A Systematic Approach to Elucidate Causes of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks of Suspected Viral Etiology

The main objective of this thesis was to investigate the etiology of outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis that remained without diagnosis after testing for common viral pathogens causing gastroenteritis, e.g. noroviruses, rotaviruses, sapoviruses, adenoviruses, and astroviruses. No causative pathogen could be detected in over 10% of these outbreaks. Viral gastroenteritis is about the most frequent disease in humans and this unexplained fraction concerns about 150000 cases in the Netherlands each year. Here, an overview of the state of the art of the literature on viral gastroenteritis is provided

Recent (1986-2006) Vegetation-Specific NDVI Trends in Northern Canada from Satellite Data

Recent northern vegetation changes caused by climate warming have been well documented, using experimental plot warming to examine vegetation-specific changes and satellite image data to examine overall trends. Previous remote sensing efforts have employed the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from AVHRR, whose 1 km to 8 km pixel size is too large for examination of broad scale vegetation-specific responses because of mixing within the pixel footprint. In this paper, we reconcile differences between field- and remote sensing-based approaches by using both medium-resolution (30 m) and coarse resolution (1 km) data to study 20 years of vegetation-specific responses to northern climate warming (1986 to 2006). Trends are compared among vegetation communities from two separate Landsat classifications in Canada’s eastern and western forest-tundra transition zone, as well as a 1 km AVHRR database recently developed over Canada. A comparison of absolute trends among mapped vegetation communities revealed lichen-dominated communities consistently exhibiting lower trends than those dominated by vascular plants, with both exhibiting increasing NDVI. Our results and those obtained from experimental warming suggest that the magnitude difference in NDVI increase between lichen and vascular vegetation is related to increasing vigor and biomass of vascular vegetation, in contrast to physiological impairment of lichen due to the short-term secondary effect of temperature on moisture. In the longer term, succession from lichen to vascular is likely responsible for the small observed NDVI increase over lichen-dominated regions. The fact that both Landsat and AVHRR exhibited similar relative vegetation-specific trends in NDVI suggests that this phenomenon may be widespread in the North.CCes derniers temps, les changements sur la végétation dans le Nord causés par le réchauffement climatique ont été bien documentés grâce à une parcelle expérimentale faisant l’objet d’un réchauffement qui permet d’examiner les changements propres à la végétation, ainsi que grâce à des données et images obtenues par satellite permettant d’examiner les tendances générales. Les travaux de télédétection antérieurs recouraient à l’indice d’activité végétale obtenu à partir d’un radiomètre perfectionné à très haute résolution (AVHRR), dont la taille de pixel de 1 km à 8 km est trop grande pour permettre l’examen des réactions à grande échelle de la végétation en raison du mélangeage dans la zone de couverture des pixels. Dans cette communication, nous faisons le rapprochement des différences entre les méthodes de prélèvement de données sur le terrain et les méthodes de prélèvement des données par télédétection en recourant à des données à moyenne résolution (30 m) et à des données à résolution grossière (1 km) dans le but d’étudier les réactions de la végétation échelonnées sur 20 ans dans le cadre du réchauffement climatique dans le Nord (de 1986 à 2006). Les tendances sont comparées entre les diverses communautés végétales à partir de deux classifications Landsat distinctes dans la zone de transition forêt-toundra de l’est et de l’ouest du Canada, ainsi qu’à partir d’une banque de données prélevées au Canada à l’aide d’un radiomètre perfectionné à très haute résolution de 1 km récemment mis au point. La comparaison des tendances absolues parmi les communautés végétales mappées a révélé des communautés dominées par le lichen affichant constamment des tendances moins élevées que les communautés dominées par les plantes vasculaires, toutes deux présentant un indice d’activité végétale accrue. Nos résultats et ceux obtenus dans le cadre du réchauffement expérimental laissent croire que la différence de magnitude en ce qui a trait à l’accroissement de l’indice d’activité végétale entre la végétation de lichen et la végétation vasculaire se rapporte à l’accroissement de la vigueur et de la biomasse de la végétation vasculaire, par contraste avec l’altération physiologique du lichen attribuable à l’effet secondaire à court terme de la température sur l’humidité. À plus long terme, la succession du lichen aux plantes vasculaires est vraisemblablement responsable des petites augmentations observées au titre de l’indice d’activité végétale dans les régions dominées par le lichen. Le fait que le Landsat et l’AVHRR aient tous deux permis de dénoter des tendances relatives semblables du point de vue de la végétation et de l’indice d’activité végétale laisse entendre que ce phénomène peut être étendu dans le Nord

Interkulturelle Kommunikation und Interaktion in der Langzeitpflege : Sichtweisen von Angehörigen aus der Schweiz

