Trends In Occurrence Research Articles

OCCURRENCE OF METFORMIN IN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER SAMPLES AND COMPARISON WITH CONSUMPTION DATA FROM A SURROUNDING HOSPITAL OVER 5 YEARS: A RETROSPECTIVE CASE STUDY.

The environmental occurrence of metformin has been frequently world-widely reported. Despite the diabetes susceptibility in the Chinese population, the studies on occurrence of metformin as environment disruptor in China are insufficient. To determine the occurrence trends and possible environmental pollution sources of metformin as an emerging micropollutant. High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry system was used to detect the metformin levels in water samples collected from the Xi'an city Moat, China once a year from 2017 to 2021. Correlations among the metformin levels in moat water, in surrounding hospital wastewater, and hospital metformin consumption data were assessed using Pearson, Spearman and Kendall's tau-b correlation coefficients. Occurrence of metformin was found in Xi'an city Moat water with levels in the range of 304-793 ng/L. Significant correlations were found between the metformin levels in city moat water and the total (or outpatient) metformin utilization data of the hospital. Data suggested the potential environmental issues posed by metformin in Xi'an city in China. The metformin consumption volume in the surrounding hospitals, especially at the outpatient services, could be used to predict the metformin concentrations in the moat water.

An analysis on the “V1OV2”structures in SanGuoZhi

All the “V1OV2” structures have the semantic relationship of “actionresult” and the syntactic relationship of “action before-result after” in SanGuoZhi. These semantic and syntactic relationships meet the syntactic and semantic requirements of Complement Grammaticalization. However, due to the different collocation relationship between “V1” and “V2”, the different semantic characteristics of “V2”, the different relationship between “V2” and “O”, the grammaticalization approaches of “V1OVt”, “V1OVi” and “V1OVz” structures are also different.BR The structure of “V1OVt” is not very mature, which can be seen as a kind of Narrative-Structure or Object-Anaphora-Structure. Its grammaticalization focuses on the development of “Vt” from transitive verb to intransitive verb. The involvement of a large number of inserted components also indicates that the “V1OVi” and the “V1OVz” structure are not yet mature. Under such grammatical environments as the gradual disappearance of causative usage，the development trend of Chinese disyllabic and mass occurrence of non-motivated “VCO” structure, “V1” and “Vi” in the “V1OVi” structure and “V1” and “Vz” in the “V1OVz” structure gradually condensed into a whole, with the object “O” together. Its grammaticalization focuses on the development and change of “Vi” and “Vz” from real meaning to result meaning.

Antibiotics in Groundwater and River Water of Białka—A Pristine Mountain River

Antibiotics are emerging pollutants of great concern, due to detrimental effects of their sublethal concentrations on microbial communities. Monitoring of antibiotics’ presence and concentrations in the aquatic environment is of fundamental importance to the management of water resources. This study was aimed at filling the knowledge gap in terms of presence and concentration of antibiotics in surface water and groundwater in one of the mountain regions in southern Poland. The detailed aims included the assessment of whether there are spatial and/or temporal trends in antibiotic occurrence in water and the investigation of causes behind the changes in antibiotic concentrations. The study was conducted in seven sites (two groundwater and five river water) along the Białka river valley. Antibiotics were subjected to solid-phase extraction, followed by UHPLC/MS detection. Clindamycin, erythromycin, ofloxacin and trimethoprim were the most frequently detected, while the highest concentrations were observed for oxytetracycline and clindamycin. No antibiotics were detected in only one of the groundwater sites. Sewage treatment plant effluent was the hotspot of antibiotic contamination of the river downstream. The detection rates of antibiotics in the examined region seem to be driven mainly by the stability of antibiotics in the environment.

Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Accumulating data indicate that patients with COVID-19 could be affected by sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The aim of the study was to analyze the epidemiological and clinical trend of SSNHL occurrence during the COVID-19 pandemic by applying a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane databases were searched. The seven included studies had adequate relevance to the topic and the quality was fair. The mean age at SSNHL onset ranged from 39.23 to 62.18 years during the pandemic year period (PYP); a meta-analysis of four studies comparing these data with those of previous periods in the same institutions found a younger age during the PYP (pooled mean -0.2848). The heterogeneity was high (76.1935%) and no frank asymmetry was observed in the funnel plot. The SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate of SSNHL patients ranged from 0% to 57.53%. Standard steroid treatments were applied without significant adverse effects. Comprehensively, hearing improvement was achieved for more than half of the cases. No studies reported long-term follow-up data. Further prospective analyses on large series and a long-term follow up on COVID-related SSNHL cases are necessary to address the open questions regarding the causative link between COVID-19 infection and SSNHL.

