Measured Time Periods Research Articles

Enhancing low-level tritium detection in environmental waters: assessing the Hidex ULLA liquid scintillation counter

Tritium (³H) is a vital tracer in isotope hydrology and environmental studies, necessitating accurate and precise low-level detection methods. This study evaluated the performance of the new Hidex ULLA Liquid Scintillation Counter for ultra-low-level tritium assays in environmental water samples. The optimization of instrumental parameters enabled accurate and reproducible 3H measurements. Test samples (10–132 TU) were analyzed in triplicate, including 3H-free water and NIST traceable standards. The results demonstrated excellent accuracy and reproducibility, as evidenced by Zeta scores and linearity across these tritium concentrations. The system's stability over extended measurement time periods ensured reliable performance for routine ultra-low level 3H analysis. The optimization of key parameters such as coincidence time and region of interest (ROI) achieved the highest figure of merit (FoM) by using a 25 ns coincidence time and the DigPb open mode for optimal spectral fittings. Detection limits (DL) based on ISO11929 recommendations were significantly improved but highlighted the need for sample enrichment for most low-level environmental applications, with LSC counting times preferably exceeding 1000 min. Overall, the Hidex ULLA Liquid Scintillation Counter proved to be a robust and reliable instrument suitable for ultra-low-level tritium detection in environmental water samples.

Life Course Models of Child Maltreatment: Effects on General Psychopathology Outcomes in a Longitudinal Sample.

The study compared life course models (LCM; accumulation, recency, and sensitive period) of child maltreatment and general psychopathology in a large, national longitudinal data set of 1354 youth ages birth-16years (657 boys, 53.2% Black, 59.7% <$40K caregiver income). Previous research has supported the accumulation and recency models, albeit with shorter or fewer time periods of outcome measurement. We extend this work by modeling the impact of combined abuse and neglect allegations on a general psychopathology factor (dysregulation profile). Cross-sectional structural equation models were constructed using LCMs and tested across two-year periods from 4-16years old and compared using Akaike Information Criterion weights. The recency variable generally explained the greatest proportion of variance in psychopathology. Notably, maltreatment more proximal to the time of outcome measurement had the strongest effect, suggesting that more recent maltreatment may have stronger effects on general psychopathology. These results lend support to a recency effect of maltreatment on psychopathology outcomes, although substantive overlaps with the accumulation model are noted.

Extracting Atmospheric Stability Information from Dual-Doppler Radar Scans in the AWAKEN Campaign

Dual-Doppler (DD) derived wind direction (β) fields are used in a novel approach to assess atmospheric stability by way of power spectral density (PSD) and bulk statistical analyses. Data on atmospheric stability, thermodynamic profiles, and wind behavior, as acquired during the AWAKEN campaign, are examined for a measurement time period featuring two stability transitions to analyze differences in flow structure as a function of stability regime. Analysis of the β fields yielded promising results when compared to stability regime and can be applied to other cases.

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) as primary and secondary outcomes in total hip and knee arthroplasty randomized controlled trials: a systematic review.

Significant heterogeneity exists regarding patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study investigates the PROMs used as primary and secondary outcomes in contemporary arthroplasty RCTs. A literature search identified THA and TKA RCTs that were published in top ten impact factor orthopaedic journals from 2017 to 2021. Screening identified 241 trials: 76 THA, 157 TKA, and eight combined. Data were extracted to identify PROMs utilized as either primary or secondary outcomes and the time period of measurement. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Pain was the most reported primary PROM in THA (9.2%) and TKA (22.9%) trials. This was followed by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Pain (7.9%) and the Harris Hip score (6.6%) in THA trials and NRS Pain (4.5%) and the Knee Society score (4.5%) in TKA trials. Many THA (37.0%) and TKA (52.1%) trials did not clearly specify primary outcome time points. Only pain scales were reported at time points less than one week, while various joint-specific functional outcomes were reported at later time points. As secondary outcomes, the Harris Hip score (28.9%) was most common in THA trials and the Knee Society score (26.1%) was most common in TKA trials. Indeterminate primary or secondary outcomes were reported in 18.2% of studies. Contemporary THA and TKA trials exhibit heterogeneity of PROMs as study outcomes after the first postoperative week. Our findings highlight the need for consensus in PROM reporting and better methodological reporting to improve the interpretability of RCT outcomes. CRD42022337255.

