Trends In Frequency Research Articles

The turning of ecological change in the Yellow River Basin

AbstractThe Yellow River Basin (YRB) as a source of the oldest world cultures, flows through vast arid and semi‐arid regions of China. Its fragile vegetation is suffering the obvious effect from regional climate change, and easily turns from a critical state into qualitatively different modes of change, which implies significant impacts on humans and ecosystems. Our results show that in the period of 1982–2015, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) appeared significantly discontinuous changes by stagnant warming and strengthening wetting, especially in the central YRB (104.5°–111° E, 35.5°–38° N). The NDVI in this region shifted from slowly increasing (5.42 × 10−4 a−1) to rapidly increasing (5.13 × 10−3 a−1) around 2003, called the turning point (TP). Such shift change is mainly a result of increased moderate rain, with frequency trend changed from 0.083 times·a−1 to 0.324 times·a−1. Meanwhile, these changes on vegetation led to a reversal of the gross primary productivity (GPP) from decreasing to increasing. Such results indicated the vulnerable ecosystem of the central YRB has played a positive contribution to the carbon balance, and more sustainable management of vegetation is required for the ecological development and engaging adaptive strategy.

Statistical significance and publication reporting bias in abstracts of reproductive medicine studies.

What were the frequency and temporal trends of reporting P-values and effect measures in the abstracts of reproductive medicine studies in 1990-2022, how were reported P-values distributed, and what proportion of articles that present with statistical inference reported statistically significant results, i.e. 'positive' results? Around one in six abstracts reported P-values alone without effect measures, while the prevalence of effect measures, whether reported alone or accompanied by P-values, has been increasing, especially in meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials (RCTs); the reported P-values were frequently observed around certain cut-off values, notably at 0.001, 0.01, or 0.05, and among abstracts present with statistical inference (i.e. P-value, CIs, or significant terms), a large majority (77%) reported at least one statistically significant finding. Publishing or reporting only results that show a 'positive' finding causes bias in evaluating interventions and risk factors and may incur adverse health outcomes for patients. We studied abstracts of reproductive medicine studies from 1990 to 2022. The reproductive medicine studies were published in 23 first-quartile journals under the category of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology in Journal Citation Reports and 5 high-impact general medical journals (The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, The BMJ, The New England Journal of Medicine, and PLoS Medicine). Articles without abstracts, animal studies, and non-research articles, such as case reports or guidelines, were excluded. Automated text-mining was used to extract three types of statistical significance reporting, including P-values, CIs, and text description. Meanwhile, abstracts were text-mined for the presence of effect size metrics and Bayes factors. Five hundred abstracts were randomly selected and manually checked for the accuracy of automatic text extraction. The extracted statistical significance information was then analysed for temporal trends and distribution in general as well as in subgroups of study designs and journals. A total of 24907 eligible reproductive medicine articles were identified from 170739 screened articles published in 28 journals. The proportion of abstracts not reporting any statistical significance inference halved from 81% (95% CI, 76-84%) in 1990 to 40% (95% CI, 38-44%) in 2021, while reporting P-values alone remained relatively stable, at 15% (95% CI, 12-18%) in 1990 and 19% (95% CI, 16-22%) in 2021. By contrast, the proportion of abstracts reporting effect measures alone increased considerably from 4.1% (95% CI, 2.6-6.3%) in 1990 to 26% (95% CI, 23-29%) in 2021. Similarly, the proportion of abstracts reporting effect measures together with P-values showed substantial growth from 0.8% (95% CI, 0.3-2.2%) to 14% (95% CI, 12-17%) during the same timeframe. Of 30182 statistical significance inferences, 56% (n = 17077) conveyed statistical inferences via P-values alone, 30% (n = 8945) via text description alone such as significant or non-significant, 9.3% (n = 2820) via CIs alone, and 4.7% (n = 1340) via both CI and P-values. The reported P-values (n = 18417), including both a continuum of P-values and dichotomized P-values, were frequently observed around common cut-off values such as 0.001 (20%), 0.05 (16%), and 0.01 (10%). Of the 13200 reproductive medicine abstracts containing at least one statistical inference, 77% of abstracts made at least one statistically significant statement. Among articles that reported statistical inference, a decline in the proportion of making at least one statistically significant inference was only seen in RCTs, dropping from 71% (95% CI, 48-88%) in 1990 to 59% (95% CI, 42-73%) in 2021, whereas the proportion in the rest of study types remained almost constant over the years. Of abstracts that reported P-value, 87% (95% CI, 86-88%) reported at least one statistically significant P-value; it was 92% (95% CI, 82-97%) in 1990 and reached its peak at 97% (95% CI, 93-99%) in 2001 before declining to 81% (95% CI, 76-85%) in 2021. First, our analysis focused solely on reporting patterns in abstracts but not full-text papers; however, in principle, abstracts should include condensed impartial information and avoid selective reporting. Second, while we attempted to identify all types of statistical significance reporting, our text mining was not flawless. However, the manual assessment showed that inaccuracies were not frequent. There is a welcome trend that effect measures are increasingly reported in the abstracts of reproductive medicine studies, specifically in RCTs and meta-analyses. Publication reporting bias remains a major concern. Inflated estimates of interventions and risk factors could harm decisions built upon biased evidence, including clinical recommendations and planning of future research. No funding was received for this study. B.W.M. is supported by an NHMRC Investigator grant (GNT1176437); B.W.M. reports research grants and travel support from Merck and consultancy from Merch and ObsEva. W.L. is supported by an NHMRC Investigator Grant (GNT2016729). Q.F. reports receiving a PhD scholarship from Merck. The other author has no conflict of interest to declare. N/A.

