Instrumental Difficulties Research Articles

Religion in modern projects: between alarmism, political expediency and utopia

The permanent shift of modernity, the epistemological crisis, and the politicization of all social spheres determine an atmosphere of global political anxiety. The ever-expanding security deficit becomes an attribute of modernity, as a fragmentation as a response to globality and the emergence of alternative ways of political genesis reflects new socio-cultural semantic nodes. Existential threats raise a persistent appeal to religion. The loss of epistemological certainty in political constructions contributes to the theoretical confusion about the future. The diffusion of political and value contexts forces people to turn to religion while developing projects and setting the goals of modernity. This creates cognitive and political- instrumental difficulties in using legitimizing and, at the same time, mutually exclusive religious meanings. The simultaneous truth in different types of discourses and in theory makes it impossible to find a common denominator. We argue that the projects and goal settings of modernity, claiming to be universal, but not achieving it, are structured primarily based on the logic of alarmism and eschatology. A positive project, trying to overcome the limitations of politicization, moves to the value plane. We consider three perspectives of the teleology of modernity, including religious meanings: theoretical, metaphysical, and instrumental. The research methodology is based on the problems of political goal setting in the logic of, traditional/ modern, explaining the religious coloring of political strategies and the splitting of future visions. The othering based on religious differences as a tool of political goal setting, the political instrumentalization of religious identities, simultaneously with religious creation of the world, puts two possible projects of modernity at opposite poles - the World of Religions and the World of Faith. Among the possible projects arising at the intersection of religion and politics, the author suggests three large clusters: alarmism, political expediency, and utopia.

Characterizing Adeno-Associated Virus Capsids with Both Denaturing and Intact Analysis Methods.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids are among the leading gene delivery platforms used to treat a vast array of human diseases and conditions. AAVs exist in a variety of serotypes due to differences in viral protein (VP) sequences with distinct serotypes targeting specific cells and tissues. As the utility of AAVs in gene therapy increases, ensuring their specific composition is imperative for the correct targeting and gene delivery. From a quality control perspective, current analytical tools are limited in their selectivity for viral protein (VP) subunits due to their sequence similarities, instrumental difficulties in assessing the large molecular weights of intact capsids, and the uncertainty in distinguishing empty and filled capsids. To address these challenges, we combined two distinct analytical workflows that assess the intact capsids and VP subunits separately. First, a selective temporal overview of resonant ion (STORI)-based charge detection-mass spectrometry (CD-MS) was applied for characterization of the intact capsids. Liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, and mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-MS) separations were then used for the capsid denaturing measurements. This multimethod combination was applied to three AAV serotypes (AAV2, AAV6, and AAV8) to evaluate their intact empty and filled capsid ratios and then examine the distinct VP sequences and modifications present.

Endodontic management of curved canals in mandibular molars- A case series

A tooth with a straight root canal and a single foramen is the exception rather than the rule. Most of the canals have multiple curvatures along their length, which poses difficulty in root canal instrumentation. Because of the presence of curved canals in mandibular molars, Endodontic treatment is very challenging. Curved canals have been found to be relatively higher in mandibular molars, ranging from 3.3 to 30.92% when compared to maxillary molars. Constricted canals and curvatures introduce factors that can increase the risk of procedural errors during root canal preparation. A thorough assessment of the preoperative radiographs, careful and a meticulous approach can yield into a safe and a successful endodontic treatment of such teeth. The current case series presents two such interesting cases of endodontic management of curved canals in mandibular molars.

Cross‐shore suspended sediment transport in a macro‐tidal and low‐sloping upper shoreface

AbstractThe driving mechanisms of sediment transport across the upper shoreface have been poorly examined to date because of the scarcity of field measurements beyond the intertidal area, which is mainly due to instrumentation difficulties. Here, we investigate the cross‐shore suspended sediment transport from synchronized time series of bottom pressure, current velocity and suspended sediment concentration measured by 13 m water depth, in a macro‐tidal and low‐sloping shoreface, under storm waves and fair weather conditions. Depending on the tidal phase and the incoming wave height, the measuring structure was alternatively located in the shoaling zone and in the outer surf zone. The analysis of field observations first revealed that steady currents dominate suspended transport, with a notable contribution of the wave‐driven return current under storm wave conditions. Cross‐spectral analysis further indicates that short waves globally induce an offshore‐directed transport under energetic conditions associated with a crest‐to‐trough phase lag effect. The contribution of infragravity (IG) waves, which reaches as much as 20% of the total transport, shows contrasting directions depending on whether IG waves are bound to the short wave groups or propagate as free waves.