Comparative Evaluation of Two Implant Designs Based on Bone Loss and Stability with Early Loading Method.

The study evaluated the implant bone loss and stability of implant changes with diverse designs with early placement at eight weeks and eight months' time. The subjects for the current study had partial tooth loss in the posterior mandibular arch. A total of 30 samples were split into two groups of 15, one with a flared crest module and a buttress thread design, the other with a parallel crest module and a V-shaped thread design. Ostell assessed each subject's implant stability four times, at baseline, eight weeks, four months, and eight months. At intervals of eight weeks, four months, and eight months, intraoral periapical radiographs were examined using ImageJ software to measure crestal bone loss. When Group I and Group II's implant stability quotient (ISQ) values at baseline, eight weeks, four months, and eight months were compared; Group I's ISQ values at each of the four measured time periods were statistically significant. At eight weeks in Group I, the ISQ value was very considerable. At eight weeks, four months, and eight months, there was a statistically significant bone loss in Group II in comparison to Group I. At eight months, Group II's bone loss value was very considerable. In contrast to Group II implant designs, it was found that Group I implants demonstrated enhanced implant-less bone loss and stability.

Spatial variability of throughfall in heavily fogged old-growth Fagus orientalis forests is controlled by fog precipitation and stand structural characteristics

Ecological impacts of the spatial heterogeneity of throughfall (TF) in forest ecosystems are recognized in ecohydrology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of TF and to quantify the effects of forest cover, fog, and gross rainfall (GR) characteristics on TF. Data were collected from May 2016 to November 2017 on an event basis in an intact, old-growth oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) stand in northern Iran. Over the measurement time period, 22 rainfall events were observed (total rain = 648 mm). Because the region experienced considerable fog, TF was greater than 100% of GR in 14 rainfall events with negative interception loss (total = -24.1 mm), causing low interception values, and 8 rainfall events were found with positive I (total = 25.5 mm). The low TF spatial variability and increasing TF depth observed in this study were related to increases in rainfall depth and intensity. TF was significantly and positively correlated with LAI and significantly and negatively correlated with canopy openness for rainfall events of more than 50 mm. The high amount of TF depth highlighted the role of LAI to enhance fog interception and the role of fog precipitation to increase TF in the study site. Spatial continuity at an effective range of 3-8 m was observed by variogram analyses. The increasing spatial continuity of TF with increasing GR observed in this study, along with the larger effective range for GR >50 mm and correspondingly similar LAI range, suggest an effect of LAI on the spatial patterning of TF for larger GR. Therefore, this heavily fogged ecosystem received considerable TF due to fog interception, and higher LAI increased TF for larger rainfall events. Our findings can optimize forest management practices by accounting for the effect of Fagus orientalis trees on the local hydrological processes of the Hyrcanian mountain forests.

A novel spatiotemporal prediction method based on fuzzy Transform: Application to demographic balance data

Many issues require the application of forecasting models applied to spatiotemporal data in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to predict the spatial distribution and evolution of a specific feature. The use of soft computing techniques in the development of these forecasting models makes it possible to detect non-linear trends but has the disadvantage of increasing the computational complexity of the model. In this paper we present a GIS-based framework in which a fast soft computing forecasting model based on the multidimensional Fuzzy Transform (for short, MF-transform) is applied to evaluate the spatial distribution and the time evolution in a study area of a measurable entity (the feature). The study area is divided into homogeneous zones (the subzones) in which the feature was measured in each time frame. The time series of the feature are analyzed to assess the trend of the feature in subsequent time frames; furthermore, those sub-areas are detected in which the feature is higher than a maximum threshold (hot spots) or lower than a minimum threshold (cold spots) in this time range. A process of fuzzifying the values of the feature is carried out in order to facilitate the interpretation of the results by expert users. The framework was tested on a study area provided by the province of Naples (Italy) to predict and analyze the spatial distribution and temporal trend of the monthly rate of births compared to deaths. Furthermore, the thematic map of the hot and cold spots detected in the three months following the time period of measurements was built. The results show that our method provides reliable results both in terms of forecast error and similarity between the detected hot and cold spots and those who have really formed.

