Weak Trend Research Articles

AQP5 and AQP1 as targets for prophylactic countermeasures for pulmonary hyperbaric oxygen toxicity

Oxygen exchange between lungs and systemic tissues is essential for life. However, breathing air with high O 2 levels can cause pulmonary O 2 toxicity (POT)—a serious health hazard for divers breathing O 2 -enriched gases at high pressure, and patients undergoing hyperbaric O 2 therapy or breathing through a mechanical ventilator. POT occurs because increased rates of O 2 uptake ( J O2 ) across the air-blood barrier lead to high intracellular O 2 concentration in alveolar type I cells (AT I Cs), AT II Cs, and in pulmonary capillary endothelial cells (PCECs). In principle, one could reduce POT by reducing J O2 . According to Fick’s law of diffusion, one approach for reducing J O2 would be to decrease O 2 membrane permeability ( P M, O2 ). In this work, we focus on the possibility of mitigating POT damage by manipulating P M, O2 across the cell membranes of AT I Cs (which cover about 90% of the alveolar surface) and PCECs.Research from the past 25 years has shown that membrane proteins (e.g., some aquaporins, AQPs) can conduct gases, thereby increasing P M . Notably, AQP5, which has the highest-known CO 2 permeability, is highly expressed in the apical membrane of AT I Cs, and AQP1, which can conduct both CO 2 and O 2 , is highly expressed in both PCECs membranes.We hypothesize that AQP5 mediates a large fraction of J O2 across the alveolar wall, and AQP1 does the same across PCECs membranes. If true, genetic deletion of AQP5 and/or AQP1 should reduce POT. We test this hypothesis with (1) a normobaric POT mouse model in which male mice (wild type, WT, vs knockout, KO) are continuously exposed to >99% O 2 (“↑O 2 ”) vs room Air (“Air”) for ~60-72 hr; (2) KO mice genetically deficient in AQP5, AQP1, or both (double knockouts, dKO); and (3) POT assays, namely H 2 O/dry-lung weight ratio (marker of lung edema) and, on bronchiolar-alveolar lavage fluid, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; marker for AT I C leakage) and protein (mainly albumin from blood plasma; marker for blood-gas-barrier leakiness).Consistent with previous work (on WT and AQP5- & AQP1-KOs) by others, “H 2 O/dry weight” data show no differences between WT and KOs under “↑O 2 ” conditions. This negative result is consistent with the observed 10–15% weight loss (presumably all H 2 O), which would have reduced net Starling forces for ultrafiltration, making AQP KOs irrelevant. However, preliminary LDH and protein data are consistent with the idea that the KO of AQP5 and/or AQP1 reduces POT. For “↑O 2 ,” the AQP1-KO (vs. WT) shows a weak trend towards lower LDH; AQP5-KO and dKO show trends so strong that mean LDH does not differ from WT/“Air.” Moreover, for “↑O 2 ,” AQP5-KO and dKO have protein levels markedly lower than WT/“↑O 2 .” Finally, for “↑O 2 ,” we observe a progressive decrease in mouse mortality in the sequence WT > AQP1-KO >> AQP5-KO > dKO. If the observed trends continue for larger N’s, our data would argue that AQP5 and AQP1 are protective for POT and point, for the first time, towards a role of AQP5 in conducting O 2 . ONR: N00014-20-1-2737 This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of canthin-6-one against Staphylococcus aureus and its application on beef preservation

This work investigated the antibacterial activity and mechanism of canthin-6-one (CAN) on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). CAN could inhibit the growth of S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 μg/mL, exhibiting weak trends in resistance, good biosafety and acceptable stability. Furthermore, 5.30 log-units of S. aureus in beef soup were reduced after treated by 32 μg/mL of CAN at 37 oC for 3 days. The antibacterial mechanism indicated that CAN disrupted the bacterial biofilm and decreased the counts of living bacteria in it. Moreover, CAN could damage membrane accompanied with lipid peroxidation and lipid metabolism disorders. Amino acids metabolism disturbances were observed and energy system perturbations corresponded to the decreased activity of respiration enzyme. Importantly, the bacterial reproduction was disrupted by influencing folate and nucleotide metabolisms or directly damaging the function of DNA related targets. These findings confirmed the potential of CAN used in food preservation and provided a new insight into its antibacterial mechanism.

