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Onychomycosis, a superficial fungal infection, develops when dermatophytes infect nail plate and beds. Fosravuconazole l‐lysine ethanolate (F‐RVCZ), a fourth‐generation azole antifungal agent with potent antifungal activity and few drug interactions, was highly effective in a clinical trial, with a complete cure rate of 59.4% at 48 weeks after treatment initiation. However, some patients were not completely cured. To achieve a higher complete cure rate, additional therapy needs to be examined. We aimed to examine (i) the criteria for additional F‐RVCZ therapy in patients with an inadequate response to initial F‐RVCZ treatment for onychomycosis; (ii) the timing of additional therapy; and (iii) the effects of additional treatment. This was a multicenter, open‐label, three‐arm randomized clinical trial. Patients with onychomycosis were orally administered an approved dose of F‐RVCZ for 12 weeks, and its efficacy was assessed at week 24. Patients who demonstrated ≥55% reduction in nail involvement ratio at week 24 were included in Group X and followed up. Patients with <55% reduction were randomly assigned to follow‐up (Group A) or additional treatment (Group B) groups. The complete cure rate at week 72 in Group X was 73.3%. In Groups A and B, the complete cure rates were 29.6% and 46.7%, respectively, and were significantly different (P = 0.0414, odds ratio 2.08). During the study, 63 adverse drug reactions were recorded in 59 of the 318 patients (18.6%), for which a causal relationship with F‐RVCZ could not be ruled out. In Group B, three of 75 patients (4.0%) experienced three adverse drug reactions, all observed during additional treatment; none were serious. A high complete cure rate is possible without additional F‐RVCZ treatment when nail involvement decreases by ≥55% at week 24; however, when the reduction is <55% at week 24, additional F‐RVCZ treatment should be considered to improve the cure rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term carbon dioxide (CO2) flux measurements between the atmosphere and the ecosystem have been made since 1993 at a cool‐temperate deciduous forest site (Takayama) in Japan influenced by the Asian Monsoon, constituting the longest data set among all the AsiaFlux sites. Interannual variations (IAVs) and trends in the annual carbon budget components and related environmental factors were examined. Annual net ecosystem production (NEP) (mean ± 1σ) during the period of eddy covariance measurements in 1999–2021 was 265 ± 86 gC m−2 yr−1, and its IAV was dependent more on gross primary production (GPP) than on ecosystem respiration. The annual NEP and GPP were correlated with the monthly mean NEP, GPP and leaf area index from June to September, as well as with the length of the net carbon uptake period. Significantly increasing and decreasing trends in the annual NEP and GPP were detected during 2004–2013 and 2013–2021, respectively. The increasing trends were mainly caused by the vegetation recovery from typhoon disturbances. On the other hand, although the cause of the decreasing trends was not clearly identified, recent extreme weather events and/or forest succession might be related to the trends. Significant positive correlations between the start and the end of the net carbon uptake period, and between the leaf expansion and leaf fall were found. These may be attributed to phenological characteristics and negative correlation between air temperature in spring and solar radiation in early fall associated with ENSO events that can also influence IAVs in annual NEP and GPP. Plain Language Summary: Forest ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, time variations in the ecosystem carbon budget and responses of the ecosystems to climate change are not well understood. Although long‐term observational data are useful for a better understanding, >20‐year observations are limited, especially in the Asian monsoon region. In this study, long‐term measurements of carbon budget made at a cool‐temperate deciduous forest in Japan were analyzed for interannual variation (IAV), long‐term trends, and offered plausible causes for these changes. The IAV in annual net carbon uptake (NEP) was associated with the variation in summertime NEP, as well as with the variation in the length of the net carbon uptake period (NGP). The IAV in summertime NEP was associated with the variations in solar radiation (SR) and leaf density during the season, while the IAV in NGP depended on the variations in spring temperature and early‐fall SR. A decadal increasing trend in the annual NEP (2004–2013) was caused mainly by the recovery from typhoons, while a decreasing trend (2013–2021) may be related to recent extreme weather events and/or forest succession. Longer‐term ecosystem observations are certainly needed for more accurate predictions of forest ecosystems response to climate change. Key Points: Interannual variations and significant trends of carbon budget components at a forest site were detected from a long‐term observationThe annual carbon budget was governed by the summertime carbon uptake and the length of the growing seasonThe decadal‐scale trends of the carbon budget components obtained in this study could not have been found without the long‐term observation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several antiviral treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection have been shown to be effective in suppressing viral load and reducing the risk of hepatocellular injury and its complications. It has been hypothesized that high levels of circulating HBV surface antigen(s) may lead to immune tolerance against HBV and contribute to chronic carriership. Conversely, low-level HBsAg may create a window for the reconstitution of an HBV-specific immune response through vaccination and control of infection. Previous studies in non-responders to yeast-derived HBV vaccines, using a third-generation pre-S/S vaccine, have led to up to 95% anti-HBs seroconversion. This report evaluates the long-term outcome after experimental vaccination with a pre-S/S HBV vaccine intended as a therapeutic intervention in chronic HBV carriers. Four low-level HBsAg carriers (<500 IU/mL) were vaccinated three to seven times with 20 μg PreHevbrioR. Three out of four carriers eliminated HBsAg completely and seroconverted to anti-HBs. One patient seroconverted to anti-HBs but remained with a borderline HBsAg titer (10 IU/mL). Serum anti-HBs levels following repeated vaccination varied between 27 and >1000 IU/L, respectively. Long-term observation (>6 years) showed that after discontinuing NUC treatment for at least two years, HBsAg and HBV DNA remained negative with anti-HBs positive titers ranging between 80 and >1000 IU/L. Based on our preliminary observations, there is a rationale to further evaluate the role of this vaccine as a therapeutic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses tritium concentrations in monthly precipitation in part of the Difficult-to-Return Zone in Namie Town during 2012–2021. The tritium concentrations, which were