Vanishing evidence? On the longevity of geomorphic GLOF diagnostic features in the Tropical Andes

Trends in occurrence of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in space and time as well as frequency-magnitude relationships are typically derived from inventories of past GLOFs. Searching for geomorphic evidence (GLOF diagnostic features) in remote sensing images is a commonly used method for building GLOF inventories. In this study, I examine the longevity of geomorphic GLOF diagnostic features and thus the reliability of GLOF inventories that build on them. A set of 160 GLOFs documented from the Tropical Andes of Peru and Bolivia is analyzed, focusing on four GLOF diagnostic features: (i) breached dams; (ii) pre-GLOF water levels; (iii) outwash fans; (iv) impact areas. A total of 359 GLOF diagnostic features are identified and their evolution is analyzed from multi-decade remote sensing images, with special focus on GLOF diagnostic features that vanished in time. Building on these data, the expected longevity of GLOF diagnostic features is outlined, revealing long persistence of breached dams (>102 years), long persistence of pre-GLOF water levels (up to 102 years) and comparably more intense degradation and vanishing of outwash fans and impact areas. The main degradation processes of GLOF diagnostic features are identified, including the succession of vegetation, geomorphic reworking and anthropogenic activities. Further, the implications for building GLOF inventories are discussed, highlighting that vanishing geomorphic evidence of GLOF diagnostic features may lead to: (i) underestimated spatial extent of GLOF impact areas; and (ii) underestimated total numbers of GLOFs in GLOF inventories. Considering the number of major GLOFs as predictors of the number of minor GLOFs, an example of the Tropical Andes shows that the total number of GLOFs in the post-LIA period may be underestimated by up to 40 % (reference period 2011–2020).

Descriptive epidemiology of external structural birth defects in Enugu State, Nigeria.

To determine the birth prevalence, trend, and characteristics of external structural birth defects occurrence in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. Cross-sectional study involving review of delivery records. The study was conducted at three tertiary hospitals, one public and two missionary, in Enugu Metropolis. Mothers and their babies delivered between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2016 in the study facilities. Birth prevalence of defects presented as frequency/10,000 births. Other descriptive variables are presented as frequencies and percentages. There were 21530 births with 133 birth defects (birth prevalence: 61.8/10,000 births) and 1176 stillbirths (stillbirth rate: 54.6/1000 births). The frequencies and birth prevalence (/10,000 births) of recorded defects were: Limb deformities 60(27.9), Neural tube defects (NTDs): 36(16.7), Urogenital system defects: 12(5.6), Gastrointestinal system defects 10(4.6) and Orofacial clefts 4(1.9). Birth defects occurrence showed a rising trend from 2009 to 2016. The mean (SD) age of mothers whose babies had Birth defects was 29.1(4.7) years. Only 62(46.6%) of 133 antenatal clinic folders of these women were traceable for further review. Eighteen (29.0%) had febrile illness in early pregnancy, 9(14.5%) had Malaria, 17(27.4%) had <4 antenatal clinic attendance, 7(11.3%) did not take folic acid and 6(9.7%) took herbal medications during pregnancy. Birth defects occurrence showed a rising trend with limb deformities and NTDs having the highest prevalence. Record keeping was poor at the facilities. Birth defects preventive interventions like folic acid supplementation for women-of-childbearing age should be promoted in Enugu Metropolis. This work was supported by the non-communicable disease Minigrant from the Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, Georgia, USA (TPN-FE-NCD-C2-IFO-9).