Role of alkaline-earth metal in catalysed imine hydrogenations

Alkaline-earth metal (Ae) catalysts have been recently developed for challenging imine and alkene hydrogenation at moderate reaction conditions, providing a sustainable alternative to transition metal catalysis. The understanding of catalytic hydrogenations mediated by group 2 metals is underdeveloped and mechanistic studies are scarce from experimental and computational sides. Herein, we examine the role of the metal on the catalytic hydrogenation of imines by Ae[N(SiMe3)2]2 (Ae = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) using state-of-the-art computational techniques. Trends in energy barriers and turnover frequencies agree remarkably well with the experimentally observed increase in catalytic activity upon descending group 2 (Mg ≪ Ca < Sr < Ba). Structural and chemical bonding differences in the key intermediates were found to be the main driving force behind the enhanced reactivity of heavier Ae catalysts. More specifically, the N-Ae-H^ bond angle is drastically reduced in the Ca, Sr, and Ba catalytic species driven by the participation of the d-orbitals in the chemical bonding. The activation strain model reveals that these catalytic reactions are strain controlled and the higher activation barriers for the Mg catalyst originates from unfavourable bond angles in the Mg hydride species featuring linear structures and a more covalent metal-hydride bond. Further decomposition of the interaction energy reveals that stronger repulsive interactions destabilize the Mg species, indicating that the steric congestion due to the small Mg centre impedes reaction kinetics. Overall, the different aspects to be considered in the Ae catalyst design for imine hydrogenations are the strength and flexibility of the Ae-H bond, the bond ionicity, the N-Ae-H^ angle and the strength of the noncovalent interactions in the TOF-determining intermediate.

Time-dependent clearance can confound exposure-response analysis of therapeutic antibodies: Acomprehensive review of the current literature.

Exposure-response (ER) analysis is used to optimize dose and dose regimens during clinical development. Characterization of relationships between drug exposure and efficacy or safety outcomes can be utilized to make dose adjustments that improve patient response. Therapeutic antibodies typically show predictable pharmacokinetics (PK) but can exhibit clearance that decreases over time due to treatment. Moreover, time-dependent changes in clearance are frequently associated with drug response, with larger decreases in clearance and increased exposure seen in patients who respond to treatment. This often confounds traditional ER analysis, as drug response influences exposure rather than the reverse. In this review, we survey published population PK analyses for reported time-dependent drug clearance effects across 158 therapeutic antibodies approved or in regulatory review. We describe the mechanisms by which time-dependent clearance can arise, and evaluate trends in frequency, magnitude, and time scale of changes in clearance with respect to indication, mechanistic interpretation of time-dependence, and PK modeling techniques employed. We discuss the modeling and simulation strategies commonly used to characterize time-dependent clearance, and examples where time-dependent clearance has impeded ER analysis. A case study using population model simulation was explored to interrogate the impact of time-dependent clearance on ER analysis and how it can lead to spurious conclusions. Overall, time-dependent clearance arises frequently among therapeutic antibodies and has spurred erroneous conclusions in ER analysis. Appropriate PK modeling techniques aid in identifying and characterizing temporal shifts in exposure that may impede accurate ER assessment and successful dose optimization.

