Cumulative Frequency Research Articles

A retrospective analysis of metabolic control in children with PKU in the COVID-19 era

BackgroundPatients with phenylketonuria (PKU) must maintain a lifelong natural protein-restricted diet to prevent neuro-cognitive damage. Early diagnosis is established with newborn screening, with diet subsequently controlled by regular phenylalanine (Phe) monitoring. During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant lockdown measures were introduced that may have influenced the above. Aim of our studyTo establish whether the diagnosis was delayed in neonates during the pandemic. In addition, metabolic control was further assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic era (CE) compared to the same period a year prior (non-COVID-19 era, NCE). The lockdown periods (LD) were also compared with unrestricted periods (URP). Patients, methodsSix neonates born during the CE and eight neonates born during NCE were included in the newborn screening analysis. Seventy-two classical PKU patients aged 2–18 years and categorized as children (2–12 years; 51 patients) and adolescents (>13 years; 21 patients) were included in the metabolic control analysis. The frequency of dried blood spot (DBS) sampling and Phe levels were assessed according to the different periods. ResultsThere was no diagnostic or therapeutic delay in reaching the recommended Phe range in neonates born during CE compared to those born in NCE (median [interquartile range, IQR]: 23.5 [22.5–24] vs. 22 [18.0–27] days, p = NS). The cumulative DBS sampling frequency in children increased by 9.9% in the CE while no change was noted in the adolescent group. The median Phe level increased significantly in both age groups in the CE, but remained within the recommended target range. During CE, changes in Phe levels differed in the two age groups: children had the highest median Phe in the second lockdown period (LD2), while the adolescents had an increased Phe in URP.There were significant negative correlations between DBS sampling frequencies and Phe levels in both age groups in NCE (children: r − 0.43, p = 0.002; adolescents r = −0.37, p = 0.012), and in adolescents in CE (r = −0.62, p = 0.006). ConclusionThe pandemic did not impact newborn metabolic screening. The increased frequency of DBS sampling in CE and good target Phe levels suggest a better compliance in a very sensitive period. Since many factors may impact metabolic control in the different age groups, further studies are needed to analyse their respective role.

The Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Residual Proteinuria in Patients With Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy: A Retrospective Study Based on Propensity Score Matching.

BackgroundThere is insufficient evidence to support the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) patients with high residual proteinuria in spite of 6-month supportive treatment combined with corticosteroids (P) and/or immunosuppressives (IM). This study aims to explore the effect of HCQ on residual proteinuria in IgAN.Materials and MethodsThis is a retrospective study. IgAN patients who had residual proteinuria ≥0.3 g/24 h after 6-month treatment by renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) + P ± IM were included. Groups were divided based on the different regimens and then matched by the propensity score matching method. The primary outcome was defined as the cumulative frequency of residual proteinuria reduction ≥30%.ResultsRASI (n = 183), HCQ + RASI (n = 59), RASI + P ± IM (n = 145), and HCQ + RASI + P ± IM (n = 38) groups were included. HCQ + RASI group had a higher level of residual proteinuria and a worse renal function than those in the RASI group. The renal function was worse in the HCQ + RASI + P ± IM group than that in the control group, but residual proteinuria levels were similar. After matching, there were 40 patients in the first two groups and 29 patients in the latter two groups, respectively. The cumulative frequency of residual proteinuria reduction ≥30% in HCQ + RASI + P ± IM group was higher than that in control group (86.2% vs. 62.1%, χ2 = 6.397, p = 0.011). HCQ combination treatment was one of independent factors.ConclusionThe addition of HCQ treatment can effectively reduce the residual proteinuria in IgAN patients previously treated with supportive treatment combined with P and IM treatment and the cumulative frequency of effective reduction of residual proteinuria can reach 86.2%.

