Coverage Values Research Articles

Search Model of the Region With the Maximum Coverage Value Based on Trajectory Data

Search Model of the Region With the Maximum Coverage Value Based on Trajectory Data

Quantitative analysis of manual annotation of clinical text samples

BackgroundSemantic interoperability of eHealth services within and across countries has been the main topic in several research projects. It is a key consideration for the European Commission to overcome the complexity of making different health information systems work together. This paper describes a study within the EU-funded project ASSESS CT, which focuses on assessing the potential of SNOMED CT as core reference terminology for semantic interoperability at European level. ObjectiveThis paper presents a quantitative analysis of the results obtained in ASSESS CT to determine the fitness of SNOMED CT for semantic interoperability. MethodsThe quantitative analysis consists of concept coverage, term coverage and inter-annotator agreement analysis of the annotation experiments related to six European languages (English, Swedish, French, Dutch, German and Finnish) and three scenarios: (i) ADOPT, where only SNOMED CT was used by the annotators; (ii) ALTERNATIVE, where a fixed set of terminologies from UMLS, excluding SNOMED CT, was used; and (iii) ABSTAIN, where any terminologies available in the current national infrastructure of the annotators’ country were used. For each language and each scenario, we configured the different terminology settings of the annotation experiments. ResultsThere was a positive correlation between the number of concepts in each terminology setting and their concept and term coverage values. Inter-annotator agreement is low, irrespective of the terminology setting. ConclusionsNo significant differences were found between the analyses for the three scenarios, but availability of SNOMED CT for the assessed language is associated with increased concept coverage. Terminology setting size and concept and term coverage correlate positively up to a limit where more concepts do not significantly impact the coverage values. The results did not confirm the hypothesis of an inverse correlation between concept coverage and IAA due to a lower amount of choices available. The overall low IAA results pose a challenge for interoperability and indicate the need for further research to assess whether consistent terminology implementation is possible across Europe, e.g., improving term coverage by adding localized versions of the selected terminologies, analysing causes of low inter-annotator agreement, and improving tooling and guidance for annotators. The much lower term coverage for the Swedish version of SNOMED CT compared to English together with the similarly high concept coverage obtained with English and Swedish SNOMED CT reflects its relevance as a hub to connect user interface terminologies and serving a variety of user needs.

Definition and use of "valid" district level vaccination coverage to monitor Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) achievement: evidence for revisiting the district indicator.

BackgroundThe Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) Monitoring and Accountability Framework includes an indicator to reach 90% national vaccination coverage and 80% vaccination coverage in every district or equivalent administrative unit with three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis containing vaccines (DTP) across all 194 country signatories to GVAP by 2020. Assessment of progress against the district indicator component requires GVAP defined “valid” coverage. GVAP defines district coverage “valid” if the WHO and UNICEF estimate of national immunization coverage for DTP3 in the most recent year is 1) ≥90%, or 2) is identical to the reported national administrative coverage for DTP3 (regardless of coverage level). We draw attention to the potential disconnect that currently exists between GVAP vaccination coverage indicators and the practical capacity to monitor progress against those indicators.MethodsWe obtained national and aggregated district coverage data for the third dose of DTP containing vaccine (DTP3) for 194 countries for 2016 from publicly available databases maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO). We reviewed district line lists of coverage data for 96 countries for which district line lists of DTP3 coverage were available and categorized the district coverage values using the same groupings used by the GVAP Monitoring Framework. In doing so, we also tracked the number of districts with reported coverage >100%.ResultsIn 2016, at least one district with DTP3 coverage value >100% was reported in the line lists of 76 of the 96 countries. Agreement in district coverage categories across each of five coverage groupings (<50%, 50-79%, 80-89%, 90-94%, ≥95%) was observed in 43 of the 96 countries. In 2016, 46 of 194 countries were classified as achieving both national DTP3 coverage ≥90% and DTP3 coverage ≥80% in every district, thereby achieving the GVAP target. Among these 46 countries, 22 countries reported district line-listing coverage data. We identified 10 of the 22 countries that reported at least one district with DTP3 coverage >100% ranging from 8% of districts in Sri Lanka to 97% of districts in Bangladesh. Seven countries reported at least 25% of the total districts had DTP3 coverage >100%.ConclusionsThe observations of disparate district coverage from a subset of countries reporting district line lists of coverage data are a concern for the current GVAP approach ascribing the achievement of “valid” district coverage data. Our review of district line lists of coverage data does not support a current GVAP assumption that the district coverage values ≥80% fall between 80% and 100% (inclusive). We hope these results spur a review of the current approach to assess the GVAP coverage target of ≥90% national DTP3 coverage and ≥80% DTP3 coverage in all districts.