Asteroids’ reflectance from Gaia DR3: Artificial reddening at near-UV wavelengths

Context. Observational and instrumental difficulties observing small bodies below 0.5 μm make this wavelength range poorly studied compared with the visible and near-infrared. Furthermore, the suitability of many commonly used solar analogues, essential in the computation of asteroid reflectances, is usually assessed only in visible wavelengths, while some of these objects show spectra that are quite different from the spectrum of the Sun at wavelengths below 0.55 μm. Stars HD 28099 (Hyades 64) and HD 186427 (16 Cyg B) are two well-studied solar analogues that instead present spectra that are also very similar to the spectrum of the Sun in the wavelength region between 0.36 and 0.55 μm. Aims. We aim to assess the suitability in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) region of the solar analogues selected by the team responsible for the asteroid reflectance included in Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) and to suggest a correction (in the form of multiplicative factors) to be applied to the Gaia DR3 asteroid reflectance spectra to account for the differences with respect to the solar analogue Hyades 64. Methods. To compute the multiplicative factors, we calculated the ratio between the solar analogues used by Gaia DR3 and Hyades 64, and then we averaged and binned this ratio in the same way as the asteroid spectra in Gaia DR3. We also compared both the original and corrected Gaia asteroid spectra with observational data from the Eight Color Asteroid Survey (ECAS), one UV spectrum obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and a set of blue-visible spectra obtained with the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). By means of this comparison, we quantified the goodness of the obtained correction. Results. We find that the solar analogues selected for Gaia DR3 to compute the reflectance spectra of the asteroids of this data release have a systematically redder spectral slope at wavelengths shorter than 0.55 μm than Hyades 64. We find that no correction is needed in the red photometer (RP, between 0.7 and 1 μm), but a correction should be applied at wavelengths below 0.55 μm, that is in the blue photometer (BP). After applying the correction, we find a better agreement between Gaia DR3 spectra, ECAS, HST, and our set of ground-based observations with the TNG. Conclusions. Correcting the near-UV part of the asteroid reflectance spectra is very important for proper comparisons with laboratory spectra (minerals, meteorite samples, etc.) or to analyse quantitatively the UV absorption (which is particularly important to study hydration in primitive asteroids). The spectral behaviour at wavelengths below 0.5 μm of the selected solar analogues should be fully studied and taken into account for Gaia DR4.

The frequency of occurrence of various variants of the structure of root canals and methods of their mechanical treatment in the practice of a dentist-therapist

Aim. Evaluation of the frequency of occurrence of various variants of the structure of root canals and methods for their processing in the practice of a dentist-therapist.Material and methods. 30 doctors who worked in the specialty "therapeutic dentistry" for 2-20 years were interviewed using questionnaires in various dental institutions in Izhevsk and Sarapul in the Udmurt Republic; and also analyzed 81 medical record of patients who underwent primary endodontic treatment for caries complication at LLC Center for Professional Dentistry "APEX" in Izhevsk for 6 months of 2022. The following data were copied from medical records: the age of the patient, the disease of the tooth, the number of diagnosed root canals and the method of their instrumental processing, as well as the size of the primary and main files. In a laboratory experiment, 30 human one-two-rooted teeth were used removed for orthodontic indications or for periodontal diseases in various techniques, and apical patency was assessed by irrigating the canals with a tinted solution to control its exit beyond the apex.Results. From the personal data, it was found that the second molars have the largest number of options for the number of root canals (from 1 to 5 root canals). In 73.4% of physicians, molars and lower incisors cause difficulty in instrumentation, in almost 75% of cases root canals are passable for files of size 10, when working with rotary instruments, preference is given to the Step Back method in the “one length” technique, the use of such instruments in such technique in 46.6% of cases leads to an increase in apical patency.

Teaching drawing in a shared community

At the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Sapienza University, Rome, the first year Architecture Drawing course comprises a total of 162 hours (12 Formative Credits or CFU) divided into 51 hours of lectures, 51 hours of exercises and 60 hours of laboratory. Generally a six-months long course, this year it has been reduced into a three-months long course, from October to January, requiring a compression of the program. The problems due to the program compression and to the change of teacher were stressed by the measures for containing the Covid-19 diffusion. The former teacher was reputed “fragile” and precluded from teaching in presence and a new teacher was given the course. Moreover, Sapienza University adopted a mixed format, with a few students present in the classroom and most of them at home. Besides the many technical and instrumental difficulties due to the late equipment of the classrooms with updated hardware and software, the late registration of about a quarter of the students after the admission tests caused some of them to join the class more than a month after the first lesson. Anyway, a friendly collaboration between the “old” and the “new” teacher contributed to overcome most of the organizational questions.

