Relative Losses Research Articles

Evolution of flood protection levels and flood vulnerability in Europe since 1950 estimated with vine-copula models

AbstractThe magnitude of flood impacts is regulated not only by hydrometeorological hazard and exposure, but also flood protection levels (primarily from structural flood defenses) and vulnerability (relative loss at given intensity of hazard). Here, we infer the variation of protection levels and vulnerability from data on historical riverine, coastal, and compound floods and associated impacts obtained from the HANZE database, in 42 European countries over the period 1950–2020. We contrast actual damaging floods, which imply flood protection was locally inadequate, with modelled potential floods, i.e. events that were hydrologically extreme but did not lead to significant impacts, which imply that flood protection was sufficient to prevent losses. Further, we compare the reported magnitude of impacts (fatalities, population affected, and economic losses) with potential impacts computed with depth-damage functions. We finally derive the spatial and temporal drivers of both flood protection and vulnerability through a multivariate statistical analysis. We apply vine-copulas to derive the best predictors out of a set of candidate variables, including hydrological parameters of floods, exposure to floods, socioeconomic development, and governance indicators. Our results show that riverine flood protection levels are much lower than assumed in previous pan-European studies. North-western Europe is shown to have better riverine protection than the south and east, while the divide is not so clear for coastal protection. By contrast, many parts of western Europe have relatively high vulnerability, with lowest value observed in central and northern Europe. Still, a strong decline in flood vulnerability over time is also observed for all three indicators of relative losses, suggesting improved flood adaptation. Flood protection levels have also improved since 1950, particularly for coastal floods.

Spectral whitening based seismic data preprocessing technique to improve the quality of surface wave's velocity spectra

A high-quality surface wave velocity spectrum, also known as a dispersion image, is paramount for any MASW survey to accurately predict subsurface earth properties. The presence of diversified noise during field acquisition and dissimilar attenuation due to mechanical and radial damping makes it challenging for any wavefield transformation technique to produce a detailed and precise velocity spectrum. Standard surface wave data preprocessing techniques, such as trace normalization and bandpass filtering, along with postprocessing techniques like frequency-wise amplitude normalization, fail to address all these issues appropriately. In this paper, we present a spectral whitening-based data preprocessing technique that can adequately eradicate most of the shortcomings associated with different wavefield transformation techniques. Instead of normalizing each trace, it normalizes the amplitude of every frequency present in the seismogram. The spectral whitening can regain the relative amplitude losses due to both radial and mechanical damping, thus improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Along with diversified field data including Love and Rayleigh wave surveys, a synthetic dataset is used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed technique. Furthermore, field noise is added to random traces to test the ability of the proposed technique to filter asymmetric noise. Overall, the spectral whitening procedure significantly improves the quality of the velocity spectrum and produces a sharper dispersion image with well-separated modes. The work presented here enhances our ability to interpret surface wave velocity spectra precisely and helps explore accurate properties of the subsurface earth. It can help avoid the need for repeated field tests in cases of extremely noisy data, thereby significantly reducing costs and saving time.

Thermodynamic, economic and regulation strategies analysis of a phosphoric acid fuel cell combined heating and cooling

Phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) not only generate electricity but also produce a substantial amount of waste heat. This study introduces a novel conceptual framework that integrates a PAFC, a gas turbine, and a waste heat recovery unit to provide combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) services for various applications. The system's operational versatility is achieved by manipulating valve openings, allowing for the regulation of waste heat utilization across six distinct operational modes. A thermodynamic model has been developed and validated to evaluate system performance under diverse design conditions and configurations.A comprehensive analysis examines the impact of key variables on system metrics, including efficiency, exergy, and economic performance. Additionally, the analysis assesses system exergy losses and economic viability, revealing that the PAFC module experiences the highest energy loss, followed by the ARS and ORC, while the DHW exhibits the lowest relative losses. Furthermore, the economic evaluation underscores the system's adaptability, suggesting that it is a potentially viable option for CCHP production.