NCOG-09. EXAMINING THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING IN ADULT GLIOBLASTOMA – A SINGLE CENTER RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract BACKGROUND Over the last 2 decades, the use of molecular targeted therapy has revolutionized the cancer treatment landscape and transformed the outcomes and disease prognoses of several cancer entities. The success of targeted therapy is closely tied to the advent of commercially available next generation sequencing (NGS) which has expanded our understanding and knowledge of the genetic drivers and mutations present in a variety of tumors. Unfortunately, in glioblastoma (GBM), the overall effectiveness of targeted therapies remains limited.1 Nonetheless, NGS for GBM patients has been integrated into the standard practice of many neuro-oncologists and is encouraged by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines. The purpose of this retrospective chart review is to evaluate how NGS is incorporated into the management of glioblastoma at a single center academic institution. METHODS We identified 85 patients with pathologically confirmed GBM who had NGS done from January 2014-March 2021. The clinical records of all patients were reviewed to denote the frequency of clinical trial enrollment or off-label use of targeted therapy based on the results of NGS. We also denoted the time point in the disease course when NGS was ordered and the trend of frequency of ordering NGS from January 2014-December 2020. RESULTS 28.2% (95% CI 19 to 39.1%) of patients received treatment based on the results of NGS. 8% were enrolled in a clinical trial and 20% were treated with off-label use of targeted therapy at the time of disease progression. There was no statistically significant survival difference seen between patients who had treatment done based on results of NGS compared to those who did not. CONCLUSION NGS results are used to guide treatment or clinical trial enrollment in a significant number of glioblastoma patients, however, the clinical efficacy of this treatment is yet to be determined.

Targeting safety: Exploring trends and risk factors in pediatric head and neck BB gun injuries and hospitalization

ObjectiveTo examine head and neck injuries caused by BB (Ball Bearing) guns treated in US emergency departments among children under 18 to identify trends in injury frequency over time and risk factors associated with severe injuries leading to hospital admission. MethodsThis retrospective study utilized data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a single database, to analyze head and neck injuries caused by BB guns between 1993 and 2019. The analysis explored demographic characteristics and injury patterns, including sex, age, incidence, injury location, hospital type, and disposition. Linear regression was employed to assess trends in the yearly frequency of injuries, while univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios associated with hospitalization. ResultsA total of 4041 cases of pediatric head and neck injuries caused by BB guns and treated in US emergency departments were identified. Most patients were male (84 %), with the highest proportion of injuries occurring in the 10–14 age group (49.7 %). The face (35.8 %) and eye (27.4 %) were the most affected injury sites, and 7.5 % of patients required hospital admission. No significant linear trend was observed in injury frequency over the study period. However, children aged four and under had higher odds of hospitalization (OR 2.77, 95 % CI 1.61–4.75) despite a lower incidence of injuries. Injuries to the eye (OR 12.37, 95 % CI 8.31–18.43) and neck (OR 7.58, 95 % CI 4.76–12.06) were strong predictors of hospital admission. ConclusionPediatric BB gun-related head and neck injuries remain a source of emergency room visits nationally. Younger children are at increased risk of admission to the hospital. Eye and neck injuries were the strongest predictors of hospital admission. Implementing safety precautions for younger children is crucial, as injuries might be more severe in this age group.

Deep learning framework for acoustic eigenvalue analysis of a double cavity with a perforated partition

A deep-learning-based acoustic eigenvalue analysis method is proposed for predicting the acoustic natural modes and natural frequencies of a double cavity such as a passenger compartment cavity connected to a trunk cavity. A double cavity comprises a main cavity, auxiliary cavity, and perforated partition between them. The hole distribution in the perforated partition strongly affects the acoustic characteristics of the double cavity. For a given hole distribution, a single deep learning model was developed for predicting the acoustic natural modes and natural frequencies of a double cavity simultaneously. The deep learning model was developed based on convolutional and transposed convolutional neural layers. The model was trained, validated, and tested using a suitable dataset for a two-dimensional double cavity and then extended to a three-dimensional simplified passenger compartment cavity connected to a trunk cavity. The validity of the extended model was verified for simplified acoustic cavities of commercial sedans. The latent variables of the model exhibited a changing trend of the natural frequencies depending on the hole distribution. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping was used to visualize important locations that significantly affect the output of the proposed model.