Taurodontism in maxillary and mandibular molars using cone beam computed tomography in a dental center in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Taurodontism is a dental anomaly characterized by altered crown root ratio that is often diagnosed by radiographic evaluation. A three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of taurodontic teeth. Only one study has reported the prevalence of taurodontism in a Saudi population.OBJECTIVE: Determine prevalence and other characteristics of taurodontism in permanent maxillary and mandibular molars, by CBCT in a dental center in Saudi Arabia.DESIGN: Cross-sectional.SETTING: College of dentistry.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The first and second molars, maxillary and mandibular, from study participants of Saudi origin from Jazan region of Saudi Arabia were evaluated for taurodontism based on the criteria of Shifman and Chanannel. The degree of taurodontism was determined by the taurodontism index. Results were tabulated for analysis and the chi-square test was applied for the differences between age groups, genders, and maxillary and mandibular teeth.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Characteristics of taurodontism.SAMPLE SIZE: 1839 teeth in 300 individuals.RESULTS: Taurodontism was seen in 24 (8%) of the study participants and in 71 teeth (3.9%). Taurodontism was significantly more prevalent in individuals between 21 and 40 years of age. Hypotaurodontism (67.6%, n=48) was most prevalent, followed by mesotaurodontism (23.9%, n=17) and hypertaurodontism (8.5%, n=6). The maxillary molars were more commonly involved than mandibular, but the results were not statistically significant. No significant differences in gender were observed.CONCLUSIONS: Dental clinicians should be familiar with the condition due to the clinical implications in oral surgery, endodontics and prosthodontics. The possibilities of a complex root canal system, an additional canal, difficulties in canal negotiation, instrumentation and subsequent obturation can be challenging for the clinician.LIMITATIONS: Conducted in a single dental center hence future studies with larger sample sizes in different regions of Saudi Arabia should be conducted to more accurately measure the prevalence.CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None.

English

BACKGROUND The selective alpha-blockers are widely used in the clinical treatment for ureteral stones as MET (Medical Expulsive Therapy). American Urological Association and European Association of Urology, strongly recommend that patients with ureteral stones be alpha-blockers to promote stone passage. Due to the physiological effect of alpha-blockers on the ureter, researchers hypothesized that the use of alphablockers before ureteroscopy may help during the Ureteroscopic procedures, making it easier and safer. One critical step in doing ureteroscopy is directing scope into vesicoureteral junction as most of the time its non-dilated and this is place injury and later stricture chances are high which lead to failure of treatment.3 But in literature, there is a discrepancy with this hypothesis as some studies have failed to demonstrate the benefits of technical ease and lower complication rate with alpha-blocker being used in the preoperative period. METHODS We conducted a cross sectional study in the department of urology from January 2019 to January 2020. 30 patients of ureteric calculus on alpha-blocker therapy and 30 patients of BPH on alpha-blocker ± 5 alpha reductase therapy were included for study. During URSL (Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy) we used 6 / 7.5 fr URS (Ureterorenoscope), ease of admitting URS in vesicoureteral junction noted. The need for ureteral dilator for admitting URS, presence of mucosal injury, and bleeding or false passage noted as difficulty in instrumentation. And documentation of finding done in excel. RESULTS Out of 60 patients, 24 (40 %) patients didn’t need dilatation of ureteric orifice and Ureteroscopy was done easily among which 8 (33.33 %) were BPH patient and 16 (66.66 %) were ureteric calculus patient this difference is statistically significant with p-value 0.010. 36 (60 %) patients needed dilatation of ureteric orifice to facilitate URS of which 22 (61.11 %) patients were from the BPH group and 14 (38.88 %) are ureteric calculus group. The study shows a statistically significant difference with p-value 0.029. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that alpha-blockers failed to show a statistically significant difference in relaxation of the ureteric orifice in non-ureteric calculus patients. Further large group, multi-centric studies are required to find a definitive role for alpha blockers prior to URS. KEYWORDS BPH, Silodosin, Ureteroscopy, Ureteric Orifice, Alpha Blocker, Alpha 1a, Medical Expulsion Therapy