Radio-transparent celsian ceramics modified with glass in a pseudoternary system BaO–Al2O3–SiO2: synthesis, microstructure, thermal and physical properties

The article presents the results of the study of radio-transparent celsian ceramics, in which part of the components were introduced using eutectic glass of the pseudoternary BaO–Al2O3–SiO2 system. The bonding of the components of the experimental glass into the celsian phase was realized according to the principle of reactive structure formation by adding the missing components (crystalline fillers). In this case, the obtained dense sintered water-resistant ceramic, the only crystalline phase in the composition of which is the monoclinic form of celsian, which forms a microhomogeneous structural matrix of the material. Celsian is represented by distinct prismatic crystals of tetragonal and hexagonal shape. The size of celsian crystals increases from 3–5 m to 7–10 m with increasing the content of eutectic glass. The developed celsian ceramic has a set of enhanced physical and thermal properties: zero water absorption and open porosity, mechanical compressive strength (up to 157 MPa), refractory index is 1540–15800C. Celsian ceramic is characterized by a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3410–7 0C–1, which provides a sufficiently high thermal shock resistance of 7000C. In terms of the level of relative dielectric permittivity (5.5) and dielectric losses (0.0005) at a frequency of 1010 Hz, the developed ceramic meets the requirements for ultra-high-frequency radio-transparent materials for aviation and rocket technology, which operate under conditions of high-speed high-temperature heating.

Epiphytic Fungi Can Drive a Trade-Off Between Pathogen and Herbivore Resistance in Invasive Ipomoea cairica.

Trade-offs between different defense traits exist commonly in plants. However, no evidence suggests that symbiotic microbes can drive a trade-off between plant pathogen and herbivore defense. The present study aims to investigate whether the mixture of epiphytic Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi can drive the trade-off between the two defense traits in invasive Ipomoea cairica. Surface-sterilized I. cairica cuttings pre-inoculated with the epiphytic fungal mixture served as an epiphyte-inoculated (E+) group, while cuttings sprayed with sterile PDB served as an epiphyte-free (E-) group. After 3 days of incubation, E+ and E- cuttings were subjected to the challenge from a fungal pathogen and an insect herbivore, respectively. The results suggested that E+ cuttings had less rotted and yellowed leaf rates per plant than E- cuttings after Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infection. On the contrary, E+ cuttings had higher absolute and relative fresh weight losses per leaf than E- cuttings after Taiwania circumdata introduction. In the absence of challenges from the two natural enemies, salicylic acid and H2O2 accumulation occurred in E+ cuttings, which activated their SA-dependent pathogen defense and resulted in an increase in chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities. Although jasmonic acid accumulation also occurred in E+ cuttings, their JA-dependent herbivore defense responses were antagonized by SA signaling, leading to a decrease in total phenol content and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity. The activity of generalized defense enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, did not differ between E+ and E- cuttings. Together, our findings indicate that a trade-off between pathogen and herbivore defense in I. cairica had already been driven by the epiphytic fungal mixture before the challenge by the two natural enemies. This study provides a novel insight into biocontrol strategies for I. cairica.

Anomalous heat transfer enhancement in separated flow over a zigzag-shaped dense package of inclined grooves in a channel wall at different temperature boundary conditions

Rapid development of the anomalous enhancement of separated turbulent Re = 6000 air flow and heat transfer in an in-line single-row package of 31 inclined grooves, 0.2 in dimensionless depth, in a singled-out longitudinal region of the wall of a narrow channel is studied. It is due to the interference of vortex wakes behind the grooves and the acceleration in the channel flow core with the formation of a zone of ultrahigh longitudinal velocity. The wave-shaped parameter characteristics are stabilized in the region of approximately 15th groove, whereupon the oscillation amplitudes are moderately reduced. The return flows in the grooves are enhanced with distance from the entry section, the minimum negative friction diminishing from −2 to −4. The total relative heat removal from the structured region increases atq= const by a factor of approximately 2.75 and by the factor of two atT= const with increase in the relative hydraulic losses by the factor of 1.7, as compared with the case of a plane–parallel channel. The relative heat removal from the surface bounded by the contour of the 20th inclined groove amounts to 3.7 (q= const) with increase in the hydraulic losses by the factor of 2.2. An increase in the local maximum of the longitudinal velocity up to a factor of 1.5, as compared with the mean-mass velocity, can be observable.

Photonic-Enhanced Perovskite Solar Cells: Tailoring Color and Light Capture.

