservation for deferred childbearing.

PubMed

Goldman, Kara N; Grifo, Jamie A

2016-12-01

Elective oocyte cryopreservation for deferred childbearing has gained popularity worldwide, commensurate with increased knowledge regarding age-related fertility decline. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent data regarding trends in delayed childbearing, review recent findings surrounding age-related fertility decline, acknowledge significant gaps in knowledge among patients and providers regarding fertility decline and review outcomes following elective oocyte cryopreservation. Despite an inevitable decline in fertility and increase in miscarriage with increasing female age, there is a growing worldwide trend to delay childbearing. Patients and providers alike demonstrate large gaps in knowledge surrounding age-related fertility decline. Oocyte cryopreservation is clinically approved for medically indicated fertility preservation, but a growing number of women are using oocyte cryopreservation to defer childbearing and maintain reproductive autonomy. Mounting data support the efficacy and safety of oocyte cryopreservation when used to electively defer childbearing, with recent studies demonstrating rates of euploidy, implantation and live birth rates equivalent to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with fresh oocytes. Oocyte cryopreservation provides women with an option to defer childbearing and maintain reproductive autonomy, with IVF success rates on par with fresh IVF. However, it is critical that patients understand the limitations of oocyte cryopreservation. Greater education regarding age-related fertility decline should be geared toward patients and providers to prevent unintended childlessness.

[Population and development].

PubMed

Castanon Romo, R; Sandoval Navarrete, J

1996-01-01

This broad survey of the debate concerning the relationship between population growth and economic development discusses the history and current status of world population growth, summarizes several influential theoretical positions on the topic, and proposes that redefinition of women's social role is indispensable if worldwide control of population growth is to be achieved. The introductory section discusses the acceleration of population growth in the second half of the 20th century and the increasing concentration of growth in the poor and developing countries. The positions of those who see in population control a means of promoting economic development and political stability are contrasted to the positions of those who believe that a large and growing population is the key to achieving economic and political progress. The international community, facing great uncertainty about the size, distribution, and well-being of the future world population, is increasingly concerned about the effect of growing numbers on the environment and natural resources. The second section summarizes the works of Malthus, Julian Simon, and the Club of Rome, and analyzes the propositions of demographic transition theory. The conclusion notes that despite uncertainty about the future of world population, development, and health, most of the poorest countries have become aware of the desirability of slowing population growth. A broad redefinition of the social role of women will inevitably accompany the worldwide demographic transition.

Chronic oedema: a prevalent health care problem for UK health services.

PubMed

Moffatt, Christine J; Keeley, Vaughan; Franks, Peter J; Rich, Anna; Pinnington, Lorraine L

2017-10-01

Chronic oedema (CO) is a major clinical problem worldwide, which has many important secondary consequences for health, activity and participation. Effective treatment planning and organisation of services is dependent on an understanding of the condition and its epidemiology. This cross-sectional study was designed to estimate the point prevalence of CO within the health services of one UK urban population and to determine the proportions that have concurrent leg ulceration. Patients with CO in all anatomic sites were ascertained by health care professionals in one acute and one community hospital, all relevant outpatient and community nursing services, general practices and all nursing/residential homes in one urban catchment area (Derby City). The presence and distribution of oedema was confirmed through a brief clinical examination. A battery of demographic and clinical details was recorded for each case. Within the study population of Derby City residents, 971 patients were identified with CO [estimated crude prevalence 3·93 per 1000, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3·69-4·19]. The prevalence was the highest among those aged 85 or above (28·75 per 1000) and was higher among women (5·37 per 1000) than men (2·48 per 1000). The prevalence among hospital inpatients was 28·5%. Only five (3%) patients in the community population had oedema related to cancer or cancer treatment. Of the 304 patients identified with oedema from the Derby hospitals or community health services, 121 (40%) had a concurrent leg ulcer. Prevalence statistics and current demographic trends indicate that CO is a major and growing health care problem. © 2016 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The rebuilding imperative in fisheries: Clumsy solutions for a wicked problem?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Ahmed S.; Neis, Barb

2010-10-01

There is mounting evidence that global fisheries are in crisis and about 25-30% of fish stocks are over exploited, depleted or recovering. Fish landings are increasingly coming from fully-exploited and over-exploited fisheries, and from intensive aquaculture that often relies indirectly on reduction fisheries. This poses severe challenges for marine ecosystems as well as food security and the livelihoods of resource-dependent coastal communities. Growing awareness of these social, economic and ecological consequences of overfishing is reflected in an expanding literature which shows that reducing fishing effort to allow fish stocks to recover has been the main focus of management efforts, but successful examples of stock recovery are few. An alternative, less explored social-ecological approach focuses on rebuilding entire ‘fish chains’ from oceans to plate. This paper supports this alternative approach. A review and synthesis of stock rebuilding initiatives worldwide suggests effective governance is central to rebuilding, and fisheries governance is a wicked problem. Wicked problems are complex, persistent or reoccurring and hard to fix because they are linked to broader social, economic and policy issues. This review and analysis implies that, due to socioeconomic and sociopolitical concerns, fisheries governance challenges are particularly wicked when dealing with collapsed fisheries and rebuilding efforts. The paper concludes that rebuilding might benefit from experimenting with clumsy solutions. Clumsy solutions are exploratory, include inputs from a broad range of stakeholders along the fish chain, and require information sharing, knowledge synthesis, and trust building. Moreover, clumsy solutions that address power relations, collective action dilemmas, and the fundamental question of ‘rebuilding for whom’ are essential for stewardship, equity and long-term resource sustainability.

[Applications of eco-environmental big data: Progress and prospect].

PubMed

Zhao, Miao Miao; Zhao, Shi Cheng; Zhang, Li Yun; Zhao, Fen; Shao, Rui; Liu, Li Xiang; Zhao, Hai Feng; Xu, Ming

2017-05-18

With the advance of internet and wireless communication technology, the fields of ecology and environment have entered a new digital era with the amount of data growing explosively and big data technologies attracting more and more attention. The eco-environmental big data is based airborne and space-/land-based observations of ecological and environmental factors and its ultimate goal is to integrate multi-source and multi-scale data for information mining by taking advantages of cloud computation, artificial intelligence, and modeling technologies. In comparison with other fields, the eco-environmental big data has its own characteristics, such as diverse data formats and sources, data collected with various protocols and standards, and serving different clients and organizations with special requirements. Big data technology has been applied worldwide in ecological and environmental fields including global climate prediction, ecological network observation and modeling, and regional air pollution control. The development of eco-environmental big data in China is facing many problems, such as data sharing issues, outdated monitoring facilities and techno-logies, and insufficient data mining capacity. Despite all this, big data technology is critical to solving eco-environmental problems, improving prediction and warning accuracy on eco-environmental catastrophes, and boosting scientific research in the field in China. We expected that the eco-environmental big data would contribute significantly to policy making and environmental services and management, and thus the sustainable development and eco-civilization construction in China in the coming decades.

Alzheimer Disease and Its Growing Epidemic: Risk Factors, Biomarkers, and the Urgent Need for Therapeutics.

PubMed

Hickman, Richard A; Faustin, Arline; Wisniewski, Thomas

2016-11-01

Alzheimer disease (AD) represents one of the greatest medical challenges of this century; the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide and no effective treatments have been developed for this terminal disease. Because the disease manifests at a late stage after a long period of clinically silent neurodegeneration, knowledge of the modifiable risk factors and the implementation of biomarkers is crucial in the primary prevention of the disease and presymptomatic detection of AD, respectively. This article discusses the growing epidemic of AD and antecedent risk factors in the disease process. Disease biomarkers are discussed, and the implications that this may have for the treatment of this currently incurable disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated circuits and molecular components for stress and feeding: implications for eating disorders

PubMed Central

Hardaway, J. A.; Crowley, N. A.; Bulik, C. M.; Kash, T. L.

2015-01-01

Eating disorders are complex brain disorders that afflict millions of individuals worldwide. The etiology of these diseases is not fully understood, but a growing body of literature suggests that stress and anxiety may play a critical role in their development. As our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to disease in clinical populations like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder continue to grow, neuroscientists are using animal models to understand the neurobiology of stress and feeding. We hypothesize that eating disorder clinical phenotypes may result from stress-induced maladaptive alterations in neural circuits that regulate feeding, and that these circuits can be neurochemically isolated using animal model of eating disorders. PMID:25366309

Easing food waste could reduce pressure on natural resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2012-09-01

Calls to reduce food waste and enhance agricultural water efficiency were among the points raised during the 27 August opening session of World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. “More than one fourth of all the water we use worldwide is taken to grow over one billion tons of food that nobody eats. That water, together with the billions of dollars spent to grow, ship, package, and purchase the food, is sent down the drain,” said Torgny Holmgren, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute, which organizes World Water Week. “Reducing the waste of food is the smartest and most direct route to relieve pressure on water and land resources. It's an opportunity we cannot afford to overlook,” he added.

Harassment and Discrimination of Women in Employment. Working Paper Prepared for the Conference on Harassment in the Workplace (Washington, DC, July 7-9, 1981).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Gordon R., Ed.; And Others

The problem of harassment of women in the workplace has received increasing attention from government agencies, Congress, and the courts in recent years. This growing general awareness of the problem of harassment and sex discrimination by both employers and employees is being made more acute by women's growing demands for career opportunities…

Understanding Teacher Attraction and Retention Drivers: Addressing Teacher Shortages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashiedu, Jennifer A.; Scott-Ladd, Brenda D.

2012-01-01

The attraction and retention of teachers is a problem faced by schools worldwide and possibly more so in the public sector. One possible solution to this problem is likely to be better targeting of attraction and retention drivers of value to teachers. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study conducted in Australia. The study used…

Design, preparation and activity of intelligent cellulose-based protease sensor & modulating/fibroblast promoting (protos-fibro) dressings

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chronic wounds are a major clinical problem with an estimated 40 million people suffering from them worldwide, and one of the most costly healthcare problems today. ‘Intelligent’ dressings may be defined as materials that respond to specific changes in the wound environment i.e. exudate volume, and...

Contextualizing Mathematics Related Affect: Significance of Students' Individual and Social Level Affect in Finland and Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuohilampi, Laura

2016-01-01

Mathematics related affect turn from positive to negative during comprehensive school years worldwide. There is a clear need to find solutions to the problem. However, some gaps and problems appear in the methodologies and the common approaches used in the field. This article discusses five studies addressing affective development, challenges some…

Scaling Methods to Measure Psychopathology in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matson, Johnny L.; Belva, Brian C.; Hattier, Megan A.; Matson, Michael L.

2012-01-01

Psychopathology prior to the last four decades was generally viewed as a set of problems and disorders that did not occur in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). That notion now seems very antiquated. In no small part, a revolutionary development of scales worldwide has occurred for the assessment of emotional problems in persons with ID.…

Determining paths by which farmers can adapt effectively to scarce freshwater resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, R.; Hornberger, G.; Carrico, A. R.

2012-12-01

Stress on freshwater resources is a significant risk associated with climatic change. The risk is even greater given the expected changes in overall resource use as the developing world develops, as the world's population continues to grow, and as land use changes dramatically. Effective water management has implications for food security, health, and political stability worldwide. This is particularly true in developing regions heavily dependent on agriculture, and where agriculture depends on irrigation. Adaptation to water stress requires both managing water allocation among competing users and ensuring that each user is efficient in his or her use of a limited allotment: the problem is a quintessential common-pool resource (CPR) dilemma. In the future even more so than in the past, adaptation will be essential as the world evolves. The problem that we identify—determining paths by which farmers can adapt effectively to increasingly scarce freshwater resources—is one of great scientific and societal importance. The issue lies at the intersection of water-cycle processes and social-psychological processes that influence and are influenced by water availability and use. This intersection harbors intriguing unresolved scientific questions; advances in natural and social sciences will stem from attacks on the overall problem. The issue is societally compelling because the ability of the world to supply adequate food for a population expected to grow to over 9 billion by 2050 may well be determined by how farmers, consumers, and government institutions adapt to changing conditions of water availability. Major strides have been made in recent decades in understanding why Hardin's envisioned "tragedy of the commons" is avoided under certain circumstances, in some cases through self-organization rather than government intervention originally considered a necessity. Furthermore, we now know that the impacts of decisions about allocation and use of water can be amplified by human system-natural system feedbacks. Thus, although there are hard problems in many individual disciplines to be tackled, it is also clear that CPR problems cannot be understood, much less managed, without truly interdisciplinary approaches that recognize that human and natural systems are strongly coupled and that include this coupling in the research design and implementation. The problem of farmer adaptation is a specific instance of the challenge articulated by Ostrom in her Nobel Prize lecture: "We thus face the tough task of further developing our theories to help understand and predict when those involved in a common-pool resource dilemma will be able to self-organize and how various aspects of the broad context they face affect their strategies, the short-term success of their efforts, and the long-term robustness of their initial achievements." In this paper we discuss advances in recent understanding of irrigation water as a CPR and the linkages with individual behavior. Using our ongoing work in Sri Lanka to provide context, we also discuss gaps in this research as well as emerging problems warranting attention. We pay special attention to the role and necessity of integrated, interdisciplinary research and identify a framework for making further progress toward addressing the key problem of determining paths by which farmers can adapt effectively.

Climate policy: Risk-averse governments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Paul G.

2014-04-01

Relative to the scale of the problem, climate policies worldwide have failed. Now research explains why policy innovations are often inadequate, routinely reflecting the aversion of policymakers to the risk of failure.

How Long a Life Is Enough Life?

PubMed

Callahan, Daniel; Gaylin, Willard

2017-07-01

Humans have long been troubled by the prospect of old age and its culmination in death. Whether to rebel against or accept this fate have been wrestled with down through the centuries. But new medical technologies and the growing science of aging have sided with rebellion. We know that aging can be pushed back and improved in its quality. That progress is well under way, but now intensified by many scientists and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan pledged three billion dollars toward eventually "preventing, curing or managing all diseases." And some visionaries have made the elimination of death or its indefinite postponement a goal. To put those aspirations in a broader context, it is helpful to keep in mind where population growth and aging trends stand. Apart from any success in the explicit efforts to increase longevity, there will be a steady increase in the number of elderly worldwide-and a much higher percentage of the elderly as part of the overall population. Most of the largest changes will be in developing countries. They will be overburdened by the death of the elderly from expensive chronic diseases-already a vexing problem for affluent countries. © 2017 The Hastings Center.

