Search

To determine the prevalence of malnutrition status, analyze the association between malnutrition status and individual-level factors, and explore the spatial variation among children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.The study is based on large-scale baseline routine data from the National AIDS Control Programme on people living with HIV from January 2016 to December 2021 in mainland Tanzania. 70,102 children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years receiving active antiretroviral therapy were included in the analysis. Nutritional status of participants was assessed by anthropometric measurement. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to describe the association between individual-level factors with all malnutrition outcomes and spatial analysis was used to investigate spatial distribution of malnutrition. The excess risk of malnutrition for each region was calculated while Anselin Local Moran's I and Getis-Ord statistical tools were used to identify significant hot spots regions of malnutrition.The mean age of participants was 11.1 (SD 4.7) years, with 71.7% in the 5 to 14-year age group and 58.4% being girls. 39.2% were attending care and treatment clinics services at hospital level with public ownership. 53.4% started using ARV at age 5-14 years and 55.5% had already switched to second- or third-line ARV with 61.1% using ARV for less than 3 years. 51.2% were in WHO HIV clinical stage III or IV. The prevalence of malnutrition was 36.0% for stunting, 28.9% for underweight, 13.0% for wasting, and 48.0% for anthropometric failure. Individual-level factors which accounted for a higher proportion of malnutrition based on anthropometric failure were male sex (56.3%), age 5-14 years (50.0%), being unmarried (52.9%), being on second- or third-line ARV treatment (51.4%), ART initiation at age 5-14 years (55.7%), ARV for more than 3 years (49.4%), and stage IV of WHO HIV clinical status (57.8%). There were regional hot spots (P 0.05): the prevalence rate and excess risk of malnutrition for stunting and anthropometric failure were highest in the southern highlands regions, for underweight in the central regions, and for wasting in the northern regions.Children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania suffer from poor nutritional status. Malnutrition does not occur arbitrarily, and the regions identified as hot spots should be given priority for nutritional intervention. Effective nutritional interventions for children living with HIV/AIDS should incorporate multiple approaches by considering unique geographical factors.

The use of microalgae as a sustainable source of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) as an alternative to fish oils from small pelagic fish (e.g., anchovy, sardine) has received growing interest in the past few years. The present study aimed to: (i) produce Aurantiochytrium mangrovei biomass by heterotrophic fermentation using a medium containing anaerobic digestion liquid effluent, and (ii) evaluate a biomass rich in n-3 LC-PUFA and good quality proteins as a feed ingredient for sea bass juveniles and larvae. Two 800 L bioreactors were used to produce Aurantiochytrium biomass in non-axenic conditions. Biomass was then filtered through a crossflow filtration system (300 Kda ceramic membrane) and freeze-dried. Sea bass juveniles (32.7 ± 4.2 g) were fed both a control diet and a diet containing 15% of freeze-dried A. mangrovei biomass for 38 days. Juvenile survival percentage was 90% on average in both dietary conditions. Similar growth was observed between fish fed with both diets, demonstrating the feasibility to replace 15% of a standard fish feed by Aurantiochytrium biomass. The liver of sea bass juveniles fed with the A. mangrovei diet contained significantly higher proportions of 22:6n-3, 22:5n-6, and 20:4n-6 than those fed with the control diet, while the proportions of 16:0, 16:1n-7, and 18:1n-9 were significantly lower. The secondary oxidation, as measured by malonylaldehyde (MDA) content, in the liver and muscle of juveniles fed with the microalgae diet tended to be higher than in fish fed the control diet, but the differences were not statistically significant. Although the larvae survival percentage was low for all the tanks after 41 days of rearing, the inclusion of 15% of hydrolyzed A. mangrovei biomass in the larvae micro-diet did not impair the development of sea bass larvae and only marginally affected their lipid composition. In the future, we have to further optimize a sustainable workflow between Aurantiochytrium cultivation and fish feed production and confirm the zootechnical and biochemical results.