SELECTED SPECIFICS OF CRISIS AND DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY

The present study uses the terms disaster, crisis, and emergency, these situations cause threats to life, health, and property. Disasters, crisis, and crisis phenomena, trauma, PTSD are briefly characterised in the study. It also studies vulnerability of intervening rescuers, emphasising post-traumatic care, and crisis intervention as an effective psychosocial support tool for the victims and IRS professionals after the disaster. Based on the content and comparative analysis of relevant information, regulations, available literature, and other sources, the present comprehensive study is prepared for scientific research; other research methods are also used in the study.&#x0D; The goal of the study was to map the trends in disaster occurrence, analyse the most common form of the disaster, and disaster management techniques relevant to Slovak Republic. In addition, the study presents selected crisis intervention techniques used by rescue professionals during a disaster.&#x0D; The study mapped the disasters in Presov region in the Slovak Republic in 2020. It was found that the number of floods during the period increased from 147 to 389 compared to 2019. The Presov region in the territory of Slovakia is a disaster-prone area, frequently hit by disasters. The most common disaster affecting the region is the flood. In further studies, the authors are interested in analysing the occupational hazards of firefighters and police officers. The "Guidelines: psychosocial support for uniformed workers," the first European directive for providing effective psychosocial support to the rescuing paramedics after disasters, terrorism, and other emergencies, are considered important for the study. Psychologists from the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic actively provide crisis intervention, "post-traumatic intervention teams" have been established in the Slovak Republic using CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) baseline methodology.

Responses of avian assemblages to spatiotemporal landscape dynamics in urban ecosystems

ContextUrbanization and its associated impacts on biodiversity are increasing globally. There is a need to enhance our understanding of species responses to inform strategies for sustainable urbanization.ObjectivesThree extensive bird monitoring campaigns took place over the last three decades in the city of Naples, Italy, providing a comprehensive longitudinal dataset to analyse occurrence trends of urban birds. We aimed to assess both species-specific and assemblage-level changes in urban birds according to land cover dynamics.MethodsWe extracted bird data for the periods 1990–95, 2000–05, and 2014–18, and explored the spatial and temporal relationships between bird presence/avian assemblage composition, and land cover variation.ResultsThe species richness of breeding birds remained stable over time, despite a notable species turnover, influenced by changes in the species’ key land cover classes. Species associated with forest and urban land cover tended to colonise the area, while those dependent on abandoned and cultivated areas decreased or went locally extinct. Birds changed their degree of dependence upon their key habitat type over time, as species from marginal and open habitat types needed larger amounts of habitat to persist within the area, while forest species showed an opposite trend.ConclusionsHabitat-driven changes in avian assemblages within the urban landscape led to an increase in forest-associated species, and a decrease in birds associated with declining habitat types. Our findings may inform urban planning to promote more wildlife-friendly cities, which for our study area should prioritise open and marginal habitats.

High-latitude fire activity of recent decades derived from microscopic charcoal and black carbon in Greenland ice cores

Warming temperatures and prolonged drought periods cause rapid changes of fire frequencies and intensities in high-latitude ecosystems. Associated smoke plumes deposit dark particles from incomplete combustion on the Greenland ice sheet that reduce albedo but also provide a detailed record of paleofire history. Here, we apply an emerging microscopic charcoal technique in combination with established black carbon and lead pollution measurements to an array of 10 ice cores from southern to central Greenland that span recent decades. We found that microscopic charcoal deposition is highly variable among sites, with a few records suggesting recently increasing biomass burning possibly in response to growing fire activity in boreal forest ecosystems. This stands in contrast to decreasing trends in black carbon measured in the same ice cores, consistent with contributions from industrial fossil fuel emissions. Decreasing trends of lead pollution and occurrence of microscopic spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP), a microfossil tracer of fossil fuel emissions, further support our interpretation that black carbon in this region is influenced by industrial emissions during recent decades. We conclude that microscopic charcoal analyses in ice may help disentangle biomass burning from fossil-fuel emissions during the industrial period and have potential to contribute to better understanding of regional high-latitude fire regimes.

Product Recalls in European Textile and Clothing Sector—A Macro Analysis of Risks and Geographical Patterns

Textile and clothing (T&amp;C) products contribute to a substantial proportion of the non-food product recalls in the European Union (EU) due to various levels of associated risks. Out of the listed 34 categories for product recalls in the EU’s Rapid Exchange of Information System (RAPEX), the category ’clothing, textiles, and fashion items’ was among the top 3 categories with the most recall cases during 2013–2019. Previous studies have attempted to highlight the issue of product recalls and their impacts from the perspective of a single company or selected companies, whereas limited attention is paid to understand the problem from a sector-specific perspective. However, considering the nature of product risks and the consistency in a higher number of recall cases, it is important to analyze the issue of product recalls in the T&amp;C sector from a sector-specific perspective. In this context, the paper focuses on investigating the past recalls in the T&amp;C sector reported RAPEX during 2005–2021 to understand the major trends in recall occurrence and associated hazards. Correspondence Analysis (CA) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) were applied to analyze the qualitative and quantitative recall data. The results reveal that there is a geographical pattern for the product risk that leads to the recalls. The countries in eastern part of Europe tend to have proportionately high recalls in strangulation and choking-related issues, whereas chemical-related recalls are proportionately high in countries located in western part of Europe. Further, text-mining results indicate that design-related recall issues are more prevalent in children’s clothing.

