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The overexploitation of natural resources is an important driver of the global environmental crisis. The scientific community engages in an ongoing debate about the most suitable frameworks for analyzing trends in land use. In this paper, we use the conceptual lens of the adaptive cycle and panarchy to explore complex social–ecological dynamics in the Peruvian Amazon. Through an extensive literature review and interviews with key informants, we provide a historical analysis of extractive activities over the last two centuries in the department of Madre de Dios, Peru. We identify periods of growth, conservation, and sometimes release and reorganization for each resource and for the overall social–ecological system. We identify a general trend toward more diversification in extractive activities over time and inter-scale linkages between adaptive cycles of different time and space scales. Based on these results, we explore future development, hypothesize a possible domination of the agricultural sector, and suggest that land-use policies and management interventions should draw from past lessons to design adaptive land planning. Finally, we present new evidence highlighting the relevance of panarchy for understanding historical changes in complex social–ecological systems and demonstrate its utility in exploring both past land use and future development.

This paper examines an idea which has made some headway into legal scholarship and case law, namely, that the violation of a right ought to sound in substantial (compensatory) damages in and by itself, independently of any factual loss caused to the claimant. This doctrine of ‘normative damages’ was rejected, rightly, by the High Court of Australia in the wrongful imprisonment case of Lewis v. ACTin 2020. However, although the rejection was unanimous, its clarity was undermined by the fact that the issue of normative damages was intertwined with considerations of causal counterfactuals and the definition of false imprisonment. This article considers the doctrine in a broader perspective, examining where it has come from and arguing that normative damages are wrong as a matter of principle: not only do they contradict foundational principles of the Anglo-Commonwealth law of damages, they effectively amount to considering the same injury twice.

Most food in sub-Saharan Africa is produced on small farms. Using large datasets from household surveys conducted across many countries, we find that the majority of farms are less than 1 ha, much smaller than previous estimates. Farms are larger in farming systems in drier climates. Through a detailed analysis of food self-sufficiency, food and nutrition security, and income among households from divergent farming systems in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, we reveal marked contrasts in food security and household incomes. In the south of Mali, where cotton is an important cash crop, almost all households are food secure, and almost half earn a living income. Yet, in a similar agroecological environment in northern Ghana, only 10% of households are food secure and none earn a living income. Surprisingly, the extent of food insecurity and poverty is almost as great in densely-populated locations in the Ethiopian and Tanzanian highlands that are characterised by much better soils and two cropping seasons a year. Where populations are less dense, such as in South-west Uganda, a larger proportion of the households are food self-sufficient and poverty is less prevalent. In densely-populated Central Malawi, a combination of a single cropping season a year and small farms results in a strong incidence of food insecurity and poverty. These examples reveal a strong interplay between population density, farm size, market access, and agroecological potential on food security and household incomes. Within each location, farm size is a major determinant of food self-sufficiency and a household’s ability to rise above the living income threshold. Closing yield gaps strongly increases the proportion of households that are food self-sufficient. Yet in four of the locations (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi), land is so constraining that only 42–53% of households achieve food self-sufficiency, and even when yield gaps are closed only a small proportion of households can achieve a living income. While farming remains of central importance to household food security and income, our results help to explain why off-farm employment is a must for many. We discuss these results in relation to sub-Saharan Africa’s increasing population, likely agricultural expansion, and agriculture’s role in future economic development.

ABSTRACTWe report the first documented case of hepatitis E virus-associated haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. This case emphasizes the fact that infectious agents other than those classically described should be taken into consideration as a potential trigger of virus-associated haemophagocytic syndrome. Prompt recognition is crucial to start early treatment of the underlying infection and possibly improve the outcome of this frequently fatal syndrome.

The extreme poverty line is the most commonly used benchmark for poverty, set at US$ 1.90 by the World Bank. Another benchmark, based on the Anker living wage methodology, is the remuneration received for a standard work week necessary for a worker to meet his/her family’s basic needs in a particular place. The living wage concept has been used extensively to address incomes of plantation workers producing agricultural commodities for international markets. More recently intense discussion has emerged concerning the ‘living income’ of smallholder farmers who produce commodities for international supply chains on their own land. In this article we propose a simple method that can be used in all types of development projects to benchmark a rural ‘living income’. We launch the Living Income Methodology, as adapted from the Living Wage Methodology, to estimate the living income for rural households. In any given location this requires about one week of fieldwork. We express it per adult equivalent per day (AE/day) and data collection is focused on rural households and their immediate surroundings. Our three case studies showed that in 2017 in Lushoto District, rural Tanzania, the living income was US$ PPP 4.04/AE/day, in Isingiro District, rural Uganda, 3.82 and in Sidama Zone, rural Ethiopia, 3.60. In all cases, the extreme poverty line of US$ PPP 1.90 per capita per day is insufficient to meet the basic human rights for a decent living in low-income countries. The Living Income Methodology provides a transparent local benchmark that can be used to assess development opportunities of rural households, by employers in rural areas, including farmers hiring in labour, while respecting basic human rights on a decent living. It can be used to reflect on progress of rural households in low-income countries on their aspired path out of poverty. It further provides a meaningful benchmark to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 1, eliminating poverty, and 2, zero hunger and sustainable food systems, allowing for consideration of the local context.