Motivational interviewing: experiences of primary care nurses trained in the method.

PubMed

Östlund, Ann-Sofi; Wadensten, Barbro; Kristofferzon, Marja-Leena; Häggström, Elisabeth

2015-03-01

Motivational interviewing is a person-centered counseling style used to promote behavioral change regarding a wide variety of lifestyle problems. Use of motivational interview is growing worldwide and among many different healthcare professions, including primary care nursing. The study aim was to describe motivational interview trained nurses' experiences of motivational interviewing in primary care settings. The study had a qualitative descriptive design. It was carried out in Swedish primary care settings in two county council districts, with 20 primary care nurses trained in motivational interviewing. Half of them used the method in their work, half did not. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The nurses experienced that openness to the approach and an encouraging working climate are required to overcome internal resistance and to increase use of motivational interviewing. They also experienced mutual benefit: motivational interviewing elicits and develops abilities in both nurses and patients. For the nurses using it, motivational interviewing is perceived to facilitate work with patients in need of lifestyle change. Lack of training/education, support, interest and appropriate work tasks/patients are reasons for not using motivational interviewing.

Novel and viable acetylcholinesterase target site for developing effective and environmentally safe insecticides.

PubMed

Pang, Yuan-Ping; Brimijoin, Stephen; Ragsdale, David W; Zhu, Kun Yan; Suranyi, Robert

2012-04-01

Insect pests are responsible for human suffering and financial losses worldwide. New and environmentally safe insecticides are urgently needed to cope with these serious problems. Resistance to current insecticides has resulted in a resurgence of insect pests, and growing concerns about insecticide toxicity to humans discourage the use of insecticides for pest control. The small market for insecticides has hampered insecticide development; however, advances in genomics and structural genomics offer new opportunities to develop insecticides that are less dependent on the insecticide market. This review summarizes the literature data that support the hypothesis that an insect-specific cysteine residue located at the opening of the acetylcholinesterase active site is a promising target site for developing new insecticides with reduced off-target toxicity and low propensity for insect resistance. These data are used to discuss the differences between targeting the insect-specific cysteine residue and targeting the ubiquitous catalytic serine residue of acetylcholinesterase from the perspective of reducing off-target toxicity and insect resistance. Also discussed is the prospect of developing cysteine-targeting anticholinesterases as effective and environmentally safe insecticides for control of disease vectors, crop damage, and residential insect pests within the financial confines of the present insecticide market.

Application of HRAM screening and LC-MS/MS confirmation of active pharmaceutical ingredient in "natural" herbal supplements.

PubMed

Pascali, Jennifer P; Fais, Paolo; Vaiano, Fabio; Bertol, Elisabetta

2018-05-01

The growing market of herbal remedies worldwide could pose severe problems to consumers' health due to the possible presence of potentially harmful, undeclared synthetic substances or analogues of prescription drugs. The present work shows a simple but effective approach to unequivocally identify synthetic anorectic compounds in allegedly 'natural' herbal extracts, by exploiting liquid chromatography/time of flight (Q-TOF LC/MS) technology coupled to liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole (LC-MS/MS) confirmation and quantitation. The procedure was applied to five tea herbal extracts and pills sold as coadjutant for weigh loss. The method exploited liquid-liquid sample extraction (LLE) and separation in a C18 (2.1mm×150mm, 1.8μm) column. QTOF acquisitions were carried out both in scan mode and all ion MS/MS mode and results were obtained after search against ad hoc prepared library. Sibutramine, 4-hydroxyamphetamine, caffeine and theophylline were preliminary identified samples. Confirmation and quantitation of the preliminary identified compounds were obtained in LC-MS/MS after preparation of appropriated standards. Sibutramine, caffeine and theophylline were finally confirmed and quantitate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Current perspectives on biomedical waste management: Rules, conventions and treatment technologies.

PubMed

Capoor, Malini R; Bhowmik, Kumar Tapas

2017-01-01

Unregulated biomedical waste management (BMWM) is a public health problem. This has posed a grave threat to not only human health and safety but also to the environment for the current and future generations. Safe and reliable methods for handling of biomedical waste (BMW) are of paramount importance. Effective BMWM is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility. This article reviews the current perspectives on BMWM and rules, conventions and the treatment technologies used worldwide. BMWM should ideally be the subject of a national strategy with dedicated infrastructure, cradle-to-grave legislation, competent regulatory authority and trained personnel. Improving the management of biomedical waste begins with waste minimisation. These standards, norms and rules on BMWM in a country regulate the disposal of various categories of BMW to ensure the safety of the health-care workers, patients, public and environment. Furthermore, developing models for the monitoring of hospital health-care waste practices and research into non-burn eco-friendly sustainable technologies, recycling and polyvinyl chloride-free devices will go in long way for safe carbon environment. Globally, greater research in BMWM is warranted to understand its growing field of public health importance.

"One level more:" A narrative review on internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Naskar, Subrata; Victor, Robin; Nath, Kamal; Sengupta, Chiradeep

2016-01-01

Due to explosive growth in technology and internet usage in the last few years, internet gaming disorder (IGD) has manifested as rapidly growing public health problem mainly affecting the teen and preteen population worldwide. It has a negative impact upon physical, psychological, social, and occupational functioning of the affected individual, often leading to severe consequences. It was only recently that it has been recognized as a separate diagnosable disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition. Not much data is available regarding the exact prevalence and the various sociodemographic, clinical, and other risk factors to identify the individuals vulnerable to develop this disorder, especially in the developing countries such as India. According to a recent report, India ranks 22 nd in the list of highest revenue-generating countries from gaming-related businesses, thus highlighting the magnitude of risk faced by Indian population. The aim of this review is to provide an insight about the disorder to identify the risk factors and clinical features, to understand the effect of IGD upon the psychological and physical health with a special focus on neural changes, and to provide information on the various upcoming preventive and treatment strategies.

Novel and Viable Acetylcholinesterase Target Site for Developing Effective and Environmentally Safe Insecticides

PubMed Central

Pang, Yuan-Ping; Brimijoin, Stephen; Ragsdale, David W; Zhu, Kun Yan; Suranyi, Robert

2012-01-01

Insect pests are responsible for human suffering and financial losses worldwide. New and environmentally safe insecticides are urgently needed to cope with these serious problems. Resistance to current insecticides has resulted in a resurgence of insect pests, and growing concerns about insecticide toxicity to humans discourage the use of insecticides for pest control. The small market for insecticides has hampered insecticide development; however, advances in genomics and structural genomics offer new opportunities to develop insecticides that are less dependent on the insecticide market. This review summarizes the literature data that support the hypothesis that an insect-specific cysteine residue located at the opening of the acetylcholinesterase active site is a promising target site for developing new insecticides with reduced off-target toxicity and low propensity for insect resistance. These data are used to discuss the differences between targeting the insect-specific cysteine residue and targeting the ubiquitous catalytic serine residue of acetylcholinesterase from the perspective of reducing off-target toxicity and insect resistance. Also discussed is the prospect of developing cysteine-targeting anticholinesterases as effective and environmentally safe insecticides for control of disease vectors, crop damage, and residential insect pests within the financial confines of the present insecticide market. PMID:22280344

Flavonoid Apigenin Is an Inhibitor of the NAD+ase CD38

PubMed Central

Escande, Carlos; Nin, Veronica; Price, Nathan L.; Capellini, Verena; Gomes, Ana P.; Barbosa, Maria Thereza; O’Neil, Luke; White, Thomas A.; Sinclair, David A.; Chini, Eduardo N.

2013-01-01

Metabolic syndrome is a growing health problem worldwide. It is therefore imperative to develop new strategies to treat this pathology. In the past years, the manipulation of NAD+ metabolism has emerged as a plausible strategy to ameliorate metabolic syndrome. In particular, an increase in cellular NAD+ levels has beneficial effects, likely because of the activation of sirtuins. Previously, we reported that CD38 is the primary NAD+ase in mammals. Moreover, CD38 knockout mice have higher NAD+ levels and are protected against obesity and metabolic syndrome. Here, we show that CD38 regulates global protein acetylation through changes in NAD+ levels and sirtuin activity. In addition, we characterize two CD38 inhibitors: quercetin and apigenin. We show that pharmacological inhibition of CD38 results in higher intracellular NAD+ levels and that treatment of cell cultures with apigenin decreases global acetylation as well as the acetylation of p53 and RelA-p65. Finally, apigenin administration to obese mice increases NAD+ levels, decreases global protein acetylation, and improves several aspects of glucose and lipid homeostasis. Our results show that CD38 is a novel pharmacological target to treat metabolic diseases via NAD+-dependent pathways. PMID:23172919

Building-to-Grid Integration through Commercial Building Portfolios Participating in Energy and Frequency Regulation Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlak, Gregory S.

Building energy use is a significant contributing factor to growing worldwide energy demands. In pursuit of a sustainable energy future, commercial building operations must be intelligently integrated with the electric system to increase efficiency and enable renewable generation. Toward this end, a model-based methodology was developed to estimate the capability of commercial buildings to participate in frequency regulation ancillary service markets. This methodology was integrated into a supervisory model predictive controller to optimize building operation in consideration of energy prices, demand charges, and ancillary service revenue. The supervisory control problem was extended to building portfolios to evaluate opportunities for synergistic effect among multiple, centrally-optimized buildings. Simulation studies performed showed that the multi-market optimization was able to determine appropriate opportunities for buildings to provide frequency regulation. Total savings were increased by up to thirteen percentage points, depending on the simulation case. Furthermore, optimizing buildings as a portfolio achieved up to seven additional percentage points of savings, depending on the case. Enhanced energy and cost savings opportunities were observed by taking the novel perspective of optimizing building portfolios in multiple grid markets, motivating future pursuits of advanced control paradigms that enable a more intelligent electric grid.

[Alteration of biological rhythms causes metabolic diseases and obesity].

PubMed

Saderi, Nadia; Escobar, Carolina; Salgado-Delgado, Roberto

2013-07-16

The incidence of obesity worldwide has become a serious, constantly growing public health issue that reaches alarming proportions in some countries. To date none of the strategies developed to combat obesity have proved to be decisive, and hence there is an urgent need to address the problem with new approaches. Today, studies in the field of chronobiology have shown that our physiology continually adapts itself to the cyclical changes in the environment, regard-less of whether they are daily or seasonal. This is possible thanks to the existence of a biological clock in our hypothalamus which regulates the expression and/or activity of enzymes and hormones involved in regulating our metabolism, as well as all the homeostatic functions. It has been observed that this clock can be upset as a result of today's modern lifestyle, which involves a drop in physical activity during the day and the abundant ingestion of food during the night, among other factors, which together promote metabolic syndrome and obesity. Hence, the aim of this review is to summarise the recent findings that show the effect that altering the circadian rhythms has on the metabolism and how this can play a part in the development of metabolic diseases.

“One level more:” A narrative review on internet gaming disorder

PubMed Central

Naskar, Subrata; Victor, Robin; Nath, Kamal; Sengupta, Chiradeep

2016-01-01

Due to explosive growth in technology and internet usage in the last few years, internet gaming disorder (IGD) has manifested as rapidly growing public health problem mainly affecting the teen and preteen population worldwide. It has a negative impact upon physical, psychological, social, and occupational functioning of the affected individual, often leading to severe consequences. It was only recently that it has been recognized as a separate diagnosable disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition. Not much data is available regarding the exact prevalence and the various sociodemographic, clinical, and other risk factors to identify the individuals vulnerable to develop this disorder, especially in the developing countries such as India. According to a recent report, India ranks 22nd in the list of highest revenue-generating countries from gaming-related businesses, thus highlighting the magnitude of risk faced by Indian population. The aim of this review is to provide an insight about the disorder to identify the risk factors and clinical features, to understand the effect of IGD upon the psychological and physical health with a special focus on neural changes, and to provide information on the various upcoming preventive and treatment strategies. PMID:28659692

Promises and Pitfalls of Anchoring Vignettes in Health Survey Research

PubMed Central

Verdes-Tennant, Emese; McEniry, Mary; Ispány, Márton

2016-01-01

Data harmonization is a topic of growing importance to demographers, who increasingly conduct domestic or international comparative research. Many self-reported survey items cannot be directly compared across demographic groups or countries because these groups differ in how they use subjective response categories. Anchoring vignettes, already appearing in numerous surveys worldwide, promise to overcome this problem. However, many anchoring vignettes have not been formally evaluated for adherence to the key measurement assumptions of vignette equivalence and response consistency. This article tests these assumptions in some of the most widely fielded anchoring vignettes in the world: the health vignettes in the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) and World Health Survey (WHS) (representing 10 countries; n = 52,388), as well as similar vignettes in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (n = 4,528). Findings are encouraging regarding adherence to response consistency, but reveal substantial violations of vignette equivalence both cross-nationally and across socioeconomic groups. That is, members of different sociocultural groups appear to interpret vignettes as depicting fundamentally different levels of health. The evaluated anchoring vignettes do not fulfill their promise of providing interpersonally comparable measures of health. Recommendations for improving future implementations of vignettes are discussed. PMID:26335547

The Relationship Between Diabetes Mellitus, Geriatric Syndromes, Physical Function, and Gait: A Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Moreira, Bruno de Souza; Sampaio, Rosana Ferreira; Furtado, Sheyla Rossana Cavalcanti; Dias, Rosângela Corrêa; Kirkwood, Renata Noce

2016-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is a common and growing problem worldwide, especially in the elderly population imposing a huge economic burden for individuals and healthcare services. The purpose of this narrative review was to summarize the current state of knowledge about the relationship between diabetes and important geriatric syndromes, physical function measures, and gait variables. Studies pertaining to the topics were identified through on-line search of databases. Seniors with diabetes are more likely to experience falls, depression, and frailty. Furthermore, in older patients, diabetes has been associated with disability, including basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and with poorer performance on objective measures of physical function, such as sit-to-stand test, handgrip strength, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Diabetic seniors also have an altered gait pattern characterized by lower velocity and stride length, and higher step width, stance time, double support time, and stride length variability compared to non-diabetic seniors. Little is known about fear of falling in older adults with diabetes. The relationship between these outcomes and diabetes in older people is still outstanding and merits further investigation.

