Contrasting CO2 and water vapour fluxes in dry forest and pasture sites of central Argentina

The dry forests of South America are a key player of the global carbon cycle and the regional water cycle, but they are being intensively deforested. We used eddy covariance measurements to compare the temporal patterns of CO2 and water vapour fluxes and their relationships with environmental variables in dry forest and pastures sites of central Argentina. Ecosystem fluxes showed clear contrasts in magnitude, timing and response to environmental controls between ecosystems. The dry forest displayed higher daily gross primary productivity (GPP, 10.6 vs. 7.8 g CO2 m−2 d−1) and ecosystem respiration (Reco, 9.1 vs. 7.0 g CO2 m−2 d−1) and lower net ecosystem exchange (NEE, −1.5 vs. −0.7 g CO2 m−2 d−1) than the pasture. These differences were explained by a lower tolerance of the pasture to cool temperatures and drought. The lowest NEE rates were observed between 26°C and 34°C in the pasture, but below this range, NEE increased sharply, switching to a carbon source with temperatures <20°C. By contrast, the dry forest remained as a strong carbon sink down to 18°C. The pasture also showed a stronger drop of GPP with drought compared with the dry forest, becoming a carbon source with soil wetness <25% of soil available water. Rainfall was strongly coupled with GPP in both ecosystems, but the dry forest responded to longer rainfall integration periods. This study helps to understand how ecosystems can respond to climate change, improve global scale modelling and increase the productivity and resilience of rangelands.Fil: Nosetto, Marcelo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi"; ArgentinaFil: Luna Toledo, Emanuel Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Chilecito; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Magliano, Patricio Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi"; ArgentinaFil: Figuerola, Patricia Irene. Universidad Nacional de Chilecito; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Lisandro Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi"; Argentin

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

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p&lt;0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (&lt;1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (&lt;1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Regional Household Economic Stress and Retail Sales Fluctuations

Economic stress indices are used to monitor business cycle conditions in several regions.Although the deployment of these tools is spreading, there have been relatively few efforts to empirically assess the performance of these gauges, especially at the regional level.This study takes advantage of one such index that is published monthly and has more than 15 years of historical data.Results obtained confirm an inverse relationship between household economic duress and retail sales activity, but it is not found to be statistically reliable over the long-run.Deviations from equilibrium are found to last for 142 months.More relevantly, a 1-point increase in the index is associated with a $3.48 million decline in total commercial activity.Additional testing using data for other regions and/or economic variables appears warranted.Empirical analysis that examines additional potential short-run linkages for El Pasomay also prove useful

Culturally Competent Prevention and Control of Asthma for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are among the 10 leading chronic conditions causing restricted activity. After chronic sinusitis, asthma is the most common cause of chronic illness in children. Methods are available to treat these respiratory diseases and promote respiratory health. Effective management of asthma comprises four major components: controlling exposure to factors that trigger asthma episodes, adequately managing asthma with medicine, monitoring the disease by using objective measures of lung function, and educating asthma patients to become partners in their own care. A literature search and annotated bibliography was conducted to identify culturally competent asthma prevention literature for AIAN

Culturally Competent Prevention and Control of Asthma for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are among the 10 leading chronic conditions causing restricted activity. After chronic sinusitis, asthma is the most common cause of chronic illness in children. Methods are available to treat these respiratory diseases and promote respiratory health. Effective management of asthma comprises four major components: controlling exposure to factors that trigger asthma episodes, adequately managing asthma with medicine, monitoring the disease by using objective measures of lung function, and educating asthma patients to become partners in their own care. A literature search and annotated bibliography was conducted to identify culturally competent asthma prevention literature for AIAN

Medicaid Home Care for Tribal Health Services: A Tool Kit for Developing New Programs

Planning and financing long-term care services for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) elders is a challenge. Institutional care (i.e. nursing homes) is not desired by most elders and has high costs for both the elders and tribal governments. In contrast, less expensive home care can provide enough assistance to keep most disabled elders in their own or their relatives’ homes, where they prefer to be. State Medicaid programs are one source of funding for home and community based long-term care services on reservations. We have compiled 20 guides that include a general overview of Medicaid in-home care programs as well as state-specific Medicaid home care details, such as services reimbursed by home and community based care programs and key contact information. These tool kits provide a road map for tribal health programs that are considering long-term care services, with a focus on personal care services for the elderly and disabled people that can be funded by Medicaid. The guides were developed on behalf of the Indian Health Services and with the assistance of numerous agency and state representatives. The tool kit provides information on a number of topics, including: Why Provide Medicaid Personal Care Services What Are Personal Care and other non-medical in-home services Medicaid Programs that Provide In-home Services How Personal Care and other in-home Services are Provided Tips for Developing a Plan for Delivering Medicaid Home Care Service