Japanese nationwide questionnaire survey on delayed cerebral infarction due to vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Various prophylactic drugs for cerebral vasospasm and delayed cerebral infarction (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been used in Japan. To investigate the treatment trends for cerebral vasospasm and frequency of DCI after SAH throughout Japan in 2021. In 2021 we conducted an anonymous questionnaire survey on management for preventing cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal SAH, and the frequency of DCI. The questionnaire was emailed to 955 certified neurosurgeons at 553 hospitals in Japan. Of them, 162 hospitals (29% response rate) responded to the questionnaire. Of these, 158 were included in this study, while four hospitals that responded insufficiently were excluded. The efficacy of treatments for reducing DCI were examined through a logistic regression analysis. Among 3,093 patients treated with aneurysmal SAH, 281 patients (9.1%) were diagnosed with DCI related to cerebral vasospasm. Coil embolization had significantly lower DCI frequency (6.9%), compared to microsurgical clipping (11.8%, odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidential intervals, 0.84-0.96; P, 0.007). In addition, cilostazol administration was associated with significantly lower DCI frequency (0.48; 0.27-0.82; 0.026). The efficacy of cilostazol in reducing DCI remained unchanged after adjustment for covariates. The most effective combination of multiple prophylactic drugs in reducing DCI related to cerebral vasospasm was cilostazol, fasudil, and statin (0.38; 0.22-0.67; 0.005). This study elucidated the trends in prophylactic drugs to prevent cerebral vasospasm and frequency of DCI after aneurysmal SAH in Japan. Coil embolization and cilostazol administration showed effectiveness in reducing DCI related to cerebral vasospasm in 2021.

National usage of bariatric surgery for class I obesity: an analysis of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

National and international consensus statements, as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), support the use of bariatric surgery for the treatment of class I obesity. Despite this, most payors within the United States limit reimbursement to the outdated 1991 NIH guidelines or a similar adaptation. This study aimed to determine the safety of bariatric surgery in patients with lower BMI compared with standard patients, as well as determine U.S. utilization of bariatric surgery in class I obesity in 2015-2019. A retrospective analysis was performed of the 2015-2019 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients were divided into body mass index cohorts: class I obesity (<35 kg/m2) and severe obesity (≥35 kg/m2). Differences in preoperative patient selection and postoperative outcomes were established, and frequency trends were delineated. Analysis included 760,192 surgeries with 8129 (1%) for patients with class I obesity. The patients with class I obesity were older, more commonly female, and with lower American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, but with higher rates of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (P < .05). Variation was found for operative time, length of stay, 30-day readmission, and composite morbidity. Minimal annual variation was found for bariatric surgeries performed for patients with class I obesity. The short-term safety of bariatric surgery in patients with class I obesity was corroborated by this study. Despite consensus statements and robust support, rates of bariatric surgery in patients with class I obesity have failed to increase and remain limited to 1%. This demonstrates the impact of the outdated 1991 NIH guidelines regarding access to care for these potentially life-saving surgeries.

Simple, near-universal relationships between bond lengths, strengths, and anharmonicities

Harmonic bond force constants and bond lengths are shown to generally obey the simple relationships, ke=ζ2Re−3 (hydrides) and ke=10ζ1/2Re−4 (all other bond types), where ζ is the reduced nuclear charge and Re is the equilibrium bond length. Equally simple power-law relationships are found for higher-order bond force constants. Although not spectroscopically accurate, these models are nonetheless of significant heuristic value for identifying strongly multireference states of diatomic molecules (including electronically coupled excited states ill-suited for inclusion in laser-cooling schemes), rationalizing the observed trends in vibrational frequencies for diatomics and/or local mode oscillators within molecules or complexes and estimating and/or validating covalent bonding parameters within molecular mechanics force fields. Particular advantages of our approach over other bond length-strength scaling relationships proposed in the literature include its simplicity and generality and its appropriate asymptotic behavior. Notably, the relationships derived in this work can be used to predict harmonic and higher-order force constant bonds between any pair of atoms in the Periodic Table (including transition metals and lanthanides) without requiring row- or column-dependent parameterization, to accuracies commensurate with conventional force field transferability errors. We therefore anticipate that they will expedite force field development for metal-containing complexes and materials, which are structurally well-characterized but challenging to parameterize ab initio.