Effect of Controlling Light on Cashmere Growth and Harmful Gas Parameters in Shanbei White Cashmere Goats

The quality and yield of cashmere closely affect the economic benefits of cashmere goat farming. Studies have shown that controlling light can have an important impact on cashmere but can also affect the concentration of harmful gases. In order to explore the impact of a short photoperiod on the growth of cashmere and harmful gases in goat houses, 130 female (non-pregnant) Shanbei white cashmere goats, aged 4-5 years with similar body weights, were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group, with 65 goats in each group. The dietary nutrition levels of the experimental goats were the same, and completely natural light was used in the control group; the light control group received light for 7 h every day (9:30-16:30), and the rest of the time (16:30-9:30 the next day) they did not receive light. The light control treatment was carried out in a control house, and the gas content was analyzed. It was found that a shortened period of light exposure could increase the annual average cashmere production by 34.5%. The content of each gas has a certain functional relationship with the measurement time period, but at the same time, we found that the content of NH3 also changes seasonally. In summary, the use of shortened light periods when raising cashmere goats can significantly increase cashmere production and quality, but at the same time, it will increase the concentration of harmful gases in the goat barn, and ventilation should be increased to ensure the health of the goats and the air quality in the barn.

One-year change in handgrip strength in patients with hip fracture: a prospective comparison with hip disease

BackgroundHandgrip strength (HGS) has been adopted as one of the diagnostic tools for sarcopenia and is gaining attention because of its association with osteoporotic hip fractures. Longitudinal data of HGS at multiple follow-up intervals in older hip fractures are lacking. We aimed to investigate and compare the HGS changes in patients with hip fracture within 1-year with those in patients with hip diseases.MethodsThis prospective study was conducted between June 2018 and July 2020. The HGS was measured preoperatively, at predischarge, and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. We prospectively compared the number of patients with low muscle strength (LMS) as well as the HGS changes over time between the two groups.ResultsA total of 115 consecutive patients with hip fracture (n = 58) and hip disease (57) were enrolled. The rate of preoperative LMS was higher in the hip fracture group than control (P = 0.005), but there was no significant difference in the postoperative period (P = 0.343). The mean HGS was lower in the hip fracture group at all measured time periods. The preoperative HGS increased right before discharge (15.2 kg to 17.0 kg), and plateaued thereafter 1-year in the fracture group, whereas there were no statistically significant changes in serial follow-up trends in the control group.ConclusionsThe preoperative HGS in fracture patients may have been underestimated, due to different position of the arm, insufficient practice, or pain. Subsequently, HGS was rather constant during 1-year indicating no development of general sarcopenia after treatment for hip fracture. Therefore, in hip fracture patients, the predischarge HGS might be more reliable than preoperative HGS.

PS-BPP05-1: ASSOCIATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES AND HOME BLOOD PRESSURE: THE MASUDA STUDY

Objective: The prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP) remains high, with the greatest absolute burden of elevated BP particularly in the East Asian and Pacific regions. Temperature and BP are closely related; however, few studies have examined the association of out-of-office BP with indoor or outdoor temperature. The effect of the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures on BP also remains unknown. we examined the association of indoor and outdoor temperatures, and their difference with self-measured BP at home. Design and method: Using 2-year data on temperature and self-measured home BP in healthy 352 participants (mean age, 49.8 years; 46.0% women) from a population-based cohort. We measured home BP and indoor temperature at the same time in the morning and evening every day. Outdoor temperature at the same time period of the home BP measurements in Masuda City was based on the national data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. A linear mixed model was used for analyzing the association between home BP and indoor or outdoor temperature as fixed effects and each participant as a random effect adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol drinking, obesity, physical activity, diabetes mellitus, and antihypertensive medication use. Results: We observed BP measurements of 82,900 in the morning and of 66,420 in the evening. After adjustment for age, sex, and possible confounders, indoor temperature was inversely associated with systolic and diastolic BP in the morning and evening. A 1 °C increase in the indoor temperature reduced systolic/diastolic BP by 0.37/0.22 mmHg, respectively, in the morning and 0.45/0.30 mmHg, respectively, in the evening (all P-values &lt; 0.001). The magnitude of associations was stronger for indoor than outdoor temperature. Similarly, a 1 °C increase in the indoor temperature above outdoor temperature decreased systolic/diastolic BP by 0.33/0.12 mmHg, respectively, in the morning and 0.45/0.26 mmHg, respectively, in the evening independent of outdoor temperature (all P-values &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of indoor temperature for influencing home BP levels. The control of indoor temperature is considered an easy approach for the general population to tackle. It is necessary to control the rise in home BP by controlling indoor temperature in order to reduce high BP, possibly leading to reduced mortality and morbidity from CVD.