Acute Kidney Injury after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).Material and methods. 50 patients (39 women, 11 men) aged 76 (71; 80) years who underwent TAVI were examined. One day after TAVI, blood creatinine level was determined by the Jaffe method and troponin I by a highly sensitive method (hs-cTnI). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was diagnosed according to the KDIGO criteria (2012). The following hospital complications were evaluated: cases of cardiac death, intraoperative myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and transient ischemic attack, permanent pacemaker implantation, recurrent paroxysms of atrial fibrillation.Results. History of MI had 22% of patients, percutaneous coronary intervention – 38%, hypertension – 98%, chronic kidney disease – 48%, diabetes mellitus – 24%, class II NYHA of chronic heart failure (CHF) – 52%, NYHA class III – 46%, NYHA class IV – 2%. The risk of operational mortality according to EuroSCORE II was 6.3±5.4%. AKI after TAVI was registered in 6 (12%) patients (1 grade AKI – 8%, 2 grade – 2%, 3 grade – 2%). Parameters associated with AKI after TAVI were higher CHF NYHA class (p=0,020), high hs-cTnI level (p=0,013), intraoperative MI (p=0.035). The predictor of AKI after TAVI was high hs-cTnI level (odds ratio 4.0, 95% confidence interval 1.0-16.1). Among patients with AKI after TAVI in compare with patients without AKI, the cumulative frequency of cardiac death, MI, strokes and transient ischemic attacks, implantation of a permanent pacemaker, the proportion of people with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation during the hospital stay was 5,8 times higher (66.7% vs 11.4% respectively, p=0.001).Conclusion. AKI after TAVI was present in 12% of patients. The predictor for AKI development was an increase in hs-cTnI level after TAVI implantation. The hospital prognosis after TAVI is worse in patients with postoperative AKI.

New Craters on Mars: An Updated Catalog

AbstractWe present a catalog of new impacts on Mars. These craters formed in the last few decades, constrained with repeat orbital imaging. Crater diameters range from 58 m down to <1 m. For each impact, we report whether it formed a single crater or a cluster (58% clusters); albedo features of the blast zone (88% halos; 64% linear rays; 10% arcuate rays; majority dark‐toned; 4% light‐toned; 14% dual‐toned); and exposures of ice (4% definite; 2% possible). We find no trends in the occurrences of clusters with latitude, elevation, or impact size. Albedo features do not depend on atmospheric fragmentation. Halos are more prevalent at lower elevations, indicating an atmospheric pressure dependence; and around smaller impacts, which could be an observational bias. Linear rays are more likely to form from larger impacts into more consolidated material and may be enhanced by lower atmospheric pressure at higher elevations. Light‐ and dual‐toned blast zones occur in specific regions and more commonly around larger impacts, indicating excavation of compositionally distinct material. Surfaces covered with bright dust lacking cohesion are favored to form detectable surface features. The slope of the cumulative size frequency distribution for this data set is 2.2 for diameters >8 m (differential slope 2.9), significantly shallower than the slope of new lunar craters. We believe that no systematic biases exist in the Martian data set sufficient to explain the discrepancy. This catalog is complete at the time of writing, although observational biases exist, and new discoveries continue.

How Does Different Cropland Expansion Trajectories Affect Cropland Fragmentation? Insights From Three Urban Agglomerations in Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

A clear understanding of cropland expansion dynamics and their effects is vital for cropland protection and food security. However, the trajectories of cropland expansion have been less discussed. This study referred to the modes of landscape expansion and assessed the cropland expansion trajectory in three urban agglomerations in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and its impact on cropland fragmentation. Specifically, we identified three cropland expansion trajectories using the landscape expansion index, namely, infilling, edge-expansion, and outlying. Moreover, the surface relief amplitude model was employed to characterize the relief amplitude effect on cropland expansion trajectories. By coupling landscape metrics (e.g., patch density, landscape shape index, the largest patch index, and aggregation index) and Spearman correlation analysis, the relationship between cropland expansion trajectories and cropland fragmentation was assessed. Results show that (1) three urban agglomerations experience cropland expansion, in which the edge-expansion trajectory is primary, followed by infilling and outlying trajectories; (2) the cumulative frequency curve indicates that infilling and edge-expansion trajectories are likely to be distributed in low topographic relief amplitude regions, while the outlying trajectory is located in relatively higher topographic relief amplitude regions; and (3) infilling and edge-expansion trajectories contribute to a significantly positive relationship with the decrease of cropland fragmentation, while the outlying trajectory has a negative relationship with cropland fragmentation. This research highlights that cropland protection policies should considerably focus on the trajectory of cropland expansion, not only request the total area of cropland in a dynamic balance.