Does Job-Satisfaction Cause Life-Satisfaction? New Evidence Using Lewbel Methodology

While studies on the direction of causality between job satisfaction and life satisfaction are abundant, their evidence is still inconclusive primarily because of the difficulty in finding suitable external instruments. We have constructed internal instruments, using the Lewbel methodology, which satisfy the desirable properties. It is important to determine the direction of causality since the implications for public and labour policies are different depending on the direction. The second contribution of this study is to examine the link between life satisfaction and the twelve aspects of job satisfaction in order to explore whether extrinsic (pay, benefits, and other work conditions) or intrinsic (kind of work) job satisfaction matters. For this purpose, a survey was conducted in Wah Cantt, Pakistan using a sample of 300 respondents. The study findings reveal that there is a bidirectional causality between life and job satisfaction. However, the effect of job satisfaction on life satisfaction is stronger than the effect of life satisfaction on job satisfaction. Mixed results related to causality between twelve aspects of job satisfaction and life satisfaction were found. The paper ends with important policy implications. Keywords: Life Satisfaction; Job Satisfaction; Aspects of Job Satisfaction; Causality

EVALUATION OF SHAPING EFFICACY AND CANAL CENTERING ABILITY OF RECIPROCATING HANDPIECE WITH STAINLESS STEEL K FILE, NITI K FILE AND WAVEONE USING CBCT.

Introduction: Continuously tapered form of root canal and to maintain the original shape and position of the apical foramen is the key element in root canal treatment. However, canal curvature may cause difficulty in instrumentation. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the shaping efficacy and centering ability of reciprocating handpiece with stainless steel (SS) K files and Nickel Titanium (NiTi) K files in 90 degree and WaveOne gold file system in 150 counterclockwise and 30 clockwise reciprocation using cone bean computer tomography.
 Materials and methods: Thirty freshly extracted human mandibular molars with fully formed apices were taken for the study and 11 mm of distal roots were used for the study. They were divided into three groups (n=10). All the three groups were instrumented using reciprocating handpiece. The file system used for Group 1, 2 and 3 are SS k file, NiTi K files, and WaveOne gold file respectively.
 Statistical analysis: Data was tabulated and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey post hoc honestly significant difference (HSD) test were conducted at p=0.05 significance.
 Results: The results revealed significant variations in shaping efficacy and centering ability at various level by all the three file system. A good canal taper and improved shaping efficacy was significantly reported in favor of WaveOne gold reciprocating file.
 Conclusion: The WaveOne Gold showed better shaping ability whereas the canal centering ability at the coronal, middle and the apical third were not found uniform for the three tested instrument.
 Keywords: Shaping efficacy, Canal centering, reciprocating handpiece, NiTi files, WaveOne Gold, CBCT

Laparoscopic Liver Resection of Segments 7 and 8: from the Initial Restrictions to the Current Indications.

Since the beginning of laparoscopic liver surgery, resection of the posterosuperior segments has been considered one of the most challenging procedure due to its difficult access. The main drawbacks of the laparoscopic approach to dome lesions are poor visualization, the difficulty of instrumentation and the greater complexity in the control of bleeding. In the evolution of minimally invasive techniques from hybrid techniques to the current purely laparoscopic approaches, the different authors have established gradually the currents indications and surgical techniques to operate these segments with a similar feasibility and safety than open approach. The standardization in the patient position, the use of intercostal trocars, the learning curve in laparoscopic liver surgery, the management of the hepatic blood flow and the refinement of the technique in the extrahepatic and intrahepatic Glissonean pedicle approaches, has allowed to leave behind the initial contraindications about the laparoscopic approach in these segments. In the present review of the literature, the accumulated experience of the different groups in minimally invasive liver surgery together with the technological advances in the different laparoscopic devices have facilitated the resection of tumors in segments 7 and 8 with similar and even better results than open surgery.

The impacts of workers’ remittances on poverty and inequality in developing countries

This study investigates the impacts of workers’ remittances on poverty and inequality by using data for 103 developing countries from 1990 to 2014. The main difficulty in assessing these impacts is the endogeneity of remittances and the difficulty in finding instruments to resolve this issue at the aggregate level. To address the endogeneity of remittances, I estimate bilateral remittances and use them to create weighted indicators of remittance-sending countries. These weighted indicators are used as instruments for remittance inflow to remittance-receiving countries. Results obtained in this study indicate that remittances decrease poverty. A 10% increase in per capita remittances leads to a 1% decrease in poverty headcount, 1.8% decrease in poverty gap, and 2.5% decrease in poverty headcount. Remittances also decrease inequality in developing countries. Remittances decrease the Gini coefficient, increase the income share held by the poorest decile and quintile, and decrease the income share held by the richest quintile and decile in developing countries.

