Contribution of Eastern Christianity to Development of Theology of Environment

Kršćanska teologija stvaranja pridonosi rješavanju ekološke krize, kao potvrda temeljne istine da je vidljivo stvorenje božanski dar samo po sebi, „iskonski dar” koji stvara „prostor” za osobno zajedništvo. Zapravo, ispravna kršćanska ekološka teologija jest u primjeni teologije stvaranja. Pojam „ekologija” objedinjuje dvije grčke riječi, oikos (kuća) i logos (riječ): fizički okoliš ljudskog postojanja može se sagledati kao svojevrsno „prebivalište” za ljudski život. Imajući u vidu da nutarnji život Presvetoga Trojstva podrazumijeva zajedništvo, božanski čin stvaranja posve je slobodan od nužde za stvaranjem sudionika koji bi sudjelovali u tom zajedništvu. Stoga je moguće ustvrditi da je božanska zajednica pronašla svoje „prebivalište” u stvorenom kozmosu te je moguće govoriti o svemiru kao mjestu susreta u svrhu osobnog zajedništva. Ovaj članak pruža uvid u doprinos istočnoga kršćanstva teologiji okoliša.Christian theology of creation contributes to the solution of ecological crisis, as a confirmation of the fundamental truth that the visible creature is a divine gift in itself, a “genuine gift” that creates “space” for personal communion. As a matter of fact, the correct Christian ecological theology is in the application of theology of creation. The term “ecology” combines two Greek words, oikos (house) and logos (word): physical environment of human existence can be seen as a kind of “habitat” for human life. Bearing in mind that the inner life of the Holy Trinity implies communion, the divine act of creation is absolutely free from the necessity of creating the participants who would take part in that communion. Therefore, it is possible to assert that the divine community has found its “habitat” in the created cosmos and it is possible to speak of the universe as a meeting place for the purpose of personal communion. This article provides insight into the contribution of Eastern Christianity to the theology of environment

Evaluation of a Floating Bird Diverter

Hazing at oil spills can reduce bird mortalities. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Firefly Pond Diverter™ (Firefly Diverters LLC, Grantsville, UT), a device that floats on the water and is claimed to use motion, reflectivity, and ultraviolet (UV) and visible light emissions to alert and repel birds. The diverter could be useful at a spill, but little is known about how waterbirds would respond. The objectives of this study were to determine if waterbirds were repelled to a greater degree by the diverter compared to a simple novel object (a life ring), to identify the species that responded to the diverter, and determine if birds habituate to the diverter. The study was conducted in December 2007 in a stormwater retention basin in Woodland, California. We divided the study into a 3-day pretreatment period and a 6-day treatment period and counted birds in the morning and afternoon each day. On each day during the treatment period we randomly selected 2 areas of the basin and anchored 2 diverters in one area and 2 life rings in a second area. We moved the diverters and the life rings to new locations daily. During the bird counts we recorded all birds within 15.2 m of each diverter or life ring. For the basin as a whole, we found the temporal pattern of use (fewer birds present in the morning than the afternoon) and number of birds using the basin did not change with the deployment of the diverters and life rings. Species composition was similar during the pretreatment and treatment periods. Gulls, geese, and diving ducks accounted for over 90% of the birds, with gulls most numerous. We observed 7 and 9 species of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters and life rings, respectively. Gulls represented 91% and 81% of the birds near the diverters and the life rings, respectively. There was no difference in the number of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters or the life rings. There also was no difference in the number of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters or \u3e 15.2 m from the diverters. We found the same relationship for the life rings. After field work concluded we were informed that rotation of the flappers on the diverters and an ultraviolet index (UVI) \u3e2 were critical for the diverter to function. During the treatment period there was wind sufficient to spin the flappers during 7 of 12 counts. We observed birds within 15.2 m of the diverters on 6 out of 7 counts with wind. As reported in local newspapers, the UVI was never \u3e2 during the treatment period. If UV radiation has any effect on performance, then December, a month with low UVI values in northern California, was not the optimum time to test. The diverters did not repel birds during this study. It is not known if the diverters will repel birds during conditions of higher UVI. Additional research should be undertaken

Quantitative biomonitoring in the Detroit River using Elliptio complanata: Verification of steady state correction factors and temporal trends of PCBs in water between 1998-2015

Quantitative biomonitoring methods were applied to determine PCB concentrations in water from the Detroit River over a 17 year period. During 2014, mussels were deployed for and extended duration (21-364 d) and time dependent PCB concentrations were fit to a bioaccumulation model to estimate elimination coefficients (ktot) and provide site specific calibration of mussel toxicokinetics. The site specific calibration and different ktot versus KOW relationships from the literature were used to correct for steady state. ∑PCB concentrations in water were not significantly dependent on the ktot values used indicating that individual variation exceeds error contributed by steady state correction factors. The model was then applied to estimate ∑PCB concentrations in water using the long term (1998-2015) data. ∑PCBs concentrations in water exhibited a significant decreasing trend with a half life of 9.12 years resulting in a drop in yearly geometric mean residues from 198.1 pg/L to 43.6 pg/L

Estimation of Magnetic Field Strength in the Turbulent Warm Ionized Medium

We studied Faraday rotation measure (RM) in turbulent media with the rms Mach number of unity, using isothermal, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence simulations. Four cases with different values of initial plasma beta were considered. Our main findings are as follows. (1) There is no strong correlation between the fluctuations of magnetic field strength and gas density. So the magnetic field strength estimated with RM/DM (DM is the dispersion measure) correctly represents the true mean strength of the magnetic field along the line of sight. (2) The frequency distribution of RMs is well fitted to the Gaussian. In addition, there is a good relation between the width of the distribution of RM/$\bar{\rm RM}$ ($\bar{\rm RM}$ is the average value of RMs) and the strength of the regular field along the line of sight; the width is narrower, if the field strength is stronger. We discussed the implications of our findings in the warm ionized medium where the Mach number of turbulent motions is around unity.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter

Sex differences in body anthropometry and composition in individuals with and without diabetes in the UK Biobank

OBJECTIVE: Type I and II diabetes are associated with a greater relative risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in women than in men. Sex differences in adiposity storage may explain these findings. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 480 813 participants from the UK Biobank without history of CVD was conducted to assess whether the difference in body size in people with and without diabetes was greater in women than in men. Age-adjusted linear regression analyses were used to obtain the mean difference in women minus men in the difference in body size measures, separately for type I and II diabetes. RESULTS: Body size was higher in individuals with diabetes than in individuals without diabetes, particularly in type II diabetes. Differences in body size between individuals with and without type II diabetes were more extreme in women than in men; compared to those without type II diabetes, body mass index and waist circumference were 1.94 (95% CI 1.82 to 2.07) and 4.84 (4.53 to 5.16) higher in women than in men, respectively. In type I diabetes, body size differed to a similar extent between those with and without diabetes in women as in men. This pattern was observed across all prespecified subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in body size associated with diabetes were significantly greater in women than in men in type II diabetes but not in type I diabetes. Prospective studies can determine whether sex differences in body size associated with diabetes underpin some of the excess risk for CVD in women with type II diabetes

CHD1L: a new candidate gene for congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT)

Background. Recently, we identified a microduplication in chromosomal band 1q21.1 encompassing the CHD1L/ALC1 gene encoding a chromatin-remodelling enzyme in congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) patient. Methods. To explore the role of CHD1L in CAKUT, we screened 85 CAKUT patients for mutations in the CHD1L gene and performed functional analyses of the three heterozygous missense variants detected. In addition, we quantitatively determined CHD1L expression in multiple human fetal and adult tissues and analysed expression of CHD1L protein in human embryonal, adult and hydronephrotic kidney sections. Results. Two of three novel heterozygous missense variants identified in three patients were not found in >400 control chromosomes. All variants lead to amino acid substitutions in or near the CHD1L macro domain, a poly-ADP-ribose (PAR)-binding module interacting with PAR polymerase 1 (PARP1), and showed decreased interaction with PARP1 by pull-down assay of transfected cell lysates. Quantitative messenger RNA analysis demonstrated high CHD1L expression in human fetal kidneys, and levels were four times higher than in adult kidneys. In the human embryo at 7-11 weeks gestation, CHD1L immunolocalized in the early ureteric bud and the S- and comma-shaped bodies, critical stages of kidney development. In normal postnatal sections, CHD1L was expressed in the cytoplasm of tubular cells in all tubule segments. CHD1L expression appeared higher in the hydronephrotic kidney of one patient with a hypofunctional CHD1L variant than in normal kidneys, recapitulating high fetal levels. Conclusion. Our data suggest that CHD1L plays a role in kidney development and may be a new candidate gene for CAKU

Aplikasi Konsep Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) dengan Social Web

This study discusses the impact of social media to the development of personal knowledge management (PKM). Here the author describeS the factual condition of the company that useS social media as a means of personal knowledge management. Furthermore, these interaction patterns have significant impact on the organization. The purpose of this article is to analyze the application of personal knowledge managementconcept, combined with the social media concept that focuses on social networks with the consideration that they are widespreadly used by the public. Plus the emergence of social networking sites are increasingly new added value to the development of social media. The method used is literature study obtained from the online journals, articles and text books. The result of this study is expected to expand the use of social networking as a means of personal knowledge management in the organization

Metformin in severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomised controlled trial

Background Severe exacerbations of COPD are commonly associated with hyperglycaemia, which predicts adverse outcomes. Metformin is a well-established anti-hyperglycaemic agent in diabetes mellitus, possibly augmented with anti-inflammatory effects, but its effects in COPD are unknown. We investigated accelerated metformin therapy in severe COPD exacerbations, primarily to confirm or refute an anti-hyperglycaemic effect, and secondarily to explore its effects on inflammation and clinical outcome. Methods This was a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial testing accelerated metformin therapy in non-diabetic patients, aged ≥35 years, hospitalised for COPD exacerbations. Participants were assigned in a 2:1 ratio to 1 month of metformin therapy, escalated rapidly to 2 g/day, or matched placebo. The primary end point was mean in-hospital blood glucose concentration. Secondary end points included the concentrations of fructosamine and C reactive protein (CRP), and scores on the COPD Assessment Test and Exacerbations of Chronic Pulmonary Disease Tool. Results 52 participants (mean (±SD) age 67±9 years) were randomised (34 to metformin, 18 to placebo). All were included in the primary end point analysis. The mean blood glucose concentrations in the metformin and placebo groups were 7.1±0.9 and 8.0±3.3 mmol/L, respectively (difference −0.9 mmol/L, 95% CI −2.1 to +0.3; p=0.273). No significant between-group differences were observed on any of the secondary end points. Adverse reactions, particularly gastrointestinal effects, were more common in metformin-treated participants. Conclusion Metformin did not ameliorate elevations in blood glucose concentration among non-diabetic patients admitted to hospital for COPD exacerbations, and had no detectable effect on CRP or clinical outcomes. Trial registration number ISRCTN66148745 and NCT01247870