Historical trends demonstrate a pattern of increasingly frequent and severe spillover events of high-consequence zoonotic viruses

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused attention on patterns of infectious disease spillover. Climate and land-use changes are predicted to increase the frequency of zoonotic spillover events, which have been the...

Variation of hydro-climatic extremes in headwater regions of Hei River basin under climate change

Study regionHeadwater regions of Hei River basin, located in the northeast of Tibetan Plateau. Study focusHydro-climatic extremes analysis for historical (1971–2015) and future (2024–2100) period. New hydrological insights for the regionRemarkable climate change has been observed in high mountain areas, which may result in more frequent hydro-climatic extremes. Investigating hydro-climatic extremes variations is important for mitigating hydro-climatic disasters and implementing water resource management. Warm extremes present an increasing trend in frequency and magnitude for historical and future period, while the cold extremes show a decreasing trend in the study area. Meanwhile, frequency and amount of precipitation extremes present an increasing trend for historical and future period. As a result, the intensity of meteorological and hydrological droughts show decreasing trends while floods present an increasing trend, indicating a certain drought relief in the study area. But future occurrence of extreme droughts or floods will increase. Moreover, floods for different return periods will rise with different change rate under different scenarios (SSP 1–2.6, SSP 2–4.5, SSP 3–7.0 and SSP 5–8.5). Therefore, extreme floods or droughts risks should not be underestimated and need be addressed accordingly. The findings highlight the importance of adaptive strategies to cope with more frequent hydro-climatic extremes under climate change.

Clustering and assessment of precipitation climates using satellite precipitation products and improved machine learning precipitation models

AbstractA deep understanding of the different features of various rainfall regimes is essential for water resources management and meteorological studies. Due to the extensive spatial coverage, satellite precipitation products have afforded researchers an excellent opportunity to investigate various precipitation climates. This study employs cutting‐edge satellite precipitation data and improved modelling techniques to innovatively investigate Iran's diverse precipitation climates. By harnessing the power of machine learning (ML), precipitation models were developed that significantly improved the accuracy of satellite‐based precipitation estimates. The complexities of Iran's precipitation climates were investigated by combining satellite data and ML models with the K‐means++ algorithm. Furthermore, the Mann–Kendall test was employed to scrutinize potential trends in precipitation frequency across varying months and climates to enrich the current body of knowledge further. In addition, a range of probability distribution functions was fitted to the ML precipitation estimates, evaluating the outcomes with the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The results show that both artificial neural network (ANN) and random forest (RF) models improved satellite product correlation results, increasing them from 0.84 to an outstanding 0.93. Moreover, the Mann–Kendall test reveals a positive trend in the frequency of precipitation associated with convective rainfalls during May, as indicated by satellite data, ML models and synoptic precipitation observations. Ultimately, this research holds significant value for water resource management and the ongoing pursuit of refining satellite rainfall products in the context of diverse rainfall regimes.

Establishing SMMS approach to accurately mine the characteristics of regional precipitation trends

Under the joint influence of climate change and human activities, the temporal and spatial variability and trend of precipitation have changed. The trend of precipitation investigated using traditional methods is quite different, which may be opposite of that at adjacent stations. This contradiction may lead to erroneous decision making in regional water resources planning and management, and may cause safety hazard. In order to evaluate the variation in temporal and spatial characteristics of regional precipitation and avoid different trends of regional precipitation time series, this study developed System clustering - Maximum entropy - Multi window sliding trend - Same frequency trend (SMMS) approach, which leads to the method for analyzing regional precipitation changes, trends, and laws. The local microclimate zones (LMZs) are redefined, so that the general law of precipitation variation will not be significantly different from the actual situation and the SMMS method is more accurate and comprehensive in identifying regional precipitation trends compared to traditional methods. Making use of the SMMS approach, the trend analysis of regional representative stations method can not only reasonably divide the study area and reduce computational complexity, but also analyze it according to the typical representative station with the maximum regional information. Furthermore, the impact caused by the length of data can be avoided, and the trend of precipitation intensity can be identified. It is necessary to fully understand the new characteristics of temporal and spatial changes of precipitation and make early preparations to mitigate the potential impact of climate or weather disasters.