Achieving SDG2 (zero hunger) in a situation of rapid global population growth requires a continued focus on food production. Farming not merely needs to sustainably produce nutritious diets, but should also provide livelihoods for farmers, while retaining natural ecosystems and services. Rather than focusing on production principles, this article explores the interrelations between farms and farming systems in the global food system. Evaluating farming systems around the world, we reveal a bewildering diversity. While family farms predominate, these range in size from less than 0.1 ha to more than 10,000 ha, and from hand hoe use to machine-based cultivation, enabling one person to plant more than 500 ha in a day. Yet, farming in different parts of the world is highly interdependent, not least because prices paid for farm produce are largely determined by global markets. Furthermore, the economic viability of farming is a problem, globally. We highlight trends in major regions of the world and explore possible trajectories for the future and ask: Who are the farmers of the future? Changing patterns of land ownership, rental and exchange mean that the concept of ‘what is a farm’ becomes increasingly fluid. Next to declining employment and rural depopulation, we also foresee more environmentally-friendly, less external input dependent, regionalised production systems. This may require the reversal of a global trend towards increasing specialisation to a recoupling of arable and livestock farming, not least for the resilience it provides. It might also require a slow-down or reversal of the widespread trend of scale enlargement in agriculture. Next to this trend of scale enlargement, small farms persist in Asia: consolidation of farms proceeds at a snail’s pace in South-east Asia and 70% of farms in India are ‘ultra-small’ – less than 0.05 ha. Also in Africa, where we find smallholder farms are much smaller than often assumed (< 1 ha), farming households are often food insecure. A raft of pro-poor policies and investments are needed to stimulate small-scale agriculture as part of a broader focus on rural development to address persistent poverty and hunger. Smallholder farms will remain an important source of food and income, and a social safety net in absence of alternative livelihood security. But with limited possibilities for smallholders to ‘step-up’, the agricultural engine of growth appears to be broken. Smallholder agriculture cannot deliver the rate of economic growth currently assumed by many policy initiatives in Africa.

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ObjectivesRecent evidence shows that patients using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have an increased rate of bacterial STIs, including syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Our study aimed to describe the acquisition and the susceptibility for macrolides of Mycoplasma genitaliumin men who have sex with men (MSM) on PrEP.MethodsWe studied all MSM who started PrEP in the AZ Sint-Jan Hospital Bruges from 1 June 2017 to 31 March 2019 with at least one follow-up visit. Patients were screened for M. genitaliumand other STIs with pooled rectal swabs, pharyngeal swabs and first-voided urine, and blood samples at baseline and quarterly intervals after initiating PrEP. TaqMan Array Card technology was used to detect M. genitaliumand determine macrolide-resistance mediating mutations in region V of the 23S rRNA gene (A2058G, A2059G, A2058C and others). Patients with an STI were treated based on a national guideline.Results131 MSM (median age 40 years, range 20–79) were included in the study. The median follow-up time was 12 months (IQR 6.1–17). Baseline prevalence of M. genitaliumwas 6.9% and incidence rate after PrEP initiation was 28.8 per 100 person-years (95% CI 21.7 to 37.2), without significant differences in proportions between the first four quarterly intervals. All but one acquisitions were asymptomatic. Younger age and positivity for M. genitaliumat baseline were significantly associated with incident M. genitaliumacquisition. The observed proportion of macrolide resistance increased not significantly from 44% at baseline to 57%–86% after PrEP initiation. None of the 27 macrolide-resistant M. genitaliumacquisitions could be linked to azithromycin exposure in the three preceding months.ConclusionsAfter initiation of PrEP, we found a stable incidence of almost exclusively asymptomatic M. genitalium. However, a non-significant trend of an increased percentage of macrolide-resistant strains was observed.