On the viability of the complex-intensity-based near-field acoustical holography method

Because of the instrumentation difficulties of Fourier acoustical holography, it is desirable to find a holography method that does not require reference signals during array scanning. Among the methods that have been investigated to remove the need for references are those based on acoustic intensity measurements, including the complex-intensity-based near-field acoustical holography (CIBNAH) method [A. Nejade, J. Sound Vib. 333(16), 3598–3608 (2014); Appl. Acoust. 116, 348–356 (2017)]. The CIBNAH method has previously been applied to simple contrived sources and real-world machinery but has not been verified using analytical source models. This work shows the application of CIBNAH to an analytical model of a simply-supported plate, revealing key shortcomings of the method. The theory behind CIBNAH is discussed in light of these shortcomings. It is shown that while CIBNAH may be useful for finding radiation hot spots, it is not an adequate method to overcome the need for references in scan-based acoustical holography. [Work supported by NSF.]

Dental injury in anaesthesia: a tertiary hospital\u2019s experience

BackgroundDental injury is a common perioperative complication, but there are no country specific data available, especially with the use of supraglottic airway devices (SAD). The aims of our study are to report the incidence, risk factors, and local practices in the management of perioperative dental injuries in Singapore.MethodsWe analyzed data from the departmental database from 2011 to 2014, noting the anticipated difficulty of airway instrumentation, intubation grade, pre-existing dental risk factors, location of dental trauma discovery, position of teeth injured and presence of dental referral. The risk factors for dental trauma were then identified using logistic regression (between 51 dental trauma patients and 55,107 patients without dental trauma).ResultsThe rate of dental injury was 0.092% for general anaesthesia cases. The most significant patient risk factor is the presence of pre-existing dental risk factors (OR 12.55). Anaesthetic risk factors include McGrath MAC usage (OR 2.51) and a Cormack and Lehane grade of 3 or more (OR 7.25). Most of the dental injuries were discovered in the operating theatre. 7 (13.7%) patients had SAD inserted and only 23 (45.1%) cases were referred to dental services.ConclusionVideolaryngoscopy with the McGrath MAC is associated with an increased likelihood of dental injury. This could be either because videolarygoscopes were used when increased risk of dental trauma was anticipated, or due to incorrect technique of laryngoscopy. Future studies should be done to establish the causality. The management of dental injuries could be improved with development of departmental guidelines.

The impacts of workers' remittances on human capital and labor supply in developing countries

This study investigates the impacts of workers' remittances on human capital and labor supply by using data for 122 developing countries from 1990 to 2015. This topic has not been explored thoroughly at the aggregate level, mainly due to endogeneity of remittances and the difficulty in finding instruments to resolve this issue. To address the endogeneity of remittances, I estimate bilateral remittances and use them to create weighted indicators of remittance-sending countries. These weighted indicators are used as instruments for remittance inflow to remittance-receiving countries. Results obtained in this study indicate that remittances raise per capita health expenditures and reduce undernourishment prevalence, depth of food deficit, prevalence of stunting, and child mortality rate. Remittances also raise school enrollment, school completion rate, and private school enrollment. Although there is no difference in the impact of remittances on the health outcome of boys and girls, remittances improve the educational outcome of girls more than the educational outcome of boys. Further, remittances decrease the female labor force participation rate but do not affect the male labor force participation rate.

The Impacts of Workers' Remittances on Human Capital and Labor Supply in Developing Countries

This study investigates the impacts of workers' remittances on human capital and labor supply by using data for 122 developing countries from 1990 to 2015. This topic has not been explored thoroughly at the aggregate level, mainly due to endogeneity of remittances and the difficulty in finding instruments to resolve this issue. To address the endogeneity of remittances, I estimate bilateral remittances and use them to create weighted indicators of remittance-sending countries. These weighted indicators are used as instruments for remittance inflow to remittance-receiving countries. Results obtained in this study indicate that remittances raise per capita health expenditures and reduce undernourishment prevalence, depth of food deficit, prevalence of stunting, and child mortality rate. Remittances also raise school enrollment, school completion rate, and private school enrollment. Although there is no difference in the impact of remittances on the health outcome of boys and girls, remittances improve the educational outcome of girls more than the educational outcome of boys. Further, remittances decrease the female labor force participation rate but do not affect the male labor force participation rate.

