Insignificant Trend Research Articles

Perennial rhizomatous grasses: Can they really increase species richness and abundance in arable land?—A meta‐analysis

AbstractPerennial rhizomatous grasses (PRG), such as miscanthus and switchgrass, are considered promising lignocellulosic feedstocks. Their cultivation is expected to experience a significant increase in the near future, as it offers a wide range of benefits. For instance, when PRG replace typical annual crops, positive biodiversity impacts are usually anticipated. However, to date, there is no solid, statistically strong evidence for this hypothesis. This study aims to evaluate its validity through a meta‐analysis based on an extensive systematic literature review of research comparing biodiversity attributes in PRG and common annual crops. Dynamics of species richness and abundance in response to PRG cultivation were quantitatively evaluated drawing on 220 paired comparisons from 25 studies. This includes data on five taxonomic groups—arthropods, birds, earthworms, mammals and plants—and three PRG—miscanthus, switchgrass and reed canary grass. The results indicate that biodiversity tends to be higher in PRG cultivations relative to the reference crops, but the initial hypothesis of significantly beneficial impacts could not be confirmed. Trends were specific to the individual taxonomic groups: significantly higher biodiversity was found for plants and small mammals. Positive but insignificant trends were observed for arthropods and birds, while earthworm response was neutral and insignificant. More substantial conclusions could not be drawn, which is mainly due to the low number of studies conducting biodiversity assessments in PRG cultivations that included a comparison with annual crops. In addition, a detailed analysis of the observed responses was impaired by poor reporting of the parameters influencing biodiversity in the studies reviewed, such as planting and crop density, as well as yields. For this reason, we conclude with a call for improved data reporting in biodiversity assessments of PRG cultivations and detail requirements for future biodiversity research.

Continent‐wide gradients in open‐habitat insectivorous bird declines track spatial patterns in agricultural intensity across Europe

AbstractAimTo investigate spatial gradients in population trends of European birds in relation to their association with farmland, dietary dependence on insects, and the intensity of agricultural practices.LocationEurope.Time period2001–2012.Major taxa studiedBirds.MethodsWe collected population trends for 197 species in 32 European countries. For the same time period, we used agricultural variables (annual yields of five major crops and the per‐hectare application of pesticides and fertilizers) to express the agricultural intensity level (mean values of variables over the years) and intensification rate (slopes of agricultural variables over the years) in each country. We employed spatial generalized additive mixed models accounting for the effects of 11 species' traits and phylogeny to test for spatial gradients in bird population trends in relation to species' associations with farmland and their diet dependence on insects and the interaction of these traits with agricultural intensity levels and intensification rates.ResultsOpen‐habitat insectivores showed the strongest spatial gradient in population trends, from insignificant trends in south‐eastern Europe to steep declines in north‐western Europe. Insectivorous species breeding in semi‐open habitats showed very similar but weaker spatial gradient in trends. More negative bird trends were related to higher mean crop yields and fertilizer amounts across countries, whereas the temporal trends in yields and fertilizer amounts, and the mean and temporal trend in the amount of pesticides, were unrelated to bird declines or showed the opposite patterns.Main conclusionsOur results indicate that high agricultural intensity levels are stronger drivers of spatial gradients in population declines of insectivorous farmland birds than intensification rates. Therefore, approaches to the conservation of farmland birds may differ regionally: introducing more management for birds and insects into highly intensive agriculture in north‐western Europe and preventing further intensification in south‐eastern Europe.

Drought-Modulated Boreal Forest Fire Occurrence and Linkage with La Nina Events in Altai Mountains, Northwest China

Warming-induced drought stress and El Nino-associated summer precipitation failure are responsible for increased forest fire intensities of tropical and temperate forests in Asia and Australia. However, both effects are unclear for boreal forests, the largest biome and carbon stock over land. Here, we combined fire frequency, burned area, and climate data in the Altai boreal forests, the southmost extension of Siberia’s boreal forest into China, and explored their link with El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Surprisingly, both summer drought severity and fire occurrence showed significant (p < 0.05) correlation with La Nina events of the previous year and therefore provide an important reference for forest fire prediction and prevention in Altai. Despite a significant warming trend, the increased moisture over Altai has largely offset the effect of warming-induced drought stress and led to an insignificant fire frequency trend in the last decades, resulting in largely reduced burned area since the 1980s. The reduced burned area can also be attributed to fire suppression efforts and greatly increased investment in fire prevention since 1987.