La commission de transport soulève aujourd’hui d’importantes difficultés de qualification. Si certains la rattachent encore à la figure du mandat, d’autres insistent au contraire sur ses particularités propres. Loin d’être strictement contemporaines, ces incertitudes semblent avoir constitué une difficulté pour l’ensemble des auteurs ayant écrit sur cette notion, depuis l’Ancien Régime. Dès lors, l’examen de cette longue controverse doctrinale entend apporter un éclairage sur les causes de ce désaccord persistant, sans pour autant chercher à déterminer la véritable nature de ce contrat. Today, the freight forwarder status raises some legal classification troubles. While some still attach it to the figure of the mandate, others insist on the contrary on its own particularities. These uncertainties seem to have been a difficulty for all the authors who wrote about this notion since the 16th century. Therefore, the examination of this long doctrinal controversy intends to shed light on the cause of this persistent disagreement.

Résumé Depuis la première moitié du seizième siècle, les rois de France semblent être présentés sous une titulature impériale dans la traduction française des capitulations. La notion d’empire apparaît pourtant étrangère à la conception turque de l’État. Le titre d’imparatorluk n’apparaît d’ailleurs nulle part dans le texte original des capitulations. La titulature impériale attribuée au roi de France découle en effet d’une traduction hasardeuse du terme de padishah par les drogmans attachés au service de l’ambassade. D’origine perse, ce titre sans réel équivalent en Europe signifie littéralement «grand dirigeant» ou «dirigeant des dirigeants». En reconnaissant cette qualité au roi de France, le sultan turc met ainsi en avant une prééminence du roi de France sur les autres princes européens. Cette rhétorique s’inscrit alors dans la construction de relations internationales franco-turques ouvertement tournées contre l’empire Habsbourg.

The morphogenesis of the vertebrate eye consists of a complex choreography of cell movements, tightly coupled to axial regionalization and cell type specification processes. Disturbances in these events can lead to developmental defects and blindness. Here, we have deciphered the sequence of defective events leading to coloboma in the embryonic eye of the blind cavefish of the species Astyanax mexicanus. Using comparative live imaging on targeted enhancer-trap Zic1:hsp70:GFP reporter lines of both the normal, river-dwelling morph and the cave morph of the species, we identified defects in migratory cell behaviours during evagination that participate in the reduced optic vesicle size in cavefish, without proliferation defect. Further, impaired optic cup invagination shifts the relative position of the lens and contributes to coloboma in cavefish. Based on these results, we propose a developmental scenario to explain the cavefish phenotype and discuss developmental constraints to morphological evolution. The cavefish eye appears as an outstanding natural mutant model to study molecular and cellular processes involved in optic region morphogenesis., Summary: We show that the developing embryonic eye of the blind Mexican cavefish suffers multiple tissue morphogenesis and cell behaviour defects that lead to coloboma.

All electric powered machines offer the possibility of extracting information and calculating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from the electric current signal. Depending on the time window, sampling frequency and type of analysis, different indicators from the micro to macro level can be calculated for such aspects as maintenance, production, energy consumption etc. On the micro-level, the indicators are generally used for condition monitoring and diagnostics and are normally based on a short time window and a high sampling frequency. The macro indicators are normally based on a longer time window with a slower sampling frequency and are used as indicators for overall performance, cost or consumption. The indicators can be calculated directly from the current signal but can also be based on a combination of information from the current signal and operational data like rpm, position etc. One or several of those indicators can be used for prediction and prognostics of a machine’s future behavior. This paper uses this technique to calculate indicators for maintenance and energy optimization in electric powered machines and fleets of machines, especially machine tools.