Critical Analysis of Satellite Data of NSIDC, NOAA NESDIS in Determining the Spatial Distribution of Ice on Lakes

Abstract The process of formation and rotting of ice on lakes is an integral part of the hydrological cycle of many lakes. The conditions of the ice regime significantly influence the ecological system of lakes. The article includes calculation and analysis of errors in the determination of the spatial ice distribution (spatial resolution of 4–6 km) on Lake Onego, Lake Ladoga, Lake Segozero and Lake Vigozero within the period of 2006−2017 according to National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NOAA NESDIS) data with regard to reliable Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data (spatial resolution of 500 m). It was established that within the monitoring period, NSIDC data have the minimum mean values of errors in determining the spatial distribution of ice on lakes (3−10%) compared to NOAA NESDIS data (11−19%) and are also of more practical interest in estimating the ice coverage of lakes. The dependence of the mean value of errors that occur in the determination of the spatial distribution of ice (according to NSIDC, NOAA and NESDIS data) on the actual value of ice coverage (according to MODIS) was revealed. The results show that the NSIDC data allow estimating adequately the phases of the ice regime; however, the formation of a daily time series of ice coverage during freeze-up and break-up phases is possible only with a significant error (mean value of absolute deviations according to MODIS data is up to 35%).

Patterns of homozygosity in insular and continental goat breeds

BackgroundGenetic isolation of breeds may result in a significant loss of diversity and have consequences on health and performance. In this study, we examined the effect of geographic isolation on caprine genetic diversity patterns by genotyping 480 individuals from 25 European and African breeds with the Goat SNP50 BeadChip and comparing patterns of homozygosity of insular and nearby continental breeds.ResultsAmong the breeds analysed, number and total length of ROH varied considerably and depending on breeds, ROH could cover a substantial fraction of the genome (up to 1.6 Gb in Icelandic goats). When compared with their continental counterparts, goats from Iceland, Madagascar, La Palma and Ireland (Bilberry and Arran) displayed a significant increase in ROH coverage, ROH number and FROH values (P value < 0.05). Goats from Mediterranean islands represent a more complex case because certain populations displayed a significantly increased level of homozygosity (e.g. Girgentana) and others did not (e.g. Corse and Sarda). Correlations of number and total length of ROH for insular goat populations with the distance between islands and the nearest continental locations revealed an effect of extremely long distances on the patterns of homozygosity.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the effects of insularization on the patterns of homozygosity are variable. Goats raised in Madagascar, Iceland, Ireland (Bilberry and Arran) and La Palma, show high levels of homozygosity, whereas those bred in Mediterranean islands display patterns of homozygosity that are similar to those found in continental populations. These results indicate that the diversity of insular goat populations is modulated by multiple factors such as geographic distribution, population size, demographic history, trading and breed management.

Pathways to project delivery success and failure in Indian road public–private partnership projects