measured with a low background liquid scintillation counter after carrying out an enrichment procedure, fluctuated seasonally from 0.10 ± 0.02 to 0.85 ± 0.02 Bq L−1. This range of concentrations is concluded to not be unusual based on comparisons with the concentrations at other sites and estimates of the past range of the concentrations. Moreover, no significant variations in observed tritium concentrations were observed due to decommissioning work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. These results contribute to understanding the background level of tritium concentration in precipitation before the oceanic discharge of treated water from the Fukushima plant. In addition, this article evaluates the amount of tritium supplied to the ocean by terrestrial rainwater pouring into the Pacific Ocean via Ukedo River, which flows through Namie Town; this information will contribute to the discussion on the impact of the oceanic discharge of treated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, geodetic and seismic phenomena occurring in the subduction zone were observed with two tiltmeters that were installed in seafloor boreholes drilled in the Kumano Basin in the Nankai Trough, southwest Japan. We used one electrolytic-type tiltmeter and one pendulum-type tiltmeter installed 6 and 19 m below the seafloor, respectively. The two tiltmeters have been continuously operated since 2019 and 2021, respectively. The records of the two tiltmeters showed microseisms, seismic signals of normal earthquakes, and variations that correlated well with the M2 tide (tidal response). The noise environment relative to existing seafloor observatories was assessed by comparing the power spectral densities of the tiltmeters and broadband seismometers in the seismic frequency band. The two tiltmeters and the seismometers showed similar spectral peaks in the microseism band, and at lower frequencies below 10–2 Hz, the pendulum tiltmeter had a noise level that was up to 20 dB lower than that of the broadband seismometers. The tidal responses of the tiltmeters were analyzed to reveal corresponding mechanisms because a large amplitude of the tidal response makes it difficult to detect geodetic phenomena. Considerable azimuthal dependence was observed in the NW–SE direction for both tiltmeters. The principal direction was approximately the same as the down-slope direction of the local bathymetry. This tendency was thus interpreted to be caused by the differences in the thickness of the sedimentary layer along the direction of the slope. Furthermore, the validity of the tilt measurements for the two tiltmeters was demonstrated by in-situ loading experiments, where the theoretical response of an elastic half-space medium was computed and compared with the experimental results. The results of the loading experiments can be explained using theoretical values with a set of realistic elastic moduli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia Pallas, 1770) present a sub‐cosmopolitan but scattered distribution, and many of its colonies are in a vulnerable state. The species has been listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African‐Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds. We observed the colonies of Caspian terns repeatedly in the breeding season from May to June on the islands of Lake Chany from 1985 to 2011. We recorded clutch size, eggshell coloration and measured egg length and width to the nearest 0.1 mm with a caliper. Furthermore, we recorded the fate and hatching date of individual eggs and determined the clutch initiation date. Head, bill, tarsus length, and body weight of newly hatched chicks were measured. Caspian tern colony size changed between years from 50 nests in 1985 to 513 in 1999; therefore, the sample size of measured eggs varied from 90 to 1045. A total of 4137 eggs and 570 chicks were measured. We provide new information for this species nesting in west Siberia, which is important to compare with other local results. The presented data set is a novel long‐term data set on an isolated population of this species in center of Eurasian continent. The complete data set for this abstract published in the Data Article section of the journal is available in electronic format in MetaCat in JaLTER at http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/metacat/metacat/ERDP-2023-02.1/jalter-en. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle Eastern countries suffer from dust events due to extended arid areas. Among them, Iran is a country experiencing a high record of dust events each year causing major environmental challenges. Although there are previous studies of the present situations of dust storm occurrences in Iran, most studies have analyzed the meteorological dataset in limited weather stations and areas in Iran. To understand the nationwide trends of the distributions and frequencies of dust storm events, comprehensive statistical evaluations of dust storm events, based on different dust categories, are required. Therefore, this study analyzes 12-year meteorological databases obtained at 427 stations in Iran to clarify the distribution of dust events and occurrence frequencies of the dust in a recent decade by classifying the dust events into suspended dust, rising dust, and dust storm. The highest record of the days belongs to rising dust, which surpassed 150 days per year, followed by suspended dust with over 100 days per year, and, finally, dust storms with a frequency of 30 days per year as annual statistics of dust events. In contrast, there were some stations that recorded minimal occurrences of dust events during the observation periods. To prove the spatial nonuniformity of the dust events, suspended dust events showed a distinct concentration in the western regions of the country, while rising dust tended to occur more frequently in the southern, eastern, and central parts of Iran. Accordingly, seasonal analyses indicate that the highest number of dust events occurred during the spring season, with the number of stations experiencing dust events being greater than during other seasons in all three categories. Nonetheless, annual analyses of dust events do not demonstrate any significant trends, with only 2012 having the highest record of dust events across all three categories. In terms of monthly analyses, dust events tended to increase from late spring to early summer in the suspended dust and rising dust categories. These analyses demonstrate the importance of studying numerous weather station datasets to clarify spatial trends of dust events with long-term variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: The study aims to investigate the 7-year best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) course after 1-year fixed regimen of intravitreal aflibercept injection (IVA) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and to identify factors affecting this BCVA. Methods: This longitudinal, observational study included 63 treatment-naïve eyes (61 patients) with nAMD, treated with 1-year fixed regimen of IVA—3 monthly injections and 4 subsequent