Potential drivers of spatial distribution of the ghost orchid, <i>Dendrophylax lindenii</i>, in a South Florida cypress strand: a preliminary study

This study examined a population of ghost orchids (Dendrophylax lindenii) in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park in Collier County, Florida, to determine if they exhibit host species preference, vertical stratification, substrate diameter stratification, or a distribution pattern similar to their host plants. Twenty-five ghost orchids were found on three host plant species: 20 (80%) were on pop ash (Fraxinus caroliniana), four (16%) on arthritis vine (Hippocratea volubilis), and one (4%) on pond apple (Annona glabra). Our analysis indicated a statistically significant occurrence of ghost orchids on pop ash relative to other woody plant species in the study area. Although most orchids were found below 3 m from the forest floor, this was not statistically significant when compared to orchids above 3 m. A weak trend (p=0.06) for increasing occurrence was observed in the next to largest (14.1 cm to 17.2 cm diameter at breast height) size class among the five size classes of pop ash in this study. The spatial analyses indicated that both the stems of pop ash and ghost orchids demonstrate non-random clumping on the landscape. In addition, the presence of an individual orchid increases the probability of multiple ghost orchids on a stem. These results further emphasize the importance of pop ash as a host species in Florida’s ghost orchid populations and add to the list of hosts (arthritis vine) in the literature. Continuing to study the vertical position of ghost orchids will be important as climate change has the potential to alter humidity patterns and the occurrence of both low temperature events and hurricanes. Improved understanding of host plant preference, microhabitat requirements, spatial distribution, and continued long-term monitoring of population dynamics are critical for the conservation of the ghost orchid.

Impact of high-speed railway construction on spatial patterns of regional economic development along the route: A case study of the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway

The Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway spans the eastern, central, and western regions of China and is an important "horizontal" in the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" railway network of China. This paper estimates the direct impact of opening a high-speed railway on the spatial patterns of regional economic development along the route by integrating GIS technology, spatial panel data models, and the entropy method. The results show that the high-speed railway can significantly increase the economic aggregate and urbanization rates along the route and promote the upgrading of industrial structures, but it has a limited effect on the economic growth rate, showing a weak trend. In terms of spatial patterns, the high-speed railway significantly improves regional accessibility, the strength of economic ties, and economic potential along the route. The regional economy is characterized by weak spatial agglomeration and presents a trend of balanced development. In general, although the economic effect of HSR for the economically lagged regions is smaller in the short term than that in the economically and less economically developed regions, the high-speed railway has the greatest impact on regional economic development and spatial patterns in economically backward areas, thus the economically backward regions have a greater posterior advantage, which is conducive to balancing regional economies and narrowing regional differences.

Variation in accuracy of industrially relevant NIR-based multivariate models for sulfur in crude oil and spectral trends during an extended period of time

This study presents a detailed analysis of commercial crude oil partial least square (PLS) predictions of Sulfur based on near-infrared (NIR) spectra over a period of six months, covering hundreds of samples from very diverse crudes. A significant trend in the accuracy of Sulfur predictions is observed when the entire six-month data set is split in approximately monthly subsets. Using the wealth of samples most advantageously, we selected several individual crudes, three heavy and one light, and ran principal component analysis (PCA) of their respective spectra. It is found that for the heavy crudes there is a trend in the spectra that largely overlaps with the observed trend in the Sulfur predictions for those crudes. The one light crude analyzed shows only a weak trend in the raw spectra, which also agrees with the PLS predictions remaining largely unchanged through the inspected six-month time interval for that crude. All the trends identified in PC scores are clearly illustrated in the spectral differences among the pre-treated spectra. The spectral trends are found to partially translate into the trends in predictions of distillation fractions.