Annual and Seasonal Rainfall Variability for the Kenyan Highlands from 1900-2012

The study investigated the rainfall variability for Nairobi, Nyeri, Thika, Meru, and Embu which are agriculturally potential zones located in the Kenya Highlands region. The rainfall data were retrieved from the archival documentaries and instrumental rainfall records for 112 years. Using the non-parametric Mann Kendal land regression analysis tests, the coefficient of variance and long-term trend analysis, revealed an insignificant trend in the annual rainfall for all areas under investigation. The study found out a significant deterioration in the long rains (MAM), while the short rains (OND) trend continued significantly increasing over most of the highlands, particularly in Embu and Nairobi since the 1970s. A significant decrease in the long rains was observed in Thika and Meru, which portrays a likely deterioration of agricultural outputs in these areas during the season. The study findings conclude that there are no major observed changes in the annual rainfall amounts in the Highland zones, except a slight increase attributable to the increase of the short rains in some areas. This is a useful record disclosing localized long-term rainfall trends, which can be utilized in simulating the future rainfall events for these areas.

Mobility of Heavy Metals in Strongly Polluted Soils near the Severonikel Plant (Murmansk Oblast, Russia)

The mobility of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in podzols and organic soils (Histosols) in the area of long-term pollution from the Monchegorsk copper–nickel plant (Murmansk oblast, Russia) has been assessed using the parameters of diffusion and convection–diffusion models. The found values of diffusion parameters match the data for other regions. In most cases, the convective flow of heavy metals is directed downwards and has a velocity of 0.126 to 0.31 cm/yr, or it does not differ from zero in a statistically significant manner. On the average, podzols and organic soils are similar in the diffusion parameters with regard to the total heavy metal content but differ in the velocity of convective transfer, which is much slower in organic soils. The model estimates for the inflow of heavy metal pollutants to soil do not depend on the distance from the plant, although a correlation with soil type is observable: an additional lateral influx of heavy metals to the surface most likely takes place in organic soils, associated with local depressions. An insufficient sample volume does not permit to assess the correlation of migration parameters with soil properties, while their correlation with chemical mobility (extraction with ammonium acetate buffer) appears as an insignificant trend.

Water level change of lakes and sinkholes in Central Turkey under anthropogenic effects

Determining water level changes in lakes is significant for sustainable water supply planning, flood control, water resource management, and economic development with ecosystem sustainability. Trend analysis is a commonly used tool for detecting changes in hydrologic time series of quantities such as lake level, precipitation and temperature. Trend analysis of meteorological variables is very important for assessing the long-term changes in lake levels. This study examines long-term changes in the lakes in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Kizoren and Timras sinkhole lakes and Lakes Tuz and Beysehir are some of the lakes located in this region. Changes in these lakes were examined along with changes in precipitation trends and human effects. The precipitation stations representing these lakes were determined using Thiessen polygons. In this study, the well-known nonparametric Mann–Kendall trend test (MK) was used. Before performing trend analysis, homogeneity and autocorrelation tests were applied for the time series. The standard normal homogeneity test (SNHT) was used to evaluate homogeneity. Trend analysis was performed before and after the change points the inhomogeneous series for the period of the homogeneous series. In addition, the modified Mann–Kendall method (MMK) was performed to examine the strong autocorrelations seen in the entire time series. The results showed that precipitation station data are homogeneous and lake levels are inhomogeneous. Trend analysis was performed by determining the change points for the inhomogeneous lakes. There were no significant trends after the change points for the Lake Tuz and Timras sinkhole lake. These results are supported by the insignificant trends in precipitation stations. Contrary to the trend analysis results, the increase in the water level of Beysehir Lake was determined to increment from the water transferred to the lake. The decrease in the water level of Kizoren sinkhole was a result of anthropogenic effect rather than precipitation. The results confirm that lake levels have been affected by precipitation trends and anthropogenic effects.