Return to Driving After Hip Arthroscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Hip arthroscopy is an increasingly common procedure; however, recommendations for safely returning to driving after hip arthroscopy vary among surgeons. To systematically review and analyze the current available evidence on the optimal time to safely return to driving after hip arthroscopy. Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Two authors independently conducted a literature search throughout August 2021 using the PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Cochrane databases. A total of 1425 articles were reviewed, and 5 articles were included. All included articles used brake reaction time (BRT) as an observer-reported outcome measure. A meta-analysis was performed to compare pre- and postoperative BRT values. Study sample sizes and mean BRT values were collected per each included study. First, data were analyzed for the right and left hips combined; then, a subgroup analysis stratified by laterality was performed. The BRT values were divided according to time periods of measurement: preoperatively and 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks postoperatively. The included studies evaluated safety to return to driving after hip arthroscopy in 160 patients. Of these, 142 patients were treated for femoroacetabular impingement, while 18 patients underwent hip arthroscopy for other diagnoses. The mean weighted age was 33.7 ± 9.0 years, 47.5% of the patients were female, and the right hip was affected in 71.2%. The preoperative range of BRT was 566 to 1960 ms, and postoperative BRT range was 567 to 1840 ms at 1 to 2 weeks and 523 to 1860 ms at 3 to 12 weeks. Meta-analysis found the studies to be moderately heterogenic (P = .06). There were no statistically significant differences in BRT between the preoperative period and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks postoperatively. Return to driving is likely safe as early as 2 to 4 weeks after right-sided hip arthroscopy, and 2 weeks after a left-sided procedure, as driving performance returns to the preoperative level. CRD42021274460 (PROSPERO identifier).

Estimating the time since deposition (TsD) in saliva stains using temporal changes in microbial markers

Determining the time since deposition (TsD) of traces could be helpful in the investigation of criminal offenses. However, there are no reliable markers and models available for the inference of short-term TsD. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential of the succession pattern of human salivary microbial communities to serve as an efficiency TsD prediction tool in the resolution of the forensic cases. Saliva stains exposed to indoor conditions up to 20 days were collected and analyzed by 16S rRNA profiling using high-throughput sequencing technique. Noticeable differences in microbial composition were observed between different time points, and the indoor exposure time of saliva stains were inversely correlated with alpha diversity estimates across the measured time period. The sequencing results were used to identify TsD-dependent bacterial indicators to regress a generalized random forest model, resulting in a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 1.41 days. Furthermore, a simplified TsD predictive model was also developed utilizing Enhydrobacter, Paenisporosarcina, and Janthinobacterium by quantitative PCR (qPCR) with a MAD of 1.32 days, and then forensic practice assessment were also performed by using mock samples with a MAD of 3.53 days. In conclusion, this study revealed significant changes in salivary microbial abundance as the prolongation of TsD. It demonstrated that the microbial biomarkers could be invoked as a “clock” for TsD estimation in human dried saliva stains.