Railway maintenance especially on infrastructure produces a vast amount of data. However, having data is not synonymous with having information; rather, data must be processed to extract information. In railway maintenance, the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) linked to punctuality or capacity can help planned and scheduled maintenance, thus aligning the maintenance department with corporate objectives. There is a need for an improved method to analyse railway data to find the relevant KPIs. The system should support maintainers, answering such questions as what maintenance should be done, where and when. The system should equip the user with the knowledge of the infrastructure’s condition and configuration, and the traffic situation so maintenance resources can be targeted to only those areas needing work. The amount of information is vast, so it must be hierarchized and aggregated; users must filter out the useless indicators. Data are fused by compiling several individual indicators into a single index; the resulting composite indicators measure multidimensional concepts which cannot be captured by a single index. The paper describes a method of monitoring a complex entity. In this scenario, a plurality of use indices and weighting values are used to create a composite and aggregated use index from a combination of lower level use indices and weighting values. The resulting composite and aggregated indicators can be a decision-making tool for asset managers at different hierarchical levels.

As fisheries managers attempt to incorporate ecosystem-based considerations into decision making, it is important to understand the role that non-target species play in the ecosystems that support commercial fisheries. For some deep-water groundfishes, basic information on biology and population dynamics is extremely limited. This study presents findings on the spatial distribution, growth trends, and relative abundance of the Pacific flatnose, Antimora microlepis, using data collected from 2003 to 2015 by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center's West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Survey (WCGBTS). We observed a 67% increase in mean fork-length over the study period reflecting the advancement of strong year-classes from the early 2000s that currently dominate the population as a whole. Catch-weighted depth increased significantly as these cohorts migrated to deeper waters of the continental slope. Although catch per unit effort remained relatively constant, this demographic shift suggests that episodic recruitment may affect the resilience of this stock to fishing mortality over time. A notable decrease in the percentage of females observed after 2012 seemed to indicate the movement of large, older females to depths beyond the 1280 m limit of the survey. Otolith weight provided a useful proxy for age in growth models for this species.

Various ocean-climate models driven by increased greenhouse gases and higher temperatures predict a decline in oceanic dissolved oxygen (DO) as a result of greater stratification, reduced ventilation below the thermocline, and decreased solubility at higher temperatures. Since spreading of low oxygen waters is underway and predicted to increase, understanding impacts on higher trophic levels is essential. Within the California Current System, shoaling of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is expected to produce complex changes. Onshore movement of the OMZ could lead to habitat compression for species with higher oxygen requirements while allowing expansion of species tolerant of low bottom DO. As part of annual groundfish surveys, we sampled catch across a range of conditions from the upper to the lower limit of the OMZ and shoreward across the continental shelf of the US west coast. DO ranged from 0.02 to 4.25 mL L � 1 with 642 stations (of 1020 sampled) experiencing hypoxic conditions in 2008–2010. Catch and species richness exhibited significant and positive relationships with near-bottom oxygen concentration. The probability of occurrence was estimated for four species (spotted ratfish, petrale sole, greenstriped rockfish and Dover sole) using a binomial Generalized Additive Model. The models for each species included terms for position, day of the year, salinity, near-bottom temperature and the interaction term between depth and near-bottom DO. Spotted ratfish and petrale sole were sensitive to changes in near-bottom oxygen, while greenstriped rockfish and Dover sole show no changes in probability of occurrence in relation to changes in oxygen concentration.

In the context of maintenance activities maintainers rely on machine information, their past breakdowns, adequate repair methods and guidelines as well as new research results in the area. They usually get access to information and knowledge by using information systems (nondestructive testing (NDT) or condition monitoring.), local databases, e-resources or traditional print media. Basically it can be assumed that, the amount of available information affects the quality of maintenance decision making and acting positively. Machine health information retrieval is the application of information retrieval concepts and techniques to the operation and maintenance domain. Retrieving Contextual information, describing the operational conditions for the machine, is a subarea of information retrieval that incorporates context features in the search process towards its improvement. Both areas have been gaining interest from the research community in order to perform more accurate prognostics according to specific scenarios and happening circumstances. Context is a broad term and in this paper the operational conditions and the way the machine has been used is seen as the context and is represented by operational data collected over time. This paper intends to investigate the effects of the interaction of context features on machine tools health information. This interaction between context and health assessment is bidirectional in the sense that health information seeking behavior can also be used to predict context features that can be used, without disturbing the operational environment and creating production disruptions. The extraction of multiple features from multiple sensors, already deployed in this type of machinery, may constitute snapshots of the current health of certain machine components. The mutation status (the way they have changed) of these snapshots, hereafter called Fingerprints, has been proposed as prognostic marker in machine tools problems. Of them, in this work so far only the spindle fingerprint mutation has been validated independently as prognostic for overall survival and survival after relapse, while the prognostic value of rest of components mutation is still under validation. In this scenario, the prognostic value of spindle fingerprint mutations can be investigated in various contexts defined by stratifications of the machine population.