The current exponential growth of solar electricity technologies toward consumer-oriented applications, as in building- or vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (B/VIPV), is calling for improved solar cells, not only in cost-effectiveness, but also with better adaptability and aesthetics. Here, using perovskite solar cells (PSCs) as test bed, we demonstrate an unprecedented photonic method to generate any color on a cell layout, while also increasing PV efficiency. To this end, photonic surface features were designed for PSCs, which filled the dual purpose of light-trapping (LT) and modulation of reflected light interference. A variety of geometries, from simple gratings to complex semispheroids, were optically optimized for two of the most challenging colors, magenta and green, while assuring the generation of their maximum feasible photocurrent. The best results corresponded to a current density of 22.07 mA/cm2, obtained for the magenta solar cell with top domes, exhibiting an increase of 6.68%, relative to an optimized planar reference cell. In turn, the same type of geometry was able to generate the leading green cell, with up to 21.40 mA/cm2 (a relative increase of 3.44%). Additionally, the uniformity of the optical output of the optimal solar cells was tested under a range of incident light angles, between 0◦ and 60◦, where the current density suffered relative losses only down to 6.65%.

Job computerization, occupational employment and wages: A comparative study of the United States, Germany, and Japan

This study adds to the growing literature on wage and employment responses to the risk of job computerization. Specifically, it revisits the original occupational perspective and inquires into the nature of the adjustments of occupational wages and employment, i.e., the potential benefits and costs associated with professional careers in such occupations. The investigation further aims at identifying whether these adjustment processes are universal — as suggested by the global availability of the respective technology — or reflect country-specific peculiarities. To this end, it conducts a comparative analysis with data from the United States, Germany, and Japan, three G7 lead countries which share the commitment to fostering technological progress, but which are also characterized by distinctly different labor market institutions and approaches to industrial policies. Generally consistent with the country-specific employment institutions and common corporate strategies, transmission channels — as reflected by the relationship between adjustments of occupational employment and wages — differ between countries. In all three countries, though, higher risks of computerization are associated with relative wage losses in occupations which require low levels of formal education or training.

Study on performance deterioration and life prediction of reed straw-recycled brick aggregate concrete after freeze-thaw cycle

The current rate of carbon dioxide emissions poses a significant threat to global climate, making it increasingly important and urgent to lead the carbon-intensive construction industry to achieve carbon neutrality. Currently, the most practical method involves reusing waste materials. In this study, waste red bricks were used to replace 75 % of natural aggregates in concrete, and three different forms of reed stalks (including reed straw ash, reed straw strips, and reed straw powder) were added to prepare the recycled reed straw brick aggregate concrete (RSAC). Freeze-thaw tests were carried out for 25, 50, 75, and 100 cycles in water and sodium sulfate solution to establish a freeze-thaw deterioration model and perform life prediction. The results showed that the degree of freeze-thaw deterioration of the specimens in sulfuric acid solution was small, and the degree of deterioration of reed powder concrete (RSAC-F) and reed ash concrete (RSAC-H) was more serious than reed strip concrete (RSAC-T) and additive-free concrete (RSAC-0). After 100 water freeze-thaw cycles, the strength losses of the specimens were 21.55 %, 21.7 %, 18.71 %, and 20.54 %, and the relative dynamic elastic modulus losses were 6.11 %, 7.25 %, 4.39 %, and 5.79 %, and the mass losses were 1.79 %, 2.04 %, 1.4 %, and 1.5 %. The fitting results showed that the predicted values of the parabolic model and two-parameter Weibull distribution damage model were closer to the experimental values, and the fitting rates are both greater than 90 %. The life prediction results show that the freeze-thaw resistance of the four types of reed-brick aggregate recycled concrete can reach more than 80 years in southern China, meeting the durability requirements, and the RSAC-T and RSAC-0 group concrete could also be used in projects with lower frost resistance requirements in the north region of China.

Energy Efficiency for Faster-than-Nyquist Data Transmission Using Processing Algorithms with Decision Feedback