Contrasting Climatic Trends of Atmospheric River Occurrences Over East Asia

AbstractAtmospheric rivers (ARs) are increasingly recognized as a major driver of hydrological cycles, and are projected to increase around the world under a changing climate. However, the long‐term trends of ARs over East Asia (EA) remains less elucidated. Here we fill the gap by developing a longest‐ever archive of EA ARs, and examine its role in determining spatiotemporal precipitation variability over EA. We find contrasting changes in AR occurrences, with more frequent ARs in low latitudes but less in high latitudes during the period 1950–2020. The “dipole” pattern of decadal changes in AR occurrences is dictated by atmospheric dynamics (i.e., winds) in the north but thermodynamics (i.e., moisture) in the south. The reduced AR occurrences explain 49% of decreased annual precipitation in northern China, while more AR‐related precipitation is observed in southern China. Our results provide new insights into regional hydroclimate over EA by connecting it with large‐scale weather systems.

Evolving dynamics of Aedes-borne diseases in Africa: a cause for concern.

Aedes-borne viruses, yellow fever (YF), dengue, Chikungunya and Zika are taking a huge toll on global health as Africa faces re-emergence with potential for massive human catastrophe. Transmission driven by diverse vectors in ecological settings that range from urban to rural and sylvatic habitats with human and nonhuman primate/reservoir activities across such habitats hasfacilitated virus movement and spillover to susceptible human populations. Approved vaccine exists for YF, although availability for routine and mass vaccination is often constrained. Integrating vector surveillance, understanding disease ecology with rationalised vaccination in high-risk areas (YF) remains important in disease prevention and control. We review trends in disease occurrence in Africa, hinting on gaps in disease detection and management and the prospects for prevention and/or control.

Heatwaves and fire in Pantanal: Historical and future perspectives from CORDEX-CORE

The Pantanal biome, at the confluence of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, is the largest continental wetland on the planet and an invaluable reserve of biodiversity. The exceptional 2020 fire season in Pantanal drew particular attention due to the severe wildfires and the catastrophic natural and socio-economic impacts witnessed within the biome. So far, little progress has been made in order to better understand the influence of climate extremes on fire occurrence in Pantanal. Here, we evaluate how extreme hot conditions, through heatwave events, are related to the occurrence and the exacerbation of fires in this region. A historical analysis using a statistical regression model found that heatwaves during the dry season explained 82% of the interannual variability of burned area during the fire season. In a future perspective, an ensemble of CORDEX-CORE simulations assuming different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5), reveal a significant increasing trend in heatwave occurrence over Pantanal. Compared to historical levels, the RCP2.6 scenario leads to more than a doubling in the Pantanal heatwave incidence during the dry season by the second half of the 21st century, followed by a plateauing. Alternatively, RCP8.5 projects a steady increase of heatwave incidence until the end of the century, pointing to a very severe scenario in which heatwave conditions would be observed nearly over all the Pantanal area and during practically all the days of the dry season. Accordingly, favorable conditions for fire spread and consequent large burned areas are expected to occur more often in the future, posing a dramatic short-term threat to the ecosystem if no preservation action is undertaken.

Field Measurement and Mechanism Analysis of Rail Corrugation on Steel Spring Floating Slab Track Section

In this study, a combination method of field measurements and numerical simulations is used to investigate the mechanism of rail corrugation in the curve’s inner rail in urban rail transit. Firstly, field measurements on rail corrugation and rail vibration characteristics were conducted on the steel spring floating slab track (SSFST) section of a metro line; secondly, a three-dimensional finite element model of the wheelset-SSFST was established, and complex eigenvalue analysis and transient analysis were conducted. It was found that the main frequency of measured rail vertical vibration and the simulated wheel–rail—which simulated normal contact force on the inner rail—correspond to the first wheel–rail unstable vibration mode, as well as to the field-measured rail corrugation passing frequency. Therefore, the strong agreement between the results of the field measurements and the numerical simulation further verifies that the frictional, self-excited vibration of the wheelset-SSFST system on a sharply curved track can cause rail corrugation. When the vertical and lateral fasteners’ stiffness increases, the possibility of rail corrugation decreases. The decrease in vertical stiffness of the steel spring leads to an increase in the possibility of rail corrugation, but the lateral stiffness changes in the steel spring have almost no effect on the possibility of rail corrugation. The increase in the wheel–rail contact friction coefficient leads to a sharp increase in the trend of rail corrugation occurrence and causes a decrease in the rail corrugation wave-length.