Synergistic effects of low-level stress and a Western diet on metabolic homeostasis, mood, and myocardial ischemic tolerance.

How low-level psychological stress and overnutrition interact in influencing cardiometabolic disease is unclear. Mechanistic overlaps suggest potential synergies; however, findings are contradictory. We test whether low-level stress and Western diet (WD) feeding synergistically influence homeostasis, mood, and myocardial ischemic tolerance. Male C57BL6/J mice were fed a control diet or WD (32%/57%/11% calories from fat/carbohydrates/protein) for 12 wk, with subgroups restrained for 30 min/day over the final 3 wk. Metabolism, behavior, tolerance of perfused hearts to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), and cardiac "death proteins" were assessed. The WD resulted in insignificant trends toward increased body weight (+5%), glucose (+40%), insulin (+40%), triglycerides (+15%), and cholesterol (+20%) and reduced leptin (-20%) while significantly reducing insulin sensitivity [100% rise in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), P < 0.05]. Restraint did not independently influence metabolism while increasing HOMA-IR a further 50% (and resulting in significant elevations in insulin and glucose to 60-90% above control) in WD mice (P < 0.05), despite blunting weight gain in control and WD mice. Anxiogenesis with restraint or WD was nonadditive, whereas anhedonia (reduced sucrose consumption) only arose with their combination. Neuroinflammation markers (hippocampal TNF-α, Il-1b) were unchanged. Myocardial I/R tolerance was unaltered with stress or WD alone, whereas the combination worsened dysfunction and oncosis [lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) efflux]. Apoptosis (nucleosome accumulation) and death protein expression (BAK, BAX, BCL-2, RIP-1, TNF-α, cleaved caspase-3, and PARP) were unchanged. We conclude that mild, anxiogenic yet cardio-metabolically "benign" stress interacts synergistically with a WD to disrupt homeostasis, promote anhedonia (independently of neuroinflammation), and impair myocardial ischemic tolerance (independently of apoptosis and death protein levels).

VARIATION IN GREEN-UP DATE OF KOBRESIA PYGMAEA ALPINE MEADOW IN QINGHAI-TIBETAN PLATEAU DURING 1961–2016

Abstract. Vegetation phenology in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has been proved to be more sensitive to climate change. The previous researches have reported divergent phonological responses of alpine vegetation in QTP from the analyses of remote sensing data, thus the demand for further analysis based on long-term observed vegetation data becomes more urgent. In the lack of long-term remote sensing monitoring data and ground observation data, phenology model simulation can be used as an effective remedy. In this study, we used a phenology model (unified model, UM) to simulate the green-up date for Kobresia pygmaea alpine meadow, and model evaluation shows that the unified model is able to make reasonable estimation for green-up date derived from satellite observations. Based on the phenology model and its parameters, spatial and temporal changes in green-up dates for Kobresia pygmaea alpine meadow in QTP from 1961 to 2016 were simulated, the results indicated that, the variation in green-up date presented an overall insignificant temporal trend with obvious spatial differences; furthermore, complex stage characteristics about the variation in green-up date were also clearly revealed, the period from 1991 to 2005 could be considered as a turning point, before which the trend was mainly in advan1ce and after which the trend was mainly in delay.