The battle of Alzheimer's Disease - the beginning of the future Unleashing the potential of academic discoveries.

PubMed

Lundkvist, Johan; Halldin, Magnus M; Sandin, Johan; Nordvall, Gunnar; Forsell, Pontus; Svensson, Samuel; Jansson, Liselotte; Johansson, Gunilla; Winblad, Bengt; Ekstrand, Jonas

2014-01-01

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, affecting approximately 36 million people worldwide. To date there is no preventive or curative treatment available for AD, and in absence of major progress in therapeutic development, AD manifests a concrete socioeconomic threat. The awareness of the growing problem of AD is increasing, exemplified by the recent G8 Dementia Summit, a meeting held in order to set the stage and steer the compass for the future. Simultaneously, and paradoxically, we have seen key players in the pharmaceutical industry that have recently closed or significantly decreased their R&D spending on AD and other CNS disorders. Given the pressing need for new treatments in this area, other actors need to step-in and enter this drug discovery arena complementing the industrial efforts, in order to turn biological and technological progress into novel therapeutics. In this article, we present an example of a novel drug discovery initiative that in a non-profit setting, aims to integrate with both preclinical and clinical academic groups and pharmaceutical industry to explore the therapeutic potential of new concepts in patients, using novel biology, state of the art technologies and rapid concept testing.

Burden of osteoporosis and fractures.

PubMed

Keen, Richard W

2003-09-01

Osteoporosis currently affects up to one in three women and one in 12 men. In 1990, there were 1.6 million hip fractures per annum worldwide and this number is estimated to reach 6 million by 2050. This increase in the number of fractures is due to an increase in the number of elderly people in the population, improved survival, and an increase in the age-specific fracture rates of unknown etiology. The rising number of osteoporotic fractures and their associated morbidity will place a heavy burden on future health care resources. In the United States, the cost for the management of osteoporosis has been estimated at $17 billion. The majority of this cost is spent on the acute surgical and medical management following hip fracture, and the subsequent rehabilitation. Currently, only minimal costs are utilized for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Hopefully, however, an accurate assessment of the burden of osteoporosis on the individual and the health care system will enable the targeting of resources to tackle this growing problem. With an increasing number of effective pharmaceutical interventions, it is critical that these agents are targeted to those at greatest risk for future fracture. This will ultimately reduce the burden of osteoporosis in future years.

Sharing tools and best practice in Global Sensitivity Analysis within academia and with industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagener, T.; Pianosi, F.; Noacco, V.; Sarrazin, F.

2017-12-01

We have spent years trying to improve the use of global sensitivity analysis (GSA) in earth and environmental modelling. Our efforts included (1) the development of tools that provide easy access to widely used GSA methods, (2) the definition of workflows so that best practice is shared in an accessible way, and (3) the development of algorithms to close gaps in available GSA methods (such as moment independent strategies) and to make GSA applications more robust (such as convergence criteria). These elements have been combined in our GSA Toolbox, called SAFE (www.safetoolbox.info), which has up to now been adopted by over 1000 (largely) academic users worldwide. However, despite growing uptake in academic circles and across a wide range of application areas, transfer to industry applications has been difficult. Initial market research regarding opportunities and barriers for uptake revealed a large potential market, but also highlighted a significant lack of knowledge regarding state-of-the-art methods and their potential value for end-users. We will present examples and discuss our experience so far in trying to overcome these problems and move beyond academia in distributing GSA tools and expertise.

Pre-registration nursing students' perceptions and experiences of violence in a nursing education institution in South Africa.

PubMed

de Villiers, Tania; Mayers, Pat M; Khalil, Doris

2014-11-01

Violence is a growing problem worldwide in the field of health care and within the nursing profession. A study comprising a survey and focus groups with nursing students, and interviews with nurse educators was conducted to examine nursing students' perceptions and experiences of violence at a nursing education institution in the Western Cape, South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all nursing students. Two hundred and twenty three (n = 223) respondents completed the questionnaire. Focus groups were conducted with purposively sampled student participants and semi-structured interviews with nurse educators. The findings indicated that the nature of the violent incidents experienced by students on campus, especially in the residences, ranged from verbal abuse to violation of students' property and personal space, and could be attributed primarily to substance abuse. Violence among student nurses could negatively affect learning. In a profession in which nurses are exposed to violence in the workplace, it is important that violence in the learning environment is actively prevented and respect of individual rights, tolerance and co-operation are promoted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional foods for health: focus on diabetes.

PubMed

Rudkowska, Iwona

2009-03-20

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing public health problems worldwide. Menopause may present additional challenges for women who have diabetes by increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and making blood glucose control more difficult. Functional foods may have the potential to improve glycemic control, but little evidence is known about the efficacy of these foods. The purpose of this literature review is to establish a recommendation for the intake of functional foods in a healthy diet - such as nuts, omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and cinnamon - for the glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Nuts and omega-3 FAs appear to have an overall beneficial effect on CVD; however, their effect on glucose homeostasis is uncertain. In addition, cinnamon appears to inconsistently improve glycemic parameters in diabetic patients. Overall, more research on the potential effect of all of these functional foods on patients with type 2 diabetes is needed to able to make specific recommendations. In conclusion, there is reason to consider the inclusion of nuts and fish, as a source of omega-3 FAs, in the diets of individuals with diabetes in view of their potential to reduce CVD risk, even though their ability to influence overall glycemic control remains to be established.

Nutritional Influences on One-Carbon Metabolism: Effects on Arsenic Methylation and Toxicity.

PubMed

Saxena, Roheeni; Bozack, Anne K; Gamble, Mary V

2018-05-23

Exposure to inorganic arsenic (InAs) via drinking water and/or food is a considerable worldwide problem. Methylation of InAs generates monomethyl (MMAs III+V )- and dimethyl (DMAs III+V )-arsenical species in a process that facilitates urinary As elimination; however, MMA is considerably more toxic than either InAs or DMAs. Emerging evidence suggests that incomplete methylation of As to DMAs, resulting in increased MMAs, is associated with increased risk for a host of As-related health outcomes. The biochemical pathway that provides methyl groups for As methylation, one-carbon metabolism (OCM), is influenced by folate and other micronutrients, including choline and betaine. Individuals and species differ widely in their ability to methylate As. A growing body of research, including cell-culture, animal-model, and epidemiological studies, has demonstrated the role of OCM-related micronutrients in As methylation. This review examines the evidence that nutritional status and nutritional interventions can influence the metabolism and toxicity of As, with a primary focus on folate. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Nutrition Volume 38 is August 21, 2018. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Advances on Fungal Phytotoxins and Their Role in Grapevine Trunk Diseases.

PubMed

Masi, Marco; Cimmino, Alessio; Reveglia, Pierluigi; Mugnai, Laura; Surico, Giuseppe; Evidente, Antonio

2018-06-20

Grapevines are produced worldwide with important impact on local economies. Several biotic stresses induce serious diseases of grapevine, which severely affect the quantity and quality of production. One of the most important problems of vineyards worldwide is the high incidence of grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) induced by fungi belonging to several genera. Environmentally friendly methods for GTD control are being studied. This perspective offers an advanced overview on the fungal phytotoxins involved in GTD and their eventual role in the development of disease symptoms.

Whither CRM? Future directions in Crew Resource Management training in the cockpit and elsewhere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helmreich, Robert L.

1993-01-01

The past decade has shown worldwide adoption of human factors training in civil aviation, now known as Crew Resource Management (CRM). The shift in name from cockpit to crew reflects a growing trend to extend the training to other components of the aviation system including flight attendants, dispatchers, maintenance personnel, and Air Traffic Controllers. The paper reports findings and new directions in research into human factors.

Achieving Interoperability Through Base Registries for Governmental Services and Document Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charalabidis, Yannis; Lampathaki, Fenareti; Askounis, Dimitris

As digital infrastructures increase their presence worldwide, following the efforts of governments to provide citizens and businesses with high-quality one-stop services, there is a growing need for the systematic management of those newly defined and constantly transforming processes and electronic documents. E-government Interoperability Frameworks usually cater to the technical standards of e-government systems interconnection, but do not address service composition and use by citizens, businesses, or other administrations.

Drugs offshore: companies stepping up fight against hidden adversary

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

Redden, J.

1986-01-01

Oil companies worldwide are effectively fighting a growing nemesis, drug and alcohol abuse on offshore installations. It is estimated that companies are losing millions of dollars in lost productivity, accidents, and thefts caused by on-the-job use of illegal drugs. Some of the measures being employed to combat the use of such drugs, e.g., tight control, better communications, diversions for employees, and the use of sniffer dogs, are discussed.

Certification of international allied professionals in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology: Opportunities?

PubMed Central

Chiu, Christine

2010-01-01

Allied professionals with diverse backgrounds and training are essential to the delivery of quality care to patients with heart rhythm disorders. There is a growing worldwide demand for defined educational requirements and certification pathways to ensure uniformity of knowledge and competence of those practicing in electrophysiology. The present viewpoint article reviews the current deficiencies of education and training, and advocates for the establishment of certification pathways by professional societies. PMID:20101363

Somebody better find some rigs

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

NONE

1997-08-01

The paper discusses the outlook for the gas and oil industries of the Middle East. Field development projects abound, as the larger exporting nations pursue ambitious policies of production expansion. However, their plans may be hampered by the growing worldwide shortage of rigs. Separate evaluations are given for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Neutral Zone, Abu Dhabi, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Yemen, Syria, Dubai, Turkey, Sharjah, and briefly for Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, UAE-Ajman, and UAE-Ras al-Khaimah.

Scientists Grow Therapeutic Protein in Engineered Soya Bean Seeds to Prevent AIDS | Poster

Cancer.gov

Genetically modified soya beans provide a scalable, low-cost method of producing microbicides that prevent AIDS, a technique sustainable for resource-poor countries where AIDS is spreading rapidly. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, more than 36 million people worldwide are living with HIV. While the number of AIDS-related deaths are decreasing, infection rates are still increasing, specifically in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Worldwide Emerging Environmental Issues Affecting the U.S. Military. November 2005 Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-11-01

rapid development. At the program’s launch festivity, the need for developing an international e- waste recycling systems along with transparent...electronic equipment. Sources: Roadmap Set for the Environmentally Sound Management of Electronic Waste in Asia-Pacific under the Basel Convention...34 Tom Dunne, of the agency’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, wrote in an e-mail message. 4.5 Sunk Weapons Represent a Growing

Enhancing US-Japan Cooperation to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) is aimed at preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats. To move toward these goals, the United States has committed to partner with at least 30 countries around the world. One of the objectives of the GHSA includes “[p]reventing the emergence and spread of antimicrobial drug resistant organisms.” Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a growing global health security problem, with inappropriate use of antimicrobial medications in humans and animals and a lack of new antimicrobial medications contributing to this problem. While AMR is a growing global concern, working on it regionally can make this multifaceted problem more manageable. The United States and Japan, both world leaders in the life sciences, are close allies that have established cooperative programs in medical research and global health that can be used to work on combating AMR and advance the GHSA. Although the United States and Japan have cooperated on health issues in the past, their cooperation on the growing problem of AMR has been limited. Their existing networks, cooperative programs, and close relationships can and should be used to work on combating this expanding problem. PMID:25470465

Scientific Computing

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

Fermilab

2017-09-01

Scientists, engineers and programmers at Fermilab are tackling today’s most challenging computational problems. Their solutions, motivated by the needs of worldwide research in particle physics and accelerators, help America stay at the forefront of innovation.

Communication satellite applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelton, Joseph N.

The status and future of the technologies, numbers and services provided by communications satellites worldwide are explored. The evolution of Intelsat satellites and the associated earth terminals toward high-rate all-digital telephony, data, facsimile, videophone, videoconferencing and DBS capabilities are described. The capabilities, services and usage of the Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Arabsat and Palapa systems are also outlined. Domestic satellite communications by means of the Molniya, ANIK, Olympus, Intelsat and Palapa spacecraft are outlined, noting the fast growth of the market and the growing number of different satellite manufacturers. The technical, economic and service definition issues surrounding DBS systems are discussed, along with presently operating and planned maritime and aeronautical communications and positioning systems. Features of search and rescue and tracking, data, and relay satellite systems are summarized, and services offered or which will be offered by every existing or planned communication satellite worldwide are tabulated.

Quantum Entanglement Growth under Random Unitary Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahum, Adam; Ruhman, Jonathan; Vijay, Sagar; Haah, Jeongwan

2017-07-01

Characterizing how entanglement grows with time in a many-body system, for example, after a quantum quench, is a key problem in nonequilibrium quantum physics. We study this problem for the case of random unitary dynamics, representing either Hamiltonian evolution with time-dependent noise or evolution by a random quantum circuit. Our results reveal a universal structure behind noisy entanglement growth, and also provide simple new heuristics for the "entanglement tsunami" in Hamiltonian systems without noise. In 1D, we show that noise causes the entanglement entropy across a cut to grow according to the celebrated Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation. The mean entanglement grows linearly in time, while fluctuations grow like (time )1/3 and are spatially correlated over a distance ∝(time )2/3. We derive KPZ universal behavior in three complementary ways, by mapping random entanglement growth to (i) a stochastic model of a growing surface, (ii) a "minimal cut" picture, reminiscent of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula in holography, and (iii) a hydrodynamic problem involving the dynamical spreading of operators. We demonstrate KPZ universality in 1D numerically using simulations of random unitary circuits. Importantly, the leading-order time dependence of the entropy is deterministic even in the presence of noise, allowing us to propose a simple coarse grained minimal cut picture for the entanglement growth of generic Hamiltonians, even without noise, in arbitrary dimensionality. We clarify the meaning of the "velocity" of entanglement growth in the 1D entanglement tsunami. We show that in higher dimensions, noisy entanglement evolution maps to the well-studied problem of pinning of a membrane or domain wall by disorder.