This study examines conditions that impact PPP delivery success or failure in the roadways sector in India using Qualitative Comparative Analysis. QCA is well-suited for problems where multiple factors combine to create pathways leading to an outcome. Past investigations have compared PPP and non-PPP project delivery performance, but this study examines performance within PPPs by uncovering a set of conditions that combine to influence the success or failure road PPP project delivery in India. Based on data from 21 cases, pathways explaining project delivery success or failure were identified. Specifically, PPPs with high concessionaire equity investment and low regional industrial activity led to project delivery success. Projects with lower concessionaire equity investment and low reliance on toll revenue and with either: (a) high project technical complexity or (b) high regional industrial activity, led to project delivery failure. The pathways identified did not have coverage values that they were extremely strong. Coverage strength was hindered by lack of access to information on additional conditions that could be configurationally important. Further, certain characteristics of the Indian market limit generalization. Identification of combinations of conditions leading to PPP project delivery success or failure improves knowledge of the impacts of structure and characteristics of these complex arrangements. This study is one of the first to use fuzzy QCA to understand project delivery success/failure in road PPP projects. Moreover, this study takes into account factors specific to a sector and delivery mode to explain project delivery performance.

A New Technique for Intelligent Constructing Exact γ-content Tolerance Limits with Expected (1 – α)-confidence on Future Outcomes in the Weibull Case Using Complete or Type II Censored Data

The logical purpose for a statistical tolerance limit is to predict future outcomes for some (say, production) process. The coverage value γ is the percentage of the future process outcomes to be captured by the prediction, and the confidence level (1 – α) is the proportion of the time we hope to capture that percentage γ. Tolerance limits of the type mentioned above are considered in this paper, which presents a new technique for constructing exact statistical (lower and upper) tolerance limits on outcomes (for example, on order statistics) in future samples. Attention is restricted to the two-parameter Weibull distribution under parametric uncertainty. The technique used here emphasizes pivotal quantities relevant for obtaining tolerance factors and is applicable whenever the statistical problem is invariant under a group of transformations that acts transitively on the parameter space. It does not require the construction of any tables and is applicable whether the experimental data are complete or Type II censored. The exact tolerance limits on order statistics associated with sampling from underlying distributions can be found easily and quickly making tables, simulation, Monte Carlo estimated percentiles, special computer programs, and approximation unnecessary. The proposed technique is based on a probability transformation and pivotal quantity averaging. It is conceptually simple and easy to use. The discussion is restricted to one-sided tolerance limits. Finally, we give numerical examples, where the proposed analytical methodology is illustrated in terms of the two-parameter Weibull distribution. Applications to other log-location-scale distributions could follow directly.

Estructura y diversidad de la vegetación del matorral espinoso tamaulipeco con condiciones prístinas en el noreste de México

Tamaulipan scrubland is a type of shrub vegetation endemic to Northeastern Mexico and Southern Texas in the U.S.The structure of the Tamaulipan scrubland was evaluated in the study, establishing the minimum area with plots of 256 m2 by determining the species-area curve, valuing the composition and diversity of the strata of the plant species (arboreal, shrub, low forest, semi shrubby, herbaceous and epiphytes); three sampling sites of 16 × 16 m were established. Dasometric information such as height, diameter and cup coverage was recorded to determine the structural variables of coverage, density, relative density, dominance, relative dominance, frequency, relative frequency and Importance Value Index, as well as estimation of the Margalef richness index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Menhinick, Simpson and Pielou’s evenness index. The floristic richness was of 33 species distributed in 30 genera and 19 families, leaving the predominance value of the highest species of Leguminosae (Fabaceae). Six strata were recognized for the studied vegetation from which the highest IVI was Helietta parvifolia with 17.68 % for the shrubby stratum with 14 species and within the plant community of the MET the IVI was 8.53 %; for the low forest stratum with 8 species, the one with the highest IVI was Bernardia myricifolia with 39.20 %; and within the vegetal community 7.74 % for the semi shrubby there were 7 species where Lantana canescens has an IVI of 60.38 % and of 13.09 % inside the community. For the herbaceous stratum with 2 species, Wissadula sp. dominates with 54.20 % and 2.06 % for the community. In the arboreal stratum, the species with the highest IVI was Celtis laevigata with 100.00 % and when integrated to the plant community, it presented a value of 1.98 %. For the stratum formed by the epiphytes, the species Adiantum capillus-veneris had an IVI of 100 % and inside the plant community presented an IVI of 1.55 %. For the MET plant community studied, an H' value of 2.42 and a DMg value of 4.34 was obtained.

