The IIASA-LUC Project Georeferenced Database of the Former U.S.S.R., Volume 4: Vegetation

The IIASA/LUC georeferenced database for the former U.S.S.R. was created within the framework of the project "Modeling Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Europe and Northern Asia" (LUC). For Russia, essential information on relief, soil, vegetation, land cover and use, etc., for routine environmental analysis was lacking when the LUC project started developing the database. In addition, the environmental data on the former U.S.S.R. which were available, occurred in formats (papers, tables, etc.) that in general could not be used with modern information technology, and in particular in model building. In creating the LUC project database, we have established a threefold task: (1) to obtain the relevant information for the LUC project modeling exercises; (2) to develop data which is applicable to modem information technology; (3) to contribute a series of digital databases which could be applied for a number of other specific analyses by the national and international scientific community. In defining the tasks it was agreed to create a set of digital databases which could be handled by geographic information systems (GIS). The full set of georeferenced digital databases was combined into the LUC project's GIS, using ARC/INFO. However, each individual item (physiography, soil, vegetation, etc.) was created as a separate digital database, allowing each item to be used independently, according to users' needs. The complete series of the unique georeferenced digital databases for the territory of the former U.S.S.R. is described in the IIASA/LUC volumes: Volume 1: Physiography (landforms, slope conditions, elevations); Volume 2: Soil; Volume 3: Soil degradation status (Russia); Volume 4: Vegetation; Volume 5: Land categories

Harvesting anterior iliac crest or calvarial bone grafts to augment severely resorbed edentulous jaws:a systematic review and meta-analysis of patient-reported outcomes

The aim of this systematic review was to compare patient-reported outcomes after harvesting calvarial or anterior iliac crest bone grafts to repair severe jaw defects and enable implant placement. The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, and OpenGrey were searched for studies on patient satisfaction, pain, disturbances in daily functioning, sensory alterations, donor site aesthetics, and complication rates. Of the 1946 articles identified, 43 reporting 40 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria; the studies were one randomized controlled clinical trial, one retrospective controlled clinical trial, and 23 prospective and 15 retrospective cohort studies. A meta-analysis of two studies (74 patients) showed no difference in satisfaction (mean difference (MD) − 0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 1.17 to 0.92; P = 0.813) or postoperative pain (directly postoperative: MD −2.32, 95% CI −5.20 to 0.55, P = 0.113; late postoperative: MD −0.01, 95% CI −0.14 to 0.11, P = 0.825) between donor sites. However, the level of evidence is limited, due to the retrospective, non-randomized design of one study. Postoperative gait disturbances were highly prevalent among the anterior iliac crest patients (28–100% after 1 week). The incidence rates of sensory disturbances and other complications were low, and the donor site aesthetic outcomes were favourable for both graft types. To conclude, harvesting bone grafts from the calvarium or anterior iliac crest to augment the severely resorbed edentulous jaw results in similar patient satisfaction. However, the findings for postoperative pain and disturbances in daily living suggest a trend in favour of calvarial bone grafts if harvested using an adjusted technique

Comparing Intensive Trauma-Focused Treatment Outcome on PTSD Symptom Severity in Older and Younger Adults

Objective: To examine the treatment outcome of an intensive trauma-focused treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in older and younger adults. Methods: A non-randomized outcome study was conducted with 62 consecutively admitted older PTSD patients (60–78 years) and 62 younger PTSD patients (19–58 years), matched on gender and availability of follow-up data. Patients participated in an intensive eight-day trauma-focused treatment program consisting of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), prolonged exposure (PE), physical activity, and group psycho-education. PTSD symptom severity (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-5 (CAPS-5)) was assessed, at pre- and post-treatment, and for a subsample (n = 31 older; n = 31 younger patients) at six-month follow-up. Results: A repeated-measures ANCOVA (centered CAPS pre-treatment score as covariate) indicated a significant decrease in CAPS-5-scores from pre- to post-treatment for the total sample (partial η2 = 0.808). The treatment outcome was not significantly different across age groups (partial η2 = 0.002). There were no significant differences in treatment response across age groups for the follow-up subsample (pre- to post-treatment partial η2 80)