Acceptance and Use of Health Information Technology By Community-Dwelling Elders

PubMed Central

Fischer, Shira H; David, Daniel; Crotty, Bradley H; Dierks, Meghan; Safran, Charles

2014-01-01

Objectives With the worldwide population growing in age, information technology may help meet important needs to prepare and support patients and families for aging. We sought to explore the use and acceptance of information technology for health among the elderly by reviewing the existing literature. Methods Review of literature using PubMed and Google Scholar, references from relevant papers, and consultation with experts. Results Elderly people approach the Internet and health information technology differently than younger people, but have growing rates of adoption. Assistive technology, such as sensors or home monitors, may help ‘aging in place,' but these have not been thoroughly evaluated. Elders face many barriers to using technology for healthcare decision-making, including issues with familiarity, willingness to ask for help, trust of the technology, privacy, and design challenges. Conclusions Barriers must be addressed for these tools to be available to this growing population. Design, education, research, and policy all play roles in addressing these barriers to acceptance and use. PMID:24996581

Acceptance and use of health information technology by community-dwelling elders.

PubMed

Fischer, Shira H; David, Daniel; Crotty, Bradley H; Dierks, Meghan; Safran, Charles

2014-09-01

With the worldwide population growing in age, information technology may help meet important needs to prepare and support patients and families for aging. We sought to explore the use and acceptance of information technology for health among the elderly by reviewing the existing literature. Review of literature using PubMed and Google Scholar, references from relevant papers, and consultation with experts. Elderly people approach the Internet and health information technology differently than younger people, but have growing rates of adoption. Assistive technology, such as sensors or home monitors, may help 'aging in place', but these have not been thoroughly evaluated. Elders face many barriers in using technology for healthcare decision-making, including issues with familiarity, willingness to ask for help, trust of the technology, privacy, and design challenges. Barriers must be addressed for these tools to be available to this growing population. Design, education, research, and policy all play roles in addressing these barriers to acceptance and use. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is research on soil erosion hazard and mitigation in the Global South still needed? (Alexander von Humbold Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poesen, Jean

2016-04-01

Soil erosion represents a geomorphological and geological hazard that may cause environmental damage (land degradation), property damage, loss of livelihoods and services as well as social and economic disruption. Erosion not only lowers the quality of our soils on site, resulting in a drastic reduction of their ecosystem functions that play a vital role in daily life, but causes also significant sediment-related problems off site. To curb soil erosion problems, a range of soil conservation techniques and strategies have been designed and are being applied. Worldwide, ca. 62 000 research papers on soil erosion and 116 000 on soil conservation have been published (Web of Science, Dec. 2015). The number of such papers dealing with the Global South represents less than 20 % of all papers, despite the fact that many regions in this part of the world face significant soil erosion problems, aggravated by a rapidly growing population and major environmental changes. Given the large number of research papers on this topic, one might therefore conclude that we now know almost everything about the various soil erosion processes and rates, their factors and consequences as well as their control so that little new knowledge can still be added to the vast amount of available information. We refute this conclusion by pointing to some major research gaps that still need to be addressed if we want to use our soils in a more sustainable way. More specifically the following topics need more research attention: 1) improved understanding of both natural and anthropogenic soil erosion processes and their interactions, 2) scaling up soil erosion processes and rates in space and time, and 3) innovative techniques and strategies to prevent or reduce erosion rates. This will be illustrated with case studies from the Global South. If future research focuses on these research gaps, we will 1) better understand processes and their interactions operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales, their rates as well as their on-site and off-site impacts, which is crucial for better targeting erosion control measures and which is academically spoken rewarding, and 2) we will also be in a better position to select the most appropriate and effective soil erosion control techniques and strategies which are badly needed for a sustainable use of our soils in the Anthropocene and for the improvement of environmental conditions worldwide.

Electronic theses and dissertations: a review of this valuable resource for nurse scholars worldwide.

PubMed

Goodfellow, L M

2009-06-01

A worldwide repository of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) could provide worldwide access to the most up-to-date research generated by masters and doctoral students. Until that international repository is established, it is possible to access some of these valuable knowledge resources. ETDs provide a technologically advanced medium with endless multimedia capabilities that far exceed the print and bound copies of theses and dissertations housed traditionally in individual university libraries. CURRENT USE: A growing trend exists for universities worldwide to require graduate students to submit theses or dissertations as electronic documents. However, nurse scholars underutilize ETDs, as evidenced by perusing bibliographic citation lists in many of the research journals. ETDs can be searched for and retrieved through several digital resources such as the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (http://www.ndltd.org), ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (http://www.umi.com), the Australasian Digital Theses Program (http://adt.caul.edu.au/) and through individual university web sites and online catalogues. An international repository of ETDs benefits the community of nurse scholars in many ways. The ability to access recent graduate students' research electronically from anywhere in the world is advantageous. For scholars residing in developing countries, access to these ETDs may prove to be even more valuable. In some cases, ETDs are not available for worldwide access and can only be accessed through the university library from which the student graduated. Public access to university library ETD collections is not always permitted. Nurse scholars from both developing and developed countries could benefit from ETDs.

Collboard: Fostering New Media Literacies in the Classroom through Collaborative Problem Solving Supported by Digital Pens and Interactive Whiteboards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarez, Claudio; Salavati, Sadaf; Nussbaum, Miguel; Milrad, Marcelo

2013-01-01

Education systems worldwide must strive to support the teaching of a set of New Media Literacies (NMLs). These literacies respond to the need for educating human capital within participatory cultures in a highly technologized world. In this paper, we present Collboard, a constructivist problem solving activity for fostering the development of…

Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Technology: A Classroom Activity Designed to Evaluate a Contemporary Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy MacArthur, Amy H.; Copper, Christine L.

2009-01-01

As petroleum reserves are being depleted worldwide and energy costs are increasing, the use of alternative fuels is being more widely considered as a solution to the impending energy crisis. In this classroom activity students are presented with a real-world problem in which they must evaluate the properties and environmental impacts of a variety…

Gender Discrimination in Employment: Wage Inequity for Professional and Doctoral Degree Holders in the United States and Possible Remedies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolford, Karen M.

2005-01-01

Gender discrimination and wage inequity remain problems worldwide. In the United States and Canada, where equal rights and protective legislation have been in place for nearly 40 years, glaring disparities in salaries and job opportunities remain. Similar problems have been studied in the United Kingdom, leading to enactment of the 1975 Sex…

Impact of perinatal environmental tobacco smoke on the development of childhood allergic diseases.

PubMed

Yang, Hyeon-Jong

2016-08-01

Allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy, are most common chronic, noncommunicable diseases in childhood. In the past few decades, the prevalence has increased abruptly worldwide. There are 2 possible explanations for the rising prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide, that an increased disease-awareness of physician, patient, or caregivers, and an abrupt exposure to unknown hazards. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Despite the continuing efforts worldwide, the etiologies and rising prevalence remain unclear. Thus, it is important to identify and control risk factors in the susceptible individual for the best prevention and management. Genetic susceptibility or environments may be a potential background for the development of allergic disease, however they alone cannot explain the rising prevalence worldwide. There is growing evidence that epigenetic change depends on the gene, environment, and their interactions, may induce a long-lasting altered gene expression and the consequent development of allergic diseases. In epigenetic mechanisms, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during critical period (i.e., during pregnancy and early life) are considered as a potential cause of the development of childhood allergic diseases. However, the causal relationship is still unclear. This review aimed to highlight the impact of ETS exposure during the perinatal period on the development of childhood allergic diseases and to propose a future research direction.

THE BURDEN OF DENGUE AND CHIKUNGUNYA WORLDWIDE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES AND CALIFORNIA

PubMed Central

Fredericks, Anthony C.; Fernandez-Sesma, Ana

2015-01-01

Dengue virus (DENV) spreads to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito and is a growing public health threat to both industrialized and developing nations worldwide. Outbreaks of autochthonous dengue in the United States occurred extensively in the past but over the past three decades have again taken place in Florida, Hawai’i, and Texas as well as in American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. As the Aedes vectors spread worldwide it is anticipated that DENV as well as other viruses also transmitted by these vectors, such as Chikungunya virus (CHKV), will invade new areas of the world, including the US. In this review, we describe the current burden of dengue disease worldwide and the potential introduction of DENV and CHKV into different areas of the US. Of these areas, the state of California saw the arrival and spread of the Aedes aegypti vector beginning in 2013. This invasion presents a developing situation when considering the state’s number of imported dengue cases and proximity to northern Mexico as well as the rising specter of chikungunya in the Western hemisphere. The distribution of Aedes vectors in California as well as a discussion of several factors contributing to the risk of dengue importation are discussed and evaluated. PMID:25960096

Microsurgical reconstruction of the head and neck region: Current concepts of maxillofacial surgery units worldwide.

PubMed

Kansy, Katinka; Mueller, Andreas Albert; Mücke, Thomas; Koersgen, Friederike; Wolff, Klaus Dietrich; Zeilhofer, Hans-Florian; Hölzle, Frank; Pradel, Winnie; Schneider, Matthias; Kolk, Andreas; Smeets, Ralf; Acero, Julio; Haers, Piet; Ghali, G E; Hoffmann, Jürgen

2015-10-01

Microvascular surgery following tumor resection has become an important field of oral maxillofacial surgery (OMFS). Following the surveys on current reconstructive practice in German-speaking countries and Europe, this paper presents the third phase of the project when the survey was conducted globally. The DOESAK questionnaire has been developed via a multicenter approach with maxillofacial surgeons from 19 different hospitals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was distributed in three different phases to a growing number of maxillofacial units in German-speaking clinics, over Europe and then worldwide. Thirty-eight units from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 65 remaining European OMFS-departments and 226 units worldwide responded to the survey. There is wide agreement on the most commonly used flaps, intraoperative rapid sections and a trend towards primary bony reconstruction. No uniform concepts can be identified concerning osteosynthesis of bone transplants, microsurgical techniques, administration of supportive medication and postoperative monitoring protocols. Microsurgical reconstruction is the gold standard for the majority of oncologic cases in Europe, but worldwide, only every second unit has access to this technique. The DOESAK questionnaire has proven to be a valid and well accepted tool for gathering information about current practice in reconstructive OMFS surgery. The questionnaire has been able to demonstrate similarities, differences and global inequalities. Copyright © 2015 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for infrastructure elements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-02-01

With a growing demand for new construction and the need to replace infrastructure stretched beyond its service life, society : faces the problem of an ever-growing production of construction and demolition waste. The Federal Highway Administration : ...

The worldwide incidence of preterm birth: a systematic review of maternal mortality and morbidity.

PubMed

Beck, Stacy; Wojdyla, Daniel; Say, Lale; Betran, Ana Pilar; Merialdi, Mario; Requejo, Jennifer Harris; Rubens, Craig; Menon, Ramkumar; Van Look, Paul F A

2010-01-01

To analyse preterm birth rates worldwide to assess the incidence of this public health problem, map the regional distribution of preterm births and gain insight into existing assessment strategies. Data on preterm birth rates worldwide were extracted during a previous systematic review of published and unpublished data on maternal mortality and morbidity reported between 1997 and 2002. Those data were supplemented through a complementary search covering the period 2003-2007. Region-specific multiple regression models were used to estimate the preterm birth rates for countries with no data. We estimated that in 2005, 12.9 million births, or 9.6% of all births worldwide, were preterm. Approximately 11 million (85%) of these preterm births were concentrated in Africa and Asia, while about 0.5 million occurred in each of Europe and North America (excluding Mexico) and 0.9 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. The highest rates of preterm birth were in Africa and North America (11.9% and 10.6% of all births, respectively), and the lowest were in Europe (6.2%). Preterm birth is an important perinatal health problem across the globe. Developing countries, especially those in Africa and southern Asia, incur the highest burden in terms of absolute numbers, although a high rate is also observed in North America. A better understanding of the causes of preterm birth and improved estimates of the incidence of preterm birth at the country level are needed to improve access to effective obstetric and neonatal care.

Research Problems in Developing Giftedness: A Worldwide Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passow, A. Harry; Schiff, Jacob H.

1991-01-01

This paper describes world perspectives on gifted education, focusing on definitions, identification procedures, and attitudes. It then examines key areas in gifted education that require further clarification and rigorous examination. (Author/JDD)

ADVANCED CERAMIC MATERIALS FOR NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR APPLICATIONS

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

Marra, J.

2010-09-29

Rising global energy demands coupled with increased environmental concerns point to one solution; they must reduce their dependence on fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases. As the global community faces the challenge of maintaining sovereign nation security, reducing greenhouse gases, and addressing climate change nuclear power will play a significant and likely growing role. In the US, nuclear energy already provides approximately one-fifth of the electricity used to power factories, offices, homes, and schools with 104 operating nuclear power plants, located at 65 sites in 31 states. Additionally, 19 utilities have applied to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formore » construction and operating licenses for 26 new reactors at 17 sites. This planned growth of nuclear power is occurring worldwide and has been termed the 'nuclear renaissance.' As major industrial nations craft their energy future, there are several important factors that must be considered about nuclear energy: (1) it has been proven over the last 40 years to be safe, reliable and affordable (good for Economic Security); (2) its technology and fuel can be domestically produced or obtained from allied nations (good for Energy Security); and (3) it is nearly free of greenhouse gas emissions (good for Environmental Security). Already an important part of worldwide energy security via electricity generation, nuclear energy can also potentially play an important role in industrial processes and supporting the nation's transportation sector. Coal-to-liquid processes, the generation of hydrogen and supporting the growing potential for a greatly increased electric transportation system (i.e. cars and trains) mean that nuclear energy could see dramatic growth in the near future as we seek to meet our growing demand for energy in cleaner, more secure ways. In order to address some of the prominent issues associated with nuclear power generation (i.e., high capital costs, waste management, and proliferation), the worldwide community is working to develop and deploy new nuclear energy systems and advanced fuel cycles. These new nuclear systems address the key challenges and include: (1) extracting the full energy value of the nuclear fuel; (2) creating waste solutions with improved long term safety; (3) minimizing the potential for the misuse of the technology and materials for weapons; (4) continually improving the safety of nuclear energy systems; and (5) keeping the cost of energy affordable.« less

Development of new peat based growing media by addition of pruning waste and biochars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieto, Aurora; Gascó, Gabriel; Paz-Ferreiro, Jorge; Plaza, César; Fernández, José Manuel; Méndez, Ana

2015-04-01

In the last years, several researches have been performed to find high quality and low cost substrates from different organic wastes in order to decrease peat consumption since the indiscriminate exploitation of peat lands is exhausting this non-renewable useful resource and destroying endangered wetland ecosystems worldwide. The use of organic wastes as soil amendments or possible peat substitute could be improved by pyrolysis treatment, leading to biochar, a carbon-rich material that has attached important attention. Our research group has been worked in the formulation of new based-growing media by peat substitution in 50 and 75 vol% of pruning waste (PW), commercial charcoal (CC), biochar from PW at 300°C (B300) and 500°C (B500). Growing media show adequate physicochemical and hydrophysical properties. Experiments performed with lettuce germination show that PW addition in a 75vol% reduces germination index probably due to their high content on phenolic compounds. Lettuce growing experiments were performed during 5 weeks and show that addition of PW and CC to peat decreases biomass production whereas; B300 and specially, B500 addition significantly increases the lettuce biomass.

