Fetoscopic tracheal occlusion for treatment of non-isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Fetoscopic endotracheal occlusion (FETO) is a prenatal treatment that may increase survival in severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). In the USA, FETO is offered for isolated severe left-sided CDH in the context of an FDA-approved feasibility study. FETO in non-isolated cases of severe CDH is only performed with a compassionate use exemption from US regulatory bodies. Anomalies frequently associated with CDH include congenital cystic lesions of the lung and cardiac defects. We describe two cases of non-isolated severe left-sided CDH that underwent prenatal FETO, survived after birth and underwent postnatal surgical repair. The potential benefit of FETO in this setting is discussed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A strategy for the next decade to address data deficiency in neglected biodiversity

Measuring progress toward international biodiversity targets requires robust information on the conservation status of species, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species provides. However, data and capacity are lacking for most hyperdiverse groups, such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi, particularly in megadiverse or high-endemism regions. Conservation policies and biodiversity strategies aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2020 need to be adapted to tackle these information shortfalls after 2020. We devised an 8-point strategy to close existing data gaps by reviving explorative field research on the distribution, abundance, and ecology of species; linking taxonomic research more closely with conservation; improving global biodiversity databases by making the submission of spatially explicit data mandatory for scientific publications; developing a global spatial database on threats to biodiversity to facilitate IUCN Red List assessments; automating preassessments by integrating distribution data and spatial threat data; building capacity in taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity monitoring in countries with high species richness or endemism; creating species monitoring programs for lesser-known taxa; and developing sufficient funding mechanisms to reduce reliance on voluntary efforts. Implementing these strategies in the post-2020 biodiversity framework will help to overcome the lack of capacity and data regarding the conservation status of biodiversity. This will require a collaborative effort among scientists, policy makers, and conservation practitioners.     

Analysis of the global warming dynamics from temperature time series

Global warming is the observed increase of the average temperature of the Earth. The primary cause of this phenomenon is the release of the greenhouse gases by burning of fossil fuels, land cleaning, agriculture, among others, leading to the increase of the so-called greenhouse effect. An approach to deal with this important problem is the time series analysis. In this regard, different techniques can be applied to evaluate the global warming dynamics. This kind of analysis allows one to make better predictions increasing our comprehension of the phenomenon. This article applies nonlinear tools to analyze temperature time series establishing state space reconstruction and prediction. Since noise contamination is unavoidable in data acquisition, it is important to employ robust techniques. The method of delay coordinates is employed for state space reconstruction and delay parameters are evaluated using the method of average mutual information and the method of false nearest neighbors. Afterwards, the simple nonlinear prediction method is employed to estimate temperatures of the future. Temperature time series from different places of the planet are used. Initially, the approach is verified considering known parts of the time series and afterwards, results are extrapolated for future values estimating temperature until 2028. Results show that these techniques are interesting to estimate temperature time history, presenting coherent estimations.     

Simulation of the influence of industrial wastewater on a municipal sewage treatment plant—a case study

Purpose  

Industrial wastewater flow caused operational difficulties in the wastewater treatment plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Bioaugmentation was successfully applied to maintain effluent quality in the periods when wastewater of high starch content was accepted, but, at the end of 2008, the nitrification capacity of the plant decreased considerably due to improperly pre-treated pharmaceutical wastewater.     

Exposure to particle number,surface area and PM concentrations in pizzerias

The aim of this work was to quantify exposure to particles emitted by wood-fired ovens in pizzerias. Overall, 15 microenvironments were chosen and analyzed in a 14-month experimental campaign. Particle number concentration and distribution were measured simultaneously using a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC), a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS). The surface area and mass distributions and concentrations, as well as the estimation of lung deposition surface area and PM₁ were evaluated using the SMPS-APS system with dosimetric models, by taking into account the presence of aggregates on the basis of the Idealized Aggregate (IA) theory. The fraction of inhaled particles deposited in the respiratory system and different fractions of particulate matter were also measured by means of a Nanoparticle Surface Area Monitor (NSAM) and a photometer (DustTrak DRX), respectively. In this way, supplementary data were obtained during the monitoring of trends inside the pizzerias. We found that surface area and PM₁ particle concentrations in pizzerias can be very high, especially when compared to other critical microenvironments, such as the transport hubs. During pizza cooking under normal ventilation conditions, concentrations were found up to 74, 70 and 23 times higher than background levels for number, surface area and PM₁, respectively. A key parameter is the oven shape factor, defined as the ratio between the size of the face opening in respect to the diameter of the semicircular oven door, and particular attention must also be paid to hood efficiency.     

Metals concentration and bioaccumulation in the marine-coastal trophic web from Buenos Aires province southern coast,Argentina

Metals accumulated in the tissues of organisms inhabiting marine ecosystems generally reflect their bioavailable levels within that environment. The aim of this work was to study the presence and concentration of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) and its bioaccumulation in liver-ink sac (n?=?12) and muscle (n?=?12) tissues of loliginid squids, Loligo sanpaulensis, in liver (n?=?15) and muscle (n?=?15) tissues of white croakers, Micropogonias furnieri, and in muscle (n?=?12) tissues of franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, as representatives of different trophic levels of an estuarial ecosystem from the southern coast of Buenos Aires. Except for Pb, all metals were detectable in the hepatic tissues. Bioaccumulation was observed for Fe, Cr and Ni in muscle of squids. Zn levels in muscle samples increased with the trophic level of the species analysed. Necochea-Quequén presents relatively high levels of Ni and Cr in the tissue samples of squids and fishes given other locations of southern hemisphere, indicating a possible anthropic enrichment. These outcomes provide the necessary basis for the environmental monitoring of an area with relevance for fishing and high anthropic activity.     

Land Management Versus Natural Factors in Land Instability: Some Examples in Northern Spain

The objective of this work is to test a hypothesis formulated on the basis of former results which considers that there might be a “global geomorphic change,” due to activities related to land management and not determined by climate change, which could be causing an acceleration of geomorphic processes. Possible relationships between some geomorphic processes related to land instability (landslides or sediment generation) and potential triggering factors are analyzed in study areas in northern Spain. The analysis is based on landslide inventories covering different periods, as well as the determination of sedimentation rates. Temporal landslide and sedimentation rate trends are compared with different indicators of human activities (land-use change, logging, forest fires) and with potential natural triggers (rainfall, seismicity). The possible influence of the road network in the distribution of landslides is also analyzed. Results obtained show that there is a general increase of both landslide and sedimentation rates with time that cannot be explained satisfactorily by observed rainfall trends and even less by seismicity. Land-use change appears to be by far the main factor leading to land instability, with some changes producing up to a 12-fold increase of landslide rate. A relationship between road network and the spatial distribution of landslides has also been observed. These results do confirm the existence of an acceleration of geomorphic processes in the region, and also suggest that climate-related factors play a limited role in the changes observed.