Phytoplasma detected in reverted black currants in Finland

vo

Different Methods of Early Identification of Risky Drinking: A Review of Clinical Signs

Aims: To review the literature on detection of risky drinking to compare early identification based on everyday clinical encounters with systematic screening. We also reviewed specific clinical signs that have been suggested to be used as indicators of risky drinking. Methods: A literature review was performed in PubMed and CINAHL of articles up to November 2010. Results: Systematic screening and semi-systematic methods in various forms detected more risky drinkers than non-systematic identification during clinical encounter, but there was a lack of studies comparing the various means of identifying risky drinking. It may be too early to completely rule out the possibility of using non-systematic methods as an effective strategy to identify risky drinking. The earliest signs of risky drinking suggested in the literature are psychological distress and social problems. Conclusion: From a public health perspective, there is a lack of evidence that non-systematic or semi-systematic methods can substitute systematic screening in terms of numbers of risky drinkers detected. If early signs are going to be used to identify risky drinkers, or those to be screened for risky drinking, more focus should be on psychological and social signs because they appear earlier than somatic signs.This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Hanna K Reinholdz, Preben Bendtsen and Fredrik Spak, Different Methods of Early Identification of Risky Drinking: A Review of Clinical Signs, 2011, ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM, (46), 3, 283-291. is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agr021 Copyright: Oxford University Press http://www.oxfordjournals.org

Multi-scale modeling study of the source contributions to near-surface ozone and sulfur oxides levels over California during the ARCTAS-CARB period

Chronic high surface ozone (O3) levels and the increasing sulfur oxides (SOx = SO2+SO4) ambient concentrations over South Coast (SC) and other areas of California (CA) are affected by both local emissions and long-range transport. In this paper, multi-scale tracer, full-chemistry and adjoint simulations using the STEM atmospheric chemistry model are conducted to assess the contribution of local emission sourcesto SC O3 and to evaluate the impacts of transported sulfur and local emissions on the SC sulfur budgetduring the ARCTAS-CARB experiment period in 2008. Sensitivity simulations quantify contributions of biogenic and fire emissions to SC O3 levels. California biogenic and fire emissions contribute 3–4 ppb to near-surface O3 over SC, with larger contributions to other regions in CA. During a long-range transport event from Asia starting from 22 June, high SOx levels (up to ~0.7 ppb of SO2 and ~1.3 ppb of SO4) is observed above ~6 km, but they did not affect CA surface air quality. The elevated SOx observed at 1–4 km is estimated to enhance surface SOx over SC by ~0.25 ppb (upper limit) on ~24 June. The near-surface SOx levels over SC during the flight week are attributed mostly to local emissions. Two anthropogenic SOx emission inventories (EIs) from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are compared and applied in 60 km and 12 km chemical transport simulations, and the results are compared withobservations. The CARB EI shows improvements over the National Emission Inventory (NEI) by EPA, but generally underestimates surface SC SOx by about a factor of two. Adjoint sensitivity analysis indicated that SO2 levels at 00:00 UTC (17:00 local time) at six SC surface sites were influenced by previous day maritime emissions over the ocean, the terrestrial emissions over nearby urban areas, and by transported SO2 from the north through both terrestrial and maritime areas. Overall maritime emissions contribute 10–70% of SO2 and 20–60% fine SO4 on-shore and over the most terrestrial areas, with contributions decreasing with in-land distance from the coast. Maritime emissions also modify the photochemical environment, shifting O3 production over coastal SC to more VOC-limited conditions. These suggest an important role for shipping emission controls in reducing fine particle and O3concentrations in SC

Multi-scale modeling study of the source contributions to near-surface ozone and sulfur oxides levels over California during the ARCTAS-CARB period

Chronic high surface ozone (O_3) levels and the increasing sulfur oxides (SO_x = SO_2 + SO_4) ambient concentrations over South Coast (SC) and other areas of California (CA) are affected by both local emissions and long-range transport. In this paper, multi-scale tracer, full-chemistry and adjoint simulations using the STEM atmospheric chemistry model are conducted to assess the contribution of local emission sourcesto SC O_3 and to evaluate the impacts of transported sulfur and local emissions on the SC sulfur budgetduring the ARCTAS-CARB experiment period in 2008. Sensitivity simulations quantify contributions of biogenic and fire emissions to SC O_3 levels. California biogenic and fire emissions contribute 3–4 ppb to near-surface O_3 over SC, with larger contributions to other regions in CA. During a long-range transport event from Asia starting from 22 June, high SO_x levels (up to ~0.7 ppb of SO_2 and ~1.3 ppb of SO_4) is observed above ~6 km, but they did not affect CA surface air quality. The elevated SO_x observed at 1–4 km is estimated to enhance surface SO_x over SC by ~0.25 ppb (upper limit) on ~24 June. The near-surface SO_x levels over SC during the flight week are attributed mostly to local emissions. Two anthropogenic SO_x emission inventories (EIs) from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are compared and applied in 60 km and 12 km chemical transport simulations, and the results are compared withobservations. The CARB EI shows improvements over the National Emission Inventory (NEI) by EPA, but generally underestimates surface SC SO_x by about a factor of two. Adjoint sensitivity analysis indicated that SO_2 levels at 00:00 UTC (17:00 local time) at six SC surface sites were influenced by previous day maritime emissions over the ocean, the terrestrial emissions over nearby urban areas, and by transported SO_2 from the north through both terrestrial and maritime areas. Overall maritime emissions contribute 10–70% of SO2 and 20–60% fine SO_4 on-shore and over the most terrestrial areas, with contributions decreasing with in-land distance from the coast. Maritime emissions also modify the photochemical environment, shifting O_3 production over coastal SC to more VOC-limited conditions. These suggest an important role for shipping emission controls in reducing fine particle and O_3 concentrations in SC

Cuban Immunity Crisis: How Sovereign Immunity Impacts Enforcing the Helms-Burton Act Against Business Ventures in Cuba

Part II of this Comment discusses the historical relationship between the United States and Cuba leading up to the Helms-Burton legislation, the rationale behind the Helms-Burton Act, and the history and application of the FSIA. Part III analyzes the Helms-Burton legislation to evaluate whether Title III of the Act implicitly waives sovereign immunity for actions against foreign sovereign nations. Additionally, Part III applies this analysis to show how the court should decide Exxon Mobil Corp. Part IV recommends steps to take to clarify the restrictions around litigation under Title III moving forward, as well as how to clarify the use of the Title as cases continue to file into the courts. Finally, Part V concludes by recapping the major rationale for the presence of the sovereign immunity waiver within Title III, as well as drawing attention to the uncertainty around Helms-Burton legislation under the changing political climate

The Need for a Ban on All Radioactive Waste Disposal in the Ocean

The harnessing of nuclear power is the technological advance which best represents the ability of the human race to transform the environment for both good and bad. Nuclear power can be used either to destroy the earth or to improve greatly the quality of life for all persons. Attendant with this power is the problem of what to do with radioactive wastes left behind by the private and public uses of a technology not yet fifty years old. As wastes from nuclear power plants, government projects, and various fields of science continue to amass, attention is being focused increasingly on the earth\u27s oceans as a potentially viable sink for these wastes. While other alternatives, such as burial in deep geological salt formations, are currently being developed, the full ramifications of these plans remain unknown. The problems presented by radioactive waste disposal are compounded because much of the radioactive waste currently created will remain a hazard, not just for a few generations, but for centuries. Thus, whatever options industry and the international community pursue, such alternatives must be safe for the human population and the environment