Removal of yttrium (III) from aqueous solution using surface metal sequestration methodology by 3‑azo‑phenolate salicylic acid

Surface metal sequestration methodology (SMSM) has been explored for efficacious static removal of yttrium ions using 3‑azo‑phenolate salicylic acid (3APSA) as a sequestering reagent. The validity of SMSM was confirmed by monitoring and optimizing the cycle number, pH, reaction time, initial yttrium ions concentration, surface area and temperature. The successive deposition of yttrium on a solid glass substrate-deposited-3APSA was confirmed from the FT-IR, SEM and TGA analyses. The chemical structure of assembled film material was Y(III)-(3APSA)·2H2O complex. The maximum surface coverage value was found 2400 μg/cm2 via application of 10 dipping cycles, 5 min reaction time and pH 6.0. The gathered adsorption data of yttrium (III) by SMSM were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm models and the superior suitability was achieved by the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9914, Kf = 0.52 L/mg). The kinetic studies illustrated that the deposition process of Y(III)-(3APSA)·2H2O complex was identified to follow up the pseudo-second order model with R2 = 0.9968 and the rate constant was corresponding to 1.31 g/mg min. The thermodynamic parameters for removal of yttrium ions were monitored by applying five different temperatures and the outlined results proved the removal of yttrium (III) ions by SMSM via spontaneous processes. The positive value of ΔH° (9.08 kJ/mol) confirmed the endothermic nature of deposition process.

Guaiacol Adsorption and Decomposition on Platinum

Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol, C6H4(OH)(OCH3)) adsorption and reactions on a Pt(100) surface were studied with infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) measurements at different surface coverage values from 100 to 800 K. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to determine geometries, adsorption energies, and vibrational frequencies for adsorption structures. Depending on surface coverage, guaiacol formed one or two physisorbed states. At low coverage, a single state with a desorption peak at 225 K was observed. At high coverage, two physisorbed states were observed with desorption peaks at 195 and 225 K. At temperatures above 225 K, after the desorption of physisorbed layers, a dissociatively adsorbed structure, C6H4O(OCH3) + H, was observed. Recombinative molecular guaiacol desorption was detected at 320 K. The dissociatively adsorbed structure was stable up to 337 K when C–O bonds began to break. Molecularly adsorbed guaiacol...

Estádio inicial da regeneração natural de espécies arbóreas em área alterada no Estado do Amazonas

O melhor entendimento da composição florística e estrutura da regeneração natural, em diferentes tipos de distúrbio, é fundamental para identificar o grau de recuperação da área e possíveis intervenções silviculturais a serem eventualmente adotadas para acelerar o processo de sucessão florestal. O presente estudo objetivou caracterizar a regeneração natural de 0,4 ha em processo de recuperação natural na Fazenda Experimental da Universidade Federal do Amazonas na expectativa de identificar o potencial da condução da regeneração para a recuperação da área. Foram estabelecidas cinco parcelas de 15 m x 9 m e amostradas as plântulas e os indivíduos arbóreos jovens com altura superior a 10 cm. Foram registrados 148 indivíduos pertencentes a oito famílias botânicas, nove gêneros e 13 espécies arbóreas. Após 14 meses sem interferências, a área foi dominada por espécies do gênero Vismia, as quais se destacaram em grande parte nos parâmetros estruturais (densidade, dominância, frequência, valores de importância e cobertura). O sítio estudado possui regeneração natural com baixa diversidade florística, dominada por indivíduos de espécies predominantemente pioneiras, que pode estar associado ao uso anterior com cultivo agrícola, ao pequeno intervalo de tempo sem interfência e à forte competição com espécies de plantas daninhas.