bimonthly injections—essentially followed by PRN regimen of IVA but sometimes followed by agent switching, photodynamic therapy (PDT), or vitrectomy, as needed. We assessed BCVA changes over a 7-year period. Morphologically, we assessed central retinal thickness (CRT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), subfoveal pigment epithelial detachment (PED) height, vitreomacular traction/adhesion (VMT/VMA), epiretinal membrane (ERM), and macular atrophy involving the fovea. Results: Logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA changed from 0.20 ± 0.24 to 0.29 ± 0.45 over 7 years. BCVA improved significantly after years 1 and 2 (P = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively) and then slowly decreased. BCVA after years 3–7 did not significantly differ from baseline. CRT and CCT decreased significantly during follow-up, while PED height did not. VMT/VMA decreased significantly, whereas ERM and macular atrophy increased significantly. Seven-year and baseline BCVA positively correlated (P = 0.007, β = 0.35). Conclusions: BCVA was maintained for 7 years in nAMD eyes after 1-year fixed regimen of IVA, essentially followed by PRN regimen, but sometimes followed by agent switching, PDT, or vitrectomy, without severe drug-induced complications. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment of nAMD are essential for maintaining good long-term BCVA, even in eyes with relatively poor baseline vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: More intense and frequent droughts predicted for the future will heavily affect grasslands worldwide and, along with various other disturbances, possibly trigger major vegetation shifts. Therefore, documenting these changes and understanding the mechanisms behind them is essential. Our study aimed to investigate how dominant species in a semiarid grassland respond to a combination of small‐scale experimental disturbances and naturally occurring droughts and uncover the underlying mechanisms. Location: Central Hungary. Methods: We conducted a small‐scale disturbance experiment in a semiarid temperate grassland and followed recovery for 18 years, including severe drought events. In 1999, we established 16 sites, eight dominated by Festuca vaginata and another eight by Stipa borysthenica, the two dominant species of sand grasslands in the region. At each site, three permanent plots were marked that received either a cutting or digging treatment or remained as controls. We monitored the cover and density changes of Festuca and Stipa annually. Results: In the early years following the disturbance, Festuca recovered at a similar rate under both disturbance treatments, while Stipa recovered faster in cut than in dug plots. When natural drought events caused major diebacks of both species, Stipa recovered very quickly and regained dominance in initially Stipa‐dominated plots, and it also took over in initially Festuca‐dominated control and cut plots. However, digging at Festuca‐dominated sites delayed drought‐induced Stipa colonisation and thus favoured Festuca recovery. We found that the poor performance of Stipa in dug plots was related to sharply reduced seedling establishment, which resulted from the low number of seeds captured by the bare soil surface after digging. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that recurring drought events may induce dominance shifts in temperate grasslands, but small‐scale disturbances can modulate vegetation responses. Our findings emphasise the importance of post‐disturbance regeneration patterns in drought‐induced vegetation shifts and show that seed dispersal strategy may have a major effect on vegetation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current patterns at the mouth of Tokyo Bay have been observed since the 1970s. However, earlier studies using short-term observations and numerical analyses were too limited in their spatiotemporal scale. This study analyzed long-term observations (over a decade) obtained using an acoustic Doppler current profiler mounted on a ferry that crosses the mouth of the bay. This long-term observation dataset revealed that tidal currents dominated at the bay mouth, and that an estuarine circulation of residual current was associated with inflow into the bay along topographic pathways formed by the Tokyo Submarine Canyon and the Uraga Channel. The water volume of the inflow was substantially greater than the discharge of the four major rivers flowing into Tokyo Bay. Although the mean residual current of the surface layer on the east side was outflow, it was variable with substantial and frequent inflow from the ocean, which might have caused an oceanic environment on the east side. Analysis of the long-term observations elucidated the spatial mean picture and temporal variability of the current patterns at the mouth of Tokyo Bay. This improved knowledge and the extended dataset will help answer remaining questions regarding the water quality in Tokyo Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots with linear motion provide high accuracy and repeatability for industrial automation but may perform lower precision and stability when working long hours because of mechanical vibrations and thermal deformation caused by internal motors and ball screws. Structural health monitoring (SHM) can identify the discrepancy and avoid unexpected downtime costs, but electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the motor lowers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of conventional wired sensors and may invalidate the feedback controller. This study presents an SHM system based on optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which provide accurate time-deformation relations and frequency spectrum results. The SHM-FBG system contributes to preventative maintenance and compares the dynamic signal of six selected points on a linear robot. The experiments also consider the boundary condition of (a) with spring loading and (b) without spring loading. Short message services (SMS) based on the long-term evolution (LTE) cellular network have converted the linear robot into an internet of things (IoT) device. The SHM-FBG system is designed to provide long-term observation of the electro-mechanical system and will send a short message to the administrator if mechanical vibrations or thermal deformations exceed predefined limits and detect acoustic emission of components before systematic failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the factors that regulate the functioning of our ecosystems in response to environmental changes can help to maintain the stable provisioning of ecosystem services to mankind. This is especially relevant given the increased variability of environmental conditions due to human activities. In particular, maintaining a stable production and plant biomass during the growing season (intra‐annual stability) despite pervasive and directional changes in temperature and precipitation through time can help to secure food supply to wild animals, livestock, and humans. Here, we conducted a 29‐year field observational