Spatial and temporal variations of gross primary production simulated by land surface model BCC_AVIM2.0

Gross primary production (GPP) is the largest flux and a crucial player in the terrestrial carbon cycle and has been studied extensively, yet large uncertainties remain in the spatiotemporal patterns of GPP in both observations and simulations. This study evaluates the performance of the second version of the Beijing Climate Center Atmosphere−Vegetation Interaction Model (BCC_AVIM2.0) in simulating GPP on multiple spatial and temporal scales in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experiments. Model simulations driven by two meteorological datasets were compared with two observation-based GPP products covering 1982–2008. Spatial patterns of annual GPP show a significant latitudinal gradient in each dataset, increasing from cold (tundra) and dry (desert) biomes to warm (temperate) and humid (tropical rainforest) biomes. BCC_AVIM2.0 overestimates GPP in most parts of the globe, especially in boreal forest regions and Southeast China, while underestimating GPP in subhumid regions in eastern South America and tropical Africa. The four datasets broadly agree on the GPP seasonal cycle, but BCC_AVIM2.0 predicts an earlier beginning of spring growth and a larger amplitude of seasonal variations than those in the observations. The observation-based datasets exhibit slight interannual variability (IAV) and weak GPP linear trends, while the BCC_AVIM2.0 simulations demonstrate relatively large year-to-year variability and significant trends in the low-latitudes and temperate monsoon regions in North America and East Asia. Regarding the possible relationships between annual means of GPP and climate factors, BCC_AVIM2.0 predicts more extensive regions of the globe where the IAV of annual GPP is dominated by precipitation, especially in mid-to-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and tropical Africa, while the observed GPP in the above regions is temperature- or radiation-dominant. The positive GPP biases due to earlier spring growth in boreal forest regions and negative GPP biases in off-equator tropical areas in the BCC_AVIM2.0 simulations imply that cold stress on biomes in boreal mid-to-high latitudes should be strengthened to restrain plant growth, while drought stress in low-latitude regions might be eased to enhance plant production in the future version of BCC_AVIM.

A novel method for predicting the unbound valproic acid concentration

In this study, we constructed a prediction formula for unbound valproic acid (VPA) concentration that was more accurate and widely applicable than previously reported formulae. A total of 136 datasets from 75 patients were analyzed retrospectively. The median of free fraction of VPA was 0.16 (interquartile range: 0.07; range: 0.07–0.45). The parameter that combined total VPA concentration (CtVPA) and serum albumin (SA), (CtVPA [μM] – 2 × SA [μM]), was significantly related to the free fraction of VPA (r = 0.76, p < 0.001). We constructed a combined parameter-based prediction formula for unbound VPA concentration. Analysis using external datasets from patients without severe renal failure showed that the prediction errors of the unbound VPA concentration were lower than those of previously reported formulae. Although the previous formulae showed large prediction errors, especially in the specific range of CtVPA values, the constructed formula showed a weak trend with CtVPA or SA. The formula based on (CtVPA [μM] – 2 × SA [μM]) had high prediction accuracy and wide applicability in predicting the unbound VPA concentration in patients without severe renal failure.

Impact of ocean warming on net primary production in the northern Indian Ocean: role of aerosols and freshening of surface ocean.

Warming due to climate change stratifies the upper ocean and reduces nutrient input to the photic zone resulting in a decline in net primary production (NPP). On the other hand, climate change increases both anthropogenic aerosol input into the atmosphere and the river discharge due to the melting of glaciers on land resulting in enhanced nutrient inputs to the surface ocean and NPP. To examine the balance between these two processes, spatial and temporal variations in the rate of warming, NPP, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and sea surface salinity (SSS) were studied between 2001 and 2020 in the northern Indian Ocean. Strong heterogeneity in the warming of the sea surface was observed in the northern Indian Ocean with significant warming in the south of 12°N. Insignificant trends in warming were observed in the northern Arabian Sea (AS), north of 12°N, during winter and fall, and western Bay of Bengal (BoB) during winter, spring, and fall associated with higher levels of anthropogenic AOD (AAOD) due to a reduction in incoming solar radiation. The decline in NPP was observed in the south of 12°N in both AS and BoB and correlated inversely with SST suggesting that a weak supply of nutrients due to upper ocean stratification controlled NPP. Despite warming, the weak trends in NPP in the north of 12°N were associated with higher AAOD levels and their rate of increase suggesting that the deposition of nutrients from the aerosols seems to be compensating for declining trends due to warming. The decrease in sea surface salinity confirmed an increase in river discharge, and nutrient supply led to weak NPP trends in the northern BoB. This study suggests that the enhanced atmospheric aerosols and river discharge played a significant role in warming and changes in NPP in the northern Indian Ocean, and these parameters must be included in the ocean biogeochemical models for accurate prediction of possible changes in the upper ocean biogeochemistry in the future due to climate change.