An efficient hybrid collocation scheme for vibro-acoustic analysis of the underwater functionally graded structures in the shallow ocean

In this paper, a novel hybrid collocation scheme based on the generalized finite difference method (GFDM) and the Burton–Miller singular boundary method (BMSBM) is developed to study the vibration and acoustic radiation characteristics of an underwater functionally graded (FG) structure immersed in the shallow ocean. By utilizing the individual strengths of both methods, the GFDM is adopted for the vibration analysis of the FG structures, while the BMSBM is applied for the acoustic wave radiation analysis. Numerical examples verify the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed hybrid collocation scheme for the natural frequency and acoustic radiation behavior of the underwater structures consisting of the functionally graded materials (FGMs). The influences of the material parameters, structural geometries and shallow ocean environment on the natural frequencies of the structural vibration and the underwater acoustic wave radiation field are investigated in detail. Numerical study shows that the variation trend of the natural frequencies of the structural vibration is consistent with that of the resonance peak frequencies of the underwater acoustic radiation field. The present results may provide valuable references for the design and application of underwater marine structures consisting of the FGMs.

Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations of Fumane Cave (Italy): a geoarchaeological investigation of the anthropogenic features.

Here we present the results of a microcontextual analysis of purported combustion features recovered from Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations at the cave site of Fumane, Italy. Our analyses, which integrate micromorphology with organic petrology, show that only a few of the features represent primary, intact hearths; some of them show evidence for various phases of anthropogenic reworking, either through trampling or sweeping and dumping. Several of the features are multi-layered and reflect a complex formation history of various activities related to combustion and site maintenance. Many appear to be the remnants of occupation horizons only partially preserved and peripherally related to combustion. Within several of the intact hearths from the Mousterian, we were able to identify variable fuel sources in different features, implying a degree of flexibility in the fuel-selection strategies of the Neanderthal occupants of Fumane. In this study we design a classification system of the anthropogenic features and also conduct a spatial analysis, through which we can infer diachronic patterns in the frequency and intensity of site occupation and the spatial distribution of activities. We note a decrease in frequency of combustion features throughout the Mousterian which continues into the Uluzzian. The features associated with the Protoaurignacian occupation, in contrast with those from the Mousterian, are multi-layered and well-defined. We argue that these trends, which correspond with other trends in artefact frequency, imply changes in the settlement dynamics of the site during the transition from the last Neanderthal occupation of the cave to the arrival of modern humans.

Appraisal of long-term responsiveness of normalized difference vegetation index to climatic factors using multiscale time–frequency decomposition in an arid environment

An arid climate is a unique condition that has a significant impact on the growth of crops and natural vegetation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a crucial remotely sensed measurement of greenness due to its strong correlation with crop and vegetation growth and productivity. In the present study, the spatiotemporal dynamics of NDVI were analyzed from 2000 to 2021 in the segment of the arid western plain zone of Rajasthan, India. NDVI time-series data, as well as data related to climatic factors, viz., precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and 2-m air temperature, were collected from Giovanni, the Goddard Earth Science dataset. The Mann–Kendall (MK) trend test and Sen’s slope depicted the long-term continuous time–frequency trend, while Karl Pearson’s correlation analysis depicted the significant relationship between all the factors except 2-m air temperature. The seasonal and mean monthly results of all the factors except 2-m air temperature showed considerable coherence with NDVI. The multiscale time–frequency decomposition or wavelet analysis depicted the fifth to the seventh month and the ninth to the 15th month of the cycle, showing the significance of the cropping pattern and the natural vegetation growth cycle. The cross-wavelet analysis further depicted important coherence, leading, and lagging phases among climatic factors and NDVI. Our research provided significant insights into the long-term variability and coherence of various climatic factors with NDVI that are applicable on regional and global scales.