Seasonal and diel patterns in singing activity of humpback whales migrating through Bermuda

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) produce song and non-song vocalisations, which allows their presence to be detected through passive acoustic monitoring. To determine the seasonal and diel acoustic presence and acoustic behaviour of humpback whales at the migratory stopover site off Bermuda, three hydrophones were deployed between March 2018 and April 2019 on Challenger Bank and the Bermuda platform. Song was the predominant vocalisation type encountered, with 65% of song recordings containing whale chorus and a clear seasonal trend of humpback whale occurrence in the spring and winter months from late December to mid-May. A strong diel pattern in singing activity was detected. Singing activity significantly increased at night relative to the daytime (p&amp;lt;0.01), whilst twilight periods were characterised by intermediate levels of singing. The song structure encountered in spring 2018 consisted of 18 units, 6 themes and 5 transitional phrases. The high occurrence of whale chorus and the strong seasonal and diel patterns of male humpback whale singing activity highlights the importance of Bermuda not just on their northward migration during spring, as described historically, but also on their southward migration during winter. Bermuda therefore constitutes a two-way migratory stopover site for humpback whales. The present study also provides Bermuda’s planning authorities with better constraints on the duration and intensity of anthropogenic activities in these waters.

Trends in Occurrence and Phenotypic Resistance of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS) Found in Human Blood in the Northern Netherlands between 2013 and 2019.

Background: For years, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were not considered a cause of bloodstream infections (BSIs) and were often regarded as contamination. However, the association of CoNS with nosocomial infections is increasingly recognized. The identification of more than 40 different CoNS species has been driven by the introduction of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Yet, treatment guidelines consider CoNS as a whole group, despite increasing antibiotic resistance (ABR) in CoNS. This retrospective study provides an in-depth data analysis of CoNS isolates found in human blood culture isolates between 2013 and 2019 in the entire region of the Northern Netherlands. Methods: In total, 10,796 patients were included that were hospitalized in one of the 15 hospitals in the region, leading to 14,992 CoNS isolates for (ABR) data analysis. CoNS accounted for 27.6% of all available 71,632 blood culture isolates. EUCAST Expert rules were applied to correct for errors in antibiotic test results. Results: A total of 27 different CoNS species were found. Major differences were observed in occurrence and ABR profiles. The top five species covered 97.1% of all included isolates: S. epidermidis, S. hominis, S. capitis, S. haemolyticus, and S. warneri. Regarding ABR, methicillin resistance was most frequently detected in S. haemolyticus (72%), S. cohnii (65%), and S. epidermidis (62%). S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus showed 50–80% resistance to teicoplanin and macrolides while resistance to these agents remained lower than 10% in most other CoNS species. Conclusion: These differences are often neglected in national guideline development, prompting a focus on ‘ABR-safe’ agents such as glycopeptides. In conclusion, this multi-year, full-region approach to extensively assess the trends in both the occurrence and phenotypic resistance of CoNS species could be used for evaluating treatment policies and understanding more about these important but still too often neglected pathogens.