Influence of Regional Warming on Primary Production of the Kara Sea during the Last Two Decades (2002–2021)

Inter-annual (2002–2021) variability of the Kara Sea PP and associated environmental factors was assessed by MODIS-Aqua data and model calculations. Warming in the Kara Sea region during the last two decades was characterized by the pronounced positive trend of surface water temperature (T0) and weak positive trend of free-ice area (S) averaged for the growing season (April – October). During the investigated period T0 increased by 3.55°C with a trend of 10% y–1 and S increased by 110×103 km2 with a trend of 1.4% y–1, on average. The values of water column PP (IPP) statistically significant (p 0.05) decreased in the all of the Kara Sea regions (R2 = 0.22 – 0.59). For the entire Kara Sea the IPP declined by 38 mgC m–2 d–1 with a moderate trend of 1.1% y–1 (R2 = 0.37). The growing season averaged value of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) weak, but statistically significant (p 0.05), decreased in the all of the Kara Sea areas (R2 = 0.20 – 0.31). Also, in the all regions the significant (R2 = 0.24 – 0.38) weak or moderate negative trends of surface chlorophyll a (Chl) were specified. The total annual PP (PPtot) increased insignificantly in accordance with increase of S (0.7% y–1, R2 = 0.08). The most significant decline of IPP was specified for spring (R2 = 0.28). In autumn the statistically significant positive trend of S (R2 = 0.24) was observed. Due to such increase of S, the strongest growth of PPtot was noted in autumn. In the present work was shown that decrease of IPP, resulting from decline of PAR and Chl, was the reason of moderation of PPtot. Weak increase in PPtot was observed in autumn and in the north area of the sea. It should be concluded that during the period of intense warming, the decrease in the IPP of the Kara Sea should affect the productivity of the higher trophic levels of the food web.

Considerations on seismic hazard disaggregation in terms of occurrence or exceedance in New Zealand

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) is widely accepted as the most robust approach for evaluating the seismic hazard at a given site and provides the basis for seismic loads in most design codes. To obtain more detailed information on the specific earthquake scenarios contributing to the hazard at a site, it is common to include seismic hazard disaggregation results within a PSHA. This is mostly done in terms of exceedance of the intensity level of interest, but for many applications a disaggregation in terms of occurrence of the intensity level of interest is more appropriate. A number of researchers have examined the theoretical differences between the exceedance and occurrence approaches; however, few have provided extensive application examples. This paper therefore compares the approaches for 24 sites across New Zealand. It is shown that the two different approaches can result in moderate differences in the mean magnitudes and site-to-source distances, as well as differences in the relative contributions from different Tectonic Region Types. Whilst some weak trends are identified, it is concluded that generally it is not possible to know a priori whether the difference between occurrence or exceedance approaches would have a tangible impact on disaggregation results or the results of subsequent applications. It is therefore recommended that developers of seismic hazard analysis software and providers of seismic hazard data products make both approaches readily available.

Characteristics of Patients Who Complete Suicide and Suicide Attempts While Undergoing Treatment in Norway: Findings from Compensation Claims Records.

The aim of this study was to identify characteristics that differentiate patients who complete suicide (SC) from patients with suicide attempts (SA) while undergoing treatment in Norway. We examined data from the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation (Norsk Pasientskade Erstatning-NPE). Data were extracted from NPE case records from a 10-year period (2009-2019) for 356 individuals who attempted (n = 78) or died by (n = 278) suicide. The two groups differed significantly in the types of medical errors identified by experts. Inadequate suicide risk assessment tended to be proportionally and significantly more prevalent among SC compared to SA. There was a weak but significant trend that SA had received medication only, whereas SC had received both medication and psychotherapy. There were no significant differences with respect to age group, gender, diagnostic category, number of previous suicide attempts, inpatient/outpatient status, or category of responsible clinic. We conclude that suicide attempters and suicide completers differed in terms of identified medical errors. Focusing on the prevention of these and other types of errors could help to reduce the number of suicides of patients in treatment.

