Use of regional climate model simulations as input for hydrological models for the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalaya region

The most important climatological inputs required for the calibration and validation of hydrological models are temperature and precipitation that can be derived from observational records or alternatively from regional climate models (RCMs). In this paper, meteorological station observations and results of the PRECIS (Providing REgional Climate for Impact Studies) RCM driven by the outputs of reanalysis ERA 40 data and HadAM3P general circulation model (GCM) results are used as input in the hydrological model. The objective is to investigate the effect of precipitation and temperature simulated with the PRECIS RCM nested in these two data sets on discharge simulated with the HBV model for three river basins in the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalaya (HKH) region. Six HBV model experiments are designed: HBV-Met, HBV-ERA and HBV-Had, HBV-MetCRU-corrected, HBV-ERABenchmark and HBV-HadBenchmark where HBV is driven by meteorological stations data, data from PRECIS nested in ERA-40 and HadAM3P, meteorological stations CRU corrected data, ERA-40 reanalysis and HadAM3P GCM data, respectively. Present day PRECIS simulations possess strong capacity to simulate spatial patterns of present day climate characteristics. However, also some quantitative biases exist in the HKH region, where PRECIS RCM simulations underestimate temperature and overestimate precipitation with respect to CRU observations. The calibration and validation results of the HBV model experiments show that the performance of HBV-Met is better than the HBV models driven by other data sources. However, using input data series from sources different from the data used in the model calibration shows that HBV-Had is more efficient than other models and HBV-Met has the least absolute relative error with respect to all other models. The uncertainties are higher in least efficient models (i.e. HBV-MetCRU-corrected and HBV-ERABenchmark) where the model parameters are also unrealistic. In terms of both robustness and uncertainty ranges the HBV models calibrated with PRECIS output performed better than other calibrated models except for HBV-Met which has shown a higher robustness. This suggests that in data sparse regions such as the HKH region data from regional climate models may be used as input in hydrological models for climate scenarios studies

ENHANCED METHOD FOR AMPLIFYING ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LACTOPEROXIDASE SYSTEM IN MILK AND DERIVED PRODUCTS BY CARROT EXTRACT AND BETA CAROTENE

OSCN–  has  been  known  and  well  documented  as  natural  antimicrobial  agent    generated  from the  lactoperoxidase  system (LPOS)  but  the  antimicrobial  activity  exerted  from  this  system  is  too  low  for  certain  food  such  as  milk  and  derived products (up to 1.2 log CFU/ml) resulting in the restriction on industrial  development  of  LPOS.  Our  previous  study  concluded  that  involvement  of  carrot  extract and beta carotene in LPOS significantly boosted the antimicrobial activity  (up  to  6  log  CFU/ml)  against  S.  enteritidis.  This  finding  should  be  continued  to  the  application  on  food.  Since  we  found  that  LPOS  generates  low  antimicrobial  activity  on  milk  and  derived  product,  our  research  will  be  conducted  on  the  application  of  LPOS  plus  carrot  extract  and  beta  carotene  on  milk  and  derived  product.  Because  the  high  antimicrobial  activity  is  needed  for  industrial  purposes,  this  research  may  open  the  way  for  industrial  development  of  natural  antimicrobial agent from LPOS.  This research will be conducted in three steps of experiment: (1) ensuring  the  incredible  antimicrobial  activity  of  LPOS  plus  carrot  extract  and  beta  carotene  against  three  poisonous  tropical bacteria:  C. jejuni,  S. enteritidis,  and E.  coli,  (2)  utilization  of  LPOS  plus  carrot  extract  and  beta  carotene  in  milk:  full  cream and skimmed milk, and (3) utilization of LPOS plus carrot extract and beta  carotene  in  milk  derived  product:  yogurt  and  tropical  fruity  milk.  The  purification  of  LPO  from  bovine  milk,  the  complimentary  data  analysis  for  generation  of  LPOS  antimicrobial  activity  by  the  addition  of  carrot  extract  and  beta  carotene  will  be  conducted  in  Japan  and  for  the  application  in  tropical  poisonous  bacteria,  milk,  and  milk  derived  product  will  be  conducted  in  Indonesia.  The  outcomes  of  this  research  from  three  step  of  research  are  three  international  publications  at  international‐scopus‐indexed‐journals  :  International Journal of  Dairy Science and  one  of  patent:  “enhanced  method  for  improvement of LPOS antimicrobial activity by involvement of carrot extract and  beta carotene in milk and derived product”.     Keywords:  Lactoperoxidase,  antimicrobial  activity,  carrot  extract,  beta  carotene,  milk, derived products