Integrated circuits and molecular components for stress and feeding: implications for eating disorders.

PubMed

Hardaway, J A; Crowley, N A; Bulik, C M; Kash, T L

2015-01-01

Eating disorders are complex brain disorders that afflict millions of individuals worldwide. The etiology of these diseases is not fully understood, but a growing body of literature suggests that stress and anxiety may play a critical role in their development. As our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to disease in clinical populations like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder continue to grow, neuroscientists are using animal models to understand the neurobiology of stress and feeding. We hypothesize that eating disorder clinical phenotypes may result from stress-induced maladaptive alterations in neural circuits that regulate feeding, and that these circuits can be neurochemically isolated using animal model of eating disorders. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for infrastructure elements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

With a growing demand for new construction and the need to replace infrastructure stretched beyond its service life, society faces the : problem of an ever-growing production of construction and demolition waste. The Federal Highway Administration (F...

New Academic Partnerships in Global Health: Innovations at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

PubMed Central

Landrigan, Philip J.; Ripp, Jonathan; Murphy, Ramon J. C.; Claudio, Luz; Jao, Jennifer; Hexom, Braden; Bloom, Harrison G.; Shirazian, Taraneh; Elahi, Ebby; Koplan, Jeffrey P.

2011-01-01

Global health has become an increasingly important focus of education, research, and clinical service in North American universities and academic health centers. Today there are at least 49 academically based global health programs in the United States and Canada, as compared with only one in 1999. A new academic society, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, was established in 2008 and has grown significantly. This sharp expansion reflects convergence of 3 factors: (1) rapidly growing student and faculty interest in global health; (2) growing realization–powerfully catalyzed by the acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic, the emergence of other new infections, climate change, and globalization–that health problems are interconnected, cross national borders, and are global in nature; and (3) rapid expansion in resources for global health. This article examines the evolution of the concept of global health and describes the driving forces that have accelerated interest in the field. It traces the development of global health programs in academic health centers in the United States. It presents a blueprint for a new school-wide global health program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The mission of that program, Mount Sinai Global Health, is to enhance global health as an academic field of study within the Mount Sinai community and to improve the health of people around the world. Mount Sinai Global Health is uniting and building synergies among strong, existing global health programs within Mount Sinai; it is training the next generation of physicians and health scientists to be leaders in global health; it is making novel discoveries that translate into blueprints for improving health worldwide; and it builds on Mount Sinai’s long and proud tradition of providing medical and surgical care in places where need is great and resources few. PMID:21598272

Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials ▿

PubMed Central

Andersen, Birgitte; Frisvad, Jens C.; Søndergaard, Ib; Rasmussen, Ib S.; Larsen, Lisbeth S.

2011-01-01

Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed Chaetomium spp., Acremonium spp., and Ulocladium spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i) Acremonium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys spp., Ulocladium spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii) Arthrinium phaeospermum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium herbarum, Trichoderma spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii) Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Chaetomium spp., Mucor racemosus, Mucor spinosus, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment. PMID:21531835

Food allergy diagnosis and therapy: where are we now?

PubMed Central

Syed, Aleena; Kohli, Arunima; Nadeau, Kari C

2014-01-01

Food allergy is a growing worldwide epidemic that adversely effects up to 10% of the population. Causes and risk factors remain unclear and diagnostic methods are imprecise. There is currently no accepted treatment for food allergy. Therefore, there is an imminent need for greater understanding of food allergies, revised diagnostics and development of safe, effective therapies. Oral immunotherapy provides a particularly promising avenue, but is still highly experimental and not ready for clinical use. PMID:23998729

Global services systems - Space communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepphird, F. H.; Wolbers, H. L.

1979-01-01

The requirements projected to the year 2000 for space-based global service systems, including both personal communications and innovative services, are developed based on historic trends and anticipated worldwide demographic and economic growth patterns. The growing demands appear to be best satisfied by developing larger, more sophisticated space systems in order to reduce the size, complexity, and expense of ground terminals. The availability of low-cost ground terminals will, in turn, further stimulate the generation of new services and new customers.

HIV-AIDS: urologic considerations.

PubMed

Lebovitch, Steve; Mydlo, Jack H

2008-02-01

The prevalence of HIV continues to grow in the United States and worldwide. HIV-positive patients experience many genitourinary disease processes. With improvements in HIV therapy, patients have questions and concerns pertaining to their quality of life. This article reviews conditions such as HIV-related urinary tract infections, urolithiasis, voiding dysfunction, fertility, sexual dysfunction, HIV-related nephropathy, malignancies, and occupational exposure and prophylaxis. Knowledge of the various HIV manifestations of genitourinary conditions and their treatment options benefits clinicians and improves patient outcomes.

Current Status of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Lung Biology and Diseases

PubMed Central

Weiss, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Lung diseases remain a significant and devastating cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In contrast to many other major diseases, lung diseases notably chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), including both asthma and emphysema, are increasing in prevalence and COPD is expected to become the 3rd leading cause of disease mortality worldwide by 2020. New therapeutic options are desperately needed. A rapidly growing number of investigations of stem cells and cell therapies in lung biology and diseases as well as in ex vivo lung bioengineering have offered exciting new avenues for advancing knowledge of lung biology as well as providing novel potential therapeutic approaches for lung diseases. These initial observations have led to a growing exploration of endothelial progenitor cells and mesenchymal stem (stromal) cells in clinical trials of pulmonary hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with other clinical investigations planned. Ex vivo bioengineering of the trachea, larynx, diaphragm, and the lung itself with both biosynthetic constructs as well as decellularized tissues have been utilized to explore engineering both airway and vascular systems of the lung. Lung is thus a ripe organ for a variety of cell therapy and regenerative medicine approaches. Current state-of-the-art progress for each of the above areas will be presented as will discussion of current considerations for cell therapy based clinical trials in lung diseases. PMID:23959715

Global burden of CVD: focus on secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Bansilal, Sameer; Castellano, José M; Fuster, Valentín

2015-12-01

Despite encouraging advances in prevention and treatment of atherothrombosis, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of deaths and disability worldwide and will continue to grow mainly due to the increase in incidence in low and middle income countries (LMIC). In Europe and the United States of America (USA), coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates have decreased since the mid-1990s due to improvements in acute care, however the prevalence of CHD is increasing largely in part due to the overall aging of the population, increased prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, and improved survival of patients after a CV event. Data from clinical trials has consistently proven the efficacy of pharmacologic interventions with aspirin, statins, and blood pressure (BP)-lowering agents in reducing the risk of CV events and total mortality in the ever growing pool of patients in secondary prevention. However, large gaps between indicated therapy and prescribed medication can be observed worldwide, with very low rates of use of effective therapies in LMIC countries. Adherence to medication is very poor in chronic patients, especially those treated with multiple pharmacologic agents, and has been directly correlated to a greater incidence of recurrent CV events and increase in direct and indirect healthcare costs. In this article, we review the global burden of CV disease, status of secondary prevention therapy and major barriers for treatment adherence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concise review: current status of stem cells and regenerative medicine in lung biology and diseases.

PubMed

Weiss, Daniel J

2014-01-01

Lung diseases remain a significant and devastating cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In contrast to many other major diseases, lung diseases notably chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs), including both asthma and emphysema, are increasing in prevalence and COPD is expected to become the third leading cause of disease mortality worldwide by 2020. New therapeutic options are desperately needed. A rapidly growing number of investigations of stem cells and cell therapies in lung biology and diseases as well as in ex vivo lung bioengineering have offered exciting new avenues for advancing knowledge of lung biology as well as providing novel potential therapeutic approaches for lung diseases. These initial observations have led to a growing exploration of endothelial progenitor cells and mesenchymal stem (stromal) cells in clinical trials of pulmonary hypertension and COPD with other clinical investigations planned. Ex vivo bioengineering of the trachea, larynx, diaphragm, and the lung itself with both biosynthetic constructs as well as decellularized tissues have been used to explore engineering both airway and vascular systems of the lung. Lung is thus a ripe organ for a variety of cell therapy and regenerative medicine approaches. Current state-of-the-art progress for each of the above areas will be presented as will discussion of current considerations for cell therapy-based clinical trials in lung diseases. © AlphaMed Press.

Evaluation of E-Krete for rut filling.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-03-01

Wheel path rutting in asphalt pavements presents a serious problem for highway agencies : worldwide. There are several ways to rehabilitate rutted asphalt pavements, including milling by : itself, milling and overlay, overlay without milling, and rut...

Nature in the Classroom: Acid Rain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Charles

1982-01-01

As a lesson topic, acid rain is defined, its chemistry given, and its development since the 1950s described. The worldwide effects of acid rain are discussed along with the available technology for controlling the problem. (CM)

Updates on the Management of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer (NMSC)

PubMed Central

Fahradyan, Artur; Howell, Anna C.; Wolfswinkel, Erik M.; Tsuha, Michaela; Sheth, Parthiv; Wong, Alex K.

2017-01-01

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common malignancy worldwide, of which 99% are basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of skin. NMSCs are generally considered a curable diseases, yet they currently pose an increasing global healthcare problem due to rising incidence. This has led to a shift in emphasis on prevention of NMSCs with development of various skin cancer prevention programs worldwide. This article aims to summarize the most recent changes and advances made in NMSC management with a focus on prevention, screening, diagnosis, and staging. PMID:29104226

Atomic complex: a worldwide political history of nuclear energy

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

Goldschmidt, B.

The author presents a personal memoir of the effort to harness energy from the atom as well as telling the story of worldwide development, from its military use in the 1940s to its peaceful use of generating electricity in the world's 263 operating nuclear power plants. As a scientist turned statesman, Goldsmith reviews nearly half a century of worldwide political moves, countermoves, international intrigue, and manipulation. His perspective is portrayed against the personal backdrop of world leaders. Taking a pragmatic look at the nuclear world of today, he describes how the mistakes of the past set the tone for today'smore » nuclear problems. Goldsmith balances the terror due to nuclear weapons with the benefits nuclear energy can bring to an economically troubled and energy-starved population.« less

Data Reprocessing on Worldwide Distributed Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicke, Daniel

The DØ experiment faces many challenges in terms of enabling access to large datasets for physicists on four continents. The strategy for solving these problems on worldwide distributed computing clusters is presented. Since the beginning of Run II of the Tevatron (March 2001) all Monte-Carlo simulations for the experiment have been produced at remote systems. For data analysis, a system of regional analysis centers (RACs) was established which supply the associated institutes with the data. This structure, which is similar to the tiered structure foreseen for the LHC was used in Fall 2003 to reprocess all DØ data with a much improved version of the reconstruction software. This makes DØ the first running experiment that has implemented and operated all important computing tasks of a high energy physics experiment on systems distributed worldwide.

Brain drain from developing countries: how can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain?

PubMed Central

Dodani, Sunita; LaPorte, Ronald E

2005-01-01

Brain drain is defined as the migration of health personnel in search of the better standard of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide. This migration of health professionals for better opportunities, both within countries and across international borders, is of growing concern worldwide because of its impact on health systems in developing countries. Why do talented people leave their countries and go abroad? What are the consequences of such migrations especially on the educational sector? What policies can be adopted to stem such movements from developing countries to developed countries? This article seeks to raise questions, identify key issues and provide solutions which would enable immigrant health professionals to share their knowledge, skills and innovative capacities and thereby enhancing the economic development of their countries. PMID:16260795

Use of complementary and alternative medicine among midlife Arab women living in Qatar.

PubMed

Gerber, L M; Mamtani, R; Chiu, Y-L; Bener, A; Murphy, M; Cheema, S; Verjee, M

2014-10-12

The prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widespread and is growing worldwide. This cross-sectional study in Qatar examined the use of CAM and its correlates among Arab women in their midlife years. Women aged 40-60 years (n = 814) were recruited at primary care centres in Qatar and completed a specially designed, pre-tested questionnaire. Overall, 38.2% of midlife women in Qatar had used CAM in the previous 12 months. Nutritional remedies and herbal remedies were the most commonly used CAM therapies, followed by physical methods. Qatari nationality and higher level of education were independently associated with CAM use. Menopause transition status was not independently associated with use of CAM. The prevalence of CAM use by women in Qatar was high, consistent with other reports worldwide. It is essential to educate and inform patients and health-care providers about the benefits and limitations associated with CAM.

Leaf Protein and Mineral Concentrations across the “Miracle Tree” Genus Moringa

PubMed Central

Sankaran, Renuka P.; Fahey, Jed W.; Grusak, Michael A.; Odee, David; Nouman, Wasif

2016-01-01

The moringa tree Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree cultivated across the lowland dry tropics worldwide for its nutritious leaves. Despite its nutritious reputation, there has been no systematic survey of the variation in leaf nutritional quality across M. oleifera grown worldwide, or of the other species of the genus. To guide informed use of moringa, we surveyed protein, macro-, and micro- nutrients across 67 common garden samples of 12 Moringa taxa, including 23 samples of M. oleifera. Moringa oleifera, M. concanensis, M. stenopetala, an M. concanensis X oleifera hybrid, and M. longituba were highest in protein, with M. ruspoliana having the highest calcium levels. A protein-dry leaf mass tradeoff may preclude certain breeding possibilities, e.g. maximally high protein with large leaflets. These findings identify clear priorities and limitations for improved moringa varieties with traits such as high protein, calcium, or ease of preparation. PMID:27459315

Leaf Protein and Mineral Concentrations across the "Miracle Tree" Genus Moringa.

