Robust small area estimation under spatial non-stationarity

Geographically weighted small area methods have been studied in literature for small area estimation. Although these approaches are useful for the estimation of small area means efficiently under strict parametric assumptions, they can be very sensitive to outliers in the data. In this paper, we propose a robust extension of the geographically weighted empirical best linear unbiased predictor (GWEBLUP). In particular, we introduce robust projective and predictive small area estimators under spatial non-stationarity. Mean squared error estimation is performed by two different analytic approaches that account for the spatial structure in the data. The results from the model- based simulations indicate that the proposed approach may lead to gains in terms of efficiency. Finally, the methodology is demonstrated in an illustrative application for estimating the average total cash costs for farms in Australia

Home parenteral nutrition with an omega-3-fatty-acid-enriched MCT/LCT lipid emulsion in patients with chronic intestinal failure (the HOME study):study protocol for a randomized, controlled, multicenter, international clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a life-preserving therapy for patients with chronic intestinal failure (CIF) indicated for patients who cannot achieve their nutritional requirements by enteral intake. Intravenously administered lipid emulsions (ILEs) are an essential component of HPN, providing energy and essential fatty acids, but can become a risk factor for intestinal-failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). In HPN patients, major effort is taken in the prevention of IFALD. Novel ILEs containing a proportion of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) could be of benefit, but the data on the use of n-3 PUFA in HPN patients are still limited. METHODS/DESIGN: The HOME study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter, international clinical trial conducted in European hospitals that treat HPN patients. A total of 160 patients (80 per group) will be randomly assigned to receive the n-3 PUFA-enriched medium/long-chain triglyceride (MCT/LCT) ILE (Lipidem/Lipoplus® 200 mg/ml, B. Braun Melsungen AG) or the MCT/LCT ILE (Lipofundin® MCT/LCT/Medialipide® 20%, B. Braun Melsungen AG) for a projected period of 8 weeks. The primary endpoint is the combined change of liver function parameters (total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase) from baseline to final visit. Secondary objectives are the further evaluation of the safety and tolerability as well as the efficacy of the ILEs. DISCUSSION: Currently, there are only very few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the use of ILEs in HPN, and there are very few data at all on the use of n-3 PUFAs. The working hypothesis is that n-3 PUFA-enriched ILE is safe and well-tolerated especially with regard to liver function in patients requiring HPN. The expected outcome is to provide reliable data to support this thesis thanks to a considerable number of CIF patients, consequently to broaden the present evidence on the use of ILEs in HPN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03282955. Registered on 14 September 2017

A Vision for Transdisciplinarity in Future Earth: Perspectives from Young Researchers

Meeting the demand for food, energy, and water as world population increases is a major goal for the food systems of the future. These future challenges, which are complex, multiscalar, and cross-sectoral in nature, require a food systems approach that recognizes the socio-ecological and socio-technical dimensions of food (Ericksen, 2008; Ingram, 2011; Rivera-Ferre, 2012). The United Nations' Future Earth Program aims to provide a new platform for consolidating the knowledge required for societies to transition to global sustainability (Future Earth Transition Team, 2012). In this paper, we explore how Future Earth could become a vehicle for inspiring the production of new research ideas and collaborations for sustainably transforming the future food system. We do this on the basis of a synthesis of views from 28 young (below 40 years old) food system scientists, representing five continents. Their expertise comes from disciplines including food engineering, agronomy, ecology, geography, psychology, public health, food politics, nutritional science, political science, sociology and sustainability science. This paper begins with an outline of the institutional framework of Future Earth and how it might support innovative transdisciplinary research on food systems, and the position of young scientists within this framework. Secondly, we outline the key insights expressed by the young scientists during the Food Futures Conference in Villa Vigoni, Italy, in April 2013, including the core research questions raised during the meeting as well as some of the challenges involved in realizing their research ambitions within their professional spheres

Antifogging additives for greenhouse covers - effects on phytochemicals and nutritional quality of lettuce

Antifogging additives are commercially used in greenhouse films to prevent water droplet formation on these films. This can increase light transmission, and thus, improve crop yield. However, the effect of polytunnels with antifogging additives on phytochemical content in lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata ) is currently unclear. Here, polytunnels were chosen as a model to investigate the impact of antifogging additives in a completely randomized setting. Analysis by means of chromatographic methods coupled with mass spectrometry revealed a general influence of polytunnel cultivation compared to lettuces grown without a polytunnel on the content of phenolic compounds, photosynthetic pigments and fatty acids. The use of antifogging additives does not lead to significant differences in phenolic compounds and fatty acids. However, significant differences were observed for carotenoids and chlorophylls by both polytunnel cultivation and the use of antifogging additives. These differences probably occurred predominantly due to differences in light and temperature regimes related to polytunnel cultivation. Thus, due to polytunnels in general and the use of antifogging additives in particular, environmental conditions are created that impact valuable compounds and alter nutritional quality of crops

Impact of climate change on non-communicable diseases caused by altered UV radiation

Background: UV radiation can cause serious skin and eye diseases, especially cancers. UV-related skin cancer incidences have been increasing for decades. The determining factor for this development is the individual UV exposure. Climate change-induced changes in atmospheric factors can influence individual UV exposure. Methods: On the basis of a topic-specific literature research, a review paper was prepared and supplemented by as yet unpublished results of the authors’ own studies. The need for scientific research and development is formulated as well as primary prevention recommendations. Results: Climate change alters the factors influencing UV irradiance and annual UV dose in Germany. First evaluations of satellite data for Germany show an increase in mean peak UV irradiance and annual UV dose for the last decade compared to the last three decades. Conclusions: The climate change-related influences on individual UV exposure and the associated individual disease incidence cannot yet be reliably predicted due to considerable uncertainties. However, the current UV-related burden of disease already requires primary preventive measures to prevent UV-related diseases. This is part of a series of articles that constitute the German Status Report on Climate Change and Health 2023

Counter-current chromatography for the separation of terpenoids: A comprehensive review with respect to the solvent systems employed

Copyright @ 2014 The Authors.This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.Natural products extracts are commonly highly complex mixtures of active compounds and consequently their purification becomes a particularly challenging task. The development of a purification protocol to extract a single active component from the many hundreds that are often present in the mixture is something that can take months or even years to achieve, thus it is important for the natural product chemist to have, at their disposal, a broad range of diverse purification techniques. Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is one such separation technique utilising two immiscible phases, one as the stationary phase (retained in a spinning coil by centrifugal forces) and the second as the mobile phase. The method benefits from a number of advantages when compared with the more traditional liquid-solid separation methods, such as no irreversible adsorption, total recovery of the injected sample, minimal tailing of peaks, low risk of sample denaturation, the ability to accept particulates, and a low solvent consumption. The selection of an appropriate two-phase solvent system is critical to the running of CCC since this is both the mobile and the stationary phase of the system. However, this is also by far the most time consuming aspect of the technique and the one that most inhibits its general take-up. In recent years, numerous natural product purifications have been published using CCC from almost every country across the globe. Many of these papers are devoted to terpenoids-one of the most diverse groups. Naturally occurring terpenoids provide opportunities to discover new drugs but many of them are available at very low levels in nature and a huge number of them still remain unexplored. The collective knowledge on performing successful CCC separations of terpenoids has been gathered and reviewed by the authors, in order to create a comprehensive document that will be of great assistance in performing future purifications. © 2014 The Author(s)