study in a temperate grassland to explore how the intra‐annual stability of primary productivity is influenced by biotic and abiotic variables through time. We found that intra‐annual precipitation variability in the growing season indirectly influenced the community intra‐annual biomass stability by its negative effect on intra‐annual species asynchrony. While the intra‐annual temperature variability in the growing season indirectly altered community intra‐annual biomass stability through affecting the intra‐annual species richness. At the same time, although the intra‐annual biomass stability of the dominant species and the dominant functional group were insensitive to climate variability, they also promoted the stable community biomass to a certain extent. Our results indicate that ongoing intra‐annual climate variability affects community intra‐annual biomass stability in the temperate grassland, which has important theoretical significance for us to take active measures to deal with climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newborn screening (NBS) is an important secondary prevention program, aiming to shift the paradigm of medicine to the pre‐clinical stage of a disease. Starting more than 50 years ago, technical advances, such as tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), paved the way to a continuous extension of NBS programs. However, formal evidence of the long‐term clinical benefits in large cohorts and cost‐effectiveness of extended NBS programs is still scarce. Although published studies confirmed important benefits of NBS programs, it also unraveled a significant number of limitations. These include an incompletely understood natural history and phenotypic diversity of some screened diseases, unreliable early and precise prediction of individual disease severity, uncertainty about case definition, risk stratification, and indication to treat, resulting in a diagnostic and treatment dilemma in individuals with ambiguous screening and confirmatory test results. Interoperable patient registries are multi‐purpose tools that could help to close the current knowledge gaps and to inform further optimization of NBS strategy. Standing at the edge of introducing high throughput genetic technologies to NBS programs with the opportunity to massively extend NBS programs and with the risk of aggravating current limitations of NBS programs, it seems overdue to include mandatory long‐term follow‐up of NBS cohorts into the list of screening principles and to build an international collaborative framework that enables data collection and exchange in a protected environment, integrating the perspectives of patients, families, and the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our research was to adapt Chuine's unified model to estimate the beginning of blooming of three apricot cultivars ('Ceglédi bíborkajszi', 'Gönci magyar kajszi', and 'Rózsakajszi C.1406') in Hungary in the time period 1994–2020. The unified model is based on the collection of chilling and forcing units. The complexity of the model lies in the high number of parameters necessary to run it. Following the work of other researchers, we reduced the number of relevant model parameters (MP) to six. In order to estimate the six MPs, we used a simulated annealing optimization method (known for being effective in avoiding getting stuck in local minima). From the results, we determined the local optimum of six MPs, and the global optimum parameter vector for three apricot cultivars. With these global optimum parameter vectors, the beginning of blooming could be estimated with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of less than 2.5 days, using the knowledge of the daily mean temperature in the time period 1994–2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate impact factors and source area of secondary organic aerosols in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a world-class urban agglomeration in China, long-term measurements of organic carbon (OC) and elementary carbon (EC) in particulate matter of less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) with hourly time resolution were conducted at a regional site in Shanghai from 2016 to 2020. Based on the five-year measurements, the interannual, monthly, seasonal, and diurnal variations in OC and EC, as well as OC subtypes, i.e., secondary OC (SOC) and primary OC (POC), apportioned by the novel statistical model of the minimum R² method, and the formation pathways of SOC, are presented. By examining the relationship between SOC and temperature, as well as relative humidity (RH), we show that SOC formation is greatly enhanced at high temperatures (>30 °C), while it is inversely correlated with RH. In particular, we show that the photochemical formation of SOC is the major formation pathway even in winter when solar radiation was supposedly less intense than in summer, which is different from that in north China plain where aqueous phase chemistry is found to be an important SOC formation pathway. Moreover, increased SOC concentrations are also found to be associated with high wind speed (>5 m s-1) in winter, which is increased by 29.1% (2.62 µg m-3) when compared to that during lower winds, suggesting regional sources of SOC in winter. By analyzing the potential source regions using the concentration weighted trajectory (CWT), the geographic regions of SOC are found to be mainly associated with transport from outside Shanghai (SOC > 3.5 µg m-3) including central and southern Anhui, Zhejiang, and Fujian. The results from this study provide critical information about the long-term trend of carbonaceous aerosol, in particular SOC, in one of the largest megacities in the world and are helpful to develop pollution control measures from a long-term planning perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of China's key poverty-reduction initiatives, poverty alleviation relocation (PAR) unavoidably results in the reshaping of neighboring social networks. This study equally focused on the changes in the scope of social interaction and in the intergroup social support of the two primary stakeholders of PAR in a rural–rural relocation context: the migrant and local groups. In 2019 and 2021, two surveys were conducted in four different types of resettlements: centralized, adjacent, enclave, and infill. To provide decision makers with broad references for sustainable PAR planning, the social changes were compared by groups, types, and years. In general, the migrant group had more significant scope expansion or narrowing in social interaction than the local group, and they were more willing to seek intergroup social support. Specifically, the centralized type was the superior choice since it was well-expanded and group-balanced; the adjacent type was also a good choice in the long term because of its rapid improvement in the later phase; the enclave type should be a last resort because of its persistently negative impact; and the infill type was a good option in the short term, as it rarely improved in the later stage. Furthermore, the personal socioeconomic attributes associated with the above social changes, claims laid to the spaces, and economic benefits and limitations were explored for a more comprehensive understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black carbon (BC) aerosol measured at the WMO/GAW Station Mt. Waliguan from 1994 to 2017 has been analyzed. The 24 years long-term results showed that the average annual concentration ranges from 1.9 × 102 ng m−3 to 5.1 × 102 ng m−3 from 2001 to 2012, with a growth rate of 29%. However, the concentration of black carbon decreased from 2012 to 2016, with a decline rate of 64%. The monthly average concentration over the 24 years ranged from 90 ng m−3 to 7.0 × 102 ng m−3, with the peak value occurring in April and the lowest value occurring in November. The diurnal variation presented two peak types in different seasons, the first occurred at 20:00 a.m.