PubMed

Olson, Mark E; Sankaran, Renuka P; Fahey, Jed W; Grusak, Michael A; Odee, David; Nouman, Wasif

2016-01-01

The moringa tree Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree cultivated across the lowland dry tropics worldwide for its nutritious leaves. Despite its nutritious reputation, there has been no systematic survey of the variation in leaf nutritional quality across M. oleifera grown worldwide, or of the other species of the genus. To guide informed use of moringa, we surveyed protein, macro-, and micro- nutrients across 67 common garden samples of 12 Moringa taxa, including 23 samples of M. oleifera. Moringa oleifera, M. concanensis, M. stenopetala, an M. concanensis X oleifera hybrid, and M. longituba were highest in protein, with M. ruspoliana having the highest calcium levels. A protein-dry leaf mass tradeoff may preclude certain breeding possibilities, e.g. maximally high protein with large leaflets. These findings identify clear priorities and limitations for improved moringa varieties with traits such as high protein, calcium, or ease of preparation.

A global perspective: training opportunities in Adolescent Medicine for healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Golub, Sarah A; Arunakul, Jiraporn; Hassan, Areej

2016-08-01

The review briefly describes the current state of adolescent health globally, and highlights current educational and training opportunities in Adolescent Medicine for healthcare providers worldwide. Despite a growing body of literature demonstrating a shift toward recognizing Adolescent Medicine as a subspecialty, there are very few countries that offer nationally recognized Adolescent Medicine training programs. In recent years, several countries have begun to offer educational programming, such as noncredentialed short training programs, conferences, and online courses. Challenges, including cultural barriers, financing, and lack of governmental recognition and support, have hindered progress in the development of accredited training programs globally. It is crucial to support efforts for sustainable training programs, especially within low and middle-income countries where a majority of the world's adolescent population lives. Sharing knowledge of existing curriculums, programs, and systems will increase opportunities globally to build regional capacity, increase access to interdisciplinary services, and to implement health-promoting policies for youth worldwide.

Computational Issues in Damping Identification for Large Scale Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilkey, Deborah L.; Roe, Kevin P.; Inman, Daniel J.

1997-01-01

Two damping identification methods are tested for efficiency in large-scale applications. One is an iterative routine, and the other a least squares method. Numerical simulations have been performed on multiple degree-of-freedom models to test the effectiveness of the algorithm and the usefulness of parallel computation for the problems. High Performance Fortran is used to parallelize the algorithm. Tests were performed using the IBM-SP2 at NASA Ames Research Center. The least squares method tested incurs high communication costs, which reduces the benefit of high performance computing. This method's memory requirement grows at a very rapid rate meaning that larger problems can quickly exceed available computer memory. The iterative method's memory requirement grows at a much slower pace and is able to handle problems with 500+ degrees of freedom on a single processor. This method benefits from parallelization, and significant speedup can he seen for problems of 100+ degrees-of-freedom.

Glogs as Non-Routine Problem Solving Tools in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devine, Matthew T.

2013-01-01

In mathematical problem solving, American students are falling behind their global peers because of a lack of foundational and reasoning skills. A specific area of difficulty with problem solving is working non-routine, heuristic-based problems. Many students are not provided with effective instruction and often grow frustrated and dislike math.…

[Good agricultural practice (GAP) of Chinese materia medica (CMM) for ten years: achievements, problems and proposals].

PubMed

Guo, Lan-Ping; Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Shou-Dong; Wang, Gui-Hua; Wang, Xiu; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Chen, Mei-Lan; He, Ya-Li; Han, Bang-Xing; Chen, Nai-Fu; Huang, Lu-Qi

2014-04-01

This paper aims to summarize the achievements during the implementation process of good agricultural practice (GAP) in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), and on basis of analyzing the existing problems of GAP, to propose further implementation of GAP in TCM growing. Since the launch of GAP in CMM growing ten years ago, it has acquired great achievements, including: (1) The promulgation of a series of measures for the administration of the GAP approval in the CMM growing; (2) The expanded planting area of CMM; (3) The increased awareness of standardized CMM growing among farmers and enterprises; (4) The establishment of GAP implementation bases for CMM growing; (5) The improvement of theory and methodology for CMM growing; (6) The development of a large group of experts and scholars in GAP approval for CMM production. The problems existing in the production include: (1) A deep understanding of GAP and its certification is still needed; (2) The distribution of the certification base is not reasonable; (3) The geo-economics effect and the backward farming practices are thought to be the bottlenecks in the standardization of CMM growing and the scale production of CMM; (4) Low comparative effectiveness limits the development of the GAP; (5) The base of breeding improved variety is blank; (6) The immature of the cultivation technique lead to the risk of production process; (7) The degradation of soil microbial and the continuous cropping obstacle restrict the sustainable development of the GAP base. To further promote the health and orderly GAP in the CMM growing, the authors propose: (1) To change the mode of production; (2) To establish a sound standard system so as to ensure quality products for fair prices; (3) To fully consider the geo-economic culture and vigorously promote the definite cultivating of traditional Chinese medicinal materials; (4) To strengthen the transformation and generalization of basic researches and achievements, in order to provide technical support for the CMM production; (5) To deepen the understanding of GAP, to vigorously promote ecological planting and precision agriculture, in order to overcome the continuous cropping obstacle. The authors think that despite the fact that we are still facing with a huge array of management and technological problems, the GAP in the CMM growing has already enjoyed widespread support and showed great potential. In the future, with people's deeper understanding of GAP and the great progress of the science and technology, the GAP will constantly be fused with the theory, methodology and technology in the modern agriculture like precision agriculture, eco-agriculture and etc.

Integrated Model-Based Decisions for Water, Energy and Food Nexus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Vesselinov, V. V.

2015-12-01

Energy, water and food are critical resources for sustaining social development and human lives; human beings cannot survive without any one of them. Energy crises, water shortages and food security are crucial worldwide problems. The nexus of energy, water and food has received more and more attention in the past decade. Energy, water and food are closely interrelated; water is required in energy development such as electricity generation; energy is indispensable for collecting, treating, and transporting water; both energy and water are crucial inputs for food production. Changes of either of them can lead to substantial impacts on other two resources, and vice versa. Effective decisions should be based on thorough research efforts for better understanding of their complex nexus. Rapid increase of population has significantly intensified the pressures on energy, water and food. Addressing and quantifying their interactive relationships are important for making robust and cost-effective strategies for managing the three resources simultaneously. In addition, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted in energy, water, food production, consequently making contributions to growing climate change. Reflecting environmental impacts of GHGs is also desired (especially, on the quality and quantity of fresh water resources). Thus, a socio-economic model is developed in this study to quantitatively address the complex connections among energy, water and food production. A synthetic problem is proposed to demonstrate the model's applicability and feasibility. Preliminary results related to integrated decisions on energy supply management, water use planning, electricity generation planning, energy facility capacity expansion, food production, and associated GHG emission control are generated for providing cost-effective supports for decision makers.

The Uses of Big Data in Cities.

PubMed

Bettencourt, Luís M A

2014-03-01

There is much enthusiasm currently about the possibilities created by new and more extensive sources of data to better understand and manage cities. Here, I explore how big data can be useful in urban planning by formalizing the planning process as a general computational problem. I show that, under general conditions, new sources of data coordinated with urban policy can be applied following fundamental principles of engineering to achieve new solutions to important age-old urban problems. I also show that comprehensive urban planning is computationally intractable (i.e., practically impossible) in large cities, regardless of the amounts of data available. This dilemma between the need for planning and coordination and its impossibility in detail is resolved by the recognition that cities are first and foremost self-organizing social networks embedded in space and enabled by urban infrastructure and services. As such, the primary role of big data in cities is to facilitate information flows and mechanisms of learning and coordination by heterogeneous individuals. However, processes of self-organization in cities, as well as of service improvement and expansion, must rely on general principles that enforce necessary conditions for cities to operate and evolve. Such ideas are the core of a developing scientific theory of cities, which is itself enabled by the growing availability of quantitative data on thousands of cities worldwide, across different geographies and levels of development. These three uses of data and information technologies in cities constitute then the necessary pillars for more successful urban policy and management that encourages, and does not stifle, the fundamental role of cities as engines of development and innovation in human societies.

Flood inundation extent mapping based on block compressed tracing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Dingtao; Rui, Yikang; Wang, Jiechen; Zhang, Yu; Cheng, Liang

2015-07-01

Flood inundation extent, depth, and duration are important factors affecting flood hazard evaluation. At present, flood inundation analysis is based mainly on a seeded region-growing algorithm, which is an inefficient process because it requires excessive recursive computations and it is incapable of processing massive datasets. To address this problem, we propose a block compressed tracing algorithm for mapping the flood inundation extent, which reads the DEM data in blocks before transferring them to raster compression storage. This allows a smaller computer memory to process a larger amount of data, which solves the problem of the regular seeded region-growing algorithm. In addition, the use of a raster boundary tracing technique allows the algorithm to avoid the time-consuming computations required by the seeded region-growing. Finally, we conduct a comparative evaluation in the Chin-sha River basin, results show that the proposed method solves the problem of flood inundation extent mapping based on massive DEM datasets with higher computational efficiency than the original method, which makes it suitable for practical applications.

Evaluation of DRM system for reflective crack prevention.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-03-31

Reflective cracking in asphalt pavements presents a serious problem for highway agencies : worldwide. A new interlayer membrane system, DRM, which is a proprietary system consisting of : a sealant and an emulsion, was constructed by the Mississippi D...

Report on the Biosphere 1976

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodwell, George M.

1977-01-01

Discusses contemporary challenges for biologists, environmentalists, technologists, teachers, and political supporters of science and education in solving global problems. Discussed are nation- and worldwide accumulation of toxic materials (DDT, PCB's, kepone, radioactivity, dieldrin, mirex), transformation of natural ecosystems, and instability…

Tuberculosis--triumph and tragedy.

PubMed

Singh, M M

2003-03-01

Tuberculosis has been making havoc worldwide with an 11.9 million cases to be involved by the year 2005. In India, about 2 million cases are infected every year. Regarding triumphs and tragedies in the control of tuberculosis some points as follows are discussed. (1) Tuberculosis Control Programmes from National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) to Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS). (2) Problem of multidrug resistance (MDR) tuberculosis and (3) HIV and tuberculosis. DOTS being largely based on Indian research. It is now being applied worldwide. MDR is strictly a man made problem. Poor prescriptions, poor case management, lack of coordinated education and haphazard treatment research result in drug resistance. Treatment of MDR is difficult. The drug acceptability, tolerance and toxicity have to be considered. HIV and tuberculosis form a deadly duo. They mean more cases, more costs and more national losses.

New approaches in oral rotavirus vaccines.

PubMed

Kuate Defo, Zenas; Lee, Byong

2016-05-01

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea worldwide, and affects primarily developing nations, in large part because of the inaccessibility of vaccines and high rates of mortality present therein. At present, there exist two oral rotaviral vaccines, Rotarix™ and RotaTeq™. These vaccines are generally effective in their actions: however, associated costs often stymie their effectiveness, and they continue to be associated with a slight risk of intussusception. While different programs are being implemented worldwide to enhance vaccine distribution and monitor vaccine administration for possible intussusception in light of recent WHO recommendation, another major problem persists: that of the reduced efficacy of the existing rotaviral vaccines in developing countries over time. The development of new oral rotavirus vaccine classes - live-attenuated vaccines, virus-like particles, lactic acid bacteria-containing vaccines, combination therapy with immunoglobulins, and biodegradable polymer-encapsulated vaccines - could potentially circumvent these problems.

Ethics in public health research: a research protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of public-private partnerships as a means to improve health and welfare systems worldwide.

PubMed

Barr, Donald A

2007-01-01

Public-private partnerships have become a common approach to health care problems worldwide. Many public-private partnerships were created during the late 1990s, but most were focused on specific diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Recently there has been enthusiasm for using public-private partnerships to improve the delivery of health and welfare services for a wider range of health problems, especially in developing countries. The success of public-private partnerships in this context appears to be mixed, and few data are available to evaluate their effectiveness. This analysis provides an overview of the history of health-related public-private partnerships during the past 20 years and describes a research protocol commissioned by the World Health Organization to evaluate the effectiveness of public-private partnerships in a research context.

Overview and forecast on forestry productions worldwide.

PubMed

Wenjun, Zhang

2007-02-01

Our world is largely dependent upon the forestry productions. Through the exploitation of forest reserves, we manufacture various industrial products, furniture, and obtain fuel and energy. Forestry productions should be conducted without large-scale deforestation and environmental degradation. In present study we perform a review and forecast analysis on forestry productions worldwide, with the objectives of providing an insight into the trend for several types of forestry productions in the future, and providing referential data for sustainable forestry productions and environmental management. Polynomial functions are used to fit trajectories of forestry productions since 1961 and forecasts during the coming 20 years are given in detail. If the past pattern continues, world fibreboard production would dramatically grow and reach 224,300,000 +/- 44,400,000 m(3) by the year 2020, an increase up to 240.7 to 408.9% as compared to the present level. Roundwood production of the world would change by -55.5 to 70.4% and reach 3,526,600,000 +/- 2,066,800,000 m(3) by 2020. In 2020 world production of sawlogs and veneer logs would change by -100 to 164.6% and reach 1,212,900,000 +/- 1,242,600,000 m(3). Global wood fuel production would change by -68.9 to 1.4% and reach 1,130,900,000 +/- 600,800,000 m(3) by 2020. Forestry productions in developed countries would largely surpass productions in developing countries in the near future. World forestry production grew since 1961 excluding wood fuel. Roundwood and wood fuel account for the critical proportions in the forestry productions. Wood fuel production has being declined and rapid growing of roundwood production has slowed in recent years. Widespread use of regenerative wood substitutes and worldwide afforestation against deforestation will be among the most effective ways to reduce deforestation and environment degradation associated with forestry productions.