Nexus between tourism, hydropower, and CO2 emissions in India: fresh insights from ARDL and cumulative fourier frequency domain causality

Nexus between tourism, hydropower, and CO2 emissions in India: fresh insights from ARDL and cumulative fourier frequency domain causality

"Economics of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus spp) Production in Bhagalpur District of Bihar"

"The mass population of India was vegetarian and attracted to mushroom consumption because they have contained more nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibers, and medicinal value. The mushroom species (oyster, button, milky and paddy straw) was identified for cultivation in upper and hilly regions of the Indian states suitable for white button mushrooms and plain areas of lower altitude regions in favor of oyster ‘Dhingri’ (Plutorus sages Kaju) mushroom. Moreover, growers have doesn’t fully organize form of mushroom per unit sale in Bhagalpur & territories market of Bihar as well as other states of India. The strategic economic problem of the net sown area was limiting shrink factors day by day due to increase the infrastructure alternate option is open but human population is pressurized for fulfilling the demand become inevitable to best alternative option to supplementary mushroom growing opportunity. Mushroom production in locale area under Bhagalpur district of Bihar was purposively studies of the fourteen each block and village panchayat with the help of snowball referral to subsequent respondents collected 71 complete lists enumerated then obtained sample size (Taro Yamane) 60 oyster growers and cumulative cube root frequency distribution techniques were used. The major variable costs of oyster mushroom that spawn cost was higher expenses followed by the human labour, chopped dry straw, plant protection and polythene bags. The overall farms of fresh oyster mushroom production were accounted to be on an average 16.90 Kg (m2) per square meter, which were varied to be on an average 18.48 Kg (m2) per square meter higher for large farms followed by 16.99 Kg (m2) per square meter of medium farm and 15.16 Kg (m2) per square meter for the small farm. The overall farm benefit-cost ratio (BCR) was estimated to be on average 1.31 which varied to 1.40 higher for large farms followed by 1.31 for medium farms and 1.19 for small farms. Further, the cost of oyster mushroom production per unit was decreased when the increase in the size of farms and vice-versa."

Nonparametric inference of general while-alive estimands for recurrent events.

Measuring the treatment effect on recurrent events like hospitalization in the presence of death has long challenged statisticians and clinicians alike. Traditional inference on the cumulative frequency unjustly penalizes survivorship as longer survivors also tend to experience more adverse events. Expanding a recently suggested idea of the "while-alive" event rate, we consider a general class of such estimands that adjust for the length of survival without losing causal interpretation. Given a user-specified loss function that allows for arbitrary weighting, we define as estimand the average loss experienced per unit time alive within a target period and use the ratio of this loss rate to measure the effect size. Scaling the loss rate by the width of the corresponding time window gives us an alternative, and sometimes more photogenic, way of showing the data. To make inferences, we construct a nonparametric estimator for the loss rate through the cumulative loss and the restricted mean survival time and derive its influence function in closed form for variance estimation and testing. As simulations and analysis of real data from a heart failure trial both show, the while-alive approach corrects for the false attenuation of treatment effect due to patients living longer under treatment, with increased statistical power as a result. The proposed methods are implemented in the R-package WA, which is publicly available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN).