To assess emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents with neurofibromatosis type 1,parents of 183 individuals aged 10.8 ± 3.1 years (range 6‐17) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Also, 173 teachers completed the Teacher's Report Form (TRF), and 88 adolescents (children from 11 to 17 years) completed the Youth Self‐Report (YSR). According to parental ratings, 32% scored in the clinical range (above the 90th percentile). This percentage was much lower when rated by teachers or adolescents themselves. Scores from all informants on scales for Somatic complaints, Social problems, and Attention problems were significantly different from normative scores. Attentional problems were associated with lower verbal IQ, male gender, younger age, and ADHD‐symptoms. Disease‐related factors did not predict behavioral problems scores. Substantial emotional and behavioral problems were reported by parents, teachers, and to a lesser extent by adolescents with NF1 themselves. Possibly, a positive illusory bias affects the observation of behavioral problems by adolescents with NF1.

•First report on macrolide resistance-associated mutations in M. genitaliumin FSW in Belgium.•Second report on the occurrence of macrolide resistance in this specific population worldwide.•M. genitaliumwas detected in 32/296 (10.8%) of participants.•Macrolide-resistance associated mutations (A2058G and A2059G) were found in 6.5% of isolates.•In contrast to other reports, the occurrence of macrolide resistance appears limited in this specific population.

Despite continuing economic growth, Uganda faces persistent challenges to achieve food security. The effectiveness of policy and development strategies to help rural households achieve food security must improve. We present a novel approach to relate spatial patterns of food security to livelihood strategies, including the contribution of on- and off-farm activities to household food availability. Data from 1927 households from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study were used to estimate the calorific contribution of livelihood activities to food availability. Consumption of crops produced on-farm contributed most to food availability for households with limited food availability, yet the majority of these households were not food self-sufficient. Off-farm and market-oriented on-farm activities were more important for households with greater food availability. Overall, off-farm income was important in the north, while market-oriented on-farm activities were important in western and central Uganda. Food availability patterns largely matched patterns of agroecological conditions and market access, with households doing worst in Uganda’s drier and remote northeast. Less food-secure households depended more on short-cycle food crops as compared with better-off households, who focused more on plantation (cash) crops, although this varied among regions. Targeting interventions to improve food security should consider such differences in enterprise choice and include options to improve household market access and off-farm income opportunities.

The author examines the relationship between the wrong and the harms concerning British tort laws; and reports functions of tort law including ordain compensation for harm caused and vindicate constitutional rights.

The aim of this study was to provide a broad picture of Executive Functioning (EF) in NF1 children, while taking into account their lower average IQ and increased Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms. This was done by administering an extended battery of tasks and questionnaires, designed to reduce task impurity, that measures five EF domains (inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, generativity and planning) in a laboratory setting and in daily life. Data are presented for 42 age‐ and gender‐matched NF1, 52 typically developing, and 52 ASD children (8–18 years). Our results indicated that although EF is highly influenced by IQ and severity of ASD symptoms, EF deficits seem to be a core feature of NF1 and not merely a secondary effect of a lower IQ and/or increased ASD symptoms. However, additional research is needed to confirm these findings. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This paper aims to identify and order the harms or losses which the law might compensate (or more widely redress) in actions for breach of privacy. Part I identifies three such detriments, to which all the others are reducible: pecuniary loss, mental distress and breach of privacy per se. Part II seeks to explain why they cannot all coexist at the same time. This is because they are based on two incompatible ways of understanding the relationship between wrong and harm, which ought not to be conflated: one that regards the loss as the detrimental consequences of the wrong (on respectively the claimant's ‘pocket’ and his emotional tranquillity); the other that treats the harm as the wrong itself, i.e. the invasion to – or loss of – the claimant's privacy. Part III examines some of the consequences the choice we make between them has on key issues within the law of privacy.

Family farms are defined by two criteria: the importance of family labour and the transfer of ownership, land tenure or management to the next generation. Most farms across the globe are family farms, and they vary in size from <1ha to >10,000ha. Trends in farm size (small farms getting smaller and large farms getting larger) are not directly related to farm ownership and do not necessarily impact global food security. Rather, both the causes and effects of farm size trends depend on the availability of farm resources and off-farm employment opportunities. Similarly, environmental sustainability, though impacted by agriculture, cannot be linked directly to family ownership or farm size. To address issues related to environment, social conditions and food security, focus should not be on the preservation of family farms but on transformations to strive for environmental, social and economic sustainability of farming in all its shapes and forms.

