bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non‐stationarities in the occurrence rate of heavy precipitation across China and its relationship to climate teleconnection patterns
Authors: Gu Xihui , Zhang Qiang , Singh Vijay P. , Shi Peijun 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThe variability of occurrence rate of heavy precipitation (HPOR) across China was analysed to examine if the change in heavy precipitation satisfied the stationarity assumption.HPORobtained by peaks‐over‐threshold (POT) sampling can be interpreted as a realisation of a point process, which can be represented as a Poisson process. A number of methods, including kernel density estimation method, Cox regression model, Poisson regression model and Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), were used to evaluate the nonstationarity inHPOR. Nonstationarity was also assessed forHPORdefined by different thresholds which indicate different levels of severity of heavy precipitation. Our results indicated that: (1)HPORin northwestern China, a typical arid region, is subject to the most uneven temporal distribution and a significantly increasing trend in terms of inter‐annual variability. Moreover, this uneven temporal distribution is increasing for greater heavy precipitation events defined by higher percentiles, and the changing pattern is opposite in eastern, central and southwestern China; (2) the seasonal variability ofHPORis significantly related to climate indices during the year, which shows that theHPORis not independent and exhibits nonstationary with seasonality. However, as the thresholds increase, the impacts of climate indices onHPORare found to be weakening; (3) the annual number of greater heavy precipitation is subject to over‐dispersion, however, under‐dispersion can be identified for the annual number of heavy precipitation events defined by lower thresholds. Higher Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) may trigger an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation in northeastern and eastern China. These findings show the challenges of flood preventions and water resources management in a changing climate.
Minimising fracture risk in older people taking long‐term oral corticosteroids
Authors: Westaway Kerrie , Frank Oliver , Husband Alan , McClure Anna , Shute Russell , Curtis Jane 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCorticosteroids have potent anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressant properties but are associated with a number of serious adverse events. When taken orally for longer than 3 months, particularly at prednisolone‐equivalent doses greater than 5 mg per day, corticosteroids are associated with a high incidence of bone loss, muscle atrophy and weakness. Fracture risk is increased as a result of corticosteroid‐induced bone loss and muscle weakness. Corticosteroid‐related fractures are a serious complication of long‐term oral corticosteroid therapy. The aim of this article is to provide practical information to help clinicians to minimise fracture risk in older people taking long‐term oral corticosteroids. When therapy is instigated for longer than 1 month, identify at‐risk patients promptly and consider a calcium and vitamin D supplement and fracture prevention therapy. Patients at risk include those receiving prednisolone‐equivalent doses of more than 5 mg per day for longer than 3 months and patients receiving frequent short courses of high‐dose corticosteroids.
Winter weather and lake‐watershed physical configuration drive phosphorus, iron, and manganese dynamics in water and sediment of ice‐covered lakes
Authors: Joung DongJoo , Leduc Meagan , Ramcharitar Benjamin , Xu Yaoyang , Isles Peter D. F. , Stockwell Jason D. , Druschel Gregory K. , Manley Tom , Schroth Andrew W. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWhile decreasing occurrence and duration of lake ice cover is well‐documented, biogeochemical dynamics in frozen lakes remain poorly understood. Here, we interpret winter physical and biogeochemical time series from eutrophic Missisquoi Bay (MB) and hyper‐eutrophic Shelburne Pond (SP) to describe variable drivers of under ice biogeochemistry in systems of fundamentally different lake‐watershed physical configurations (lake area, lake : watershed area). The continuous cold of the 2015 winter drove the MB sediment‐water interface to the most severe and persistent suboxic state ever documented at this site, promoting the depletion of redox‐sensitive phases in sediments, and an expanding zone of bottom water enriched in reactive species of Mn, Fe, and P. In this context, lake sediment and water column inventories of reactive chemical species were sensitive to the severity and persistence of subfreezing temperatures. During thaws, event provenance and severity impact lake thermal structure and mixing, water column enrichment in P and Fe, and thaw capability to suppress redox front position and internal chemical loading. Nearly identical winter weather manifest differently in nearby SP, where the small surface and watershed areas promoted a warmer, less stratified water column and active phytoplankton populations, impacting biogeochemical dynamics. In SP, Fe and P behavior under ice were decoupled due to active biological cycling, and thaw impacts were different in distribution and composition due to SP's physical structure and related antecedent conditions. We find that under ice biogeochemistry is highly dynamic in both time and space and sensitive to a variety of drivers impacted by climate change.