Comparison of the long-term clinical performance of a biodegradable and a titanium fixation system in maxillofacial surgery:A multicenter randomized controlled trial

Background Biodegradable fixation systems could reduce or eliminate problems associated with titanium removal of implants in a second operation. Aim The aim of this study was to compare the long-term (i.e. >5 years postoperatively) clinical performance of a titanium and a biodegradable system in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Materials and methods The present multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was performed in four hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients treated with a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and/or a Le Fort-I osteotomy, and those treated for fractures of the mandible, maxilla, or zygoma were included from December 2006 to July 2009. The patients were randomly assigned to either a titanium (KLS Martin) or a biodegradable group (Inion CPS). Results After >5 years postoperatively, plate removal was performed in 22 of the 134 (16.4%) patients treated with titanium and in 23 of the 87 (26.4%) patients treated with the biodegradable system (P = 0.036, hazard ratio (HR) biodegradable (95% CI) = 2.0 (1.05-3.8), HR titanium = 1). Occlusion, VAS pain scores, and MFIQ showed good and (almost) pain free mandibular function in both groups. Conclusion In conclusion, the performance of the Inion CPS biodegradable system was inferior compared to the KLS Martin titanium system regarding plate/screws removal in the abovementioned surgical procedures

Modification of Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1) Properties by a GFP Tag - Implications for Research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Since the discovery that mutations in the enzyme SOD1 are causative in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), many strategies have been employed to elucidate the toxic properties of this ubiquitously expressed mutant protein, including the generation of GFP-SOD1 chimaeric proteins for studies in protein localization by direct visualization using fluorescence microscopy. However, little is known about the biochemical and physical properties of these chimaeric proteins, and whether they behave similarly to their untagged SOD1 counterparts. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we compare the physicochemical properties of SOD1 and the effects of GFP-tagging on its intracellular behaviour. Immunostaining demonstrated that SOD1 alone and GFP-SOD1 have an indistinguishable intracellular distribution in PC12 cells. Cultured primary motor neurons expressing GFP or GFP-SOD1 showed identical patterns of cytoplasmic expression and of movement within the axon. However, GFP tagging of SOD1 was found to alter some of the intrinsic properties of SOD1, including stability and specific activity. Evaluation of wildtype and mutant SOD1, tagged at either the N- or C-terminus with GFP, in PC12 cells demonstrated that some chimaeric proteins were degraded to the individual proteins, SOD1 and GFP. Conclusions/Significance Our findings indicate that most, but not all, properties of SOD1 remain the same with a GFP tag.m The Ipsen Fund, the UK Motor Neurone Disease Association, the Research Advisory Board of St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Charitable Foundation (RAB04/F7), The Brain Research Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cancer Research UK and EU FP6 NEST grant 12702

Quantifying the effectiveness of climate change mitigation through forest plantations and carbon sequestration with an integrated land-use model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carbon plantations are introduced in climate change policy as an option to slow the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations. Here we present a methodology to evaluate the potential effectiveness of carbon plantations. The methodology explicitly considers future long-term land-use change around the world and all relevant carbon (C) fluxes, including all natural fluxes. Both issues have generally been ignored in earlier studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two different baseline scenarios up to 2100 indicate that uncertainties in future land-use change lead to a near 100% difference in estimates of carbon sequestration potentials. Moreover, social, economic and institutional barriers preventing carbon plantations in natural vegetation areas decrease the physical potential by 75–80% or more.</p> <p>Nevertheless, carbon plantations can still considerably contribute to slowing the increase in the atmospheric CO₂concentration but only in the long term. The most conservative set of assumptions lowers the increase of the atmospheric CO₂concentration in 2100 by a 27 ppm and compensates for 5–7% of the total energy-related CO₂emissions. The net sequestration up to 2020 is limited, given the short-term increased need for agricultural land in most regions and the long period needed to compensate for emissions through the establishment of the plantations. The potential is highest in the tropics, despite projections that most of the agricultural expansion will be in these regions. Plantations in high latitudes as Northern Europe and Northern Russia should only be established if the objective to sequester carbon is combined with other activities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Carbon sequestration in plantations can play an important role in mitigating the build-up of atmospheric CO₂. The actual magnitude depends on natural and management factors, social barriers, and the time frame considered. In addition, there are a number of ancillary benefits for local communities and the environment. Carbon plantations are, however, particularly effective in the long term. Furthermore, plantations do not offer the ultimate solution towards stabilizing CO₂concentrations but should be part of a broader package of options with clear energy emission reduction measures.</p