One of the ways to increase the volume of transmitted information is to increase the bit rate above the Nyquist barrier. However, an increase in bit rate in the case of FTN (Faster-Than-Nyquist) signals leads to an increase in energy costs for receiving information on channels with limited bandwidth, for example, in Digital Video Broadcasting satellite systems like DVB-S2/S2X. It is possible to minimize energy losses by using the processing algorithm “maximum likelihood sequence estimation”. However, the computational complexity of this algorithm is extremely high, which limits its use, especially in terrestrial mobile satellite terminals. We propose a new bit-by-bit decision feedback algorithm with maximum likelihood ratio estimation of subsequent symbols in the observation interval. This algorithm provides minimal energy costs comparable to the method “maximum likelihood sequence estimation” at speeds 2–3 times higher than the Nyquist barrier. At the same time, the complexity is two orders of magnitude less. It is shown by simulation for a channel with additive noise that energy losses in relation to the potential bit error rate (BER) are less than 4.5 dB. In the presence of Rayleigh fading, the application of the proposed algorithm makes it possible to provide the processing of FTN signals for double bit rates in urban areas with energy costs equal to 12 dB when using an equalizer. We give numerical estimations of the increase in computational complexity for the proposed processing algorithm. It is shown that an increase in the bit rate by 1.5 times leads to an increase in the computational complexity by more than an order of magnitude. The same conclusion can be reformulated in another form: for the proposed algorithm, each decibel of energy gain is achieved by increasing the number of computational operations by 1.5×105. It is experimentally shown that additional energy losses due to non-ideal phase and timing synchronization are no more than 1 dB when the proposed algorithm is applied in a fading channel. The energy costs in fading channels relative to a stationary channel for twice the Nyquist rate are equal to 13.8 dB when using an equalizer.

Мировой рынок химических средств защиты растений: потенциальные потери урожая, тренды и перспективы производства пестицидов для экономики России

To ensure its food security and economic growth, Russia needs to monitor the global pesticide market because constant monitoring predicts supply stability and provides annual high yields. The article describes the current issues associated with agricultural pesticide, analyzes the development directions on the global pesticide market, and predicts its impact on the Russian economy. To analyze the global market of chemical plant protection products, the authors applied an integrated approach based on analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparison, and forecasting. The research relied on the domestic laws and standards issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance. Other sources included statistics obtained from foreign agencies (Phillips McDougal; Kynetec; NBS, China; Chemexcil, India) and Russian institutions (Rosstat, BusinesStat, Zerno.ru, etc.). The review included articles published in scientific and analytical databases, i.e., eLIBRARY.RU, AgroXXI, and AgroPages in 2018–2024. The analysis concentrated on India, China, and the Russian Federation. It covered absolute and relative harvest losses, as well as the market share of importing countries and key suppliers on Russian pesticide market. The demand for chemical pesticides continues to grow, despite restrictions or prohibitions of some hazardous pesticides. Some active ingredients were partially unavailable while finished formulations were subjected to import quotas. In 2024, Russia will be using as many chemical plant protection products as in 2023 since the domestic warehouses store large reserves. The weather conditions are likely to ensure optimal plant growth. Russian farmers will harvest about 142 million tons of grain, including 92–95 million tons of wheat. If repeated annually, this research may reduce the risk of harvest losses and allow the state to adopt prompt regulation measures to obtain high-quality products, thus increasing the domestic consumption and export potential.

Assessment of ozone pollution on rice yield reduction and economic losses in Sichuan province during 2015–2020

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in surface ozone (O3) concentrations in the troposphere. Ozone pollution has significant adverse effects on ecosystems, human health, and climate change, particularly on crop growth and yield. This study utilized the observational hourly O3 data, cumulative O3 concentration over 40 ppb per h (AOT40), and the mean daytime 7-h O3 concentration (M7) to analyze the spatiotemporal distributions of relative yield losses (RYLs) and evaluate the yield reduction and economic losses of rice in Sichuan province from 2015 to 2020. The results indicated that the average O3 concentration during the growing rice season ranged from 55.4 to 69.3 μg/m3, with the highest O3 concentration observed in 2017, and the AOT40 ranged from 4.5 to 8.7 ppm h from 2015 to 2020. At the county level, the O3 concentration, AOT40, and the relative yield loss (RYL) of rice based on AOT40 exhibited clear spatiotemporal differences in Sichuan. The RYLs of AOT40 were 4.9–9.2% from 2015 to 2020. According to AOT40 and M7 metrics, the yield loss and economic losses attributed to O3 pollution amounted to 78.75–150.36 (9.74–21.54) ten thousand tons, and 2079.08–4149.89 (257.25–594.45) million Yuan, respectively. Rice yield and economic losses were relatively large in the Chengdu Plain, southern Sichuan, and northeast Sichuan. These findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the detrimental effects of elevated surface O3 concentrations on rice crops. It is imperative to implement more stringent O3 reduction measures aimed at lowering O3 concentrations, enhancing rice quality, and safeguarding food security in Sichuan.