Analysis of Chinese Medicine Compound in Treatment of Urticaria with Rheumatic Fever

Purpose: To explore the rules of prescriptions of modern clinical Chinese medicine compound prescriptions in treatment of urticaria with rheumatic fever, and to provide a reference for the clinical treatment. Methods: The literature on the treatment of urticaria with rheumatic fever with medicine compound prescriptions from October 1st, 1949 to January 1st, 2021 in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was searched to establish an Excel database of medicine prescriptions, and data analysis was performed by SPSS Statistics22.0 and SPSS Modeler18.0. Results: A total of 52 articles are included in this study, involving 54 medicine prescriptions and 97 Chinese medicines with a cumulative frequency of 623 times. Among them, 39 Chinese medicines are used more than 4 times, with the highest frequency of Fangfeng. They are mainly pungent, cold in nature, with the channel tropism of liver and lung. There are 19 second-order association rules for mining TCM association rules, with the first five rules ranked in the descending order of confidence as follows: Fangfeng + Scutellaria baicalensis, Jingjie + Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, Fangfeng + Anemarrhenae rhizoma, Fangfeng + Arctium fruit, Fangfeng + Jingjie, with 103 third-order associations and 124 fourth-order associations, which are consistent with the actual clinical application. Conclusion: The modern clinical treatment of urticaria with rheumatic fever is based on "dispelling wind to relieve exterior syndrome", and also on "curing deficiency", "resolving dampness", "suppressing hyperactive liver for calming endogenous wind", and "promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis". The data provides reference for the clinical treatment of the disease and Chinese medicine research.

Retrospective analysis of patients’ operative material during reproductive period with leiomyoma

Leiomyoma is known to be a benign tumor of unknown etiology of the uterus. It is most common in women of reproductive age with a cumulative frequency of 5.4% to 77.0%, and 80.0% of them suffer from this problem throughout their lives. However, some authors question the binding role of estrogen-progesterone in the growth of leiomyoma. However, due to the ineffectiveness of conservative treatment of leiomyoma, surgical intervention is still an effective method of curing the patient. There are no means of complete regression and prevention of this pathology. The aim of our study was retrospective analysis of operative material of patients of reproductive period with leukemia of the uterine body. Patients in both groups were divided into 40-year-olds and 41-50-year-olds according to age. The obtained results were processed using SPSS-21 software package of mathematical statistics. Pearson x2 criterion was used to test the reliability.Comparison of retrospective analysis of archival material revealed: A sharp increase in the incidence of intramural leiomyoma of the uterine body, due to many factors: social, ecological, stressful conditions, the introduction of modern diagnostic methods in practice. Proliferative, recurrent and latent leiomyomas are characterized by histostructural features. The process of growth of leiomyoma nodes is determined by the active products of the extracellular matrix, which leads to an increase in their size and does not depend on the histostructure, localization, number and size of the nodes Extracellular matrix products are important not only in terms of leiomyoma growth, but it is also likely to be among the factors that limit the free uncontrolled spread of tumor proliferation in the uterine body muscle and inhibit the assimilation process. This is confirmed by the absence of malignancy. Retrospective analysis of the material provides the basis for the search for molecular mechanisms of leiomyoma development. The results obtained will be important for the selection of drug treatment in terms of inhibition of myocyte proliferative processes, expression of growth factors and activation of apoptosis.

Abstract 5213: Genetically modified Tie-2 expressing monocytes target IFN-α2 to the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment (TME): Preliminary data from the TEM-GBM Phase 1/2a study