Non-symbiotic nitrogen (N2) fixation by diazotrophic bacteria is a potential source for biological N inputs in non-leguminous crops and pastures. Perennial grasses generally add larger quantities of above- and belowground plant residues to soil, and so can support higher levels of soil biological activity than annual crops. In this study, the hypothesis is tested that summer-active perennial grasses can provide suitable microsites with the required carbon supply for N2 fixation by diazotrophs, in particular during summer, through their rhizosphere contribution. In a field experiment on a Calcarosol at Karoonda, South Australia, during summer 2011, we measured populations of N2-fixing bacteria by nifH-PCR quantification and the amount of 15N2 fixed in the rhizosphere and roots of summer-active perennial grasses. Diazotrophic N2 fixation estimates for the grass roots ranged between 0.92 and 2.35mg 15N kg-1 root day-1. Potential rates of N2 fixation for the rhizosphere soils were 0.84–1.4mg 15N kg-1 soil day-1 whereas the amount of N2 fixation in the bulk soil was 0.1–0.58mg 15N kg-1 soil day-1. Populations of diazotrophic bacteria in the grass rhizosphere soils (2.45×106 nifH gene copies g-1 soil) were similar to populations in the roots (2.20×106 nifH gene copies g-1 roots) but the diversity of diazotrophic bacteria was significantly higher in the rhizosphere than the roots. Different grass species promoted the abundance of specific members of the nifH community, suggesting a plant-based selection from the rhizosphere microbial community. The results show that rhizosphere and root environments of summer-active perennial grasses support significant amounts of non-symbiotic N2 fixation during summer compared with cropping soils, thus contributing to biological N inputs into the soil N cycle. Some pasture species also maintained N2 fixation in October (spring), when the grasses were dormant, similar to that found in soils under a cereal crop. Surface soils in the rainfed cropping regions of southern Australia are generally low in soil organic matter and thus have lower N-supply capacity. The greater volume of rhizosphere soil under perennial grasses and carbon inputs belowground can potentially change the balance between N immobilisation and mineralisation processes in the surface soils in favour of immobilisation, which in turn contributes to reduced N losses from leaching.

Developing new and improved grazing systems for crop–livestock farms where crop production is the major driver of farm management decisions presents a unique research and development challenge. In southern Australia, a substantial proportion of animal production from grazing comes from regions and farms where cropping is the major enterprise. In this paper, we describe a multi-disciplinary farming-systems research approach (EverCrop) aimed at improving farm profitability, risk management and environmental impacts through the development and integration of new grazing options with an emphasis on perennial species. It has been used to analyse and target new opportunities for farmers to benefit from perennial species across dry Mediterranean-type and temperate regions of southern Australia. It integrates field experimentation, on-farm trialling, farmer participatory research, soil–plant–climate biophysical modelling, whole-farm bioeconomic analysis and evaluations of adoptability. Multi-functional roles for summer-active grasses with winter cropping, integration of forage shrubs and establishment of new mixes of perennial grasses in crop rotations to improve farming system performance are identified, along with an analysis of factors likely to affect rate of uptake by farmers.

Old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia Lindl.) is a useful forage shrub for livestock in the low-rainfall areas of the world, and particularly in Australia. In these semi-arid and arid environments, saltbush is valuable for increasing the production from otherwise marginal areas of the farm and during drought periods when there are few feed alternatives. The ability to predict the growth and development of perennial forages such as old man saltbush in response to rainfall, soils and farm management is necessary for farming system planning and design purposes. A field experiment was conducted at Waikerie, South Australia, to inform the development of a new forage shrub model for use in the APSIM framework. The model takes into account the common setup of saltbush plantations in alley systems, by simulating light interception and water uptake for interacting shrub and inter-row zones separately. This is done by modelling the canopy and root system development. Field data across three soil types along a landscape catena showed that the model was able to satisfactorily predict daily biomass accumulation, partitioning into leaf and woody biomass, and regrowth after grazing. The model was sensitive to properties associated with the root system, and with limited parameterisation can be tailored to simulate different clonal cultivars. The model can now be used in the APSIM framework to assess temporal and spatial dynamics of forage systems combining shrubs with herbaceous pasture components.

In the Mallee region of southern Australia, the dry and variable climate results in frequent summer–autumn feed gaps, restricting the profitability of farms that combine livestock and crop enterprises. To assess the suitability of summer-growing perennial grasses to fill such feed gaps, two replicated field experiments comparing the persistence and productivity of several cultivars were conducted at Hopetoun and Karoonda. The data from these experiments also served to validate a C4 grass model, which was then used in a simulation experiment comparing productivity on two different soil types at three locations. Most grass cultivars established well except on sandy, non-wetting soils. At Hopetoun, four of five cultivars persisted over 6 years, demonstrating the tolerance of the selected cultivars to the typical long, dry summers and cold, wet winters of the region. Biomass production showed little difference between cultivars and a strong response to the amount of summer rainfall, ranging from 1500 to 3000kgha-1 under average seasonal conditions and peaking at 9000kgha-1 in the very wet summer of 2010–2011. Model performance was satisfactory (R2 0.85–0.93, RMSE 476–1673kgha-1, depending on the cultivar), in terms of predicting both the magnitude and the timing of biomass production. Simulation outputs indicated that biomass production closely followed seasonal trends in temperature and moisture availability. Grazing potential was highest from early summer to autumn, which coincides with the period of feed shortages and highest marginal value of forage. In areas with warm-season (October–April) rainfall averages of 175 and 225mm, the grazing of C4 grass pastures on marginal soils would be possible in at least 40% of the years for 2 and 3 months, respectively. It was concluded that summer-growing perennials are a promising option to alleviate feed gaps on mixed crop–livestock farms in areas with at least 150mm of rainfall from October to April.