Cowcod (Sebastes levis) is a member of a northeastern Pacific Ocean species flock that experienced extensive fishery exploitation. Factors that could produce structure in cowcod include a major biogeographic boundary within cowcod’s geographical distribution; severe declines in abundance, potentially, resulting in reductions in effective population size and divergence owing to genetic drift; and dependence on patchily distributed habitat. We examine the following two questions: (i) is there subdivision present and, if so, is it concordant with the two marine biogeographic regions separated by Point Conception, and (ii) have cowcod experienced loss of genetic variation owing to population size reduction? Coarse-scale genetic and otolith analyses indicated regional structure across Point Conception. However, analysis of 24 microsatellite DNA loci revealed as many as three cryptic, divergent lineages (FCT= 0.194) that meet south of Point Conception. The two southern lineages had higher growth rate than the northerly distributed lineage. In general, cowcod is the least genetically diverse of ∼10 rockfishes surveyed with the same markers, but the recent substantial declines in abundance were not reflected by recent genetic bottleneck analyses.

Flatfish condition indices and distribution were examined along the U.S. west coast (55–1280 m) in relation to environmental variability and biomass using data from ten frequently occurring species collected in annual groundfish surveys from 2003 to 2010. The study was conducted during a period characterized by a cooling trend in the northern California Current system and by declining biomass for flatfish in general. Annual condition indices for six species (arrowtooth flounder, Dover sole, English sole, Pacific sanddab, petrale sole, and rex sole) were significantly related either to large-scale climatic indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Multivariate El Nino–Southern Oscillation Index, North Pacific Gyre Oscillation) and/or annual biomass levels. Condition was most closely related to environmental effects rather than either biomass alone or both variables, with condition typically higher during cool climatic conditions. A similar analysis revealed that changes in distribution (measured as variation in annual catch-weighted mean latitude, longitude, depth and temperature) tended to be best described by models incorporating environmental effects and biomass rather than either variable alone. Linear trends in the center of distribution along a southeast–northwest axis were significant for seven species (arrowtooth flounder, deepsea sole, Dover sole, flathead sole, Pacific sanddab, petrale sole, and slender sole) with a tendency for flatfish to be displaced towards the southeast as environmental conditions shifted from warm to cooler conditions and biomass declined. A spatial distribution analysis indicated that for the majority of species (80%) the greatest magnitude of displacement (km) occurred when the centers of biomass were compared between environmental phases (average annual displacement 34 km) rather than changing biomass levels (average displacement 24 km). Taken together both approaches revealed that environmental changes and variation in biomass play significant roles in flatfish distribution.

Mean trophic level (MTL) is one of the most widely used indicators of marine ecosystem health. It usually represents the relative abundance of fished species across a spectrum of TLs. The reality, ubiquity, and causes of a general decline in the MTL of fisheries catch through time, and whether fisheries catch tracks ecosystem level changes, have engendered much attention. However, the consequences of such patterns for broader ecosystem structure and function remain virtually unexplored. Along the Pacific U.S. Coast, previous work has documented fluctuations and a slow increase in ecosystem MTL from 1977 to 2004. Here, we document a decline in the ecosystem MTL of groundfishes in the same ecosystem from 2003 to 2011, the proximate cause of which was a decrease in the biomass of higher TL groundfishes. Using a food web model, we illustrate how these shifts in ecosystem structure may have resulted in short term, positive responses by many lower TL species in the broader ecosystem. In the longer term, the model predicts that initial patterns of prey release may be tempered in part by lagged responses of other higher TL species, such as salmon and seabirds. Although ecosystem functions related to specific groups like piscivores (excluding high-TL groundfishes) changed, aggregate ecosystem functions altered little following the initial reorganization of biomass, probably due to functional redundancy within the predator guild. Efforts to manage and conserve marine ecosystems will benefit from a fuller consideration of the information content contained within, and implied by, fisheries-independent TL indicators.