The Role of Oceanic Transform Faults in Seafloor Spreading: A Global Perspective From Seismic Anisotropy.

Mantle anisotropy beneath mid‐ocean ridges and oceanic transforms is key to our understanding of seafloor spreading and underlying dynamics of divergent plate boundaries. Observations are sparse, however, given the remoteness of the oceans and the difficulties of seismic instrumentation. To overcome this, we utilize the global distribution of seismicity along transform faults to measure shear wave splitting of over 550 direct S phases recorded at 56 carefully selected seismic stations worldwide. Applying this source‐side splitting technique allows for characterization of the upper mantle seismic anisotropy, and therefore the pattern of mantle flow, directly beneath seismically active transform faults. The majority of the results (60%) return nulls (no splitting), while the non‐null measurements display clear azimuthal dependency. This is best simply explained by anisotropy with a near vertical symmetry axis, consistent with mantle upwelling beneath oceanic transforms as suggested by numerical models. It appears therefore that the long‐term stability of seafloor spreading may be associated with widespread mantle upwelling beneath the transforms creating warm and weak faults that localize strain to the plate boundary.

Deformation patterns, magma supply, and magma storage at Karymsky Volcanic Center, Kamchatka, Russia, 2000–2010, revealed by InSAR

Under a complex geological region influenced by the subduction of the Pacific plate, Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the most active volcanic arcs in the Pacific Rim. Due to logistical difficulty in instrumentation, shallow magma plumbing systems beneath some of the Kamchatkan volcanoes are poorly understood. InSAR offers a safe and quick method for monitoring volcanic deformation with a high spatial resolution. In this study, a group of satellite radar interferograms that span the time interval from 2000 to 2010 shows eruptive and non-eruptive deformation at Karymsky Volcanic Center (KVC), Kamchatka, Russia. All the interferograms provide details of the activity around the KVC during 2000–2010, as follows: (1) from 2000 to 2004, the Karymsky-AN (Akademia Nauk) area deflated and the MS (Maly Semyachik) area inflated, (2) from 2004 to 2006, the Karymsky-AN area deflated with ongoing eruption, while the MS area subsided without eruption, (3) from 2006 to 2008, as with 2000–2004, the Karymsky-AN area deflated and the MS area inflated, (4) from 2008 to 2010, the Karymsky-AN area inflated up to 3 cm, and the MS area subsided. Point source models suggest that two magma reservoirs provide a good fit to the observed deformation. One source is located beneath the area between Karymsky and AN at a depth of approximately 7.0 km, and the other one is situated beneath MS at a depth of around 5.8 km. Synchronous deformation patterns suggest that two magma systems are fed from the same deep magma source and connected by a fracture zone. The InSAR results are consistent with GPS ground deformation measurements, seismic data, and petrological constraints.

A Statistical Method to Predict Flow Permanence in Dryland Streams from Time Series of Stream Temperature

Intermittent and ephemeral streams represent more than half of the length of the global river network. Dryland freshwater ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changes in human-related water uses as well as shifts in terrestrial climates. Yet, the description and quantification of patterns of flow permanence in these systems is challenging mostly due to difficulties in instrumentation. Here, we took advantage of existing stream temperature datasets in dryland streams in the northwest Great Basin desert, USA, to extract critical information on climate-sensitive patterns of flow permanence. We used a signal detection technique, Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), to extract information from daily time series of stream temperature to diagnose patterns of stream drying. Specifically, we applied HMMs to time series of daily standard deviation (SD) of stream temperature (i.e., dry stream channels typically display highly variable daily temperature records compared to wet stream channels) between April and August (2015–2016). We used information from paired stream and air temperature data loggers as well as co-located stream temperature data loggers with electrical resistors as confirmatory sources of the timing of stream drying. We expanded our approach to an entire stream network to illustrate the utility of the method to detect patterns of flow permanence over a broader spatial extent. We successfully identified and separated signals characteristic of wet and dry stream conditions and their shifts over time. Most of our study sites within the entire stream network exhibited a single state over the entire season (80%), but a portion of them showed one or more shifts among states (17%). We provide recommendations to use this approach based on a series of simple steps. Our findings illustrate a successful method that can be used to rigorously quantify flow permanence regimes in streams using existing records of stream temperature.