Pasture cropping is an emerging farming-systems practice of southern Australia, in which winter grain crops are sown into an established stand of a winter-dormant, summer-growing perennial pasture. There is a pressing need to define times, locations and climates that are suitable for pasture cropping. To evaluate effects of management interventions, agro-environment, and possible interactions on crop and pasture productivity associated with pasture cropping, an AusFarm® simulation model was built to describe a pasture-cropping system based on annual crop and subtropical grass. The model was parameterised using data from field research on pasture cropping with barley cv. Buloke and a C4 subtropical grass, Gatton panic (Panicum maximum cv. Gatton), conducted at Moora, Western Australia. The simulation was run over 50 years using the historical climate data of five southern Australian locations (Cunderdin, Jerdacuttup, Mingenew, and Moora in Western Australia, and Karoonda in South Australia). Two wheat cultivars and one barley crop were considered for each location, to examine the impact of crop phenology on this farming system. Jerdacuttup and Moora favoured pasture cropping, with average barley-yield penalties of 10 and 12%. These locations were characterised by colder growing seasons, more plant-available water at anthesis, and more winter–spring rain. The cereal crops did not rely on stored soil moisture, growing instead on incident rain. The winter–spring growth of the Gatton panic pasture was highest at Mingenew. This generated a high yield penalty, 38% loss under pasture cropping, compared with the other locations. Changing the efficacy of a herbicide application to the pasture when the crop was sown had a strong effect on yield. Yield penalties at Moora and Mingenew reduced to 7 and 29%, respectively, when the proportion of live biomass killed by the herbicide was doubled. Utilisation of soil moisture by the Gatton panic pasture during summer and early autumn had little effect on subsequent grain yield, whereas reduced pasture growth during the winter–spring growing period had a substantial effect on crop yield. Pasture cropping can therefore succeed in agro-climatic regions where crops can be grown on incident rain and pasture growth is suppressed through low temperature or herbicide. Perennial pasture growth should be minimised during the crop growing period through the management of crop sowing date, nitrogen fertiliser application and C4 grass suppression to minimise the effect on stored soil water at crop anthesis.

ObjectiveMusculoskeletal physiotherapy has become a well-recognized and respected sub-discipline within the physiotherapy profession. The emergence of the biopsychosocial theory and the implementation of new insights into the pain mechanisms have been two of the most powerful catalysts for change at work within this profession. The fast evolution during past decades gave rise to the need for a structured framework. The purpose of this article is to introduce a didactical model which focuses on the relevant key elements within musculoskeletal physiotherapy.FindingsA didactical model is put forward in the form of a “planetary model.” The planetary model is not a new model, but is a didactic representation mainly inspired by an adapted model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health [ICF]. The structure of the ICF is reflected in a vertical plan, whereas the pain mechanisms and psychosocial factors surround this vertical structure, reflecting their continuous interaction with the different components of the vertical axis.ConclusionsThe planetary model enables the therapist to systematically analyze and appraise the impact of the different components as a basis for clinical decisions and aims to contribute to a more efficient way of managing patients.

Despite the fact that people with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) frequently are seen by primary care physical therapists, guidelines for the management of FMS are based primarily on outcomes from multidisciplinary and tertiary care treatment studies. Few data addressing the treatment of patients with FMS in primary care currently are available. The evidence-based guidelines on the management of FMS are based, in part, on evidence from studies examining physical therapy treatment components alone (eg, aerobic exercise, education). Thus, the recommendations can be applied to primary care physical therapy. Primary care physical therapy for patients with FMS should include education, aerobic exercise, and strengthening exercise. For other treatment components such as passive treatments, activity management, and relaxation, less evidence currently is available to advocate their use in primary care physical therapy. Superior results are to be expected when various treatment components are combined.