As marine debris levels continue to grow worldwide, defining sources, composition, and distribution of debris, as well as potential effects, becomes increasingly important. We investigated composition and abundance of man-made, benthic marine debris at 1347 randomly selected stations along the US West Coast during Groundfish Bottom Trawl Surveys in 2007 and 2008. Anthropogenic debris was observed in 469 tows at depths of 55-1280 m. Plastic and metallic debris occurred in the greatest number of hauls followed by fabric and glass. Mean density was 67.1 items km(-2) throughout the study area but was significantly higher south of 36 degrees 00'N latitude. Mean density significantly increased with depth, ranging from 30 items km(-2) in shallow (55-183 m) water to 128 items km(-2) in the deepest depth stratum (550-1280 m). Debris densities observed along the US West Coast were comparable to those seen elsewhere and provide a valuable backdrop for future comparisons.

Fishermen and field biologists routinely work under difficult conditions. It is natural in this setting to continue fishing during bad weather as long as safety is not compromised. However, as conditions deteriorate, the effectiveness of trawl survey gear may be reduced well before safety considerations force the cessation of sampling activity. Through comparison of 1754 hauls conducted on chartered vessels between 2003 and 2005 on the shelf and slope of the U.S. West Coast, we show a significant reduction in catch rates of bottom dwelling fish and invertebrates as a function of visually estimated wave height. Comparing randomly located trawl sets that occurred fortuitously close to one another, we conclude that to reduce the estimated effect of wave height on benthic species catch rates (and potentially relative biomass estimates) survey trawl activities on these vessels should be halted when wave heights reach six feet (1.83 m). Only 41 hauls from the 2003–2005 data were conducted when wave heights exceeded five feet (1.52 m), however their exclusion reduces the maximum expected bias in any single tow due to wave height by ∼31%. Further reductions in maximum wave height for routine sampling would begin to exclude geographic areas of the survey introducing a new bias to the randomized design. We further encourage the routine electronic measurement of vertical motion due to wave action during sampling so that future analyses can improve our understanding of its effect on trawl survey catch rates.

In August 2007, as part of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Survey, we examined the biomass of demersal organisms in a known hypoxic area off the Oregon coast. Although observed each summer, the intensity of hypoxia has varied annually (2002–2007) with the greatest temporal and spatial extent noted in 2006. In 2007 we identified the geographic extent of the hypoxic zone and sampled 17 stations along two depth contours (50 and 70 m) within the area. A Sea-Bird SBE 19plus equipped with a dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor was attached to the bottom trawl to monitor oxygen concentration during each tow. Bottom DO concentrations at all stations were hypoxic with means along the tow tracts ranging from 0.43 to 1.27 mL L−1. Total catch per unit effort (ln CPUE, kg hectare−1) and species diversity (number of species, N) were significantly and positively related to oxygen concentration along the hypoxic gradient. In addition, CPUE (natural log-transformed) for eight fish species and five benthic invertebrate species were significantly and positively related to bottom oxygen concentration within the hypoxic region. Condition factors for five fish species, as well as Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) increased with increased bottom oxygen levels along the hypoxic gradient. Historical catch (2003–2006) within the hypoxic zone indicates that biomass was significantly lower in 2006, the year with the lowest bottom DO levels, relative to other years.