Opposite trends of sea-breeze speeds and gusts in Eastern Spain, 1961–2019

Most studies on wind variability have deepened into the stilling vs. reversal phenomena at global to regional scales, while the long-term changes in local-scale winds such as sea-breezes (SB) represent a gap of knowledge in climate research. The state-of-the-art of the wind variability studies suggests a hypothetical reinforcement of SB at coastal stations. We first developed a robust automated method for the identification of SB days. Then, by using homogenized wind observations from 16 stations across Eastern Spain, we identified 9,349 episodes for analyzing the multidecadal variability and trends in SB speeds, gusts and occurrence for 1961–2019. The major finding is the opposite trends and decoupled variability of SB speeds and gusts: the SB speeds declined significantly in all seasons (except for winter), and the SB gusts strengthened at the annual scale and in autumn–winter, being most significant in autumn. Our results also show that the SB occurrence has increased across most of Eastern Spain, although presenting contrasting seasonal trends: positive in winter and negative in summer. We found that more frequent anticyclonic conditions, NAOI + and MOI + are positively linked to the increased winter occurrence; however, the causes behind the opposite trends in SB speeds and gusts remain unclear. The SB changes are complex to explain, involving both large-scale circulation and physical-local factors that challenge the understanding of the opposite trends. Further investigation is needed to assess whether these trends are a widespread phenomenon, while climate models could simulate the drivers behind these decoupled SB changes in a warmer climate.

Constraining the Planet Occurrence Rate around Halo Stars of Potentially Extragalactic Origin

The search for planets orbiting other stars has recently expanded to include stars from galaxies outside the Milky Way. With the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Gaia surveys, photometric and kinematic information can be combined to identify transiting planet candidates of extragalactic origin. Here, 1080 low-luminosity red-giant branch stars observed by Gaia and TESS with kinematics suggesting a high likelihood of extragalactic origin were searched for planet transits. Transit injection-recovery tests were performed to measure the sensitivity of the TESS data and completeness of the transit search. Injected signals of planets larger than Jupiter with orbital periods of 10 days or less were recovered in ≈44% of cases. Although no planet transits were detected in this sample, we find an upper limit on planet occurrence of 0.52% for hot Jupiters, consistent with previous studies of planet occurrence around similar host stars. As stars in the halo tend to be lower metallicity, and short-period giant planet occurrence tends to be strongly correlated with stellar metallicity, we predict that relative to the Galactic disk population, a smaller fraction of halo stars will host planets detectable by transit surveys. Thus, applying the known planet occurrence trends to potential planet detection around halo stars, we predict ≳13,000 stars must be searched with similar cadence and precision as the stars studied here before a detection of a planet of extragalactic origin is likely. This may be possible with future data releases from the TESS and Gaia missions.

Frequency Of Endometriosis in Females with Infertility Undergoing Diagnostic Laparoscopy

Endometriosis is the most common, chronic condition. Although some females are asymptomatic, the majority of women come with infertility, adnexal mass, or pelvic pain. Endometriosis treatment in the context of infertility poses a variety of challenging clinical issues. Objective: The objective of current study is to identify frequency of endometriosis on laparoscopy in females with infertility. Methods: This retrospective study was done at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Saint Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny, Ireland. Medical records of 215 females meeting the inclusion criteria underwent diagnostic laparoscopy were included. Basic demographical details and clinical examination was evaluated and presented through descriptive statistics. On diagnostic laparoscopy, representative sample was taken and sent to hospital histopathology for evaluation of endometriosis. Chi square test was applied to identify the influence of variables on endometriosis. Results: Mean age of females was 28.67 ± 6.35 years. Mean duration of marriage was 6.63 ± 5.26 years. There were 80 (37.21%) women in which endometriosis was diagnosed. No significant statistical association was seen for endometriosis with age, infertility type and duration of infertility. Conclusions: The findings of this study show an increasing trend in endometriosis identification or occurrence in women with infertility. Endometriosis with infertility is not an uncommon disease in women. Though laparoscopy is intrusive method, but with the right training the issues and complications that come with it can be reduced, which benefits the patients and offers us a clear picture or pathology of the disease

Rainfall-induced hydroplaning risk over road infrastructure of the continental USA.

Extreme rainfall causes transient ponding on roads, which increases the risk of vehicle accidents due to hydroplaning (HP), a phenomenon characterized by reduced friction between the pavement surface and the tires of moving vehicles. Before mitigation plans are drawn, it is important to first assess the spatio-temporal patterns of hydroplaning risk (HpR). This study quantifies HpR over the entire continental USA considering the coupled role of precipitation characteristics and pavement properties. Results show the southern United States to be a primary hotspot of HpR. About 22% of road sections experiencing HpR exhibit an increasing trend in the annual occurrence of HP events with time, indicating a riskier future ahead. Alarmingly, road sections that either experience higher HpR or increasing trend in annual occurrences of HP events are the ones with sizeable traffic. These results emphasize the need to prioritize HP-aware road design, traffic management, and signage in regions with high or fast-evolving risks.