Medicaid Home Care for Tribal Health Services: A Tool Kit for Developing New Programs

Planning and financing long-term care services for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) elders is a challenge. Institutional care (i.e. nursing homes) is not desired by most elders and has high costs for both the elders and tribal governments. In contrast, less expensive home care can provide enough assistance to keep most disabled elders in their own or their relatives’ homes, where they prefer to be. State Medicaid programs are one source of funding for home and community based long-term care services on reservations. We have compiled 20 guides that include a general overview of Medicaid in-home care programs as well as state-specific Medicaid home care details, such as services reimbursed by home and community based care programs and key contact information. These tool kits provide a road map for tribal health programs that are considering long-term care services, with a focus on personal care services for the elderly and disabled people that can be funded by Medicaid. The guides were developed on behalf of the Indian Health Services and with the assistance of numerous agency and state representatives. The tool kit provides information on a number of topics, including: Why Provide Medicaid Personal Care Services What Are Personal Care and other non-medical in-home services Medicaid Programs that Provide In-home Services How Personal Care and other in-home Services are Provided Tips for Developing a Plan for Delivering Medicaid Home Care Service

Improving Health Insurance Coverage for American Indian Children and Families under Healthy Families (SCHIP)

Background: More American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) reside in California than any other single state in the United States; Los Angeles is home to the largest number of AIAN in the country. In 1997 the federal government initiated the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP – called Healthy Families in CA). In 2000 federal regulations were amended to exempt AIAN children from any SCHIP cost sharing. Since the California waiver implementation date there has been no significant change in the rate of AIAN enrollment. Methods: This study examined the policy and implementation barriers for AIAN children to obtain Healthy Families coverage. The principal research methods focused on: (a) a review of administrative data; (b) the development of eligibility estimates of the AIAN population; and (c) key informant interviews with AIAN-health serving institutions, health care providers (including urban, rural, and non-Indian clinics), the Healthy Families administrative unit (MRMIB), Department of Health Services (DHS), and health insurance plans. Results: About 2,200 Healthy Family recipients are currently identified as AIAN, and we estimate that over 7,000 additional uninsured AIAN children in California are Healthy Families eligible. AIAN applicants using certified assistors are more likely to be approved for enrollment than those not using assistors, but one third of tho se using assistors are denied coverage. This research identified many barriers to AIAN enrollment including: diverse and inconsistent understandings of the waiver and eligibility requirements; insufficient training regarding the waiver; insufficient program awareness/outreach; and the additional application burden with requirement of tribal enrollment documentation. There will be a positive change in AIAN enrollment with parental eligibility and practical steps are presented that can be taken to improve the process/system. Conclusion: The California Legislature and MRMIB have made a series of program modifications that are designed to improve the coverage rate and total enrollment of Healthy Families. The AIAN population is a group with special implementation legislation that does not appear to have been reached adequately by those efforts; this research will assist policy makers in improving the coverage of AIAN children and families

Improving Health Insurance Coverage for American Indian Children and Families under Healthy Families (SCHIP)

Background: More American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) reside in California than any other single state in the United States; Los Angeles is home to the largest number of AIAN in the country. In 1997 the federal government initiated the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP – called Healthy Families in CA). In 2000 federal regulations were amended to exempt AIAN children from any SCHIP cost sharing. Since the California waiver implementation date there has been no significant change in the rate of AIAN enrollment. Methods: This study examined the policy and implementation barriers for AIAN children to obtain Healthy Families coverage. The principal research methods focused on: (a) a review of administrative data; (b) the development of eligibility estimates of the AIAN population; and (c) key informant interviews with AIAN-health serving institutions, health care providers (including urban, rural, and non-Indian clinics), the Healthy Families administrative unit (MRMIB), Department of Health Services (DHS), and health insurance plans. Results: About 2,200 Healthy Family recipients are currently identified as AIAN, and we estimate that over 7,000 additional uninsured AIAN children in California are Healthy Families eligible. AIAN applicants using certified assistors are more likely to be approved for enrollment than those not using assistors, but one third of tho se using assistors are denied coverage. This research identified many barriers to AIAN enrollment including: diverse and inconsistent understandings of the waiver and eligibility requirements; insufficient training regarding the waiver; insufficient program awareness/outreach; and the additional application burden with requirement of tribal enrollment documentation. There will be a positive change in AIAN enrollment with parental eligibility and practical steps are presented that can be taken to improve the process/system. Conclusion: The California Legislature and MRMIB have made a series of program modifications that are designed to improve the coverage rate and total enrollment of Healthy Families. The AIAN population is a group with special implementation legislation that does not appear to have been reached adequately by those efforts; this research will assist policy makers in improving the coverage of AIAN children and families