The threat of water scarcity in sub-Saharan Africa is real, due to the expanding agricultural needs, climate variability and inappropriate land use. Livestock keeping is the fastest growing agricultural sector, partly because of increasing and changing demands for adequate, quality and diverse food for people, driven by growing incomes and demographic transitions. Besides the economic benefits, rising livestock production could also deplete water and aggravate water scarcity at local and global scales. The insufficient understanding of livestock–water interactions also led to low livestock productivity, impeded sound decision on resources management and undermined achieving positive returns on investments in agricultural water across sub-Saharan Africa. Innovative and integrated measures are required to improve water productivity and reverse the growing trends of water scarcity. Livestock water productivity (LWP), which is defined as the ratio of livestock outputs to the amount of water depleted, could be improved through: (i) raising the efficiency of the water inputs by integrating livestock with crop, water and landscape management policies and practices. Improving feed water productivity by maximising transpiration and minimising evaporation and other losses is critical; (ii) increasing livestock outputs through improved feed management, veterinary services and introducing system-compatible breeds; and (iii) because livestock innovation is a social process, it is not possible to gain LWP improvements unless close attention is paid to policies, institutions and their associated processes. Policies targeting infrastructure development would help livestock keepers secure access to markets, veterinary services and knowledge. This paper extracts highlights from various papers presented in the special issue of The Rangeland Journalon technologies and practices that would enable improving water productivity at various scales and the premises required to reverse the negative trends of water depletion and land degradation.

The establishment of exclosures (i.e. areas closed for grazing and agriculture) is a common practice to reverse land degradation through vegetation regeneration in the semiarid highland areas of northern Ethiopia. In order to assess the effect of exclosures on water flows, the water balance components for different vegetation regeneration stages were assessed through field measurements and modelling. Successful model calibration and validation was done based on soil water content measurements conducted during 2 years in 22 experimental plots. In the protected areas, vegetation regeneration leads to an increase in infiltration and transpiration and a more productive use of water for biomass production. In areas where additional lateral water (runon) infiltrates, source–sink systems are created. Here, up to 30% of the annual rainfall percolates through the root-zone towards the groundwater table. Increased biomass production in exclosures leads to possibilities for wood harvesting and cut and carry of grasses for livestock feeding. Together with water conservation and more productive use of water, the latter contributes to increased livestock water productivity. At the landscape scale, the creation of vegetation filters, capturing resources like water and nutrients, reinforces the rehabilitation process and healthy landscape functioning.

Studies on the impacts of environmental rehabilitation in semi-arid areas are often conducted over limited space and time scales, and do typically not include detailed biophysical components. This study makes a multi-scale assessment over a time span of 30 years of environmental rehabilitation in one of the world's most degraded areas: the Tigray highlands of Northern Ethiopia. The study shows that in Tigray sheet and rill erosion rates have decreased by approximately 68%, infiltration and spring discharge are enhanced and vegetation cover has improved. These impacts are evidenced and quantified by a comprehensive comparison of the current landscape with a coverage of 30-year old photographs and substantiated by field investigations. The positive changes in ecosystem service supply that result from these conservation activities in the Tigray highlands are an issue of global concern.

Studies on the impacts of environmental rehabilitation in semi-arid areas are often conducted over limited space and time scales, and do typically not include detailed biophysical components. This study makes a multi-scale assessment over a time span of 30 years of environmental rehabilitation in one of the world's most degraded areas: the Tigray highlands of Northern Ethiopia. The study shows that in Tigray sheet and rill erosion rates have decreased by approximately 68%, infiltration and spring discharge are enhanced and vegetation cover has improved. These impacts are evidenced and quantified by a comprehensive comparison of the current landscape with a coverage of 30-year old photographs and substantiated by field investigations. The positive changes in ecosystem service supply that result from these conservation activities in the Tigray highlands are an issue of global concern.