Carbon storage variability in seagrass meadows of Marine Poton Bako, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Rahman FA, Qayim I, Wardiatno Y. 2018. Carbon storage variability in seagrass meadows of Marine Poton Bako, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1626-1631. The increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration in the last decades leads to global warming, having an adverse effect on the environment condition on the Earth. One of the natural mechanism as an effort to reduce the impact of global warming is carbon absorption and storage through photosynthesis mechanism of seagrass vegetation. Research conducted at Poton Bako, a district in East Lombok was aimed to reveal the composition of seagrass species, density, seagrass coverage, the biomass of seagrass tissue, content of carbon storage in seagrass tissue (above and below substrates), carbon content in seagrass sediments, and estimation of carbon stock in the area. The research included observation of species composition, and the sample was collected from 0.5 m × 0.5 m plot area. The total plot area was 36 on six lanes with the space between plots 25 m and between lanes 100 m. Six species from two families were found in the seagrass meadows, i.e., Cymodocea rotundata, Enhalus acoroides, Halophila minor, Holodule uninervis, Thalassia hemprichii and Thalassodendron ciliatum. The three highest total densities were C. rotundata 214.67±110.469 stands m-2, T. hemprichii 85.11±41.471 stands m-2, and H. minor 42.22±44.204 stands m-2. Species with the highest coverage value at all observation plots was C. rotundata (33.47±26.748 %), and T. ciliatum had the lowest value (2.12±5.071 %). The total biomass was 676.32 g DW m-2 with biomass above substrate 329.94±57.725 g DW m-2 and below substrate 654.88±81.199 g DW m-2. The carbon content of substrate ranged from 0.11% to 0.51% with the average of 0.35±0.081%, which was categorized low. The total average of carbon storage in seagrass was 447.92 g C m-2 comprising 142.77 g C m-2 of their tissue above substrate and 305.15 g C m-2 below substrate. Regarding the area, the total carbon stored in seagrass meadows with 56.65 ha area was 249.27 t C ha-1.

Stress Relief and Reactivity Loss of Hydrated Anatase (001) Surface

Dissociative and molecular water adsorption on the anatase (001) surface is studied in the context of state-of-the-art density functional theory in large supercells suited for adsorption studies at various water coverage ratios. At low coverage values below 1/4 ML, water adsorption remains dissociative and a network of hydrogen bonds between the so formed hydroxyl groups favors the formation of a ridge surface structure. The hydroxyl patterned (4 × 4) surface thus undergoes a (2 × 4) reconstruction that causes the relief of the large tensile stress measured in the unreconstructed surface along the direction orthogonal to the ridge. This phenomenology is accompanied by the loss of reactivity of the reconstructed surface with respect to the dissociative water adsorption that becomes molecular above 1/4 ML. We also show that the molecular adsorption on the terrace is weaker than the one on the ridge. The present water reconstruction model is discussed and compared to the well-known ADM model of the reconstru...

Phytosociology in Degraded and Renewed Pastures in Agrosilvopastoral Systems

ABSTRACT: In pastures, the incidence of weeds reduces the productivity and quality of forage. The identification of the weed species in pastures is fundamental to choose the renewal method. Thus, the objective of this work was to perform phytosociology before and after the renewal of a Brachiaria decumbens pasture, with the implantation of agrosilvopastoral systems. Eighteen different crop arrangements for pasture renewal were evaluated. The renewal systems were by eucalyptus integration (at 12 x 2 m or 12 x 3 m spacings) with maize, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu (palisade grass) and/or Macrotyloma axillare (perennial horsegram), or monoculture and intercropping of palisade grass and perennial horsegram, as well as the evaluation of the application or not of the herbicide bentazon, at the recommended dose for maize crops (0.72 kg ha-1). Relative frequency, relative density, relative abundance, relative dominance, coverage value index, importance value index, dry matter and similarity index were evaluated. In the first survey, before the pasture renewal, 23 plant species were identified. After the implantation of agrosilvopastoral systems, the species Sida cordifolia, Lantana camara and B. decumbens were the only occurring ones before and after the renewal of the pasture with agrosilvopastoral systems. The use of palisade grass and the application of the herbicide were efficient in controlling weeds. In systems that contained palisade grass and perennial horsegram, the latter was not found in the survey conducted one year after the implantation.