Satellite observation of atmospheric CO2 and water storage change over Iran

Like many other Middle East countries, Iran has been suffering from severe water shortages over the last two decades, as evidenced by significant decline in surface water and groundwater levels. The observed changes in water storage can be attributed to the mutually reinforcing effects of human activities, climatic variability, and of course the climate change. The objective of this study is to analyze the dependency of atmospheric CO2 increase on the water shortage of Iran, for which we investigate the spatial relationship between water storage change and CO2 concentration using large scale satellite data. We conduct our analysis using water storage change data from GRACE satellite and atmospheric CO2 concentration from GOSAT and SCIAMACHY satellites during 2002–2015. To analyze the long-term behavior of time series we benefit from Mann-Kendal test and for the investigation of the relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and total water storage we use Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) and Regression model. Our Results show that the water storage change anomaly and CO2 concentration are negatively correlated especially in northern, western, southwest (Khuzestan province), and also southeast (Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan, and Baluchestan provinces) of Iran. CCA results reveal that in the most of northern regions, the decrease in water storage is significantly influenced by the increase of CO2 concentration. The results further show that precipitation in the highland and peaks does not seem to be influenced by the long and short-term variation in CO2 concentration. Besides, our results show that the CO2 concentration is slightly correlated with a weak positive trend in evapotranspiration over agricultural areas. Thus, the indirect effect of CO2 on increasing evapotranspiration is observed spatially in the whole of Iran. The results of the regression model between total water storage change and carbon dioxide (R2 = 0.91)/water discharge/water consumption show that carbon dioxide has the highest effect on total water storage change at large scale. The results of this study will contribute to both water resource management and mitigation plans to achieve the goal of CO2 emission reduction.

Temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon respiration along a forested elevation gradient in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

Abstract. Tropical montane forests store high amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). However, global warming may affect these stocks via enhanced soil respiration. Improved insight into the temperature response of SOC respiration can be obtained from in and ex situ warming studies. In situ warming via the translocation of intact soil mesocosms was carried out along an elevation gradient ranging between ca. 1250 m in the Kibale Forest to ca. 3000 m in the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda. Samples from the same transect were also warmed ex situ. Ex situ results revealed that, following the elevation gradient, which represents a natural climate gradient, specific heterotrophic CO2 respiration decreased linearly by 1.01 ± 0.12 µgCh-1g-1 of SOC per 100 m of elevation increase. The coefficient of temperature sensitivity increased from 1.50 ± 0.13 in the lowest- to 2.68 ± 0.25 in the highest-elevation cluster, showing a linear increase of 0.09 ± 0.03 per 100 m of elevation increase. Additionally, respired CO2 was more depleted in 13C in the warmer lower elevations as compared to colder higher elevations, with a linear decrease of 0.23 ‰ ± 0.04 ‰ per 100 m of elevation increase. Furthermore, the microbial community structure indicated a weak trend along the elevation gradient, with higher elevations more dominated by fungi relative to bacteria. The results indicate an increased recalcitrance and decreased mineralisation of SOC, with elevation likely driven by decreasing soil temperature and pH. Subsequently, after 2 years of in situ warming (0.9 to 2.8 ∘C), specific heterotrophic SOC respiration tended to be lower for warmed soil compared to control soil. Furthermore, in warmed soils, δ13C values and SOC content tended to increase and decrease, respectively. Collectively, this points towards the increased mineralisation and depletion of readily available C during 2 years of warming. In conclusion, our results suggest that climate warming may trigger enhanced losses of SOC from tropical montane forests due to a combination of a higher temperature sensitivity of mineralisation and higher SOC content at higher elevations.

Comparative analysis of atmospheric parameters from high-resolution spectroscopic sky surveys: APOGEE, GALAH, Gaia-ESO