~23:00 a.m. in the evening, and another around 06:00 a.m.~08:00 a.m. In addition, we found that the transport of black carbon aerosol is closely related to wind transport. The annual maximum black carbon concentration occurred in the east-northeast (ENE) wind direction, with a value of 4.6 × 102 ng m−3, and the second peak value occurred in the E wind direction, with a value of 3.9 × 102 ng m−3. The black carbon concentration of Waliguan was relatively high under the three wind directions of Northeast (NE), ENE, and east (E), which represented the influence of black carbon aerosol generated by human activities located on the east of the station. The 96-h backward trajectory analysis indicated that the sources in the southwest direction made a greater contribution to the black carbon concentration. the pollutants mainly came from the northwest and west sides according to the analysis of potential sources using the CWT approach. The study of black carbon evolution and contribution area is of great significance to further improve the capacity and level of global climate change research and prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal behavior is reflected by locomotor patterns. To decipher the underlying neural circuitry locomotion has to be monitored over often longer time periods. Here a simple adaptation is described to constrain movement of third instar Drosophila larvae to a defined area and use Frustrated total internal reflection based imaging method (FIM) imaging to monitor larval movements up to 1 h. It is demonstrated that the combination of FIM imaging and long analysis periods facilitates the conduction of food choice assays and provides the means to easily quantify food preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the long-term intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effect of monocular selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in the untreated fellow eyes of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients. This was a retrospective observational study. Consecutive Chinese OAG patients who received monocular SLT treatment were included in this study. One hundred and eighty degree SLT was conducted as adjunctive treatment when anti-glaucoma medication was not sufficiently effective after clinical evaluation. Treatment success was defined as more than 20% IOP reduction of the baseline IOP levels. IOP-decreasing amplitude and SLT success rate of both eyes were investigated during the 3-year follow-up period. Age, gender, baseline IOP levels, number of medications, and SLT energy parameters were analyzed to determine its influence on IOP reduction effect and treatment success rate. A total of 32 Chinese OAG patients were included in this study and 25 of them completed the 3-year follow-ups. Their pretreatment IOPs were 18.85 ± 2.81 mmHg in the treated eyes and 17.38 ± 2.37 mmHg in the fellow eyes. At the 3-year follow-up visits, IOP decreased to 2.76 ± 3.72 mmHg (14.16%) in the treated eyes and 2.16 ± 2.73 mmHg (11.95%) in the fellow eyes, with a success rate of 47.83% (11 in 23 cases) and 44.00% (11 in 25 cases), respectively. IOPs of both eyes decreased significantly after SLT from 6 months and lasted to 3 years after treatment. Baseline IOP level was positively correlated with IOP reduction in the treated eyes and other factors were not correlated with IOP reduction and treatment success. Monocular SLT treatment as adjunctive treatment could lower IOPs not only in the treated eyes but also in the untreated eyes in poor medication-controlled OAG patients. In addition, its IOP reduction effect could last to 3 years after treatment in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the characteristics and variations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) plays an important role in understanding the effects of aerosol–cloud interactions. This paper selected observation data in a city region of Shijiazhuang in North China from 2005 to 2007, along with the corresponding MERRA-2 and ERA5 data, to analyze the characteristics of CCN, sort the factors affecting the diurnal variation of CCN number concentration ( N CCN ) according to their importance, and build the relationship between N CCN and supersaturation ( SS ) in the heavily polluted region. The results show that there was a bimodal distribution of a daily time series for N CCN in Shijiazhuang, China. By calculating the correlation between CCN and pollutants observed in winter 2007, we identified that the dominant factor for peaks of N CCN is SO 2 in the morning but NO 2 in the evening. We also ranked the factors affecting the diurnal variation of N CCN by using observation and reanalysis data and found that the concentration of pollutants is the greatest impact factor in summer, but the atmospheric stability is the greatest factor in winter. Finally, we determined the relationship between N CCN and SS according to the Twomey formula ( N CCN = cSS k ) and found there was a reasonable value range (i.e., 0.5~0.7) for the parameter k in East and North China. Specifically, it is more reasonable for k to be 0.5 in summer and 0.7 in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic change will affect elevational vegetation distribution because vegetation distribution is related to thermal conditions. However, how elevational species distributions are determined by biotic and abiotic factors is not clear. The long‐term plot census along an elevational gradient is indispensable to clarify mechanisms of elevational distribution of tree species. Two congeneric conifers, the less shade‐tolerant Abies veitchii and shade‐tolerant A. mariesii, dominate at low and high elevations, respectively, in the subalpine zone in Japan. This study investigated the population dynamics of the two species at three elevations (low, middle, high) for 13 years to examine why the two species dominated the different elevations from the viewpoints of competition and disturbance. This study showed that growth and survival rates were not highest at the most dominant elevations for each species. At the high elevation where A. mariesii dominated and small disturbances frequently occurred, the recruitment rate of A. mariesii was highest among the three elevations and