Introduction: Due to globalization and the resulting diversity intercultural communication is increasingly coming to the fore. In addition, long-term care is mainly staffed with caregivers who have a migration background, which makes successful intercultural communication all the more important. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to define recommendations by interviewing relatives which can be used to promote intercultural communication in long-term care with regard to relationship building. Method: A qualitative explorative content analysis, which follows the content-structuring method with an inductive approach. The semi-structured guided individual interviews were conducted with relatives (n = 14) of residents from two retirement centers in Switzerland. Results: Four categories were defined: “Perceive communication as a need”, “Consider the desire for recognition of relatives”, “Promote readiness of caregivers”, and “Know opportunities and challenges in intercultural communication”. Conclusion: Intercultural communication means being aware of the significance of culture and one's own origins in order to recognize the peculiarities of the counterpart and to interact sensitively with them. Relatives want to be actively involved when nurses reach their limits in communication and interaction. Relatives want safe care that is based on empathy. When nurses show concern towards others in a person-centered way and are aware of where they come from, this can promote trust and contribute significantly to supporting communication and interaction between cultures

Geo-environmental mapping using physiographic analysis: constraints on the evaluation of land instability and groundwater pollution hazards in the Metropolitan District of Campinas, Brazil

Geo-environmental terrain assessments and territorial zoning are useful tools for the formulation and implementation of environmental management instruments (including policy-making, planning, and enforcement of statutory regulations). They usually involve a set of procedures and techniques for delimitation, characterisation and classification of terrain units. However, terrain assessments and zoning exercises are often costly and time-consuming, particularly when encompassing large areas, which in many cases prevent local agencies in developing countries from properly benefiting from such assessments. In the present paper, a low-cost technique based on the analysis of texture of satellite imagery was used for delimitation of terrain units. The delimited units were further analysed in two test areas situated in Southeast Brazil to provide estimates of land instability and the vulnerability of groundwater to pollution hazards. The implementation incorporated procedures for inferring the influences and potential implications of tectonic fractures and other discontinuities on ground behaviour and local groundwater flow. Terrain attributes such as degree of fracturing, bedrock lithology and weathered materials were explored as indicators of ground properties. The paper also discusses constraints on- and limitations of- the approaches taken

Harmonisation, Mosaicing and Production of the Global Land Cover 2000 Database.

Abstract not availableJRC.H-Institute for environment and sustainability (Ispra

Estimates of CO2 from fires in the United States: implications for carbon management

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fires emit significant amounts of CO₂to the atmosphere. These emissions, however, are highly variable in both space and time. Additionally, CO₂emissions estimates from fires are very uncertain. The combination of high spatial and temporal variability and substantial uncertainty associated with fire CO₂emissions can be problematic to efforts to develop remote sensing, monitoring, and inverse modeling techniques to quantify carbon fluxes at the continental scale. Policy and carbon management decisions based on atmospheric sampling/modeling techniques must account for the impact of fire CO₂emissions; a task that may prove very difficult for the foreseeable future. This paper addresses the variability of CO₂emissions from fires across the US, how these emissions compare to anthropogenic emissions of CO₂and Net Primary Productivity, and the potential implications for monitoring programs and policy development.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Average annual CO₂emissions from fires in the lower 48 (LOWER48) states from 2002–2006 are estimated to be 213 (± 50 std. dev.) Tg CO₂yr^-1and 80 (± 89 std. dev.) Tg CO₂yr^-1in Alaska. These estimates have significant interannual and spatial variability. Needleleaf forests in the Southeastern US and the Western US are the dominant source regions for US fire CO₂emissions. Very high emission years typically coincide with droughts, and climatic variability is a major driver of the high interannual and spatial variation in fire emissions. The amount of CO₂emitted from fires in the US is equivalent to 4–6% of anthropogenic emissions at the continental scale and, at the state-level, fire emissions of CO₂can, in some cases, exceed annual emissions of CO₂from fossil fuel usage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The CO₂released from fires, overall, is a small fraction of the estimated average annual Net Primary Productivity and, unlike fossil fuel CO₂emissions, the pulsed emissions of CO₂during fires are partially counterbalanced by uptake of CO₂by regrowing vegetation in the decades following fire. Changes in fire severity and frequency can, however, lead to net changes in atmospheric CO₂and the short-term impacts of fire emissions on monitoring, modeling, and carbon management policy are substantial.</p

Case of seasonal reassortant a(H1N2) influenza virus infection, the Netherlands, March 2018

A seasonal reassortant A(H1N2) influenza virus harbouring genome segments from seasonal influenza viruses A(H1N1)pdm09 (HA and NS) and A(H3N2) (PB2, PB1, PA, NP, NA and M) was identified in March 2018 in a 19-months-old patient with influenza-like illness (ILI) who presented to a general practitioner participating in the routine sentinel surveillance of ILI in the Netherlands. The patient recovered fully. Further epidemiological and virological investigation did not reveal additional cases