UP‐GAN: Channel‐spatial attention‐based progressive generative adversarial network for underwater image enhancement

AbstractFocusing on severe color deviation, low brightness, and mixed noise caused by inherent scattering and light attenuation effects within underwater environments, an underwater‐attention progressive generative adversarial network (UP‐GAN) is innovated for underwater image enhancement (UIE). Salient contributions are as follows: (1) By elaborately devising an underwater background light estimation module via an underwater imaging model, the degradation mechanism can be sufficiently integrated to fuse prior information, which in turn saves computational burden on subsequent enhancement; (2) to suppress mixed noise and enhance foreground, simultaneously, an underwater dual‐attention module is created to fertilize skip connection from channel and spatial aspects, thereby getting rid of noise amplification within the UIE; and (3) by systematically combining with spatial consistency, exposure control, color constancy, color relative dispersion losses, the entire UP‐GAN framework is skillfully optimized by taking into account multidegradation factors. Comprehensive experiments conducted on the UIEB data set demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed UP‐GAN in terms of both subjective and objective aspects.

Absolute gains, relative losses: How the poor and the rich view redistribution differently

AbstractHow do people perceive the utility of redistribution? Support for redistribution is commonly understood as being determined by self‐interest in a way that is monotonically proportional to expected net transfers. However, this would imply that average support for redistribution is static and unaffected by changes in the distribution of incomes. This study addresses this incongruence by integrating concepts from the literature on redistribution preferences, namely the diminishing marginal utility of income, inequity aversion and loss aversion. These concepts are formalized by making two distinctions regarding redistribution: absolute versus relative utility and gains versus losses. An analysis of the European/World Values Survey suggests that the preferences of the poor are determined by absolute gains, while the preferences of the rich are determined by relative losses. In other words, the poor care about how much they gain from redistribution, while the rich care about the share of their income that they lose from it. The findings have important implications for the relationships among public opinion, economic development and income inequality.

The lasting impacts of remote learning in the absence of remedial policies: Evidence from Brazil

The transition to remote learning in the context of COVID-19 led to dramatic setbacks in education. Is the return to in-person classes sufficient to eliminate these losses eventually? We study this question using data from the universe of secondary students in São Paulo State, Brazil. We estimate the causal medium-run impacts of the length of exposure to remote learning during the pandemic through a triple-differences strategy, which contrasts changes in educational outcomes across municipalities and grades that resumed in-person classes earlier (already by Q4/2020) or only in 2021. We find that relative learning losses from longer exposure to remote learning did not fade out over time-attesting that school reopening was at the same time key but not enough to mitigate accumulated learning losses in face of persistence. Using observational and experimental variation in local responses across 645 municipalities, we further document that remedial educational policies in the aftermath of the pandemic boosted learning recovery.

Method to Study Potential‐Induced Degradation of Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules in an Inert Environment

The efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is advancing rapidly, yet their sensitivity to ambient conditions poses challenges. An additional degradation mechanism, potential‐induced degradation (PID), can emerge during field operation, but the understanding of PID within perovskite devices is limited. To exclude environmental stressors, this study is conducted in an inert environment at room temperature. PSCs and mini‐modules are subjected to a 324 h PID stress test at −1000 V, revealing relative efficiency losses of around 29% and 24% for the PSCs and mini‐modules, respectively, exposing subtle degradation differences. These degradation rates are notably lower than reported in the literature, suggesting possible additional degradation pathways arising from suboptimal encapsulation combined with ambient conditions. Subsequently, half of the stressed samples are subject to +1000 V for 523 h and recover to a reduced efficiency loss of 15% and 7.7% for the PSCs and module, respectively. In contrast, storing the stressed samples on the shelf increased the efficiency losses to 32% (PSCs) and 41% (module). Therefore, the post‐PID rates differ significantly between both groups, whereas both effects of voltage recovery and progressed degradation are more pronounced in modules compared to cells. This study contributes to a robust method for PID research.

Effects of slaughter weight and backfat depth on trimming, curing, and deboning losses and quality traits of Italian dry-cured ham