that of A. veitchii was largely decreased by tree competition. However, A. veitchii was dominant earlier than A. mariesii at the low elevation after large disturbances by the high growth rate of individual trees. Therefore, A. mariesii was superior to A. veitchii at the high elevation because of its high recruitment rate and large reduction of recruitment of A. veitchii due to competition, while A. veitchii was superior to A. mariesii at the low elevation after large disturbances because of higher growth rate than A. mariesii. It is suggested that the elevational distributions of the two species were determined by elevational changes in population dynamics in relation to competition and disturbance. Long‐term observational studies of forest dynamics among various elevations are indispensable to predict the effects of climatic change on vegetation distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms built upon geo-indistinguishability render location privacy, where a user can submit obfuscated locations to Location-Based Service providers but still be able to correctly utilize services. However, these mechanisms are vulnerable under inference attacks. Particularly, with background knowledge of a user’s obfuscated locations, an attacker can infer actual locations by carrying out long-term observation attacks. Unfortunately, how to defend long-term observation attacks in the field of differential location privacy remains open. In this paper, we first demonstrate the vulnerabilities of existing mechanisms under long-term observation attacks. In light of these vulnerabilities, we devise a novel mechanism, referred to as Eclipse, which bridges the gap between location protection and usability of services. Specifically, we harness geo-indistinguishability and $k$ k -anonymity to obfuscate locations and hide each location based on an anonymity set. As a result, our mechanism effectively perturbs the distribution of locations and suppresses leakage under long-term observation attacks. Moreover, the set of possible outputs is utilized to minimize the impacts to usability and correctness. We formally define and rigorously prove the security of the proposed mechanism by leveraging differential privacy. Moreover, we implement the proposed mechanism and conduct a series of experiments on real-world datasets to demonstrate its efficacy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term in vivo observation in large animal model is critical for evaluating the potential of small diameter tissue engineering vascular graft (SDTEVG) in clinical application, but is rarely reported. In this study, a SDTEVG is fabricated by the electrospinning of poly(ε‐caprolactone) and subsequent heparin modification. SDTEVG is implanted into canine's abdominal aorta for 511 days in order to investigate its clinical feasibility. An active and robust remodeling process was characterized by a confluent endothelium, macrophage infiltrate, extracellular matrix deposition and remodeling on the explanted graft. The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analysis further exhibit the regeneration of endothelium and smooth muscle layer on tunica intima and tunica media, respectively. Thus, long‐term follow‐up reveals viable neovessel formation beyond graft degradation. Furthermore, the von Kossa staining exhibits no occurrence of calcification. However, although no TEVG failure or rupture happens during the follow‐up, the aneurysm is found by both Doppler ultrasonic and gross observation. Consequently, as‐prepared TEVG shows promising potential in vascular tissue engineering if it can be appropriately strengthened to prevent the occurrence of aneurysm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siberia has undergone dramatic climatic changes due to global warming in recent decades. Yet, the ecological responses to these climatic changes are still poorly understood due to a lack of data. Here, we use a unique data set from the Russian 'Chronicles of Nature' network to analyse the long‐term (1976–2018) phenological shifts in leaf out, flowering, fruiting and senescence of 67 common Siberian plant species. We find that Siberian boreal forest plants advanced their early season (leaf out and flowering) and mid‐season (fruiting) phenology by −2.2, −0.7 and −1.6 days/decade, and delayed the onset of senescence by 1.6 days/decade during this period. These mean values, however, are subject to substantial intraspecific variability, which is partly explained by the plants' growth forms. Trees and shrubs advanced leaf out and flowering (−3.1 and −3.3. days/decade) faster than herbs (−1 day/decade), presumably due to the more direct exposure of leaf and flower buds to ambient air for the woody vegetation. For senescence, we detected a reverse pattern: stronger delays in herbs (2.1 days/decade) than in woody plants (1.0–1.2 days/decade), presumably due to the stronger effects of autumn frosts on the leaves of herbs. Interestingly, the timing of fruiting in all four growth forms advanced at similar paces, from 1.4 days/decade in shrubs to 1.7 days/decade in trees and herbs. Our findings point to a strong, yet heterogeneous, response of Siberian plant phenology to recent global warming. Furthermore, the results highlight that species‐ and growth form‐specific differences among study species could be used to identify plants particularly at risk of decline due to their low adaptive capacity or a loss of synchronization with important interaction partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulinum toxin (BT) injections into the cervical muscles are an effective and commonly practiced treatment approach for cervical dystonia. In this retrospective longitudinal study, we collected data from the Sheba electronic medical records on consecutive patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia (ICD), treated regularly with periodic BT injections between the years 2008–2020. All treatment visits were analyzed regarding type of toxin, dose injected, and clinical outcomes. The vast majority of patients were treated with abobotulinum toxin A. Sixty-four ICD patients (51 (79.7%) females, onset at age 45.8 ± 13.7 years) were treated over 17.1 ± 13.9 (range 3 to 49) visits per patient; BT treatment efficacy increased gradually from initial treatment sessions to visit 13, when it achieved a steady state. While the subjective report of percentage improvement and its duration were around 78.9 ± 17.1% for 2.8 ± 1.0 months, respectively, the dose of BT increased significantly over the years (p = 0.006). Side effects (SE) were not rare, and commonly recurred after subsequent sessions and were usually mild and short-lasting, with dysphagia being the most common (~17.5%), followed by neck/arm weakness (11.9%) and cervical pain (8.9%). Repeated injections of BT for ICD remain beneficial for patients over several years of therapy, and despite mild SE, patients tend to adhere to a 3–4 months interval schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, atmospheric 134Cs and 137Cs measurements were taken in Fukushima city for eight years, from March 2011 to