Abstract Increasing clinical use of immune checkpoint inhibitors testifies to the importance of modulating the immune TME to obtain meaningful anti-tumor immune responses. Acting only on T lymphocytes may, however, not be sufficient, e.g. in immunologically-cold tumors or due to de novo or acquired resistance. Moreover, immune-related AEs remain hurdles of T cell therapies. To overcome these limitations and to awaken the immune system in an agnostic way against the tumor, we have developed a genetically modified cell-based autologous hematopoietic stem cell platform (Temferon) delivering immunotherapeutic payloads into the TME through Tie-2 expressing monocytes (TEMs), a subset of tumor infiltrating macrophages. TEM-GBM is an ongoing open-label, Phase 1/2a dose-escalating study evaluating the safety & efficacy of Temferon in up to 21 newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma & unmethylated MGMT promoter assigned to 7 different cohorts (3 pts each) differing by Temferon dose (0.5-4.0x106/kg) and conditioning regimen (BCNU+ or Busulfan+Thiotepa). By Oct 15th, 2021, 15 pts (cohort 1-5) had received escalating doses of Temferon with a median follow up of 267 days (range: 60-749). Rapid engraftment and hematological recovery from nonmyeloablative conditioning occurred in all pts. Temferon-derived differentiated cells, as determined by the presence of vector genomes in the DNA, were found at increasing proportions in PB and BM, reaching up to 30% at 1 month for the highest cohorts tested (2.0x106/kg) and persisting up to 18 months, albeit at lower levels. Despite the significant proportion of engineered cells, only very low median concentrations of IFNα were detected in the plasma (D+30, 5.9; D+90, 8.8pg/mL) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (D+30, 1.5; D+90, 2.4pg/mL), indicating tight regulation of vector expression. SAEs were mostly attributed to conditioning chemotherapy (e.g. infections) or disease progression (e.g. seizures). 1 SUSAR (persistent GGT elevation) has occurred. Median OS is 14 mth from surgery (11 mth post Temferon). Four pts from the low dose cohorts underwent 2nd surgery. These recurrent tumors contained gene-marked cells and expressed IFN-responsive genes, indicative of local IFNα release by TEMs. In 1 pt, a stable lesion (as defined by MRI) had a higher proportion of T cells & TEMs, an increased IFN-response signature and myeloid re-programming revealed by scRNAseq, as compared to a synchronous, progressing tumor. TCR sequencing of blood and tumor samples showed a post-treatment increase in the cumulative frequency of tumor-associated T cell clones identified in 1st and 2nd surgery specimens (up to 4 out of 9 subjects). These results provide initial evidence for on-target activity of Temferon in GBM, to be consolidated with longer follow up in the higher dose cohorts. Citation Format: Bernhard Gentner, Gaetano Finocchiaro, Francesca Farina, Marica Eoli, Alessia Capotondo, Elena Anghileri, Matteo Barcella, Maria Grazia Bruzzone, Matteo Giovanni Carrabba, Valeria Cuccarini, Giorgio D'Alessandris, Francesco Di Meco, Valeria Ferla, Paolo Ferroli, Filippo Gagliardi, Federico Legnani, Pietro Mortini, Matteo Maria Naldini, Alessandro Olivi, Roberto Pallini, Monica Patanè, Rosina Paterra, Bianca Pollo, Marco Saini, Silvia Snider, Valentina Brambilla, Stefania Mazzoleni, Andrew Zambanini, Carlo Russo, Luigi Naldini, Fabio Ciceri. Genetically modified Tie-2 expressing monocytes target IFN-α2 to the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment (TME): Preliminary data from the TEM-GBM Phase 1/2a study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5213.

Geometry and scale property of a gold-silver-bearing vein system associated with an oblique-slip fault zone at Gasado Island, Korea

Gasado Island, on the southwestern Korean Peninsula, comprises c. 50 Ma volcanic rocks that are cut by faults and fractures hosting low-sulfidation epithermal Au-Ag mineralization. In this study, we examined the relationship between the fault-fracture networks and auriferous vein systems to better understand the role of brittle structures in controlling hydrothermal fluid flow. Geometrical and fractal analyses were performed to express and quantitatively compare the vein geometries and thickness population. The results were as follows: (1) The geometrical analysis revealed a strong relationship between Au-Ag-bearing quartz veins and NE-SW-striking, oblique sinistral-normal faults, indicating that these structures are a key control on mineralization. (2) Box-counting fractal analysis applied to veins hosted by fault zone demonstrated that the D-values (fractal dimensions) are directly proportional to vein density – indicating that damage zones control vein density. (3) The linear traverse line analysis yielded cumulative frequency plots of vein thicknesses that showed obvious changes in the slope, which are reflected in the variable D-values. The cause of this slope variability is interpreted to be the presence of hybrid veins that fill secondary fault planes, which disturbs the original linear relationship shown by cumulative thickness distribution data. This study shows that vein density and physical properties are strongly controlled by the types, or existence, of fault damage zones. Understanding fault zone architecture may assist with the prediction of locations that concentrate mineralizing fluids and may benefit the initial stage of mineral exploration.