Factors associated with Sisvan Web coverage for children under 5 years of age, in the municipalities of the Regional Health Inspectorate of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The objective of this research was to analyze the factors associated with the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sisvan Web) coverage for children under five years of age in the municipalities of the Regional Health Inspectorate of Belo Horizonte (HRS-BH). Sisvan Web coverage data were collected from September to October 2012. Simultaneously, a "semi-structured questionnaire about the Sisvan operation" was sent to identify the technical references of municipalities studied. The coverage was calculated by dividing the number of under five-year-old children covered by Sisvan by the total number of similarly under five-year-old children obtained from the 2010 IBGE census. The Median Sisvan Web coverage of children in the HRS-BH municipalities was 5.59%, with coverage values ranging from 0.55% to 35.8%. Among the variables studied, the only one that revealed significant statistical association (p < 0.05) with Sisvan Web coverage was the lack of professionals to collect data. The results revealed the need for greater awareness of health managers and public health professionals about the importance of the nutritional diagnosis situation of the population through Sisvan Web.

Analysis of Different Approaches for Clinical Cochlear Coverage Evaluation After Cochlear Implantation.

Methods for cochlear coverage determination vary in their accuracy and are hence not equally reliable. The audiological outcome after cochlear implantation is known to depend on several factors. One factor shown to positively correlate with speech perception is the insertion angle. This parameter is one of the ways to describe the fraction of the cochlea spiral exposed to electric stimulation after implantation, also known as cochlear coverage, which itself is dependent on the length and type of electrode array as well as the size and shape of the implanted cochlea. While the assessment of cochlear coverage as the insertion angle is quick and uncomplicated, the accuracy of representing the relative fraction of the cochlea exposed to electric stimulation by this single measurement value remains unknown. Both the cochlea spiral and implanted electrode array of N = 10 cochlear implant patients were traced within clinical imaging data and processed to derive the respective cochlear coverage values. These values were compared to ones derived with alternative measures like the insertion angle as well as other methods to yield the accuracy and reliability of these approaches. The insertion angle as well as two novel approaches were found to be superior to all other analyzed assessment options and well suited for clinical cochlear coverage evaluations. Insertion angle measurements are well suited for cochlear coverage determination, especially regarding retrospective analyses. Prospective studies independent of anatomical irregularities should be performed with the newly proposed approaches.

OA191] Influence of the degree of the geometric uncertainty on the quality of single isocenter VMAT multiple target treatments

Purpose Stereotactic radiotherapy with VMAT (SRT – VMAT) is widely used nowadays for multitarget single isocenter treatments, demonstrating high precision in target localization and dose distribution for both frame-based stereotactic and frameless image-guided target alignment. However, geometric uncertainties such as setup errors, internal organ motion, image fusion errors, geometric distortions in MR images, etc. [1] commonly appear in radiotherapy treatment chain and occasionally lead to compromised SRT efficacy. This study investigates the influence of the degree of the geometric uncertainty on the plan quality indices clinically used for plan evaluation and acceptance, for single isocenter VMAT multiple target treatments such as multiple metastases cases. Methods Multiple targets with different sizes (1 cm and 2 cm in diameter) were contoured on an anonymized patient CT dataset, in Monaco (Elekta) treatment planning system (TPS). Single isocenter SRT plans were generated for different target number and size using four non-coplanar arcs. In each plan, different degrees of systematic geometric offsets (0 – 2 mm with a 0.5 mm step) were deliberately introduced by changing the position of the plan isocenter in the TPS accordingly. Target coverage, as well as conformity and gradient indices clinically used for plan evaluation were determined for the different degrees of introduced geometric offsets and compared with the reference values which correspond to zero geometric uncertainty. Results Geometric uncertainties greater than 1 mm in any direction may influence significantly plan evaluation indices leading to target coverage and conformity index values deterioration (>10%) for the majority of plans/targets. The degree of deterioration depends on the target volume, target number and targets’ relative position and increases as a) target volume decreases, b) target number increases and c) the amount of overlap of lesions in the BEVs increases. Conclusions For limited number of targets (