Magnitude and trend of perinatal mortality and its relationship with inter-pregnancy interval in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPerinatal mortality remains a problem in Ethiopia. Findings of primary studies varied on level of perinatal mortality and its predictors including inter-pregnancy interval. The aim of this review was to estimate the pooled perinatal mortality rate, its trend overtime and verify the association with inter-pregnancy interval in Ethiopian context.MethodsStudies were accessed through the electronic web-based search strategies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Hinari for health via Research4Life, Google and Advanced Google search, and retrieving via relevant references using a combination of medical subject headings (MeSH terms) and key words related with inter-pregnancy interval. R version 3.4.3 software was used for the meta-analysis. A forest plot and I2 test were done to assess heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were done to deal with heterogeneity. A weighted inverse variance random-effects model was applied to estimate pooled effect sizes. A funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were done to check publication bias.ResultsA total of 34 studies used to answer review questions (30 for perinatal mortality rate and its trend estimation from 1997 to 2019 and 8 for its relationship with inter-pregnancy interval). The pooled perinatal mortality rate was 51.3 per 1000 total births (95% CI: 40.8–62.8). The pooled stillbirth rate was 36.9 per 1000 births (95% CI: 27.3–47.8) and early neonatal mortality rate was 29.5 per 1000 live births (95% CI: 23.9–35.6). Increasing trend was seen in stillbirth rate (23.7 to 36.9 per 1000 births) while decreasing trend in early neonatal mortality rate (51 to 29.5 per 1000 live births). Slight reduction trend was observed in overall perinatal mortality rate (66 to 51.3 per 1000 births). An inter-pregnancy interval less than 15 months was found to be statistically significantly associated with perinatal mortality; pooled OR = 2.76 (95% CI: 2.1–3.62). Spacing pregnancy for at least 15 months was related with reducing perinatal mortality by 64% (95% CI: 52.38, 72.38%).ConclusionsIn Ethiopia, perinatal mortality rate remains high. Insignificant reduction trend was observed in overall perinatal mortality rate. Counseling couples about the importance of spacing pregnancy and intensifying long-acting contraceptive use will help in reducing perinatal mortality related to poor pregnancy spacing.

Trend analysis of reference evapotranspiration and identification of responsible factors in the Jhelum River Basin, Western Himalayas

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a crucial agrometeorological parameter and is of significant importance for irrigation planning and management. Any change in reference evapotranspiration (ETO) and the consequent change in actual ET can cause a significant change in the water demand, thereby affecting the water balance adversely. This study analyzes the trends in the ETO time series using non-parametric Mann–Kendall and Sen's Slope estimator at six stations for 102 years (1901–2002) in the Kashmir valley. Results indicate statistically insignificant trends at the annual timescale at a 95% confidence level. However, at the seasonal timescale, a significant trend was observed. Winter ETO time series showed an increasing trend while summer ETO showed a decreasing trend at a 95% confidence level. The trend analysis of the governing meteorological variables revealed increasing trends in winter temperature and cloudiness in summers in the study area. The water deficit calculated in terms of the difference of precipitation and ETO showed an increasing trend for all the stations at the annual timescale. At the seasonal timescale, four out of the six stations showed an increasing deficit for the spring season.

Rainfall variability over the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra river basins: A spatio-temporal characterisation

Understanding of rainfall variability and its changing pattern play a significant role in water resource management. This study examined the seasonal and annual rainfall extent and its linkage with water availability over the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra river basins (IGB) using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) from 1998 to 2017. The monsoonal and annual rainfall indicates a significant decreasing trend in the eastern while increasing in the western part of the IGB. Therefore, the Indus basin observed a positive rainfall trend as compared to the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins. However, the precipitation concentration index (PCI) shows irregular distribution with an insignificant trend. Therefore, we have analyzed the changing pattern of climatic variables (air temperature and rainfall) and their influence on terrestrial water storage (TWS) over the study area during 2003–2015. Results indicate a significant increase in mean annual temperature (0.02 °C yr−1) while a decrease in TWS (−12.6 mm yr−1) over the region. The rainfall shows a positive and negative correlation with TWS (r = 15.8) and air temperature (r = −38.8), respectively. Therefore, the changing pattern of rainfall and air temperature can be attributed to the reduction of TWS in the IGB.