The effects of Cumulative Trauma and Cognitive Rigidity on the Severity of Depressive Disorder: Preliminary Results

IntroductionThe long-lasting effects of trauma on mental health and the cumulative effect during the lifetime is one of the great interest in research and applied psychology. However, the effect of cumulative trauma in combination with cognitive biases, such as cognitive rigidity (“all-or-nothing” thinking pattern), on the severity of depression has not been tested yet.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to analyse these variables, while considering for differential gender effects on a sample of patients with the diagnosis of depressive disorder.MethodsA total sample of 177 patients (137 women) were assessed using the Cumulative Trauma Scale. Cognitive rigidity was measured with the Repertory Grid Technique and severity of depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory.Resultsindicated that high levels of cognitive rigidity and high frequency of perceived negative cumulative trauma predicted depressive symptoms; while high frequency of perceived positive trauma did not predict depressive symptoms. Moreover, gender did not explain variability of depression, and its interaction with frequency of perceived trauma was not significant.ConclusionsOverall, traumatic cumulative trauma frequency and its negative appraisal are key to the understanding the severity of depression but also cognitive rigidity seemed to be a relevant factor to consider. Thus, these results highlight the need to focus on traumatic and cognitive aspects to increase the efficacy of psychological interventions in depression.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Electronic capture of cancer-related distress in a community oncology program.

1577 Background: Cancer related distress can be seen in as many as one in two patients. Many organizations such as the Commission on Cancer require distress screening. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer is a common tool used for screening. We studied feasibility of embedding the NCCN thermometer into oncology electronic health record (EHR) for routine patient care. We concurrently studied feasibility of using a mobile health tool for serial evaluation of cancer related distress. Methods: A flowsheet containing NCCN distress thermometer questions was created in Epic EHR (Epic Systems, Verona, WI). Oncology nurses used the flowsheet for routine patient assessment. Patients with distress level ≥ 4 answered additional questions. Ancillary care providers such as palliative care nurses or social workers addressed the identified needs by providing appropriate ‘services’. A field to capture these interventions was created. We also adapted our previously reported web based mobile tool [1] for monitoring cancer distress. Patients rated their distress on a 1-10 scale and highlighted the distress domain (physical, emotional, practical, family). Distress level ≥ 4 generated a color-coded flag for provider review and intervention. Data from both electronic tools was periodically analyzed to inform patient care and quality improvement. Results: Between January and December 2021, Epic EHR based distress flowsheet collected 28,594 distinct responses in 911 patients. 57.4%, 14.9%, 14.1%, 9.4% and 2.3% of the responses were in the physical, emotional, practical, familial and spiritual domains respectively. ‘Other’ responses were 1.4%. Cumulative frequency of non-physical problems was 42.5%. 1819 ‘services’ were provided with 357 emotional, 351 work, 351 housing, 350 transportation and 350 financial need-based interventions. Of 1231 patients who used the distress scale and provided additional comments, 315 (25.5%) had distress levels ≥ 4. The mobile tool captured 849 unique patient responses to the distress question between April 2020 and February 2022. Distress level ≥ 4 was flagged by 281 unique patients (33.09%). Average distress level was 2.7. Emotional domain problems generated the greatest distress level followed by family, physical and practical problems in decreasing order. Conclusions: We demonstrate feasibility of electronic capture of cancer related distress to facilitate holistic patient care in a community-based oncology program. EHR based and mobile tool distress evaluations generated concordant results. Distress caused by emotional, practical and familial domain problems was nearly as frequent and often more severe than distress caused by physical problems, underscoring the need for comprehensive cancer care.

