The Pongola Bush Nature Reserve lies in a narrow band along the escarpment between Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Although referred to as 'bush', this vegetation type may be considered to fit into the intersection of two types of scarp forest: the Northern Afrotemperate Forest and the Southern Mistbelt Forest. The area was heavily logged in the early 1900s with the need for timber for the emerging gold mining industry in Barberton. The forest fragment is now protected but lacks formal tree diversity assessments, and this study sets out to establish its community composition and richness using a range of standard techniques. Distributed throughout the forest, 127 circular plots (each 80 m²) were surveyed. In these, 1152 stems were measured for species, height, and diameter at breast height (DBH). Four species contributed roughly 70% of the 70 Mg ha−¹ above ground woody biomass. Stem size class distributions showed a high recruitment rate of small stemmed individuals and few large individuals. This pattern is consistent with the disturbance history of the site, with limited recruitment of certain species, mainly limited to early successional species. The Pongola Bush forest is particularly diverse in terms of tree species: 41 species were recorded, and it is estimated from the species area curve that there may be 70 tree species present. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS: This survey is the first formal tree diversity survey conducted on the Pongola Bush which may assist future research and conservation strategies.

Resumo Estudos recentes têm apontado para a existência de dois tipos de eventos de El Niño (EN): EN do Pacífico oriental ou Canônico (EP, sigla em inglês) e EN do Pacífico Central ou Modoki (CP, sigla em inglês). Neste estudo, foram utilizados dados observados e de três modelos do Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) para avaliar o impacto dos dois tipos de EN na precipitação da América do Sul desde o trimestre de Junho-Agosto do ano inicial do evento até Março-Maio do ano seguinte. O modelo do Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM-CM5) apresentou o melhor desempenho para reproduzir os padrões anômalos observados de TSM para os tipos de EN CP e EP. O padrão anômalo da precipitação observada associado a eventos EN foi mais marcante durante o verão austral. No caso do EN EP, tal padrão caracterizou-se por precipitação acima (abaixo) da normal no sudeste (norte/noroeste) da América do Sul. Este padrão foi reproduzido pelos modelos CNRM-CM5 e Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model (HadGEM2-ES). O Max Plank Institute Earth System model (MPI-ESM-LR) reproduziu a redução de chuva no norte, porém não reproduziu o aumento anômalo no sudeste e redução no noroeste do continente. No caso do EN CP, o impacto observado nas chuvas da América do Sul durante o verão caracterizou-se por escassez (excesso) no norte/noroeste (sudeste). Este padrão foi reproduzido pelos modelos, entretanto, os modelos HadGEM2-ES e MPI-ESM-LR mostraram índices pluviométricos no nordeste do Brasil menores do que os observados. As diferenças na representação dos padrões de teleconexões em resposta ao EN explicam as diferenças entre os padrões simulados.

Abstract Recent studies have pointed out to the existence of two El Niño (EN) types: Eastern Pacific or Canonical (EP) EN and Central Pacific or Modoki (CP) EN. In the present study, the observed and simulated data in three models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) were used to evaluate the impacts of two EN types on the South American precipitation from June-August of the EN onset year to March-May of the following year. The Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM-CM5) model presented a better performance in reproducing the observed SST anomaly patterns for the CP and EP EN types. The observed precipitation anomaly pattern associated with the EN events was better represented during the austral summer. In the case of the EP EN, such pattern features wetness (dryness) in southeastern (northern-northwestern) South America. The CNRM-CM5 and Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model (HadGEM2-ES) models reproduced this pattern. The Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM-LR) model reproduced the dryness over northern, but not the rainfall increasing in southeastern and the rainfall reduction in northwestern of the continent. In the case of the CP EN, the observed impact on the South American rainfall during the austral summer featured rainfall scarcity (excess) in northern and northwestern (southeastern) South America. The models reproduced this pattern, however, the HadGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-LR models showed lower rainfall over northeastern Brazil than the observed one. The EN teleconnection differences explain the differences of the simulated patterns.