Changes in consecutive dry/wet days and their relationships with local and remote climate drivers in the coastal area of China

Being located between Eurasia continent and the western Pacific Ocean, the coastal area of China (hereafter as CAC) is vulnerable to climate change and prone to climate-related disasters. Based on the daily meteorological dataset of 156 stations, variations of consecutive dry days (CDD) and consecutive wet days (CWD) and their relationships with local and remote climate drivers from 1961 to 2017 over CAC were investigated. Results showed that the multi-year averages in CDD and CWD were 22.5–93.7 and 3.4–11.8 days, generally presenting a “high north and low south” and “low north and high south” spatial pattern, respectively. The decadal trend rates in CDD and CWD were − 4.5–2.7 and − 0.7–0.6 days per decade, respectively, both showing universal insignificant change trends over CAC. There was a significant negatively correlation between CDD and precipitation at partial of meteorological stations clustered in Guangxi autonomous region, and a predominantly significant positive relationship between CWD and precipitation over CAC. Both CDD and CWD correlated significantly with Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) in parts of northern coastal areas close to the sea, while a common insignificant linkage was detected between CDD/CWD and large-scale circulation indices such as North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Northern Oscillation Index (NOI), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) over CAC. Results from this paper are anticipated to provide insights into the drought/flood disaster risk mitigation and prevention as well as water resources management in the coastal area of China.

Intraoperative Extubation Post Arterial Switch Operation for Transposition of the Great Arteries With Intact Ventricular Septum: A One-Year, Single Center Experience

We sought to examine the clinical impact of intraoperative extubation (IE) in neonates undergoing the arterial switch operation (ASO) for D-transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum (dTGA/IVS). This was a single center retrospective study of patients who underwent ASO for dTGA/IVS in the 12 months after an institutional change in practice favoring IE when clinically feasible. A control group was obtained by identifying the same number of consecutive patients with dTGA/IVS who underwent ASO immediately prior to this institutional change in practice, none of whom were extubated intraoperatively. Primary outcome measures included morbidity, mortality, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay and reintubation rates. There were no significant differences in the preoperative and operative characteristics between the 2 groups. Of the 10 patients who underwent ASO for dTGA/IVS in the 12 months post institutional change in practice, all (100%) were extubated intraoperatively and none (0%) required reintubation. The median length of intensive care unit stay was 2 days for both the intraoperative and non-IE groups (mean 2.2 and 3 days respectively). The median length of stay in hospital was 4 days in the IE group and 5.5 days in the non-IE group (mean 4.5 and 6 days respectively). No patients died and there was no significant difference in morbidity between the 2 groups. Our data suggests IE post ASO for dTGA/IVS is safe and displays a statistically insignificant trend toward earlier discharge from hospital.

Analyzing trend and forecasting of rainfall changes in India using non-parametrical and machine learning approaches

This study analyzes and forecasts the long-term Spatio-temporal changes in rainfall using the data from 1901 to 2015 across India at meteorological divisional level. The Pettitt test was employed to detect the abrupt change point in time frame, while the Mann-Kendall (MK) test and Sen’s Innovative trend analysis were performed to analyze the rainfall trend. The Artificial Neural Network-Multilayer Perceptron (ANN-MLP) was employed to forecast the upcoming 15 years rainfall across India. We mapped the rainfall trend pattern for whole country by using the geo-statistical technique like Kriging in ArcGIS environment. Results show that the most of the meteorological divisions exhibited significant negative trend of rainfall in annual and seasonal scales, except seven divisions during. Out of 17 divisions, 11 divisions recorded noteworthy rainfall declining trend for the monsoon season at 0.05% significance level, while the insignificant negative trend of rainfall was detected for the winter and pre-monsoon seasons. Furthermore, the significant negative trend (−8.5) was recorded for overall annual rainfall. Based on the findings of change detection, the most probable year of change detection was occurred primarily after 1960 for most of the meteorological stations. The increasing rainfall trend had observed during the period 1901–1950, while a significant decline rainfall was detected after 1951. The rainfall forecast for upcoming 15 years for all the meteorological divisions’ also exhibit a significant decline in the rainfall. The results derived from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis data exhibit that increasing/decreasing precipitation convective rate, elevated low cloud cover and inadequate vertically integrated moisture divergence might have influenced on change of rainfall in India. Findings of the study have some implications in water resources management considering the limited availability of water resources and increase in the future water demand.