Several species of overfished Pacific rockfish (genus Sebastes) are incidentally caught in the fishery targeting Pacific hake Merluccius productus. Juvenile rockfish also comprise a small amount of Pacific hake diets. We used 2-species, age-structured models to estimate how prey selectivity by Pacific hake, life history and population structure of rockfish, spatiotemporal overlap, and fishery closures might affect the time required to rebuild overfished rockfish populations to 40% of unfished spawning stock biomass. As prey selectivity increased, rebuilding time increased moderately for widow rockfish S. entomelas and darkblotched rockfish S. crameri, and more sharply for canary rockfish S. pinniger. Darkblotched rockfish were the least sensitive to Pacific hake predatory selectivity, which was likely related to their rarity in Pacific hake diets, not their stochastic reproductive success. Spatiotemporal overlap between rockfish and Pacific hake also increased rebuilding times, primarily because of higher rockfish bycatch, not predation. Early fishery closures and Pacific hake predation had an interactive effect that prolonged widow and canary rockfish rebuilding times, partly as a function of model assumptions and partly because fishery closures led to increased predation on juvenile rockfish. Because an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management involves considering the influence of ecological factors on fish populations, models that examine interactions between depleted species and predatory species are essential. In this case, it appears that overfished rockfish rebuilding times can be significantly affected by the dynamics of a key predator, but also that the predatory effect can be mitigated by effective bycatch control.

For all electric powered machines there is apossibility of extracting information and calculating KeyPerformance Indicators (KPIs) from the electric current signal.Depending on the time window, sampling frequency and type ofanalysis, different indicators from the micro to macro level canbe calculated for such aspects as maintenance, production,energy consumption etc.On the micro-level, the indicators are generally used forcondition monitoring and diagnostics and are normally based ona short time window and a high sampling frequency. The macroindicators are normally based on a longer time window with aslower sampling frequency and are used as indicators for overallperformance, cost or consumption.The indicators can be calculated directly from the currentsignal but can also be based on a combination of informationfrom the current signal and operational data like rpm, positionetc.One or several of those indicators can be used for predictionand prognostics of a machine’s future behaviour.This paper uses this technique to calculate indicators formaintenance and energy optimisation in electric poweredmachines and fleet of machines, especially machine tools. Godkänd; 2015; 20150105 (vicsim)

Tree volume equations for tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) were developed for seven stands throughout its natural range and compared by a volume prediction and a parameter difference method. The objective was to test if volume estimates from a species growing in a local, relatively uniform habitat could be applied more widely. Results indicated that they could not. Diameter slope coefficients and intercepts differed at the 5% probability level. Tree height slope coefficients did not differ, but when all slope coefficients (dbh and height) were combined, a significant difference was present. Overall, volume equations from different populations were significantly different, and the general rule of matching standard volume tables to specific stands is reinforced. West. J. Appl. For. 10(2):72-78.

Some have suggested that targeting conservation efforts on biodiversity hotspots—areas of exceptionally high diversity—is the most efficient way to use limited resources to protect the most or rarest species. Moreover, the preservation of biodiversity is a focus for resource management and conservation because of the links between biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, there are many ways to define biodiversity and a plethora of diversity indices. Do these indices agree on where biodiversity hotspots are, and by extension, where conservation should take place? Here we use a habitat modeling approach to map spatial and temporal patterns in five community metrics of the demersal fish community in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem: species density, species evenness, taxonomic distinctness, functional divergence and total biomass. Depth, bottom temperature, sediment grain size, and distance to hard substratum were included as covariates in the model. All indices showed strong spatial patterns and relationships with depth. Spatial patterns for functional divergence and total biomass varied among years, but other indices did not show temporal variation. We identified hotspots as cells where at least one index was in the top 5% or 10% of its range. There was minimal spatial overlap among 10% hotspots for the five indices. Over 40% of the study area was classified as a biodiversity hotspot by at least one metric. However, no area was identified as a hotspot by all five metrics, and only slightly more than one percent of the coast was identified as within a hotspot for three or more metrics. Since different indices represent various aspects of diversity, our results caution against the uninformed use of these indices in the identification of biodiversity hotspots. Instead, we must define our objectives and then choose the relevant metrics for the problem.