Adolescent developmental issues in Hong Kong: Relevance to positive youth development programs in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L

2006-01-01

Several adolescent developmental issues and problems in Hong Kong are examined in this paper. First, the changing adolescent substance abuse patterns are described. Second, although the overall youth crime trend was relatively stable in the past decade, shoplifting and stealing crimes deserve our concern. Third, adolescent mental health problem is a growing problem. Fourth, statistics show that unhealthy life styles, such as smoking, early sex and moral confusion are issues of concern. Fifth, the proportion of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased. Sixth, youth unemployment and non-engaged youth are growing problems when the economy of Hong Kong is undergoing re-structuring. Seventh, family and parenting problems in families with adolescents deserve our attention. Finally, the Social Development Index showed that the development of young people has gradually deteriorated in the past decade. These adolescent issues and problems provide useful pointers for designing the positive youth development program financially sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Growth Problems

MedlinePlus

... hormones needed to grow and develop. For example, Turner syndrome is a genetic condition (due to a problem ... a missing or abnormal X chromosome. Girls with Turner syndrome tend to be short and don't usually ...

Cross-border reproductive care: a committee opinion.

PubMed

2013-09-01

Cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) is a growing worldwide phenomenon, raising questions about why assisted reproductive technology (ART) patients travel abroad, what harms and benefits may result, and what duties health care providers may have in advising and treating patients who travel for reproductive services. Cross-border care offers benefits and poses harms to ART stakeholders, including patients, offspring, providers, gamete donors, gestational carriers, and local populations in destination countries. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computational Astrophysics Towards Exascale Computing and Big Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astsatryan, H. V.; Knyazyan, A. V.; Mickaelian, A. M.

2016-06-01

Traditionally, Armenia has a leading position both within the computer science and Information Technology and Astronomy and Astrophysics sectors in the South Caucasus region and beyond. For instance recent years Information Technology (IT) became one of the fastest growing industries of the Armenian economy (EIF 2013). The main objective of this article is to highlight the key activities that will spur Armenia to strengthen its computational astrophysics capacity thanks to the analysis made of the current trends of e-Infrastructures worldwide.

History of diapers and diapering.

PubMed

Krafchik, Bernice

2016-07-01

For centuries, diapering has been a global practice. Most cultures around the world have historically implemented mechanisms to cover the genital area, both for privacy and to contain waste. The latest and most important innovation was the advent of the disposable diaper in the mid-twentieth century. Modern disposable diapers have considerably decreased the incidence of irritant diaper dermatitis through their design and construction. Disposable diaper use continues to grow globally. This article reviews the history of diaper practices worldwide. © 2016 The International Society of Dermatology.

PollyNET - an emerging network of automated raman-polarizarion lidars for continuous aerosolprofiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baars, Holger; Althausen, Dietrich; Engelmann, Ronny; Heese, Birgit; Ansmann, Albert; Wandinger, Ulla; Hofer, Julian; Skupin, Annett; Komppula, Mika; Giannakaki, Eleni; Filioglou, Maria; Bortoli, Daniele; Silva, Ana Maria; Pereira, Sergio; Stachlewska, Iwona S.; Kumala, Wojciech; Szczepanik, Dominika; Amiridis, Vassilis; Marinou, Eleni; Kottas, Michail; Mattis, Ina; Müller, Gerhard

2018-04-01

PollyNET is a network of portable, automated, and continuously measuring Ramanpolarization lidars of type Polly operated by several institutes worldwide. The data from permanent and temporary measurements sites are automatically processed in terms of optical aerosol profiles and displayed in near-real time at polly.tropos.de. According to current schedules, the network will grow by 3-4 systems during the upcoming 2-3 years and will then comprise 11 permanent stations and 2 mobile platforms.

Stroke rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Bindawas, Saad M.; Vennu, Vishal S.

2016-01-01

Stroke is a major cause of death and other complications worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, stroke has become an emerging health issue leading to disability and death. However, stroke care including rehabilitation services, in Saudi Arabia lags behind developed countries. Stroke rehabilitation is an essential recovery option after stroke and should start as early as possible to avoid potential complications. The growing evidence on stroke rehabilitation effectiveness in different health care settings and outcome measures used widely are reviewed in this call to action paper. PMID:27744457

A Satellite-Based Multi-Pollutant Index of Global Air Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Mathew J.; Martin, Randall V.; vanDonkelaar, Aaron; Lamsal, Lok; Brauer, Michael; Brook, Jeffrey R.

2012-01-01

Air pollution is a major health hazard that is responsible formillions of annual excess deaths worldwide. Simpleindicators are useful for comparative studies and to asses strends over time. The development of global indicators hasbeen impeded by the lack of ground-based observations in vast regions of the world. Recognition is growing of the need for amultipollutant approach to air quality to better represent human exposure. Here we introduce the prospect of amultipollutant air quality indicator based on observations from satellite remote sensing.

Impact of Advanced Avionics Technology on Ground Attack Weapon Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

as the relevant feature. 3.0 Problem The task is to perform the automatic cueing of moving objects in a natural environment . Additional problems...views on this subject to the American Defense Preparedness Association (ADPA) on 11 February 1981 in Orlando, Florida. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OUR...the operating window or the environmental conditions of combat that our forces may encounter worldwide. The three areas selected were Europe, the

Violence against women

PubMed Central

Krantz, G.; Garcia-Moreno, C.

2005-01-01

Violence against women is now well recognised as a public health problem and human rights violation of worldwide significance. It is an important risk factor for women's ill health, with far reaching consequences for both their physical and mental health. This glossary aims to describe various forms of interpersonal violence that are directed towards women and girls. Terms and basic concepts used in research and policy on this public health problem will be explained. PMID:16166351

How to Correct Teaching Methods That Favour Plagiarism: Recommendations from Teachers and Students in a Spanish Language Distance Education University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arce Espinoza, Lourdes; Monge Nájera, Julián

2015-01-01

The presentation of the intellectual work of others as their own by students is believed to be common worldwide. Punishments and detection software have failed to solve the problem and have important limitations themselves. To go to the root of the problem, we applied an online questionnaire to 344 university students and their 13 teachers. Our…

[Current problems in the data acquisition of digitized virtual human and the countermeasures].

PubMed

Zhong, Shi-zhen; Yuan, Lin

2003-06-01

As a relatively new field of medical science research that has attracted the attention from worldwide researchers, study of digitized virtual human still awaits long-term dedicated effort for its full development. In the full array of research projects of the integrated Virtual Chinese Human project, virtual visible human, virtual physical human, virtual physiome, and intellectualized virtual human must be included as the four essential constitutional opponents. The primary importance should be given to solving the problems concerning the data acquisition for the dataset of this immense project. Currently 9 virtual human datasets have been established worldwide, which are subjected to critical analyses in the paper with special attention given to the problems in the data storage and the techniques employed, for instance, in these datasets. On the basis of current research status of Virtual Chinese Human project, the authors propose some countermeasures for solving the problems in the data acquisition for the dataset, which include (1) giving the priority to the quality control instead of merely racing for quantity and speed, and (2) improving the setting up of the markers specific for the tissues and organs to meet the requirement from information technology, (3) with also attention to the development potential of the dataset which should have explicit pertinence to specific actual applications.

Comprehensive taxonomy and worldwide trends in pharmaceutical policies in relation to country income status.

PubMed

Maniadakis, N; Kourlaba, G; Shen, J; Holtorf, A

2017-05-25

Rapidly evolving socioeconomic and technological trends make it challenging to improve access, effectiveness and efficiency in the use of pharmaceuticals. This paper identifies and systematically classifies the prevailing pharmaceutical policies worldwide in relation to a country's income status. A literature search was undertaken to identify and taxonomize prevailing policies worldwide. Countries that apply those policies and those that do not were then grouped by income status. Pharmaceutical policies are linked to a country's socioeconomics. Developed countries have universal coverage and control pharmaceuticals with external and internal price referencing systems, and indirect price-cost controls; they carry out health technology assessments and demand utilization controls. Price-volume and risk-sharing agreements are also evolving. Developing countries are underperforming in terms of coverage and they rely mostly on restrictive state controls to regulate prices and expenditure. There are significant disparities worldwide in the access to pharmaceuticals, their use, and the reimbursement of costs. The challenge in high-income countries is to maintain access to care whilst dealing with trends in technology and aging. Essential drugs should be available to all; however, many low- and middle-income countries still provide most of their population with only poor access to medicines. As economies grow, there should be greater investment in pharmaceutical care, looking to the policies of high-income countries to increase efficiency. Pharmaceutical companies could also develop special access schemes with low prices to facilitate coverage in low-income countries.

Nutritional rickets around the world: an update.

PubMed

Creo, Ana L; Thacher, Tom D; Pettifor, John M; Strand, Mark A; Fischer, Philip R

2017-05-01

Worldwide, nutritional rickets continues to be an evolving problem with several causes. This paper provides an updated literature review characterising the prevalence, aetiology, pathophysiology and treatment of nutritional rickets worldwide. A systematic review of articles on nutritional rickets from various geographical regions was undertaken. For each region, key information was extracted, including prevalence, cause of rickets specific to the region, methods of confirming the diagnosis and current treatment and preventive measures. Calcium deficiency continues to be a major cause of rickets in Africa and Asia. Vitamin D deficiency rickets is perhaps increasing in the Americas, Europe and parts of the Middle East. There continues to be a distinct presentation of calcium-predominant versus vitamin D predominant rickets, although there are overlapping features. More careful diagnosis of rickets and reporting of 25-OHD concentrations has improved accurate knowledge of rickets prevalence and better delineated the cause. Nutritional rickets continues to be an evolving and multi-factorial problem worldwide. It is on a spectrum, ranging from isolated vitamin D deficiency to isolated calcium deficiency. Specific areas which require emphasis include a consistent community approach to screening and diagnosis, vitamin D supplementation of infants and at-risk children, prevention of maternal vitamin D deficiency and the provision of calcium in areas with low calcium diets.

Clostridium difficile: a problem of concern in developed countries and still a mystery in Latin America.

PubMed

Balassiano, I T; Yates, E A; Domingues, R M C P; Ferreira, E O

2012-02-01

Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) is caused by a spore-forming bacterium and can result in highly variable disease, ranging from mild diarrhoea to severe clinical manifestations. Infections are most commonly seen in hospital settings and are often associated with on-going antibiotic therapy. Incidences of CDAD have shown a sustained increase worldwide over the last ten years and a hypervirulent C. difficile strain, PCR ribotype 027/REA type BI/North American pulsed-field (NAP) type 1 (027/BI/NAP-1), has caused outbreaks in North America and Europe. In contrast, only a few reports of cases in Latin America have been published and the hypervirulent strain 027/BI/NAP-1 has, so far, only been reported in Costa Rica. The potential worldwide spread of this infection calls for epidemiological studies to characterize currently circulating strains and also highlights the need for increased awareness and vigilance among healthcare professionals in currently unaffected areas, such as Latin America. This review attempts to summarize reports of C. difficile infection worldwide, especially in Latin America, and aims to provide an introduction to the problems associated with this pathogen for those countries that might face outbreaks of epidemic strains of C. difficile for the first time in the near future.

Evaluating Writing Programs: Paradigms, Problems, Possibilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Susan H.

1992-01-01

Describes two methodological approaches (qualitative and quantitative) that grow out of two different research examples. Suggests the problems these methods present. Discusses the ways in which an awareness of these problems can help teachers to understand how to work with researchers in designing useful evaluations of writing programs. (PRA)

Traveling Salesman Problem: A Foveating Pyramid Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pizlo, Zygmunt; Stefanov, Emil; Saalweachter, John; Li, Zheng; Haxhimusa, Yll; Kropatsch, Walter G.

2006-01-01

We tested human performance on the Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problem using problems with 6-50 cities. Results confirmed our earlier findings that: (a) the time of solving a problem is proportional to the number of cities, and (b) the solution error grows very slowly with the number of cities. We formulated a new version of a pyramid model. The…

Alcohol Problems Prevention/Intervention Programs: Guidelines for College Campuses. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Frances M.; Connor, Leslie S.

This manual is designed to respond to the growing interest among colleges in technical assistance for dealing with alcohol-related problems. Part One provides an overview of the dimensions of alcohol related problems and delves into the causes and prevention of alcohol problems. It outlines the Public Health Model approach to dealing with alcohol…

AIDS: An International Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piot, Peter; And Others

1988-01-01

Discusses some of the worldwide problems associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Calls for programs for the prevention and control of AIDS as an immediate priority in all countries. (TW)

Kaolin clay protects fish from columnaris disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Columnaris disease, caused by the bacterial pathogen Flavobacterium columnare, continues to be a major problem worldwide in cultured freshwater finfish. Despite the far-reaching negative impacts of columnaris disease, safe and efficacious preventatives and curatives for this disease remain limited....

A Global Imperative for the Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strong, Maurice F.

1974-01-01

Population, depleted resources, pollution and other environmental issues are reviewed from an international perspective. The imperative nature of world-wide cooperation is emphasized for dealing effectively with ecological problems. Directions in which this cooperation should be effected are presented. (JP)

ARSENIC - SUSCEPTIBILITY & IN UTERO EFFECTS

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to inorganic arsenic remains a serious public health problem at many locations worldwide. If has often been noted that prevalences of signs and symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning differ among various populations. For example, skin lesions or peripheral vascular dis...

Using Evidence-Based Internet Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities Worldwide

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Health disparities are a persistent problem worldwide. A major obstacle to reducing health disparities is reliance on “consumable interventions,” that is, interventions that, once used, cannot be used again. To reduce health disparities, interventions are required that can be used again and again without losing their therapeutic power, that can reach people even if local health care systems do not provide them with needed health care, and that can be shared globally without taking resources away from the populations where the interventions were developed. This paper presents the argument that automated self-help evidence-based Internet interventions meet the above criteria and can contribute to the reduction of health disparities worldwide. Proof-of-concept studies show that evidence-based Internet interventions can reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and could be used in public sector settings to augment existing offerings and provide services not currently available (such as prevention interventions). This paper presents a framework for systematically filling in a matrix composed of columns representing common health problems and rows representing languages. To bring the benefits of evidence-based Internet interventions to the underserved, public sector clinics should establish eHealth resource centers, through which patients could be screened online for common disorders and provided with evidence-based Internet intervention services not currently available at the clinics. These resources should be available in the patients’ languages, in formats that do not require literacy, and that can be accessed with mobile devices. Such evidence-based Internet interventions should then be shared with public sector clinics as well as individuals anywhere in the world. Finally, this paper addresses sustainability and describes a continuum of evidence-based Internet interventions to share nationally and across the world. This approach to expanding health service delivery will significantly contribute to a reduction of health disparities worldwide, adding to the often-quoted slogan, “Think globally, act locally,” a third line: “Share globally.” PMID:21169162

Using evidence-based internet interventions to reduce health disparities worldwide.