An Adaptive Approach for the Calculation of Ensemble Gridpoint Probabilities

Abstract Traditional ensemble probabilities are computed based on the number of members that exceed a threshold at a given point divided by the total number of members. This approach has been employed for many years in coarse-resolution models. However, convection-permitting ensembles of less than ~20 members are generally underdispersive, and spatial displacement at the gridpoint scale is often large. These issues have motivated the development of spatial filtering and neighborhood postprocessing methods, such as fractional coverage and neighborhood maximum value, which address this spatial uncertainty. Two different fractional coverage approaches for the generation of gridpoint probabilities were evaluated. The first method expands the traditional point probability calculation to cover a 100-km radius around a given point. The second method applies the idea that a uniform radius is not appropriate when there is strong agreement between members. In such cases, the traditional fractional coverage approach can reduce the probabilities for these potentially well-handled events. Therefore, a variable radius approach has been developed based upon ensemble agreement scale similarity criteria. In this method, the radius size ranges from 10 km for member forecasts that are in good agreement (e.g., lake-effect snow, orographic precipitation, very short-term forecasts, etc.) to 100 km when the members are more dissimilar. Results from the application of this adaptive technique for the calculation of point probabilities for precipitation forecasts are presented based upon several months of objective verification and subjective feedback from the 2017 Flash Flood and Intense Rainfall Experiment.

Media reporting of health interventions in New Zealand: a retrospective analysis.

To evaluate New Zealand media articles on their coverage of key issues regarding health interventions and whether it is consistent with available evidence. A retrospective analysis was carried out of all articles published in five New Zealand media sources over a 6-week period between 15 October and 26 November 2014. Articles were included if their primary focus was on health interventions involving medications, devices or in-hospital procedures. Articles were assessed for coverage of key issues using previously validated 10-point criteria. A literature review was performed to compare content with scientific evidence. We identified 30 articles for review. Only 4 of 30 articles covered indications, benefits and risks, and of these, two were consistent with available evidence (7%, 95% CI 1%-22%). For articles that discussed at least one of indications, benefits or risks, and there was corresponding evidence available, there was a high level of consistency with the evidence (89%, 95% CI 77%-95%). The overall mean value of coverage from the 10-point criteria was 51% (95% CI 45%-58%). Single questions regarding the potential harm, costs associated with the intervention and the availability of alternative options were particularly poorly covered. They were rated as 'satisfactory' in 13%, 23% and 33% of the 30 articles respectively. New Zealand news articles covering medical treatments and interventions are largely consistent with available evidence but are incomplete. Vital information is being consistently missed, especially around the potential harms and costs of medical interventions.

Veronico beccabungae-Mimuletum guttati, a new plant community in Slovakia

Vegetation with high coverage by the alien species &lt;em&gt;Mimulus guttatus&lt;/em&gt; was studied in the hilly regions of central Slovakia in 2015 and 2016. The floristic composition of these stands was recorded in ten phytosociological relevés corresponding to the &lt;em&gt;Veronico beccabungae-Mimuletum guttati&lt;/em&gt; (alliance &lt;em&gt;Glycerio-Sparganion&lt;/em&gt;) association. This association was reported for the first time in Slovakia in this study. This association was found to be closed or almost closed (mean coverage value of herb layer = 92%) and formed relatively species-rich stands (15 species per relevé), usually in narrow and small patches along the upper parts of streams and their spring areas in uplands at altitudes from 561 to 1,048 m. Localities with the &lt;em&gt;Veronico beccabungae-Mimuletum guttati&lt;/em&gt; association were characterized by typical mountain climates, with both relatively low mean annual air temperature (5.5°C) and high mean annual precipitation (885 mm). While water temperature (~13°C) of these habitats varied considerably among streams (7.4–19.9°C), their herbaceous vegetation preferred neutral to slightly alkaline water (pH = 6.1–7.5) with low amounts of soluble mineral matter (~72.6 μS cm&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;). This kind of vegetation was most often developed on sites with coarser sediments (stone, gravel, and sand) formed from crystalline bedrock. A comparison of vegetation data of the &lt;em&gt;Veronico beccabungae-Mimuletum guttati&lt;/em&gt; association across Central Europe demonstrated considerable floristic variability among regions.