Context. SDSS-IV APOGEE-2, GALAH, and Gaia-ESO are high-resolution, ground-based, multi-object spectroscopic surveys providing fundamental stellar atmospheric parameters and multiple elemental abundance ratios for hundreds of thousands of stars of the Milky Way. Data from these and other surveys contribute to investigations of the history and evolution of the Galaxy. Aims. We undertake a comparison between the most recent data releases of these surveys to investigate the accuracy and precision of derived parameters by placing the abundances on an absolute scale. We also discuss the correlations in parameter and abundance differences as a function of main parameters. Uncovering the variants provides a basis to continue the efforts of future sky surveys. Methods. Quality samples from the APOGEE−GALAH (15 537 stars), APOGEE−GES (804 stars), and GALAH−GES (441 stars) overlapping catalogs were collected. We investigated the mean variants between the surveys, and linear trends were also investigated. We compared the slope of correlations and mean differences with the reported uncertainties. Results. The average and scatter of vrad, Teff, log g, [M/H], and vmicro, along with numerous species of elemental abundances in the combined catalogs, show that in general there is a good agreement between the surveys. We find large radial velocity scatters ranging from 1.3 km s−1 to 4.4 km s−1 when comparing the three surveys. We observe some weak trends (e.g., in ΔTeff vs. Δlog g for the APOGEE−GES stars) and a clear correlation in the vmicro − Δvmicro planes in the APOGEE−GALAH common sample. For [α/H], [Ti/H] (APOGEE−GALAH giants), and [Al/H] (APOGEE−GALAH dwarfs) potential strong correlations are discovered as a function of the differences in the main atmospheric parameters, and we also find weak trends for other elements. Conclusions. In general we find good agreement between the three surveys within their respective uncertainties. However, there are certain regimes in which strong variants exist, which we discuss. There are still offsets larger than 0.1 dex in the absolute abundance scales.

Hydraulic investigation of stilling basins of the barrage before and after remodelling using FLOW-3D

Abstract The hydraulic performance of stilling basins is affected by their size and geometry. Taunsa Barrage, Pakistan, was constructed in 1958 and remodelled in 2008. In remodelling, baffle and friction blocks were replaced by chute blocks and dentated sill. After remodelling, sounding, and probing data during 2010–2014 revealed that flexible apron in front of some bays was washed away. This study quantified hydraulic parameters such as free surface, flow depth, Froude number, roller length, velocity, hydraulic jump efficiency, and turbulent kinetic energy for stilling basins before and after remodelling using FLOW-3D. Comparing results with the literature showed that results in the old stilling basin were closer to the literature results. The results of old stilling basin showed linear trends of tailwater depths with Froude number and roller lengths. Results of the new stilling basin deviated from the literature results because relatively weak trends of tailwater depths with the Froude number and roller lengths were revealed; velocities were higher on the basin's floor; energy dissipation was less, and there was more turbulent kinetic energy on downstream. In conclusion, hydraulic studies for other discharges, tailwater levels, and turbulence models have to be conducted to analyze hydraulic issues in the new stilling basin.

Postmortem submersion intervals in the River Thames

This paper catalogues a dataset drawn from Metropolitan Police records in the period 2004-2015 regarding drowning victims recovered from a tidal stretch of the River Thames and provides a comparative study with a similar dataset from the time period 1956-1959 by the County of London (Western District), H.M. Coroner of that time, Gavin Thurston, from the information gathered in his professional role. In addition to drawing comparisons between these time periods the paper draws inferences regarding the Post-Mortem Submersion Interval (PMSI) and proposing further study required. Both datasets show a significant bias towards male subjects counter to other comparable data in the literature. This bias is even more pronounced in the 2004-2015 period where additionally there are significantly more incidents during Full Moon Lunar Phase. Some weak seasonal trends were observed regarding equinoctial peaks but these were not statistically significant. There are few clear trends observable in factors that might influence Post-Mortem Submersion Interval although there was a weak and counter-intuitive inverse relationship between clothing weight and time in water. KEY WORDS: PMSI, Drowning, GIS

An Assessment of the Present Trends in Temperature and Precipitation Extremes in Kazakhstan

The article presents the results of a study on the assessment of modern space–time trends of extreme values of air temperature and precipitation in 42 meteorological stations throughout Kazakhstan for the period from 1971 to 2020. Spatial and temporal analysis of the distribution of specialized climatic indices was recommended by the WMO climatology commission and an assessment of their trends was carried out. Spatial heterogeneity was revealed in terms of the degree of manifestation of changes and trends. Temperature indices are shown to confirm the overall warming trend. The division of the territory of Kazakhstan by the degree of manifestation of climate change into the southwestern and northeastern half was revealed. Extreme trends are most pronounced in the southwestern half, where a significant trend has been identified both for an increase in extremely high daytime and extremely low night temperatures. The calculated trends in temperature indices are generally significant, but the significance is mainly not ubiquitous; the trends are significant only in certain parts of Kazakhstan. WSDI and CSDI trends were found to confirm a widespread increase in the overall duration of heat waves and a reduction in the overall duration of cold waves. No significant extreme effects were found in the sediments. It is confirmed that Kazakhstan has weak, statistically insignificant, positive and negative trends in the maximum duration of the non-traveling period. Precipitation index trends, unlike temperature ones, are statistically insignificant in most of the country.