A Hybrid Landslide Warning Model Coupling Susceptibility Zoning and Precipitation

Landslides are one of the most severe and common geological hazards in the world. The purpose of this research is to establish a coupled landslide warning model based on random forest susceptibility zoning and precipitation. The 1520 landslide events in Fengjie County, Chongqing, China, before 2016 are taken as research cases. We adapt the random forest model to build a landslide susceptibility model. The antecedent effective precipitation model, based on the fractal relationship, is used to calculate the antecedent effective precipitation in the 10 days before the landslide event. Based on different susceptibility zones, the effective precipitation corresponding to different cumulative frequencies is counted as the threshold, and the threshold is adjusted according to the fitted curve. Finally, according to the daily precipitation, the rain warning levels in susceptibility zones are further adjusted, and the final prewarning model of the susceptibility zoning and precipitation coupling is obtained. The results show that the random forest model has good prediction ability for landslide susceptibility zoning, and the precipitation warning model that couples landslide susceptibility, antecedent effective precipitation, and the daily precipitation threshold has high early warning ability. At the same time, it was found that the precipitation warning model coupled with antecedent effective precipitation and the daily precipitation threshold has more accurate precipitation warning ability than the precipitation warning model coupled with the antecedent effective precipitation only; the coupling of the two can complement each other to better characterize the occurrence of landslides triggered by rainfall. The proposed coupled landslide early warning model based on random forest susceptibility and rainfall inducing factors can provide scientific guidance for landslide early warning and prediction, and improve the manageability of landslide risk.

Research on the geochemical background values and evolution rules of lake sediments for heavy metals and nutrients in the Eastern China Plain from 1937 to 2017

For the first time, background quality guidelines have been developed for lake sediments along the Yangtze River. Evolution Rules of watershed environment in Eastern China were analyzed in 1937–2017. These methods of 137Cs and 210Pb radionuclide, 75% cumulative frequency, and background method were applied to calculate the sediment geochemical backgrounds (GB). The average GB values of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) are 45.14 mg/kg, 86.99 mg/kg, 0.29 mg/kg, 33.71 mg/kg, 110.90 mg/kg, 17.20 mg/g, 1.60 mg/g, and 665.78 mg/kg, respectively. The radionuclide methods indicated that the sediment rate of 34 cm corresponding to 1963 is 0.63 cm yr−1. The risk and accumulation of the sediment metals and nutrients in Yangtze Plain were uncontaminated levels before 1960, raised since 1980, and increased significantly in 2000. The Cd, TC, and TN in lake sediment were at low to moderate pollution, and few lakes are at high pollution. Sediment background values of the plain are different from soil background values in China and Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guidelines in Europe/America. Results of sediment quality guidelines provide an important guidance for pollution prevention, environmental management, and risk assessment, especially the formulation of environmental laws.

Joint probability distribution of air temperature and global solar radiation for outdoor design conditions based on copula approach

In the common method of compiling outdoor design conditions by annual cumulative frequency of occurrence, the probability of simultaneous occurrence of the selected meteorological elements is not considered, which may lead to an overestimation of air-conditioning equipment capacity design. This paper aims at developing a novel approach for producing the outdoor design conditions, taking into consideration the dependency between the air temperature and global solar radiation, which have a strong influence on the HVAC capacity design. These two meteorological elements are analyzed for specific simultaneous occurrence probability based on the joint distribution. For this purpose, the copula approach which can describe the dependence between these two meteorological elements is used for modeling the joint distribution function. We investigated copula family selection for air temperature and global solar radiation at each hour of hourly weather data for 10 years from 2001 to 2010 in Osaka, Japan. The Joe-Frank copula has the best fitting results for the dependence between the air temperature and global solar radiation. According to the comparison of original exceeding probability and simultaneous occurrence probability, the results show that the design conditions based on the common method can significantly exceed that of the simultaneous occurrence probability method. Practical Application: Outdoor design conditions are used in the building design stage to estimate building performance and select the appropriate air conditioning equipment capacity. Excessive air-conditioning capacity may lead to a large amount of unnecessary energy wastage. Insufficient capacity may lead to not meeting the desired indoor environment conditions of utilization in extreme weather conditions, especially for large office buildings. Therefore, this paper provides a new approach to generate more realistic meteorological conditions for air-conditioning design to improve building energy efficiency.

