HESS Opinions: "Climate, hydrology, energy, water: recognizing uncertainty and seeking sustainability"

Since 1990 extensive funds have been spent on research in climate change. Although Earth Sciences, including climatology and hydrology, have benefited significantly, progress has proved incommensurate with the effort and funds, perhaps because these disciplines were perceived as “tools” subservient to the needs of the climate change enterprise rather than autonomous sciences. At the same time, research was misleadingly focused more on the “symptom”, i.e. the emission of greenhouse gases, than on the “illness”, i.e. the unsustainability of fossil fuel-based energy production. Unless energy saving and use of renewable resources become the norm, there is a real risk of severe socioeconomic crisis in the not-too-distant future. A framework for drastic paradigm change is needed, in which water plays a central role, due to its unique link to all forms of renewable energy, from production (hydro and wave power) to storage (for time-varying wind and solar sources), to biofuel production (irrigation). The extended role of water should be considered in parallel to its other uses, domestic, agricultural and industrial. Hydrology, the science of water on Earth, must move towards this new paradigm by radically rethinking its fundamentals, which are unjustifiably trapped in the 19thcentury myths of deterministic theories and the zeal to eliminate uncertainty. Guidance is offered by modern statistical and quantum physics, which reveal the intrinsic character of uncertainty/entropy in nature, thus advancing towards a new understanding and modelling of physical processes, which is central to the effective use of renewable energy and water resources

Singularly Perturbed Monotone Systems and an Application to Double Phosphorylation Cycles

The theory of monotone dynamical systems has been found very useful in the modeling of some gene, protein, and signaling networks. In monotone systems, every net feedback loop is positive. On the other hand, negative feedback loops are important features of many systems, since they are required for adaptation and precision. This paper shows that, provided that these negative loops act at a comparatively fast time scale, the main dynamical property of (strongly) monotone systems, convergence to steady states, is still valid. An application is worked out to a double-phosphorylation ``futile cycle'' motif which plays a central role in eukaryotic cell signaling.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, corrected typos, references remove

MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE BRNJICA GRANITOIDS (EASTERN SERBIA)

The Variscan Brnjica granitoids in East Serbia, occurring in the Kucaj Terrane of the Carpatho-Balkanides, are composed of hornblende - biotite tonalité (TON), biotite granodiorite (GRD), twomica granite (TMG) and leucogranite (LG). The rocks analyzed are slightly peraluminous. A preplate collision tectonic environment is supported based on the R1-R2 discrimination diagram. A two-step mixing plus fractional crystallization (MFC) process is considered responsible for the evolution of the Brnjica granitoids. In the 1st step, the parental magma (having the composition of the more basic TON) is forming the mineral assemblage Pl596Biio.3Hbio.7Mto.7Titi.oQzi7.7 by 44% crystallization, and at the same time is mixed (r=0.1) with a magma similar to TMG to give a melt similar to the composition of the less evolved GRD. In the 2nd step, 60% crystallization (Pl39oKfi oBÌ25oZr06Api aMti 4Titi 0QZ303) of the less evolved GRD and a simultaneous mixing with the same acid magma (TMG) but with higher r (0.6) is needed for the genesis of GRD group. The TON could originate in the crust by melting of amphibolites and basalts under various P-T conditions while the granites could be crustal melts produced by melting of amphibolites, gneisses, graywackes and pelites. Pressure of 2.3 to 4.1 kb and temperatures from 626 to 813 °C were calculated for TON, using hornblende and co-existing hornblende and plagioclase compositions respectively

Perpetrating Cyber Dating Abuse: A Brief Report on the Role of Aggression, Romantic Jealousy and Gender

There is increasing evidence that the use of elec-tronic communication technology (ECT) is being integrated into romantic relationships, which can be used as a medium to control a romantic partner. Most research focuses on the vic-tims of cyber dating abuse, however, we focused on the factors that predict perpetration of cyber dating abuse. We explored whether aggression (verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger and hostility), romantic jealousy (emotional, cognitive and behavioral jealousy), and gender predicted perpetration of cyber dating abuse (n = 189). We found that hostility, behav-ioral jealousy and gender significantly predicted perpetration of cyber dating abuse. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the psychological factors that drive cyber dating abuse in romantic relationships