Temperature‐ and size‐scaling of phytoplankton population growth rates: Reconciling the Eppley curve and the metabolic theory of ecology
Authors: Kremer Colin T. , Thomas Mridul K. , Litchman Elena 
Published: March 2017

AbstractQuantifying how environmental factors control the growth of phytoplankton communities is essential for building a mechanistic understanding of global biogeochemical cycles and aquatic food web dynamics. The strong effects of temperature on population growth rate have inspired two frameworks—the Eppley curve and the metabolic theory of ecology—that produce different quantitative relationships and employ distinct statistical approaches. Reconciling these relationships is necessary to ensure the accuracy of ecosystem models. In this paper, we develop ways to compare these frameworks, overcoming their methodological differences. Then, analyzing an extensive dataset (> 4200 growth rate measurements), we find that increases in population growth rate with temperature are consistent with metabolic theory, and weaker than previous estimates of the Eppley curve. A 10°C temperature increase will increase growth rates by a factor of 1.53, rather than 1.88 as in previous studies of the Eppley curve. Size and functional group membership are also critical. Population growth rates decrease with size, but much less strongly that metabolic theory predicts. The growth rates of different functional groups scale similarly with temperature, but some groups grow faster than others, independent of temperature. Our results reconcile the analytical methods of the Eppley curve and metabolic theory, demonstrate that metabolic theory's temperature‐scaling predictions are more accurate, and provide new insights into the factors controlling phytoplankton growth. To avoid over‐estimating the effects of temperature on primary productivity, the parameterization of ecosystem models should be revised.
Change in annual precipitation in the northwest of Iran
Authors: Shirvani Amin 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThe detection of changes in precipitation is important in water resources research and hydrological modelling studies. In this study, the Mann–Whitney non‐parametric change point model (CPM) was applied to indicate whether a change point has occurred in the mean of annual precipitation in 18 synoptic stations in different regions of Iran for the period 1951–2010. The parametric likelihood ratio test (LRT) and the non‐parametric Thiel–Sen slope were also employed to evaluate the detected change points. The precipitation time series (PTS) of the stations, which were serially correlated, were transformed to produce uncorrelated pre‐whitened time series. The pre‐whitened time series were then used as input file for the CPM, LRT and Thiel–Sen slope. The non‐parametric CPM estimated change points in the PTS of Kerman, Oroomieh, Shahroud and Tabriz in 1997, 1994, 1967 and 1994, respectively. The results of the LRT indicated that the PTS before and after these change points follow a gamma distribution but with different means. The difference in annual precipitation means before and after the detected change point for Oroomieh station, located in the northwest of Iran, is 67 mm, as an example. The Thiel–Sen slope estimated a greatly decreasing rate of change for Kerman station after 1997.
A variational approach for restoring images corrupted by noisy blur kernels and additive noise
Authors: Ng Michael K. , Wang Wei , Zhao Xile 
Published: March 2017

SummaryIn this paper, we study a deblurring algorithm for distorted images by random impulse response. We propose and develop a convex optimization model to recover the underlying image and the blurring function simultaneously. The objective function is composed of 3 terms: the data‐fitting term between the observed image and the product of the estimated blurring function and the estimated image, the squared difference between the estimated blurring function and its mean, and the total variation regularization term for the estimated image. We theoretically show that under some mild conditions, the resulting objective function can be convex in which the global minimum value is unique. The numerical results confirm that the peak‐to‐signal‐noise‐ratio and structural similarity of the restored images by the proposed algorithm are the best when the proposed objective function is convex. We also present a proximal alternating minimization scheme to solve the resulting minimization problem. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and the efficiency of the numerical scheme.