March 2019. The surface air concentrations and deposition of radio-Cs were high in winter and low in summer; these trends are the opposite of those observed in a contaminated forest area. The half-lives of 137Cs in the concentrations and deposition before 2015 (275 d and 1.11 y) were significantly shorter than those after 2015 (756 d and 4.69 y). The dissolved fractions of precipitation were larger than the particulate fractions before 2015, but the particulate fractions were larger after 2016. The half-lives of 137Cs in the concentrations and deposition were shorter before 2015, probably because the dissolved radio-Cs was discharged from the local terrestrial ecosystems more rapidly than the particulate radio-Cs. X-ray fluorescence analysis suggested that biotite may have played a key role in the environmental behavior of particulate forms of radio-Cs after 2014. However, the causal relationship between the seasonal variations in particle size distributions and the possible sources of particles is not yet fully understood. The current study also proposes a method of evaluating the consistency of a numerical model for radio-Cs resuspension and suggests that improvements to the model are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an earthquake occurs, it is not only the crustal material in the seismic zone that moves violently; the seismic waves of the earthquake with certain level of energy can act on the crust over large areas, producing remote effects that affect the living environment. According to the records of the long-term observation station of Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling, the effects of near-surface crust caused by the post-earthquake seismic waves include the following four aspects: (1) the pore fissure loosening; (2) the pore pressure rising and groundwater upwelling; (3) gas releasing; and (4) exothermic reaction. The effects of groundwater upwelling, gas releasing and exothermic reaction may be superimposed on the process of global warming, which has a certain impact on the terrestrial environment and requires further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The interaction between plants and soil is an important internal driver of ecosystem evolution. Many studies have reported the unidirectional effects of soil nutrients on plant diversity and species turnover. However, there are still many gaps in our knowledge about how plant diversity and species turnover feedback to soil nutrients. Methods: In the present study, three forest plots with different species composition and diversity were created through artificial disturbance in the same stand origin forest, and their long-term dynamics were observed. We identified underlying mechanisms of how plant diversity (Shannon-Wiener index) and species turnover (Bray-Curtis dissimilarity) affect soil total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN), and available phosphorus (AP). Results: Plant diversity was associated with soil TN, TP, AN, and AP concentrations (P < 0.01). Species turnover was negatively correlated with the log-response ratio of TP (LRR TP) (P < 0.001), but not correlated with LRR AP. Species turnover had significant positive correlations with LRR TN and LRR AN (P < 0.001). The structural equation model supports hypotheses that plant diversity and species turnover influenced soil N and P availability by affecting forest community growth (total tree basal area, TBA), litter quantity and quality, and soil physical and chemical properties (soil organic carbon, SOC; soil exchangeable base cations). Conclusions: Collectively, our results highlighted the co-regulation of plant diversity and species turnover on soil N and P availability by "complementary" and "mass" effects during the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agricultural Big Data is the property of Journal of Agricultural Big Data Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Safety and efficacy results of the phase 1 study and phase 1/2 extension study of the bispecific antibody emicizumab in patients with severe haemophilia A with or without factor VIII inhibitors for up to 2.8 years were reported previously. Aim: To evaluate further longer‐term data including patients' perceptions at study completion. Methods: Emicizumab was administered subcutaneously once weekly at maintenance doses of 0.3, 1 or 3 mg/kg with potential up‐titration. All patients were later switched to the approved maintenance dose of 1.5 mg/kg. Results: Eighteen patients received emicizumab for up to 5.8 years. Most adverse events were mild and unrelated to emicizumab. Annualized bleeding rates (ABRs) for bleeds treated with coagulation factors decreased from pre‐emicizumab rates or remained zero in all patients. The median ABRs were low at 1.25, 0.83 and 0.22 during the 0.3, 1 and 3 mg/kg dosing periods, respectively. Of 8 patients who decreased their doses from 3 to 1.5 mg/kg, ABRs decreased in 4, remained at zero in 2, and increased in 2. Total time spent with symptoms associated with treated bleeds decreased in all patients except 2. All patients answered 'improved' for bleeding severity and time until bleeding stops, except 1 answering 'slightly improved'. Most patients answered 'improved' or 'slightly improved" for daily life and feelings; in particular, all patients except 1 answered 'improved' or 'slightly improved' for anxiety. Conclusions: Long‐term emicizumab prophylaxis for up to 5.8 years was safe and efficacious, and may improve patients' daily lives and feelings, regardless of inhibitor status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term observational data for the size distributions and particulate chemical components have been summarized to understand the past and current particulate conditions in Osaka City. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) method was also applied to estimate the source changes. The observational data obtained using Andersen cascade impactors reveals that for the 40 years from fiscal year (FY) 1976 to 2015, there was a 70% reduction in PMfine (less than 2.1 µm of the aerodynamic diameter) and 76% reduction in PMcoarse (over 2.1 µm). These correspond to a 71% and 74% reduction in PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter) and PM10-2.5, respectively. From the continuous chemical measurements made in this study, we observed a more than 50% reduction in coarse particulate elemental carbon (EC), SO42-, NH4 +, Zn, Pb, and Cd, commonly in residential and roadside areas, over the last 20 years. Similarly, the level of the fine particulate EC, Ca2+, Cl-, Zn, Mg2+, Pb, and Cd was reduced by more than 50%. Notably, the results of the particulate component analysis of ECfine show a typical reduction of 73%-79% for 20 years, and this is the main component contributing to the reduction of atmospheric particulate concentration. However, there seems to have been no apparent reduction of Vfine concentrations, SO42- fine showed a relatively low reduction of 19% to 26%, and NH4+ fine levels fell by 14% to 21% in 20 years. Since fine sulfate and ammonium have similar behaviors, ammonium