Why media representations of corporations matter for public health policy : a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Media representations play a crucial role in informing public and policy opinions about the causes of, and solutions to, ill-health. This paper reviews studies analysing media coverage of non-communicable disease (NCD) debates, focusing on how the industries marketing commodities that increase NCD risk are represented. METHODS: A scoping review identified 61 studies providing information on media representations of NCD risks, NCD policies and tobacco, alcohol, processed food and soft drinks industries. The data were narratively synthesized to describe the sample, media depictions of industries, and corporate and public health attempts to frame the media debates. RESULTS: The findings indicate that: (i) the limited research that has been undertaken is dominated by a focus on tobacco; (ii) comparative research across industries/risk-factors is particularly lacking; and (iii) coverage tends to be dominated by two contrasting frames and focuses either on individual responsibilities ('market justice' frames, often promoted by commercial stakeholders) or on the need for population-level interventions ('social justice' frames, frequently advanced by public health advocates). CONCLUSIONS: Establishing the underlying frameworks is crucial for the analysis of media representation of corporations, as they reflect the strategies that respective actors use to influence public health debates and decision making. The potential utility of media research lies in the insights that it can provide for public health policy advocates about successful framing of public health messages and strategies to counter frames that undermine public health goals. A better understanding of current media debates is of paramount importance to improving global health

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Male perspectives on intimate partner violence: A qualitative analysis from South Africa

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects one in four women globally and is more commonly enacted by men than women. Rates of IPV in South Africa exceed the global average. Exploring the background and context regarding why men use violence can help future efforts to prevent IPV. Methods We explored adult men’s perspectives of IPV, livelihoods, alcohol use, gender beliefs, and childhood exposure to abuse through a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews that were conducted in South Africa. The setting was a peri-urban township characterized by high unemployment, immigration from rural areas, and low service provision. We utilized thematic qualitative analysis that was guided by the social ecological framework. Results Of 30 participants, 20 were residents in the neighborhood, 7 were trained community members, and 3 were program staff. Men reported consumption of alcohol and lack of employment as being triggers for IPV and community violence in general. Multiple participants recounted childhood exposure to abuse. These themes, in addition to culturally prescribed gender norms and constructs of manhood, seemed to influence the use of violence. Conclusion Interventions aimed at reducing IPV should consider the cultural and social impact on men’s use of IPV in low-resource, high-IPV prevalence settings, such as peri-urban South Africa. This work highlights the persistent need for the implementation of effective primary prevention strategies that address contextual and economic factors in an effort to reduce IPV that is primarily utilized by men directed at women

Estimation of thorax shape for forward modelling in lungs EIT

The thorax models for pre-term babies are developed based on the CT scans from new-borns and their effect on image reconstruction is evaluated in comparison with other available models

Towards an IT-based Planning Process Alignment: Integrated Route and Location Planning for Small Package Shippers

To increase the efficiency of delivery operations in small package shipping (SPS), numerous optimization models for routeand location planning decisions have been proposed. This operations research view of defining independent problems hastwo major shortcomings: First, most models from literature neglect crucial real-world characteristics, thus making themuseless for small package shippers. Second, business processes for strategic decision making are not well-structured in mostSPS companies and significant cost savings could be generated by an IT-based support infrastructure integrating decisionmaking and planning across the mutually dependent layers of strategic, tactical and operational planning. We present anintegrated planning framework that combines an intelligent data analysis tool, which identifies delivery patterns and changesin customer demand, with location and route planning tools. Our planning approaches extend standard Location Routing andVehicle Routing models by crucial, practically relevant characteristics like the existence of subcontractors on both decisionlevels and the implicit consideration of driver familiarity in route planning