<title>ABSTRACT</title><sec><title>Introduction:</title><p>The treatment of pelvic malignancies with radiotherapy can develop severe sequelae, especially radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. It is a progressive disease that can lead to the need for blood transfusion, hospitalizations, and surgical interventions. This tends to affect the quality of life of these patients, and management can at times be difficult. We have evaluated the GreenLight Xcelerated Performance System (XPS) with TruCoag, although primarily used for management of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), for the treatment of radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and Methods:</title><p>After International Review Board (IRB) approval, a retrospective chart review was performed in addition to a literature search. A series of four male patients, mean age of 81 years, with radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis secondary to radiotherapy for pelvic malignancies (3 prostate cancer, 1 rectal cancer) were successfully treated with the GreenLight laser after unsuccessful treatment with current therapies described in the literature.</p></sec><sec><title>Results:</title><p>All four patients treated with the GreenLight laser had resolution of their hematuria after one treatment and were discharge from the hospital with clear urine.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion:</title><p>The GreenLight XPS laser shows promising results for the treatment of patients with radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis, and deserves further evaluation and validation, especially since there is limited data available in the literature regarding the use of this technology for the treatment of this devastating condition.</p></sec>

Carbohydrates can provide up to 80% of the dry matter in animal diets, yet their specific evaluation for research and diet formulation is only now becoming a focus in the animal sciences. Partitioning of dietary carbohydrates for nutritional purposes should reflect differences in digestion and fermentation characteristics and effects on animal performance. Key challenges to designating nutritionally important carbohydrate fractions include classifying the carbohydrates in terms of nutritional characteristics, and selecting analytical methods that describe the desired fraction. The relative lack of information on digestion characteristics of various carbohydrates and their interactions with other fractions in diets means that fractions will not soon be perfectly established. Developing a system of carbohydrate analysis that could be used across animal species could enhance the utility of analyses and amount of data we can obtain on dietary effects of carbohydrates. Based on quantities present in diets and apparent effects on animal performance, some nutritionally important classes of carbohydrates that may be valuable to measure include sugars, starch, fructans, insoluble fiber, and soluble fiber. Essential to selection of methods for these fractions is agreement on precisely what carbohydrates should be included in each. Each of these fractions has analyses that could potentially be used to measure them, but most of the available methods have weaknesses that must be evaluated to see if they are fatal and the assay is unusable, or if the assay still may be made workable. Factors we must consider as we seek to analyze carbohydrates to describe diets: Does the assay accurately measure the desired fraction? Is the assay for research, regulatory, or field use (affects considerations of acceptable costs and throughput)? What are acceptable accuracy and variability of measures? Is the assay robust (enhances accuracy of values)? For some carbohydrates, we may have to accept that there are currently no acceptable, widely applicable analyses that meet these criteria, and seek to fill this analytical gap. Overall, there are good possibilities for accomplishing the nutritional partitioning of carbohydrates. But to ensure that this is done well, as a discipline, we need to continue our discussions on the basis for partitioning, on what fractions are actually significant, and rigorously evaluate proposed analyses to verify that they are analytically sound.

Existe la necesidad de reforzar la capacidad regional para la vigilancia de las enfermedades crónicas en las Américas. Los objetivos de este artículo son 1) ofrecer nuestro apoyo decidido a favor de la vigilancia de las enfermedades crónicas, 2) presentar una revisión descriptiva y un resumen de las actividades de vigilancia y los problemas en torno a las mismas en las Américas, 3) confeccionar una lista de recursos y fuentes de consulta para obtener más información, y 4) ofrecer unas recomendaciones para reforzar la capacidad regional. Este artículo se basa en una revisión personal de informes, sitios de Internet y apuntes personales procedentes de diversos proyectos, reuniones y actividades relacionados con la vigilancia de las enfermedades crónicas en las Américas, y en un análisis a profundidad de los materiales recopilados. Se ha determinado que las agencias sanitarias internacionales, los gobiernos de diversos países, las organizaciones no gubernamentales y los profesionales de la sanidad pública han dedicado grandes esfuerzos a la construcción y al desarrollo de las capacidades de vigilancia de las enfermedades crónicas en la Región. Para seguir apoyando el aumento de dichas capacidades, se hace necesario establecer una red de redes (una metarred) cuya misión debería ser la vigilancia de la vigilancia. Siete aspectos importantes para el aumento de esta capacidad son la estrategia, la colaboración, la información, la educación, la novedad, la comunicación, y la evaluación.