(Digital Presentation) Time-Resolved Operando XAS of FexNi100-XOy Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction Reveals Temporal Shift in Ni K-Edge during Ni2+/3+ Redox Reaction

FexNi100-xOy electrocatalysts have become a focus for alkaline water electrolysis and the oxidative half reaction of oxygen evolution. Under alkaline conditions, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) can be promoted by non-precious metal oxide and hydroxide electrocatalysts. In particular, electrocatalyst compositions from first row late transition metals such as iron, nickel, manganese, and cobalt have emerged as some of the most active catalysts for the OER, and the role of iron has been identified as key within multi-metallic compositions. In our research, we have focused specifically on the iron-nickel bimetallic composition and have developed synthesis methods to be able to control the bimetallic composition, surface chemistry, and three-dimensional morphology of a suite of FexNi100-xOy nanoparticle electrocatalysts. With this subset of highly-active FexNi100-xOy nanoparticle electrocatalysts, we have recently been focused on operando x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies to understand how the chemistry of the iron and nickel species within these nanocatalysts changes as a result of exposure to the electrochemical environment. This talk will focus on a set of operando data obtained with a quick scan detector at beamline 9-3 at SSRL, where we were able to capture temporal, dynamic changes to the nickel chemistry as a function of applied voltage in the Faradaic region of the OER. Specifically, we have captured the change in the Ni K-edge that occurs as a result of the voltage stepping through the Ni redox reaction, where the Ni species in our electrocatalyst oxidizes from a 2+ to a 3+/4+ oxidation state. This redox reaction is associated with a phase transition from Ni(OH)2 to NiOOH. Our measurements were able to obtain 90 s scans during a 15 min time period of measurement, where we find that the Ni redox reaction and phase transition occurs during the first 10 minutes of measurement. Modeling of the extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) region suggests that both Ni – O and Ni – M (M = metal) scattering path atomic pairs undergo a compression in distance. Further, the time scale of the phase transition suggests that the Ni redox reaction is mass transport limited. In this talk, I will discuss these results and present our analysis of the time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy data.

Below average motor skills predict victimization from childhood bullies: A study of adults with ADHD

Children with ADHD are frequently clumsy and involved in bullying, both as victims and perpetrators. The relationship between motor skills and bully status is poorly understood. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of motor skills in childhood on bully victimization/perpetration in those with ADHD.In this cross-sectional study, 403 adults diagnosed with ADHD filled out a questionnaire on their recall of bully victimization, bully perpetration, performance in physical education (PE) (defined as performance below average in i.e., ball dexterity, coordination or agility) as a proxy for motor skills, and academic skills at age 12, as compared to their peers. Of the current sample, 63% remembered being victimized and 31% noted they were perpetrators. Thirty-two percent recalled that they performed below average in PE. Being diagnosed with ADHD and having poor motor skills was strongly associated with bully victimization (OR = 2.63; 95% CI:1.62, 4.27, p < .001). Victimization was more common during all measured time periods, from nursery school until the age of 15, among those with poor performance in PE as compared to those without poor performance. No relationship was found between poor motor skills and bully perpetration. ConclusionA crucial role of the cerebellum is coordination and the linking of sequenced motor actions through milli-second timing. Aberrations in this ability makes a person present as “different”, which was stated as the most common reason for social exclusion by other children. Therefore, subtle clumsiness (presumed by poor performance in PE class) is suggested to mirror deficits in social skills, which is intuitively observed by peers, leading to victimization.

Wave Attenuation Over Mangroves in the Nanliu Delta, China

Mangrove forests grow on tropical and subtropical coastlines and play a significant role in reducing hydrodynamic energy. However, little information is known about the mechanism of wave attenuation caused by mangroves of different ages, even though the effects of mangroves on wave damping have received widespread concern. Here, a series of systemic biohydrological data were collected along a cross-shore transect through mangroves with different ages of native Aegiceras corniculatum (AC) distribution in the Nanliu Delta of China and were analyzed to investigate wave attenuation over mangroves during different tidal conditions. The results showed that the wave height decreased nearly 58.33%, with a transport distance of 275 m in the AC seedling-sapling region, and approximately 80%, with a transport distance of 1,000 m in the sapling-adult region, on average. The largest wave height attenuation rate of 3 × 10−3 was found in the measured time period and occurred in the seedling-sapling section during the neap tide, while the sapling-adult region had a basically constant reduction rate of 0.8 × 10−3 under changing tidal conditions. Moreover, the drag coefficient calculation indicated that an AC seedling with a height of nearly 0.55 m was more effective in attenuating wave energy than the stem part of a grown tree with a height of nearly 1.2 m. AC seedlings and saplings have significant impacts on wave damping, even though the stem part of an adult AC could produce a decline in wave energy. Moreover, differences in the drag coefficient caused by stems and canopies were responsible for wave attenuation, and the degree of AC inundation volume induced by water level fluctuation might affect the wave damping effect. Our results documented distinct differences in the wave attenuation process by mangroves of different ages, which can inform superior designs of mangroves along coasts against a background of sea-level rise and the occurrence of frequent typhoons.