Geometrically exact time‐integration mesh‐free schemes for advection‐diffusion problems derived from optimal transportation theory and their connection with particle methods
Authors: Fedeli L. , Pandolfi A. , Ortiz M. 
Published: March 2017

SummaryWe develop an optimal transportation mesh‐free particle method for advection‐diffusion in which the concentration or density of the diffusive species is approximated by Dirac measures. We resort to an incremental variational principle for purposes of time discretization of the diffusive step. This principle characterizes the evolution of the density as a competition between the Wasserstein distance between two consecutive densities and entropy. Exploiting the structure of the Euler–Lagrange equations, we approximate the density as a collection of Diracs. The interpolation of the incremental transport map is effected through mesh‐free max‐ent interpolation. Remarkably, the resulting update is geometrically exact with respect to advection and volume. We present three‐dimensional examples of application that illustrate the scope and robustness of the method. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Racial disparity in life expectancies and life years lost associated with multiple obesity‐related chronic conditions
Authors: Chang Su‐Hsin , Yu Yao‐Chi , Carlsson Nils P. , Liu Xiaoyan , Colditz Graham A. 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveThis study investigated racial disparity in life expectancies (LEs) and life years lost (LYL) associated with multiple obesity‐related chronic conditions (OCCs).MethodsData from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2008‐2012, were used. Four OCCs were studied: diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. LE for each subpopulation was simulated by Markov modelling. LYL associated with a disease for a subpopulation was computed by taking the difference between LEs for members of that subpopulation without disease and LEs for members of that subpopulation who had that disease. Racial disparities were measured in the absolute differences in LE and LYL between black women/men and white women/men.ResultsBlack individuals had higher risks of developing diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. This disparity in LE between white and black participants was largest in men age 40 to 49 with at least stroke: black men lived 3.12 years shorter than white men. The disparity in LYL between white and black participants was largest in women age 70 to 79 with at least CHD: black women had 1.98 years more LYL than white women.ConclusionsRacial disparity exists in incident disease and mortality risks, LEs, and LYL associated with multiple OCCs. Efforts targeting subpopulations with large disparities are required to reduce disparities in the burden of multiple OCCs.
Synthesis and Detonation Properties of 5‐Amino‐2,4,6‐trinitro‐1,3‐dihydroxy‐benzene
Authors: Zhang Xingcheng , Xiong Hualin , Yang Hongwei , Cheng Guangbin 
Published: March 2017

Abstract5‐Amino‐4,6‐dinitro‐1,3‐dihydroxy‐benzene (6) was synthesized through the ring‐opening reaction of macrocyclic compound 4 with the aid of VNS (vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen) reaction conditions. The mechanism of ring opening of macrocyclic compound 4 was studied. 5‐Amino‐2,4,6‐trinitro‐1,3‐dihydroxy‐benzene (8) was obtained after the nitration of 6 in KNO3 and concentrated sulfuric acid. The thermal stability, sensitivity, and other detonation performances of 6 or 8 were compared to commercially used 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene (TATB) or 1,3,5‐trinitrotriazacyclohexane (RDX), respectively. All target compounds were characterized by using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The sensitivities were determined by using BAM methods (drop‐hammer and friction tests). Performance parameters, including heats of formation and detonation properties, were calculated by using Gaussian 03 and EXPLO5 v6.01 programs, respectively. It is worth pointing out that compound 8 has a remarkable measured density of 2.078 g cm−3 at 298 K. In addition, compound 8 is more insensitive than RDX (compound 8: IS=11 J; RDX: IS=7 J; IS is the impact sensitivity).