PubMed

Muñoz, Ricardo F

2010-12-17

Health disparities are a persistent problem worldwide. A major obstacle to reducing health disparities is reliance on "consumable interventions," that is, interventions that, once used, cannot be used again. To reduce health disparities, interventions are required that can be used again and again without losing their therapeutic power, that can reach people even if local health care systems do not provide them with needed health care, and that can be shared globally without taking resources away from the populations where the interventions were developed. This paper presents the argument that automated self-help evidence-based Internet interventions meet the above criteria and can contribute to the reduction of health disparities worldwide. Proof-of-concept studies show that evidence-based Internet interventions can reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and could be used in public sector settings to augment existing offerings and provide services not currently available (such as prevention interventions). This paper presents a framework for systematically filling in a matrix composed of columns representing common health problems and rows representing languages. To bring the benefits of evidence-based Internet interventions to the underserved, public sector clinics should establish eHealth resource centers, through which patients could be screened online for common disorders and provided with evidence-based Internet intervention services not currently available at the clinics. These resources should be available in the patients' languages, in formats that do not require literacy, and that can be accessed with mobile devices. Such evidence-based Internet interventions should then be shared with public sector clinics as well as individuals anywhere in the world. Finally, this paper addresses sustainability and describes a continuum of evidence-based Internet interventions to share nationally and across the world. This approach to expanding health service delivery will significantly contribute to a reduction of health disparities worldwide, adding to the often-quoted slogan, "Think globally, act locally," a third line: "Share globally."

Designing a Forcenet Information Topology

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

and limitations, but one consistent problem is that by tagging data the amount of bits needed to represent the data grows proportionately. As a...40 Frank Morning, Jr., “Smallsats Grow Up,” Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 8, 2003 41 Ibid. 32 (such as emails home or...Below are a few important points concerning a huge field of work. a. Dissimilar Redundancy and Reconstitution A growing concern within the DoD is

Current Social Problem Novels.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenney, Donald J.

This review of social problem novels for young adults opens with a brief background of the genre, then lists the dominant themes of social problem fiction and nonfiction novels that have been published in the last two years, such as alcoholism, alienation, death, growing up and self-awarness, drugs, and divorce. Other themes mentioned are…

Using performance-based regulation to reduce childhood obesity.

PubMed

Sugarman, Stephen D; Sandman, Nirit

2008-11-18

Worldwide, the public health community has recognized the growing problem of childhood obesity. But, unlike tobacco control policy, there is little evidence about what public policies would work to substantially reduce childhood obesity. Public health leaders currently tend to support traditional "command and control" schemes that order private enterprises and governments to stop or start doing specific things that, is it hoped, will yield lower childhood obesity rates. These include measures such as 1) taking sweetened beverages out of schools, 2) posting calorie counts on fast-food menu boards, 3) labeling foods with a "red light" if they contain high levels of fat or sugar, 4) limiting the density of fast food restaurants in any neighborhood, 5) requiring chain restaurants to offer "healthy" alternatives, and 6) eliminating junk food ads on television shows aimed at children. Some advocates propose other regulatory interventions such as 1) influencing the relative prices of healthy and unhealthy foods through taxes and/or subsidies and 2) suing private industry for money damages as a way of blaming childhood obesity on certain practices of the food industry (such as its marketing, product composition, or portion size decisions). The food industry generally seeks to deflect blame for childhood obesity onto others, such as parents and schools.

Mapping the bycatch seascape: multispecies and multi-scale spatial patterns of fisheries bycatch.

PubMed

Lewison, Rebecca L; Soykan, Candan U; Franklin, Janet

2009-06-01

Fisheries bycatch is a worldwide conservation issue. Despite a growing awareness of bycatch problems in particular ocean regions, there have been few efforts to identify spatial patterns in bycatch events. Furthermore, many studies of fisheries bycatch have been myopic, focusing on a single species or a single region. Using a range of analytical approaches to identify spatial patterns in bycatch data, we demonstrate the utility and applications of area and point pattern analyses to single and multispecies bycatch seascapes of pelagic longline fisheries in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We find clear evidence of spatial clustering within bycatch species in both ocean basins, both in terms of the underlying pattern of the locations of bycatch events relative to fishing locations and for areas of high bycatch rates. Furthermore, we find significant spatial overlap in the pattern of bycatch across species relative to the spatial distribution in fishing effort and target catch. These results point to the importance of considering spatial patterns of both single and multispecies bycatch to meet the ultimate goal of reducing bycatch encounters. These analyses also highlight the importance of considering bycatch relative to target catch as a way of identifying areas where fishing effort reduction may help to reduce multispecies bycatch with minimal impact on target catch.

Tolerance of developing salmonid eggs and fry to nitrate exposure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kincheloe, John W.; Wedemeyer, Gary A.; Koch, David L.

1979-01-01

This paper reports on tests which show significant effects on early salmonid life stages of nitrates at levels commonly found in groundwaters in geographical areas that are influenced by fertilizer application. It has long been known, from fish cultural experience, that in certain site specific locations, chronic problems can be expected with salmonid egg development and early fry mortality. However, fingerlings which survive usually grow normally. A complete explanation is lacking although several environmental factors have been proposed to account for this phenomenon. One, which has so far received little attention, is that nitrate levels in the ground and surface waters of many areas have been increasing significantly over historical background levels. Ammonia, urea, and other potential sources of nitrate can enter natural waters from a variety of sources, such as domestic or industrial sewage, animal feedlots, or seepage and return flows from agricultural lands. The latter may be the largest contributor, since billions of tons of nitrate fertilizers are applied to agricultural crops on a worldwide basis each year. In addition, intensive forest management techniques include the aerial application of nitrate fertilizer to increase the yield of wood products, while range management practices call for use of nitrates to increase forage production. The nitrate that is not taken up by plants ultimately appears in ground or surface waters.

HIV-1 Tat protein enhances the intracellular growth of Leishmania amazonensis via the ds-RNA induced protein PKR.

PubMed

Vivarini, Áislan de Carvalho; Pereira, Renata de Meirelles Santos; Barreto-de-Souza, Victor; Temerozo, Jairo Ramos; Soares, Deivid C; Saraiva, Elvira M; Saliba, Alessandra Mattos; Bou-Habib, Dumith Chequer; Lopes, Ulisses Gazos

2015-11-26

HIV-1 co-infection with human parasitic diseases is a growing public health problem worldwide. Leishmania parasites infect and replicate inside macrophages, thereby subverting host signaling pathways, including the response mediated by PKR. The HIV-1 Tat protein interacts with PKR and plays a pivotal role in HIV-1 replication. This study shows that Tat increases both the expression and activation of PKR in Leishmania-infected macrophages. Importantly, the positive effect of Tat addition on parasite growth was dependent on PKR signaling, as demonstrated in PKR-deficient macrophages or macrophages treated with the PKR inhibitor. The effect of HIV-1 Tat on parasite growth was prevented when the supernatant of HIV-1-infected macrophages was treated with neutralizing anti-HIV-1 Tat prior to Leishmania infection. The addition of HIV-1 Tat to Leishmania-infected macrophages led to inhibition of iNOS expression, modulation of NF-kB activation and enhancement of IL-10 expression. Accordingly, the expression of a Tat construct containing mutations in the basic region (49-57aa), which is responsible for the interaction with PKR, favored neither parasite growth nor IL-10 expression in infected macrophages. In summary, we show that Tat enhances Leishmania growth through PKR signaling.

Obesity is mediated by differential aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling in mice fed a Western diet.

PubMed

Kerley-Hamilton, Joanna S; Trask, Heidi W; Ridley, Christian J A; Dufour, Eric; Ringelberg, Carol S; Nurinova, Nilufer; Wong, Diandra; Moodie, Karen L; Shipman, Samantha L; Moore, Jason H; Korc, Murray; Shworak, Nicholas W; Tomlinson, Craig R

2012-09-01

Obesity is a growing worldwide problem with genetic and environmental causes, and it is an underlying basis for many diseases. Studies have shown that the toxicant-activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) may disrupt fat metabolism and contribute to obesity. The AHR is a nuclear receptor/transcription factor that is best known for responding to environmental toxicant exposures to induce a battery of xenobiotic-metabolizing genes. The intent of the work reported here was to test more directly the role of the AHR in obesity and fat metabolism in lieu of exogenous toxicants. We used two congenic mouse models that differ at the Ahr gene and encode AHRs with a 10-fold difference in signaling activity. The two mouse strains were fed either a low-fat (regular) diet or a high-fat (Western) diet. The Western diet differentially affected body size, body fat:body mass ratios, liver size and liver metabolism, and liver mRNA and miRNA profiles. The regular diet had no significant differential effects. The results suggest that the AHR plays a large and broad role in obesity and associated complications, and importantly, may provide a simple and effective therapeutic strategy to combat obesity, heart disease, and other obesity-associated illnesses.

African origins and chronic kidney disease susceptibility in the human immunodeficiency virus era

PubMed Central

Kasembeli, Alex N; Duarte, Raquel; Ramsay, Michèle; Naicker, Saraladevi

2015-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem worldwide with the estimated incidence growing by approximately 6% annually. There are striking ethnic differences in the prevalence of CKD such that, in the United States, African Americans have the highest prevalence of CKD, four times the incidence of end stage renal disease when compared to Americans of European ancestry suggestive of genetic predisposition. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are the major causes of CKD. HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is an irreversible form of CKD with considerable morbidity and mortality and is present predominantly in people of African ancestry. The APOL1 G1 and G2 alleles were more strongly associated with the risk for CKD than the previously examined MYH9 E1 risk haplotype in individuals of African ancestry. A strong association was reported in HIVAN, suggesting that 50% of African Americans with two APOL1 risk alleles, if untreated, would develop HIVAN. However these two variants are not enough to cause disease. The prevailing belief is that modifying factors or second hits (including genetic hits) underlie the pathogenesis of kidney disease. This work reviews the history of genetic susceptibility of CKD and outlines current theories regarding the role for APOL1 in CKD in the HIV era. PMID:25949944

Epigenetics: The missing link to understanding β-cell dysfunction in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Elizabeth R.; Liu, Dongmin

2012-01-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing health problem worldwide. While peripheral insulin resistance is common during obesity and aging in both animals and people, progression to T2D is largely due to insulin secretory dysfunction and significant apoptosis of functional β-cells, leading to an inability to compensate for insulin resistance. It is recognized that environmental factors and nutrition play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. However, our knowledge surrounding molecular mechanisms by which these factors trigger β-cell dysfunction and diabetes is still limited. Recent discoveries raise the possibility that epigenetic changes in response to environmental stimuli may play an important role in the development of diabetes. In this paper, we review emerging knowledge regarding epigenetic mechanisms that may be involved in β-cell dysfunction and pathogenesis of diabetes, including the role of nutrition, oxidative stress and inflammation. We will mainly focus on the role of DNA methylation and histone modifications but will also briefly review data on miRNA effects on the pancreatic islets. Further studies aimed at better understanding how epigenetic regulation of gene expression controls β-cell function may reveal potential therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of diabetes. PMID:22810088

Parental attitudes towards head lice infestation in Greece.

PubMed

Doulgeraki, Artemis; Valari, Manthoula

2011-06-01

Pediculosis capitis constitutes a growing problem worldwide and is usually considered as an inconvenience. Parents often handle this infestation on their own initiative. We conducted a survey in order to depict the parental attitudes towards head lice infestation in Greece. Parents of children aged 3-14 years, attending a dermatology outpatient clinic at a children's hospital, were given a questionnaire regarding head lice. Demographic data, management, and prevention strategies were included in the questionnaire. Three-hundred and seventy-two complete questionnaires were analyzed (response rate: 89%). Pediculosis capitis was more prevalent in the age groups 3-5 years and 6-8 years. The percentage of parents of infested children who sought advice on treatment from the pharmacist was 73%, and only 15% consulted their doctor. Chemical agents to treat head lice were used by 59% of them, products containing natural oils by 38%, and wet combing in parallel was employed by 79% of them. Preventive measures were employed by 66% of the respondents, and 54% applied botanical and synthetic products commercially available for this purpose. There is a trend towards the use of natural oils for either prevention or treatment. More needs to be done to promote public education and rational use of either pediculicides or non-pharmacological agents for pediculosis capitis infestation. © 2011 The International Society of Dermatology.

Cardiovascular risk

PubMed Central

Payne, Rupert A

2012-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is a major, growing, worldwide problem. It is important that individuals at risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be effectively identified and appropriately stratified according to risk. This review examines what we understand by the term risk, traditional and novel risk factors, clinical scoring systems, and the use of risk for informing prescribing decisions. Many different cardiovascular risk factors have been identified. Established, traditional factors such as ageing are powerful predictors of adverse outcome, and in the case of hypertension and dyslipidaemia are the major targets for therapeutic intervention. Numerous novel biomarkers have also been described, such as inflammatory and genetic markers. These have yet to be shown to be of value in improving risk prediction, but may represent potential therapeutic targets and facilitate more targeted use of existing therapies. Risk factors have been incorporated into several cardiovascular disease prediction algorithms, such as the Framingham equation, SCORE and QRISK. These have relatively poor predictive power, and uncertainties remain with regards to aspects such as choice of equation, different risk thresholds and the roles of relative risk, lifetime risk and reversible factors in identifying and treating at-risk individuals. Nonetheless, such scores provide objective and transparent means of quantifying risk and their integration into therapeutic guidelines enables equitable and cost-effective distribution of health service resources and improves the consistency and quality of clinical decision making. PMID:22348281