Wetland vegetation changes in response to climate change and human activities on the Tibetan Plateau during 2000–2015

The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as the third pole, is the highest plateau in the world. It has numerous wetlands, which are important ecological security barriers and plays an important role in mitigating global climate change. This paper employed breaks for additive seasonal and trend (BFAST) algorithm for the mutation detection of the monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in wetlands. In addition, correlation analysis and residual analysis were used to study the response of climate change and human activities to NDVI of alpine wetland vegetation in the TP during 2000–2015. The results indicate that the NDVI showed a weak upward trend of 0.009/10a (P &amp;lt; 0.05) with the climate presenting a trend of dry heat development. The NDVI of the growing season was greatly affected by temperature factors with the highest correlation coefficient of 0.686 (P &amp;lt; 0.01). The temperature in the month before and solar radiation in the 3 months before also presented a time lag effect on NDVI, and their correlation coefficients were 0.574 (P &amp;lt; 0.05) and 0.636 (P &amp;lt; 0.05), respectively. Additionally, human activities may have a positive impact on the wetland after 2008. This study explored, for the first time, the NDVI variations of the dynamic wetland and their correlations with temperature, precipitation and solar radiation.

1174 THE ROLE OF HIP FRACTURE IN TRAJECTORIES OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG OLDER ADULTS: ANALYSIS FROM THE ENGLISH LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Abstract Introduction Older adults experience ‘Late life depression’. Hip fractures may negatively influence trajectories of depressive symptoms in older adults. This study aimed to determine trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults in England, overall and for those after hip fracture, and identify characteristics defining trajectory membership. Methods Analysis of adults aged 60 years or more (n=7,050), including a hip fracture subgroup (n = 384), from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Latent class growth mixture modelling was completed. Depressive symptom prevalence was estimated at baseline. Chi-squared tests were completed to compare baseline characteristics across trajectories. Results Three trajectory groups were identified overall and for those with hip fracture: no-, mild-, and moderate-severe- symptoms. The moderate-severe group comprised 13.7% and 7% of participants for overall and hip fracture populations respectively. Overall, the proportion of participants with depressive symptoms were 0.4%, 12.4% and 65.4% for no-, mild-, and moderate-severe- symptom groups, respectively. For the hip fracture subgroup, these proportions were 0.7%, 28.8%, and 85.2%. Depressive symptoms were stable over time, with a weak trend towards increasing severity for the moderate-severe group. Individuals with moderate-severe trajectories were older, more likely to be female, live alone and had worse health outcomes (p &amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusions Older adults, and those after hip fracture, follow one of three trajectories of depressive symptoms which are broadly stable over time. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was lower for those with hip fracture however, when present, the symptoms were more severe than the overall population. Results suggest a role of factors including age, gender, and marital status in depressive symptoms trajectories.

Reptilian digestive efficiency: Past, present, and future

Digestion and assimilation of nutrients and energy is central to survival. At its most basic level, investigations of digestion in animals must examine digestive efficiency, or how much of a given meal (i.e., energy) or a specific nutrient an organism can acquire from its food. There are many studies examining this in reptiles, but there is large variation in methodology, and thus, in the conclusions drawn from the gathered data. The majority rely on ratio-based analyses that can jeopardize the reliability of their findings. Therefore, we reviewed the literature to identify common themes in the digestive efficiency data on reptiles. Due to the sheer number of available studies, we largely focused on lizards, but included data on all reptilian groups. As an example of what the current data can reveal, we performed a meta-analysis of digestive efficiency in lizards as a function of temperature using regression analyses. We detected a weak positive trend of soluble carbohydrate digestibility as a function of temperature, but no similar trend in broad-scale digestive efficiency, and propose that these patterns be reevaluated with non-ratio data. We conclude with calls to end conducting analyses on ratios and instead employ covariate methods, for more studies of reptilian digestive efficiency and related processes using consistent methodology, more representation of each population (e.g., many studies focus on males only), and more detailed studies examining the effects of temperature on digestion (since the current data are inconclusive).