Intellectual Capital: a Focus on Human Capital Reporting Practices of Top Malaysian Listed Companies

This paper aims to examine the extent of human capital (HC) reporting among top Malaysian companies and introduce an HC reporting guideline that can be used by Malaysian companies and regulator. It begins by developing the HC framework based on previous intellectual capital (IC) frameworks. This framework is then used to examine each of the top 100 Malaysian companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia in year 2008. Using the content analysis method, it reviews the annual reports of these companies to determine the extent of HC reporting. The findings of this paper highlight the need for the development of IC framework particularly on HC. HC differences were also identified between Malaysia and other countries such as Sri Lanka and Australia, and it is argued that these differences can be attributed to the social, economic, and political factors

How the health-seeking behaviour of pregnant women affects neonatal outcomes: findings of system dynamics modelling in Pakistan

Background: Limited studies have explored how health-seeking behaviour during pregnancy through to delivery affect neonatal outcomes. We modelled health-seeking behaviour across urban and rural settings in Pakistan, where poor neonatal outcomes persist with wide disparities. Methods and findings: A system dynamics model was developed and parameterised. Following validation tests, the model was used to determine neonatal mortality for pregnant women considering their decisions to access, refuse and switch antenatal care services in four provider sectors: public, private, traditional and charitable. Four health-seeking scenarios were tested across different pregnancy trimesters. Health-seeking behaviour in different subgroups by geographical locations and social network effect was modelled. The largest reduction in neonatal mortality was achieved with antenatal care provided by skilled providers in public, private or charitable sectors, combined with the use of institutional delivery. Women’s social networks had strong influences on if, when and where to seek care. Interventions by Lady Health Workers had a minimal impact on health-seeking behaviour and neonatal outcomes after trimester 1. Optimal benefits were achieved for urban women when antenatal care was accessed within trimester 2, but for rural women within trimester 1. Antenatal care access delayed to trimester 3 had no protective impact on neonatal mortality. Conclusions: System dynamics modelling enables capturing the complexity of health-seeking behaviours and impact on outcomes, informing intervention design, implementation of targeted policies and uptake of services specific to urban/rural settings considering structural enablers/barriers to access, cultural contexts and strong social network influences

CENP-C unwraps the human CENP-A nucleosome through the H2A C-terminal tail

Centromeres are defined epigenetically by nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant CENP-A, upon which the constitutive centromere-associated network of proteins (CCAN) is built. CENP-C is considered to be a central organizer of the CCAN. We provide new molecular insights into the structure of human CENP-A nucleosomes, in isolation and in complex with the CENP-C central region (CENP-C-CR), the main CENP-A binding module of human CENP-C. We establish that the short alpha N helix of CENP-A promotes DNA flexibility at the nucleosome ends, independently of the sequence it wraps. Furthermore, we show that, in vitro, two regions of human CENP-C (CENP-C-CR and CENP-C-motif) both bind exclusively to the CENP-A nucleosome. We find CENP-C-CR to bind with high affinity due to an extended hydrophobic area made up of CENP-A(V)(532) and CENP-A(V)(533). Importantly, we identify two key conformational changes within the CENP-A nucleosome upon CENP-C binding. First, the loose DNA wrapping of CENP-A nucleosomes is further exacerbated, through destabilization of the H2A C-terminal tail. Second, CENP-C-CR rigidifies the N-terminal tail of H4 in the conformation favoring H4(K20) monomethylation, essential for a functional centromere