Are the magnitude and frequency of floods increasing in Iran due to climate change? Implications from a 50-year analysis

ABSTRACT The correlation between extreme precipitation and flood magnitude is still poorly understood because of the complex mechanisms controlling flood generation. In this study, we used 50 years of precipitation and streamflow data across Iran to analyse the spatial distribution, slope, and significance of long-term trends in extreme precipitation compared to the spatial distribution of long-term trends for flood magnitude and frequency. Despite the decreasing trend of extreme precipitation in 60% of Iran’s sub-basins, the flood magnitude showed an increasing trend. In particular, the number of flooding days with a return period of 25~50 years and >50 years in 2010s has increased by 1.3 and 2.2 times, respectively, compared to that in 2000s. We attributed the above contrasting relationship between extreme precipitation and flood magnitude to the influence of an increase in short-duration extreme precipitations, extensive land use and land cover change, and reduced soil infiltration due to long-term droughts.

Majority of new patient referrals to a large pediatric rheumatology center result in non-rheumatic diagnosis

ObjectivePediatric rheumatology faces a looming supply-demand crisis. While strategies have been proposed to address the supply shortfall, investigation into the increased demand for pediatric rheumatic care has been limited. Herein, we analyze new patient visits to a large tertiary care pediatric rheumatology center to identify emerging trends in referrals and areas for potential intervention to meet this increased demand.MethodsAll patients referred to and seen by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Pediatric Rheumatology Division between January 2019 and December 2021 for a new patient evaluation were identified. Patient data was retrospectively abstracted, de-identified, and analyzed to develop trends in referrals and frequency of rheumatic disease, non-rheumatic disease, and specific diagnoses.ResultsDuring the study period, 2638 patients were referred to and seen in by the pediatric rheumatology division. Six hundred and ten patients (23.1%) were diagnosed with rheumatic disease. The most common rheumatic disease was juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at 45.6%, followed by primary Raynaud phenomenon (7.4%), recurrent fever syndromes (6.9%), vasculitides (6.7%), and inflammatory eye disease (6.2%). Of the 2028 patients (76.9%) diagnosed with a non-rheumatic condition, benign musculoskeletal pain was the most common (61.8%), followed by a combination of somatic conditions (11.6%), and non-inflammatory rash (7.7%).ConclusionIn this analysis of new patient referrals to a large pediatric rheumatology center, the majority of patients were diagnosed with a non-rheumatic condition. As a worsening supply-demand gap threatens the field of pediatric rheumatology, increased emphasis should be placed on reducing non-rheumatic disease referrals.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia in Patients with Enucleation or Evisceration: Pathology Laboratory and IRIS® Registry Experience

Introduction: Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a rare bilateral granulomatous panuveitis that can follow surgical or nonsurgical ocular trauma in one eye. Because its diagnosis requires clinical-pathologic correlation, the true incidence of SO is unknown, and there is a need to understand the recent trends in risk factors and frequency of this condition. Methods: Pathology records of all enucleated or eviscerated (ENEV) eyes at three pathology laboratories were reviewed. Data collected included patient demographics, procedure indication, pathology diagnosis, and clinical history of trauma and uveitis. IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) was searched for all patients with SO, acquired absence of eye (AAE), and/or ENEV. Data obtained included patient demographics, ocular procedures, and preoperative diagnoses within 30 days of AAE/ENEV. Results: In the pathology laboratory setting, the incidence of SO over a 36-year period in patients who underwent ENEV was 0.2% (20/9,092); the 5-year incidence ranged from 0.0 to 0.3%. Among the 20 eyes with SO, the inciting event was surgical trauma in 50% (10/20), nonsurgical trauma in 45% (9/20), and missing/undetermined in 5% (1/20). SO was suspected preoperatively in 7/20 (35%) patients. Clinical concern for SO and ruptured globe were indications for ENEV in 50/9,092 (0.5%) and 872/9,092 (10%) patients, respectively. In the IRIS Registry, 0.7% (199/27,830) of patients with AAE/ENEV had diagnosis of SO. The frequency of SO between 2015 and 2020 was 0.01% (7,371/62,318,249); of these 7,371 cases, 199 (3%) had AAE/ENEV. In 25,975 patients with available data, injury and SO were listed as diagnoses less than 30 days prior to AAE/ENEV in 909 (4%) and 63 (0.2%) cases, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of SO in recent decades has been low. Most cases of SO are not managed with eye removal. In histopathology-confirmed SO, surgical trauma is as frequent as nonsurgical trauma as an inciting etiology of disease.