In the present study we investigated the co‐morbidity of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) in 59 Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) individuals and in 59 non‐specific mentally retarded controls, matched for IQ, gender, and age. The ‘Pervasive Developmental Disorder Mentally Retardation Scale’ (PDD‐MRScale), a screening questionnaire based on the DSM‐III‐R criteria for PDD, has been applied in the PWS group and in the control group. Results of the present study revealed a striking autistic‐like behavioral phenotype in the majority of the PWS individuals, particularly deficits in the quality of language and communication and of imagination and interests. This intersection with autistic symptomatology is an important addition to the behavioral phenotype in PWS persons. A first approach to delineate subtypes of autistic symptomalogy among PWS persons was performed. Nineteen percent of the PWS group did meet the full diagnostic DSM‐III‐R criteria for PDD in comparison with 15% in the control group. Results revealed that a higher IQ in PWS does not protect to develop genuine PDD and that uniparental disomy/imprinting mutation as genetic origin seems to be an additional risk factor for developing genuine PDD. The results of the present study suggest the importance of reconsidering the commonly recognized obsessive‐compulsive like behavior in PWS persons within the broader spectrum of autism disorders. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetically determined developmental disorder caused by abnormalities of the proximal region of chromosome 15q11-13. In a previous study, we reported that psychotic episodes, occurring in 16% of persons with PWS, had an onset in adolescence, never occurred in persons with paternal deletion, and were exclusively associated with maternal uniparental disomy (UPD) or imprinting abnormalities (IM). In order to gain a better understanding of the psychopathology and to further refine the psychiatric diagnosis, we describe in more detail the psychopathological manifestations of six adults with a history of psychotic episodes. All these individuals had a detailed psychiatric examination, including the use of the operational criteria (OPCRIT) checklist. An identifiable subtype of psychotic disorder was associated with PWS. Characteristics include early age of onset, acute onset, polymorphous, and shifting symptomatology and a need for psychiatric hospitalization. The presence of precipitating stress factors and a prodromal phase with physiological symptoms was reported in all patients. Current diagnostic categories do not allow an unequivocal psychiatric diagnosis. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The personality profile of 44 youngsters (24 males, 20 females; mean age 11 years, 3 months) with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) was compared with a group of 220 non-NF1 control youngsters (matched on age and gender). Personality characteristics of each youngster were rated by both parents, using the California Child Q-set (CCQ); [Block and Block, 1980]. The scores on eight personality dimensions were compared, i.e., Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness, Motor Activity, Irritability, and Dependency. Moreover, personality of NF1 youngsters was related to IQ level, severity of medical problems, the presence or absence of visible cosmetic disfigurements, and de novo versus familial origin of NF1. The personality profile of NF1 youngsters was markedly different from the non-NF1 youngsters. Compared to the 220 control children, they were equally agreeable, but less conscientious, less emotionally stable, less open for new experience, with less motor activity, and more extravert, more dependent, and more irritable. Personality characteristics were similar for children with maternally or paternally inherited NF1, or for children with a new mutation. There was no association with gender, the severity of medical and cosmetic problems, and IQ. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Abstract.: Infra-nilmanifolds are compact K(G,1)-manifolds with G a torsion-free, finitely generated, virtually nilpotent group. Motivated by previous results of various authors on p-completions of K(G,1)-spaces with G a finite or a nilpotent group, we study the homotopy type of p-completions of infra-nilmanifolds, for any prime p. We prove that the p-completion of an infra-nilmanifold is a virtually nilpotent space which is either aspherical or has infinitely many nonzero homotopy groups. The same is true for p-localization. Moreover, we show by means of examples that rationalizations of infra-nilmanifolds may be elliptic or hyperbolic.

Resistance of streptococci to macrolide antibiotics is caused by target-site modification or drug efflux. The phenotypic expression of target-site modification can be inducible or constitutive. The prevalence of the three phenotypes among Belgian erythromycin-resistant Group A streptococci (GAS) and Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates was surveyed, their MICs for seven antibiotics were determined and the clonality of the isolates was explored. Of the 2014 GAS isolates tested 131(6.5%) were erythromycin resistant (MIC > 1 mg/L): 110 (84.0%) showed the M-resistance phenotype whereas the remaining 21 strains (16.0%) were constitutively resistant. No inducibly resistant strains were detected. Of 100 S. pneumoniae isolates, 33 were erythromycin resistant (MIC > 1 mg/L). In contrast to the GAS isolates, only 9.1% of the 33 erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae isolates showed the M-resistance phenotype. The presence of mefA/E and ermB genes in the M-resistant and constitutively and inducibly resistant strains, respectively, was confirmed by PCR analysis. Genomic analysis based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the restriction enzyme SfiI, revealed 54 different PFGE patterns among the 131 erythromycin-resistant GAS isolates, of which an M6 clone represented 16.0% of the strains; all other clones, exhibiting different M-types, represented <7% of the strains. The S. pneumoniae isolates also appeared to be polyclonally based, as determined by arbitrarily primed PCR. The macrolides miocamycin and rovamycin, the lincosamide clindamycin and the ketolide HMR 3647 showed excellent activity against the M-resistant GAS and S. pneumoniae strains.