Weighted cumulative correspondence analysis based on a particular cumulative power divergence family

AbstractThe Pearson’s $$X^2$$ X 2 statistic and the likelihood ratio statistic $$G^2$$ G 2 are most frequently used for testing independence or homogeneity, in two-way contingency table. These indexes are members of a continuous family of Power Divergence (PD) statistics, but they perform badly in studying the association between ordinal categorical variables. Taguchi’s and Nair’s statistics have been introduced in the literature as simple alternatives to Pearson’s index for contingency tables with ordered categorical variables. It’s possible to show, using a parameter, how to link Taguchi’s and Nair’s statistics obtaining a new class called Weighted Cumulative Chi-Squared (WCCS-type tests). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to introduce a new divergence family based on cumulative frequencies called Weighted Cumulative Power Divergence. Moreover, an extension of Cumulative Correspondence Analysis based on WCCS and further properties are shown.

Sedimentologic and Petrographic Study of Outcrops of Ajali Sandstone in Okigwe, Uturu and Isiukwuato, Anambra Basin Southeastern Nigeria

The Ajali Formation outcrops at Okigwe, Ihube, Onyekaba mine, Uturu and Isiukwuato in the Anambra Basin southeastern Nigeria were evaluated for an integrated field, sedimentologic and petrograpic methods. The study was aimed at presenting a better understanding of the depositional processes and provenance. Five lithofacies were altogether described namely: planar Cross bedded sandstone facies A, Massive sandstone facies B, Ferruginized sandstone facies C, herringbone cross bedded sandstone facies D, and Bioturbated sandstone facies E. The facies were deposited in a fluvially influenced shallow marine environment. The overall grain size interpretation shows that sediments from the study area are fine to coarse grained with values ranging from 0.2 to 2.0Φ, poorly sorted to very well sorted with range value of 0.28 to 1.2Φ, nearly symmetrical to strongly fine skewed with values of -0.04 to 0.59Φ and platykurtic to very leptokurtic with values of 0.79 to 2.46Φ. An inspection of the cumulative frequency curves of the studied samples shows that the sediment population is dominated by saltation population. Texturally, the sandstone sediments are sub-mature containing grains that are moderately to poorly sorted and not well rounded. The Mineral Maturity Index of the sandstone in the study area ranges from 24-49 which falls within the mature to super mature class. The high quartz content and insignificant amount of feldspar and rock fragments further support this assertion. The study suggest the sandstones must have been subjected to substantial high degree of reworking that resulted in the removal of the ferromagnesian minerals and feldspar typical of recycled sediments.

A network approach to relationships between cannabis use characteristics and psychopathology in the general population

Cannabis use characteristics, such as earlier initiation and frequent use, have been associated with an increased risk for developing psychotic experiences and psychotic disorders. However, little is known how these characteristics relate to specific aspects of sub-clinical psychopathology in the general population. Here, we explore the relationships between cannabis use characteristics and psychopathology in a large general population sample (N = 2,544, mean age 29.2 years, 47% women) by employing a network approach. This allows for the identification of unique associations between two cannabis use characteristics (lifetime cumulative frequency of cannabis use, age of cannabis use initiation), and specific psychotic experiences and affective symptoms, while controlling for early risk factors (childhood trauma, urban upbringing). We found particularly pronounced unique positive associations between frequency of cannabis use and specific delusional experiences (persecutory delusions and thought broadcasting). Age of cannabis use initiation was negatively related to visual hallucinatory experiences and irritability, implying that these experiences become more likely the earlier use is initiated. Earlier initiation, but not lifetime frequency of cannabis use, was related to early risk factors. These findings suggest that cannabis use characteristics may contribute differentially to risk for specific psychotic experiences and affective symptoms in the general population.