Regional effects of synoptic situations on soil drought in the Czech Republic

Soil drought has an important influence on plant development. The SoilClim model was used to investigate episodes of soil drought at the 0–100-cm profile during the 1961–2017 period for four selected regions of the Czech Republic (North-western Bohemia, Southern Bohemia, North-eastern Moravia, and Southern Moravia). It emerged that the frequency of soil drought significantly increases in the summer half-year (SHY) and exhibits insignificant trends in the winter half-year (WHY). The dynamic climatology of soil drought is based herein upon synoptic situations as classified by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, in terms of which changes in the occurrence and precipitation intensity of drought episodes in the four individual regions were studied. Drought episodes are generally related to decreases in the frequency of precipitation-rich situations and in their precipitation intensity. This is particularly true for situations C (central cyclone over central Europe), B (trough over central Europe), and Bp (travelling trough). Situations B and Bp, together with south-west cyclonic situations SWc1–3, appeared as the most relevant to regional differences in drought episodes during SHY in the four regions studied, while western cyclonic situations (Wc and Wcs) emerged as particularly important in WHY. Regional differences are clearly marked between the Bohemian and Moravian regions, especially in SHY. Discussion of the results obtained concentrates on the uncertainty of soil drought data, differences between SHY and WHY, the effects of synoptic situations, and the broader context of soil droughts.

Dynamic changes in snowfall extremes in the Songhua River Basin, Northeastern China

AbstractRainfall and snowfall differ greatly in terms of their effects on hydrological processes. Snowfall is usually regarded as snow water equivalent in studying precipitation extremes, without considering the difference between snowfall and rainfall. Although snowfall is a key indicator of global change, no generally accepted and no unified indices for the assessment of snowfall extremes currently exist. The objectives of this study are to identify a suite of extreme snowfall indices that can be used to describe extreme snowfall events, and to analyse the dynamic changes in the extreme snowfall indices that have occurred in the Songhua River Basin (SRB), China. The study employs a dataset that contains daily data from 60‐meteorological stations that cover a 55‐year period. The results include a suite of extreme snowfall indices that can be used to assess extreme snowfall events. These extreme snowfall indices include four comprehensive indices, four intensity indices, four grade indices and two date indices. The total snowfall, the number of snowfall days, the ratio of snowfall to total precipitation, the snowfall intensity (SNI), the amounts of extreme snowfall and very extreme snowfall display insignificant trends over the entire SRB. The changes in the ending snowfall date exhibit a significant advancing trend (p &lt; .001), while the changes in beginning snowfall date display a significant delaying trend (p &lt; .05), which have led to a reduced snowfall season length (p &lt; .001). These results provide a series of reference indices in describing snowfall extremes and they can enhance our understanding of the variations in snowfall that occur under global warming.

North Pacific Gyre Oscillation Closely Associated With Spring Arctic Sea Ice Loss During 1998–2016

AbstractThe relative importance of the factors contributing to Arctic spring sea ice decline remains an open question. Here we suggest a new major factor. In spring the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) shows a significantly increasing trend during 1998–2016, in contrast to the insignificant trend of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index. Nearly 40% of Arctic springtime sea ice concentration trend is statistically related to the increase of the NPGO index but only 4% to the PDO trend. Through the destructive linear interference with climatological Aleutian low, the increasing NPGO index tends to weaken the upward propagation of planetary waves, which enhances the strength of the stratospheric Arctic vortex and the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The positive AO anomalies influence the surface wind field and temperature pattern anomalies, contributing to negative sea ice anomalies in the Arctic.

Choosing the most appropriate minimally invasive approach to treat gynecologic cancers in the context of an enhanced recovery program: Insights from a comprehensive cancer center.