Use of Wearable Technology to Measure Activity in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients: A Systematic Review.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are widely used for measurement of functional outcomes after orthopaedic trauma. However, PROMs rely on patient collaboration and suffer from various types of bias. Wearable Activity Monitors (WAMs) are increasingly used to objectify functional assessment. The objectives of this systematic review were to identify and characterise the WAMs technology and metrics currently used for orthopaedic trauma research. PubMed and Embase biomedical literature search engines were queried. Eligibility criteria included: Human clinical studies published in the English language between 2010 and 2019 involving fracture management and WAMs. Variables collected from each article included: Technology used, vendor/product, WAM body location, metrics measured, measurement time period, year of publication, study geographic location, phase of treatment studied, fractures studied, number of patients studied, sex and age of the study subjects, and study level of evidence. Six investigators reviewed the resulting papers. Descriptive statistics of variables of interest were used to analyse the data. One hundred and thirty-six papers were available for analysis, showing an increasing trend of publications per year. Accelerometry followed by plantar pressure insoles were the most commonly employed technologies. The most common location for WAM placement was insoles, followed by the waist. The most commonly studied fracture type was hip fractures followed by fragility fractures in general, ankle, "lower extremity", and tibial fractures. The rehabilitation phase following surgery was the most commonly studied period. Sleep duration, activity time or step counts were the most commonly reported WAM metrics. A preferred, clinically validated WAM metric was not identified. WAMs have an increasing presence in the orthopaedic trauma literature. The optimal implementation of this technology and its use to understand patients' pre-injury and post-injury functions is currently insufficiently explored and represents an area that will benefit from future study. PROSPERO ID:210344. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-022-00629-0.

Discontinuity Detection in GNSS Station Coordinate Time Series Using Machine Learning

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) provide globally distributed station coordinate time series that can be used for a variety of applications such as the definition of a terrestrial reference frame. A reliable estimation of the coordinate time series trends gives valuable information about station movements during the measured time period. Detecting discontinuities of various origins in such time series is crucial for accurate and robust velocity estimation. At present, there is no fully automated standard method for detecting discontinuities. Instead, discontinuity-catalogues are frequently used, which provide information about when a device was changed or an earthquake occurred. However, it is known that these catalogues suffer from incompleteness. This study investigates the suitability of machine learning classification algorithms that are fully data-driven to detect discontinuities caused by earthquakes in station coordinate time series without the need for external information. For this study, Japan was selected as a testing area. Ten different machine learning algorithms have been tested. It is found that Random Forest achieves the best performance with an F1 score of 0.77, a recall of 0.78, and a precision of 0.76. Overall, 525 of 565 recorded earthquakes in the test data were correctly classified. It is further highlighted that splitting the time series into chunks of 21 days leads to the best performance. Furthermore, it is beneficial to combine the three (normalized) components of the GNSS solution into one sample, and that adding the value range as an additional feature improves the result. Thus, this work demonstrates how it is possible to use machine learning algorithms to detect discontinuities in GNSS time series.

Characteristics of the summer 3‐D katabatic flow in a semi‐arid zone—The case of the Dead Sea

AbstractThe katabatic winds have been studied over the slopes surrounding the Dead Sea (DS, in brevity), located at altitude of 433 m below sea level focusing on the summer season when the katabatic winds are most frequent, persistent and pronounced due to the summer stable weather conditions. The study observes the katabatic wind pulses, which are intermittent, via 3‐D innovative measurement tools with high time and space resolution employing Energy Balance Stations, Radiosondes and Lidars. The nocturnal katabatic pulses were investigated employing vertical depth, wind direction/intensity, duration, number of pulses and the time intervals separating them, as well as the begin and termination times during August 2014. The average direction of the pulses depends on the nearby slopes orientations while the intensity depends on the station's elevation and its location relative to the slope. The average katabatic number of pulses, duration, time intervals and their beginning and terminating times were found to strongly depend on the other local flows. The average vertical depth of the katabatic layer from both sides of the DS, in Israel and Jordan, was found to be at 450–950 m above ground level, depending on the measurement time period as well as the tools' sensitivities employing the “KIT cube system”—an advanced integrated atmospheric observation system, which allows 3‐D accurate analysis of the detailed katabatic wind pulses over the DS. The average number of the katabatic pulses was found to be ~2.9–3.5 pulses·night−1. The average duration of each pulse was ~69–94 min and the time interval separating them ~32–44 min depending on the flows which interrupt the pulses. The starting time of first katabatic pulse in local time was 0113 LST (±0119). These findings are of great relevance for the DS evaporation as well as bio‐meteorological and pollution aspects.