This study aimed at assessing the effects of two infra-vitam traits, specifically the slaughter weight (SW) and the ultrasound backfat depth (BCKF) on several post-mortem and quality traits of typical Prosciutto Veneto protected designation of origin (PDO) dry-cured ham. The trial was conducted on a population of 423 pigs fed using different strategies to generate a high variation in SW (175 ± 15.5 kg) and BCKF (23.16 ± 4.14 mm). All the left thighs were weighed at slaughter and the ham factory during the different processing phases. The fat cover depth of green trimmed hams was measured. Data were analyzed with a linear model including SW classified in tertiles, BCKF as a covariate, SW × BCKF interaction, sex, batch, and pen nested within batch. Our results highlighted that, for each 10 kg increase in SW, trimmed and seasoned ham weights increased by 0.76 and 0.54 kg, respectively. The increase in SW significantly reduced relative curing and deboning losses but did not affect ham fat cover depth and trimming losses. A rise in BCKF increased the ham fat cover depth and trimming losses and decreased the curing and deboning losses. Increases in SW and BCKF improved quality traits of the seasoned ham including fat cover depth, visible marbling, inner lean firmness, and fat color. These findings confirm the feasibility of increasing SW and BCKF, which will result in a reduction in the relative losses associated with the dry-curing process while improving the quality of the seasoned ham.

Experimental investigations of upscaling effects of high-temperature heat pumps with R1233zd(E)

High-temperature heat pumps (HTHP) are crucial for decarbonizing district heating and industry. Hence, a reliable performance estimation considering effects of scaling is of interest for cost-efficient system integration. This study compares two laboratory HTHPs with the same refrigerant R1233zd(E). These systems have a similar plant design but a capacity scale factor of 3.2. The aim is to evaluate scale effects and make general valid statements about the challenges of upscaling laboratory test results. The analyses show that it is essential to distinguish between design effects like temperature differences at the pinch point or different heat exchanger surfaces and scale effects like relative heat losses and efficiencies of components and the system. At the component level, large surface reserves in the heat exchangers lead to 3–5 K smaller approach temperature differences in the lower capacity HTHP. At the system level, the relative heat losses are about 15 % higher than in the system with a larger capacity. The coefficient of performance of both HTHPs shows a similar trend as a function of the temperature lift from the heat source to the sink. Cross-referencing these performance results with over 200 data points from the literature, validated the possibility of upscaling.

A novel experimental vignette methodology: SMART vignettes

We motivate and present the methodology of vignette studies. The primary contribution of this paper is our proposal of a novel vignette study design: “SMART vignettes.” Our design has two notable features: the first is its use of sequential randomization, which conceptually originates from the sequential multiple assignment randomization trial (SMART) design developed by Murphy (2004). The second feature is adaptive allocation. These new features in vignette studies offer unique advantages not offered by traditional vignettes: (1) valid causal inferences on the conditional distributions of the primary outcome of interest, given other factors, (2) balanced allocations across groups, and (3) a greater degree of interactivity for the survey respondent. We illustrate the utility of our method using a case example of a vignette study used to probe physicians’ attitudes toward an AI-embedded clinical system. In this example, a SMART vignette was used to randomize hypothetical scenarios to gain a better understanding of the causal impact of physician attitudes, given emerging evidence that a range of factors including previous decisions, play a role in influencing clinical decisions. We simulated hypothetical vignette studies under both SMART and conventional (i.e. single randomization at baseline) designs. We varied the number of factors for each study and fixed each factor to have two levels. Relative loss was used to compare the degree of imbalance between groups. Both designs had smaller relative losses with larger sample sizes. The SMART study design had lower loss than its conventional counterpart for all values of [Formula: see text] for all studies, indicating better balance. As demonstrated by the relative loss in our simulations, our proposed SMART vignette design has an advantage over the conventional design. This method holds promise in generating new knowledge in decision making scenarios occurring over multiple and discrete time points.

An Intermittent Exposure Regime Did Not Alter the Crop Yield and Biomass Responses to an Elevated Ozone Concentration

The intermittent ozone (O3) exposure of crops to alternating high and low concentrations is common in fields, but its impact on crop production has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, two widely planted and O3-sensitive crops, winter wheat and soybean, were intermittently exposed to elevated O3 concentrations in open-top chambers. The results showed that the winter wheat and soybean yields significantly decreased with O3 exposure (AOT40, cumulative hourly O3 concentration above 40 ppb) (p < 0.001). The relative yield losses were 0.99% per AOT40 for winter wheat and 1.2% per AOT40 for soybean, respectively. The responses of the crop biomasses to elevated O3 concentrations were lower than that of crop yield. Although the O3-induced crop yield and biomass losses under continuous O3 exposure were greater than those under intermittent O3 exposure, the differences were not statistically significant. Therefore, we can conclude that the effects of elevated O3 concentrations on crops are closely related to the exposure dose but not significantly related to the temporal distribution of elevated O3 concentrations. This study improves our understanding of how crop production responds to intermittent O3 exposure.