Bias from depletion of susceptibles: the example of hormone replacement therapy and the risk of venous thromboembolism
Authors: Renoux Christel , Dell'Aniello Sophie , Brenner Benjamin , Suissa Samy 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPurposeThe data on the association between hormone replacement therapy and the increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in postmenopausal women are conflicting. The observed differences between oral estrogen and oral estrogen–progestogen combination formulations may be the result of bias from depletion of susceptibles.MethodsWe used United Kingdom's Clinical Practice Research Datalink to identify the cohort of all women aged 50 to 79 during 1987–2008, with all incident cases of VTE occurring during the study period identified. Using a nested case–control approach, the rate ratios (RRs) of VTE with current use of oral estrogen and oral estrogen–progestogen combinations were estimated as a function of duration of use using conditional logistic regression with cubic splines.ResultsThe cohort of 955 582 postmenopausal women included 23 505 cases of VTE matched to 231 562 controls. The risk of VTE was increased with current use of oral estrogen (RR 1.49; 95% confidence interval: 1.37 to 1.63) and oral estrogen–progestogen (RR 1.54; 95% confidence interval: 1.44 to 1.65), relative to non‐use. When assessed by duration of use, the risks with oral formulations were particularly elevated during the first year of use and were reduced subsequently.ConclusionThe phenomenon of depletion of susceptibles should be considered in cohort studies evaluating acute side effects of medications. This can be achieved by estimating the risk as a function not only of current use but also of duration of use. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effective passivation of HfO2/Ge interface by using nitrided germanate as passivation interlayer
Authors: Cheng Zhi Xiang , Xu Jing Ping , Liu Lu , Huang Yong , Lai Pui To , Tang Wing Man 
Published: March 2017

Ge metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (MOS) capacitor with YON/LaON, as interface passivation layer (IPL), and HfO2, as gate dielectric, is proposed to take advantage of both the good passivation effect by LaON and the suppressed intermixing between HfO2 and Ge by YON. As a result, superior interfacial and electrical properties are obtained, as compared to samples with only YON or LaON as IPL: high k value (19.5), low interface‐state density (6.64 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1) and oxide‐charge density (−4.18 × 1012 cm−2), small gate leakage current (1.15 × 10−4 A cm−2 at Vg = Vfb + 1 V), and good high‐field reliability.Schematic diagram (a) and C–V curves (b) of the gate stack with YON/LaON dual IPL.
Response of Microcystis and Stephanodiscus to Alternative Flow Regimes of the Regulated River Nakdong (South Korea) Quantified By Model Ensembles Based on the Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm (HEA)
Authors: Recknagel F. , Kim D.‐K. , Joo G.‐J. , Cao H. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis study demonstrates the use of inferential models for scenario analyses by simulating direct and indirect effects of predictor variables on state variables through model ensembles. Two model ensembles have been designed to predict the response of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the diatom Stephanodiscus hantzschii to modified flow regimes of the River Nakdong (Korea) by a scenario analysis. Whilst flow‐independent predictor variables of growth of Microcystis and Stephanodiscus such as water temperature and pH remain unchanged during the scenario analysis, flow‐dependent predictor variables such as turbidity, electrical conductivity, phosphate, nitrate, silica and chlorophyll a are forecasted by inferential models. In the course of scenario analysis, flow‐independent and flow‐dependent predictor variables feed into the Microcystis and Stephanodiscus models to make sure that both direct and indirect effects of altered flow regimes are taken into account. The eight inferential models that were incorporated into the model ensembles have been developed by the hybrid evolutionary algorithm based on 19 years of time‐series monitored in the River Nakdong between 1993 and 2012. The models achieved good accuracy in terms of timing and magnitudes reflected by coefficients of determination r2 = 0.94 for Microcystis and r2 = 0.83 for Stephanodiscus. The scenario analysis revealed that extreme summer blooms of Microcystis as observed between 1994 and 1997, and winter blooms of Stephanodiscus as observed between 1994 and 1997 and in 2004 can be prevented in the River Nakdong by adaptive management of seasonal water release from adjacent dams. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ecological Assessment of a Sediment By‐pass Tunnel on a Receiving Stream in Switzerland