D-cycloserine augmentation of exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data

Importance: Whether and under which conditions D-cycloserine (DCS) augments the effects of exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders is unclear. Objective: To clarify whether DCS is superior to placebo in augmenting the effects of cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders and to evaluate whether antidepressants interact with DCS and the effect of potential moderating variables. Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to February 10, 2016. Reference lists of previous reviews and meta-analyses and reports of randomized clinical trials were also checked. Study Selection: Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) double-blind randomized clinical trials of DCS as an augmentation strategy for exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy and (2) conducted in humans diagnosed as having specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Raw data were obtained from the authors and quality controlled. Data were ranked to ensure a consistent metric across studies (score range, 0-100). We used a 3-level multilevel model nesting repeated measures of outcomes within participants, who were nested within studies. Results: Individual participant data were obtained for 21 of 22 eligible trials, representing 1047 of 1073 eligible participants. When controlling for antidepressant use, participants receiving DCS showed greater improvement from pretreatment to posttreatment (mean difference, -3.62; 95% CI, -0.81 to -6.43; P = .01; d = -0.25) but not from pretreatment to midtreatment (mean difference, -1.66; 95% CI, -4.92 to 1.60; P = .32; d = -0.14) or from pretreatment to follow-up (mean difference, -2.98, 95% CI, -5.99 to 0.03; P = .05; d = -0.19). Additional analyses showed that participants assigned to DCS were associated with lower symptom severity than those assigned to placebo at posttreatment and at follow-up. Antidepressants did not moderate the effects of DCS. None of the prespecified patient-level or study-level moderators was associated with outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: D-cycloserine is associated with a small augmentation effect on exposure-based therapy. This effect is not moderated by the concurrent use of antidepressants. Further research is needed to identify patient and/or therapy characteristics associated with DCS response.2018-05-0

Past and future carbon fluxes from land use change, shifting cultivation and wood harvest

Carbon emissions from anthropogenic land use (LU) and land use change (LUC) are quantified with a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for the past and the 21st century following Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Wood harvesting and parallel abandonment and expansion of agricultural land in areas of shifting cultivation are explicitly simulated (gross LUC) based on the Land Use Harmonization (LUH) dataset and a proposed alternative method that relies on minimum input data and generically accounts for gross LUC. Cumulative global LUC emissions are 72 GtC by 1850 and 243 GtC by 2004 and 27–151 GtC for the next 95 yr following the different RCP scenarios. The alternative method reproduces results based on LUH data with full transition information within <0.1 GtC/yr over the last decades and bears potential for applications in combination with other LU scenarios. In the last decade, shifting cultivation and wood harvest within remaining forests including slash each contributed 19% to the mean annual emissions of 1.2 GtC/yr. These factors, in combination with amplification effects under elevated CO2, contribute substantially to future emissions from LUC in all RCPs

Red ROM als kwaliteitsinstrument

In het recent verschenen rapport over de bekostiging van de curatieve ggz concludeert de Algemene Rekenkamer (2017): ‘informatie die met ROM [routine outcome monitoring] wordt verkregen, heeft beperkingen en is van onvoldoende kwaliteit om te dienen als sturingsinformatie bij de zorginkoop’ (p. 14). Dit rapport is door een groep psychiaters en psychologen aangegrepen om de petitie ‘Stop benchmark met ROM’ (www.stoprom.com) in het leven te roepen, die inmiddels door ruim 6000 mensen getekend is. In dit artikel reageren wij op deze petitie. Wij onderschrijven dat ROM geen basis mag zijn voor zorginkoop, maar vinden dat ROM en benchmarking van grote waarde kunnen zijn voor het verbeteren van de kwaliteit van de behandeling en pleiten daarom voor inhoudelijke doorontwikkeling van benchmarking in plaats van deze te stoppen