Predictive value of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for cardiovascular events

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Hypertension is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring remains the gold standard to diagnose hypertension. However, it is still unclear whether different time periods of measurement differ in their predictive value for cardiovascular events. Purpose To investigate whether different time periods of home BP monitoring can be used as a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality. Methods In this retrospective study, we included patients who had a 24-hour BP measurement between May 2015 and March 2016. Follow-up data were collected up to a maximum of 67 months. BP measurements were taken every 15 minutes from 9 AM until 9 PM and subdivided into 4 time periods, each consisting of 3 hours of measurements. Correlation of BP with major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) defined as cardiovascular hospitalization and all-cause mortality was examined using a Cox-regression model, which was adjusted for possible confounding factors. Results A total of 301 patients were included for analysis with mean follow-up of 1830,4 days ± 229. The mean age was 64.3 ± 15.2 and 52.8% of patients were female. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for the 4 time periods were respectively 135,3 ± 16/ 82,6 ± 13,2mmHg, 132,3 ± 15,5/ 79,7 ± 12,7mmHg, 135,3 ± 15,5/ 81,7 ± 12,3mmHg and 136,4 ± 16,4 mmHg/ 81,6 ± 12,1mmHg. MACE occurred in 66 (21.9%) patients. The multivariable Cox proportional hazard risk model revealed that SBP between 12 and 3PM (HR 0.966 95% CI (0.945-0.989)) and the DBP between 6 and 9PM (HR 0.935 95% CI (0.898-0.973)) were associated with a reduced risk for MACE. Furthermore, the SBP between 6 and 9PM (HR 1.044 95% CI (1.021-1.068)) and the DBP between 3 and 6PM (HR 1.05 95% CI (1.013-1.089)) were associated with an increased risk for MACE. Conclusions The risk of cardiovascular events is higher in patients with a high SBP between 6 and 9PM and high DBP between 3 and 6PM. Lower risk is seen when the SBP is high between 12 and 3PM and the DBP is high between 6 and 9PM. These results might be explained by the circadian rhythm of BP. Further study is needed to confirm this time dependent predictive value of BP measurements.

A Diary Study on When and With Whom Recovery Experiences Modulate Daily Stress and Worry During a COVID-19 Lockdown.

In April 2020, almost six out of 10 people around the world were in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being locked down usually has a deleterious effect on the confined individual's mental health. In this exceptionally challenging context, finding ways to minimize negative mood about the pandemic is essential. Pandemic-related negative states (“negative mood”) and recovery experiences were investigated in a sample of 264 individuals who completed daily surveys four times per day over 7 consecutive days. MSEMs analyses revealed that negative mood persisted from moment-to-moment through the day, thus showing a response lag effect. Further analyses revealed that when someone experienced pandemic-related psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, control, pleasure, or relatedness at specific periods of the day, mood had improved at the next measured time period, suggesting a protective effect. However, the pattern displayed by singles with dependents suggests that some recovery experiences at specific periods during the day seem to have a backfiring effect and worsen subsequent mood. These findings bring new insight into the role of recovery experiences during lockdowns and suggest that many could benefit from such experiences throughout the day when self-isolating. However, for individuals with multiple risk factors such as being single with dependents, some recovery experiences, at specific periods during the day, might not bring the desired outcome and future research is needed to examine if guilt or domestic burden may explain this finding. Results contribute to our understanding of how to take care of one's mental health during the current pandemic, and concrete recommendations adapted to individual contexts are provided.