ABSTRACTThe results of prevalence studies on glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) in the intestine may be influenced by the detection methods applied. In most studies different media, different concentrations of antibiotics, and different methods are used, and these differences result in differences in recovery rates. In this cross-sectional study on the carrier state of GRE among patients at the University Hospital Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, performed on 21 May 1996, direct plating and broth enrichment were compared by using the same media. Stool samples (n= 213) or rectal swabs (n= 122) were plated directly on Enterococcosel agar (bioMe´rieux) and after enrichment in Enterococcosel broth. The prevalence of GRE was 12.8%. Direct plating recovered 53.4% of the GRE isolates, and broth enrichment recovered an additional 46.5% of them; in the latter test the isolates were thus present at less than 103CFU per g of feces. The prevalence of GRE among dialysis patients was higher than among the other patients, but the difference was not significant (P= 0.06), possibly as a result of the small numbers of dialysis patients examined. The GRE species isolated included 19 E. gallinarum(44.2%), 13E. faecium(30.2%), 6 E. faecalis(13.9%), and 5 E. casseliflavus(11.6%) isolates. All E. faecalisand E. faeciumstrains isolated carried thevanAgene, and E. gallinarumand E. casseliflavuscarried the vanC1and vanC2gene, respectively. The majority of isolates were polyclonal. Our data indicate that the rate of detection of GRE from both stool samples and rectal swabs is significantly increased with enrichment cultures.

Abstract.: After revisiting the concept of the torsion subgroup of a group with respect to a set of prime numbers P (as introduced by Ribenboim), we show that, for all p in P, p-th roots are unique in a virtually nilpotent group if and only if P-roots are unique in both its Fitting subgroup and its Fitting quotient. This more general notion of torsion also turns out to be sufficient to understand completely the kernel of the P-localization homomorphism of a virtually nilpotent group. Using this result, we characterize the finitely generated virtually nilpotent groups such that, when dividing out the P-torsion subgroup, P-roots exist and are unique in the resulting quotient.

ABSTRACTOne hundred thirty-two glycopeptide-resistant Enterococcus faecium(GREF) isolates from different hospitals and pig and poultry farms in Belgium were compared on the basis of (i) their antibiotic susceptibilities, (ii) their SmaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, and (iii) the organization of their Tn1546or related elements in order to detect possible phenotypic and genotypic relationships among both groups of isolates. Human and animal vanA-positive GREF isolates were found to have similar susceptibility patterns; they remained susceptible to gentamicin and were, in general, susceptible to ampicillin. PFGE demonstrated a very high degree of genomic heterogeneity in both groups of isolates. However, indistinguishable isolates were found within different farms or hospitals, and in two instances, epidemiologically unrelated pig and human isolates showed indistinguishable PFGE patterns. In total, eight different transposon types were identified, and all were related to the prototype transposon Tn1546. The two predominant types, Tn1546and type 2 transposons, which differed at three band positions, were present in both human and animal isolates. Type 2 transposons were significantly associated with pig isolates. The other types were seldom detected. These data suggest a possible exchange of glycopeptide resistance markers between animals and humans.

Using a set of 33 well-defined extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, we compared three screening methods for ESBL detection: (i) a double-disk synergy test, (ii) a three-dimensional test (both the double-disk synergy test and the three-dimensional test were performed with ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, aztreonam, and cefepime), and (iii) the Etest ESBL screen (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden), based on the recognition of a reduction in the ceftazidime MIC in the presence of clavulanic acid. In the double-disk test, all four indicator antibiotics scored equally and 31 of the 33 reference strains were recognized. In the three-dimensional test, ceftriaxone was the only satisfactory indicator and 30 ESBL-positive strains were detected by this antibiotic. Both systems produced two false-positive results with cefepime. With the Etest ESBL screen, 15 of 16 TEM-related and 11 of 16 SHV-related ESBL-producing strains scored positive. In 10 cases the clavulanic acid on one end of the strip interfered with the MIC determination for ceftazidime, which was read on the opposite end. This MIC had to be determined with an extra ceftazidime-only strip. No false-positive results were noted. Eighty-six blood isolates of E. coli and Klebsiella species were screened for ESBL expression by the double-disk and three-dimensional tests, both with ceftriaxone. Six strains with suspicious antibiogram phenotypes also gave positive results by the double-disk test. One E. coli strain remained undetected by the three-dimensional test. Identification of the enzymes suspected of being ESBLs by isoelectric focusing (all strains) and DNA sequencing (1 strain) confirmed the screening test results except for one Klebsiella oxytoca strain, which proved to be a hyperproducer of its chromosomal enzyme and which also had a negative Etest score. The five true ESBL producers were all confirmed by the Etest ESBL screen. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis proved that the E. coli strains were unrelated, but that two of the three K. pneumoniae strains were closely related.

A 66-year-old woman was diagnosed with vaginal melanoma. Sentinel node mapping was performed using 99mTc sulfur colloid. Planar scintigraphic acquisitions detected 2 sentinel nodes in the right external iliac region, which were laparoscopically removed with an anterior vaginectomy. Sentinel node mapping is feasible in cases of vaginal melanoma.

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