The aim of the study was to compare the characteristics of procedures for gynecologic cancers conducted with conventional laparoscopy (CL) or robotically assisted laparoscopy (RAL) in the context of an enhanced recovery program (ERP). This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from a cohort study conducted between 2016 (when the ERP was first implemented at the Institut Paoli-Calmettes, a comprehensive cancer center in France) and 2018. We included patients who had undergone minimally invasive surgery for gynecological cancers and followed our ERP. The endpoints were the analysis of postoperative complications, the length of postoperative hospitalization (LPO), and the proportion of combined procedures depending on the approach (RAL or CL). Combined procedures were defined by the association of at least two of the following operative items: hysterectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. A total of 362 women underwent either CL (n = 187) or RAL (n = 175) for gynecologic cancers and followed our ERP. The proportion of combined procedures performed by RAL was significantly higher (85/175 [48.6%]) than that performed by CL (23/187 [12.3%]; p < 0.001). The proportions of postoperative complications were similar between the two groups (19.4% versus 17.1%; p = 0.59). Logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically insignificant trend in the association of RAL with a reduced likelihood of an LPO > 3 days after adjusting for predictors of prolonged hospitalization (adjusted OR = 0.573 [0.236-1.388]; p = 0.217). Experts from our cancer center preferentially choose RAL to perform gynecologic oncological procedures that present elements of complexity. More studies are needed to determine whether this strategy is efficient in managing complex procedures in the framework of an ERP.

Fusion and Healing Prediction in Posterolateral Spinal Fusion Using 18F-Sodium Fluoride-PET/CT

This study measures the total graft of 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) uptake in non-instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion (niPLF) patients one month after surgery and correlates it with the difference in the clinical findings between the baseline and one year after surgery. The walking distance (WLK-D), visual analog scale of back pain (VAS-B), VAS score of leg pain (VAS-L), tandem test (TAN), Oswestry Disability Index questionnaire (ODI), and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) were assessed before surgery and one year after. The graft NaF uptake was analyzed quantitatively with a fixed threshold algorithm resulting in the total graft uptake (SUVtotal) and partial volume corrected SUVtotal (cSUVtotal). Only 4 out of 18 patients experienced fusion; they had an insignificantly lower median total graft uptakes, i.e., 1178 SUVtotal vs. 1224 SUVtotal (p = 0.73) and 1282 cSUVtotal vs. 1231 cSUVtotal (p = 0.35), respectively. Similarly, fused patients experienced insignificantly larger pain decreases, i.e., median VAS-B 4.3 vs. 3.8 (p = 0.92) and VAS-L −6.4 vs. −4.4 (p = 0.2). We found an insignificant trend for a lower NaF uptake and less pain in fused patients. The NaF uptake did not correlate with the chronological change in the clinical parameters.

Evolution and variation characteristics of the recorded runoff for the major rivers in China during 1956—2018

Surface water is a key natural resources and a restrictive element to maintain regional ecological balance and support development of social economy. River runoff is the main form of surface water resources. Variation of the both river runoff and surface water will directly influence water resources management of a basin. Based on the annual report series of water resources and the recorded runoff of 10 representative hydrometric stations on major rivers in China, the variations of the surface water resources of the ten water resources zones and recorded runoff of major rivers in China during 1956—2018 were investigated. The results show that:① The annual runoff gauged on major rivers during 1956—2018 shows a downward trend with exception of the Datong station on the Yangtze River. ② The recorded annual runoff of the Tangnaihai station on the upper Yellow River presented an insignificant decreasing trend while that gauged at the Huayuankou station on the Yellow River exhibited a significant decreasing trend. During 1980—2000 and 2001—2018, the recorded runoff at the Tangnaihai station changed by 1.8% and-5.9% as comparing to baseline in 1956—1979 while that of the Huayuankou station decreased by 26.7% and 41.0% respectively. ③ Geographically, the Yellow River could be treated as separation boundary of runoff variation trends from the north to the south of China in terms of significance level. Recorded annual runoff presented significant decreasing trends for rivers in the north to the Yellow River while that exhibited insignificant variation trends for rivers in its south. The recorded runoff in 2001—2018 decreased by more than 25% relative to the baseline of 1956—1979 for the northern China rivers, with the highest reduction of over-80% occurring in the Haihe River. ④ The average annual surface water resources of China during 1956—2018 was approximately 2 726.6 billion m3, which is 12.2 billion m3 less than that in the second water resources assessment conduced in 2004. Reduction of surface water in the Haihe River zone, Yellow River zone, and Liaohe River zone aggravated contradiction between water supply and water demand since the early 21st century.