Authors: Martín E. J. , Doering M. , Robinson C. T. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractReservoir siltation is a major problem worldwide, decreasing reservoir storage capacity, trapping entrained sediment, and altering the natural sediment regime. Sediment By‐pass Tunnels (SBTs) are used to connect reservoirs with downstream receiving waters during high flows to reduce sediment accumulation in the reservoir. When operating, large volumes of sediment‐laden waters are released into the receiving river for short periods of time (h). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of SBT events on the downstream riverine ecosystem. We measured physico‐chemical properties, sediment respiration, periphyton biomass and chlorophyll‐a, and macroinvertebrate assemblages along a 5‐km stretch of river during the first two years of SBT operation. During the study, five major SBT events occurred. Few changes were found in physico‐chemical properties, mainly due to the input of tributaries entering the system. Results showed a clear reduction in sediment respiration, an indicator of ecosystem metabolism, especially after large SBT events. Periphyton levels and macroinvertebrate density/richness also decreased after SBT events. A non‐metric multidimensional scaling distinguished both temporal and spatial shifts in macroinvertebrate assemblages after SBT events, being related to downstream distance and SBT event magnitude. In summary, SBT events acted as a pulse disturbance, similarly to natural floods, followed by recovery of measured ecosystem indicators. Sediment By‐pass Tunnel events can enhance sediment and flow connectivity, although the magnitude and frequency of operations should be controlled to prevent catastrophic disturbances. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolution and palaeogeographical dispersion of the radiolitid rudist genus Auroradiolites (Bivalvia, Hippuritida) with descriptions of new material from Tibet and archived specimens from Afghanistan
Authors: Rao Xin , Skelton Peter W. , Sano Shin‐Ichi , Li Cai , Pan Yanhong , Luo Hui , Cai Huawei , Peng Bo , Sha Jingeng 
Published: March 2017

AbstractDiagnostic characters of the recently established new genus of radiolitid rudist Auroradiolites include an entirely compact outer shell layer, a distinctly convex upper (left) valve and a robust myocardinal apparatus surrounding a strongly internally projected ligamentary infolding. Until now, A. biconvexus (previously considered to be exclusively late Albian in age) has been reported only from the Langshan Formation, which crops out along the northern portion of the Lhasa block, Tibet. Here, it is recorded for the first time from the Sangzugang Formation of the Xigaze Forearc Basin, situated on the southern margin of the Lhasa block. A. biconvexus differs from the south‐west Asian type species A. gilgitensis (late Aptian to Albian) by its relatively larger size, more strongly domed left valve and distinct radial undulations of the outer shell layer. The characters of A. gilgitensis are further clarified from archived material from central Afghanistan, also newly identified and described herein. All Auroradiolites records to date are revised. The recognition of examples of A. biconvexus from upper Aptian strata increases both the stratigraphical and geographical ranges of the species, indicating that it had already branched off from A. gilgitensis in the late Aptian. Some new radiolitid specimens that combine both compact and cellular calcitic outer shell layer structures are also described from the Langshan Formation, but a number of internal differences from Auroradiolites cast doubt on their constituting a sister group to the latter and we assign them to Eoradiolites cf. hedini. Rather, the evolution of Auroradiolites directly from the ancestral radiolitid genus Agriopleura is favoured on the grounds of parsimony. So far, the genus Auroradiolites has been recorded from Iran, central and eastern Afghanistan, the type locality of Yasin in north‐western Pakistan, southern and northern Ladakh, the Lhasa block, as well as Hokkaido in northern Japan. During the late Aptian to Albian interval, all of these localities were associated with terranes and blocks that were limited to the north‐eastern margin of Tethys and the western Pacific margin, making Auroradiolites an indicator of a SW Asian to Pacific faunal province.