sulfate is considered to be a secondary particle aerosol because of long-range transportation. The PMF analysis still estimates a high contribution rate of secondary particles, which is one of the current problems. In contrast, although vanadium is a minor element, it is likely to be generated from harbor areas with ships because they are susceptible to the prevailing sea breeze in summer. Therefore, in the future, it will be necessary to scrutinize and take countermeasures not only for long-range transportation but also for domestic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of community succession is one of the oldest pursuits in ecology. Challenges remain in terms of evaluating the predictability of succession and the reliability of the chronosequence methods typically used to study community development. The research of William S. Cooper in Glacier Bay National Park is an early and well-known example of successional ecology that provides a long-term observational data set to test hypotheses derived from space-for-time substitutions. It also provides a unique opportunity to explore the importance of historical contingencies and as an example of a revitalized historical study system. We test the textbook successional trajectory in Glacier Bay and evaluate long-term plant community development via primary succession through extensive fieldwork, remote sensing, dendrochronological methods, and newly discovered data that fills in data gaps (1940s to late 1980s) in continuous measurement over 100+ years. To date, Cooper’s quadrats do not support the classic facilitation model of succession in which a sequence of species interacts to form predictable successional trajectories. Rather, stochastic early community assembly and subsequent inhibition have dominated; most species arrived shortly after deglaciation and have remained stable for 50+ years. Chronosequence studies assuming prior composition are thus questionable, as no predictable species sequence or timeline was observed. This underscores the significance of assumptions about early conditions in chronosequences and the need to defend such assumptions. Furthermore, this work brings a classic study system in ecology up to date via a plot size expansion, new baseline biogeochemical data, and spatial mapping for future researchers for its second century of observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes affect the pathogenesis of disease progression during the course of HBV infection. In Japan, HBV genotype H is one of the rare HBV genotypes. We recovered HBV genotype H from a blood sample from a Japanese HIV-infected patient with acute exacerbation of chronic HBV infection. Due to the development of drugs for treating HBV and HIV, HBV genotype H and HIV coinfection has been well controlled by nucleos(t)ide analogs and highly active antiretroviral therapy, respectively, from 2002 to 2019. Further study is needed with regard to HBV genotype H and its pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the efficacy of efinaconazole 10% topical solution in long‐term use, for up to 72 weeks, for onychomycosis, including severe cases. Among 605 participants, 219 patients diagnosed as having onychomycosis were evaluated for the efficacy of efinaconazole. The treatment success rate (<10% clinical involvement of the target toenail) at the final assessment time point was 56.6%, the complete cure rate was 31.1% and the mycological cure rate was 61.6%, all of which increased over time, demonstrating that continuous application contributed to the improvement of cure rate. Even in severe cases, reduction of the affected nail area was observed, showing the potential efficacy of the treatment. Responses to a quality of life questionnaire among patients with onychomycosis, OnyCOE‐t, suggested that efinaconazole treatment improved the patients' quality of life. The incidence of adverse drug reaction in the patients eligible for the assessment was 6.3%, and this developed only in the administration site in all cases. No systemic adverse event was observed. In addition, no increase in the incidence of adverse drug reaction due to long‐term use was found. Efinaconazole therapy was proved to exhibit excellent balance between efficacy and safety, and thus may serve as a useful treatment option for onychomycosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Oto-Laryngologica is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest (UTHF) has accumulated phenology data of woody plants since 1930: bud burst, flowering, foliage coloring, and natural defoliation. However, the original data for the 13 years from 1938 to 1950 have been lost. In this paper, means for the lost 13 years were estimated using original datasets from before and after the 13 years. Two different series of mean values, both including the 13 years were digitized from hand-drawn figures. In the process, some incorrect data in the original figures were detected. The results of this paper could enhance the value of the long-term plant phenology data by connecting data from 1930 to 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is yet no gold standard for the diagnosis of acute-onset autoimmune hepatitis (A-AIH), especially histologically acute AIH. As a result, long-term observation of A-AIH has been difficult and the nature is not well known. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological features of A-AIH over a long prospective follow-up period.Methods: Clinical, biochemical, immunological and pathological features of 30 patients (21 female, mean age 55.1 ± 13.1 years) with non-severe A-AIH “without signs of clinical and radiological chronicity” admitted to a community hospital between 2001 and 2015 who were prospectively followed for more than 2 years were analyzed retrospectively.Results: Liver histology of 45% showed acute and 55% chronic hepatitis. Mean age was older, prothrombin time activity was higher, AIH scores before treatment were lower in histologically acute hepatitis than histologically chronic hepatitis significantly. Liver fibrosis was not coarse, but delicate with severe activity in most patients showing chronic hepatitis defined by our strict criteria. Median (range) follow-up period was 6.9 (2.1-16.2) years. Six (20%) patients experienced episode of relapses. All were alive at the last follow-up point. Corticosteroid was continued at 2.5-5 mg/day until the study end point without serious side effects in most patients. Serial change of alanine aminotransferase levels, immunoglobulin G levels and anti-nuclear antibody titers did not show statistical difference between histologically acute and chronic hepatitis.Conclusion: Rapid progression of fibrosis could occur in A-AIH. Treatment response and long-term prognosis were good, and not different between patients with histologically acute and chronic hepatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims There are few large-scale, prospective studies comparing liver-associated events in treated and untreated patients with CHC managed in routine clinical practice. Methods Patients with CHC were prospectively enrolled in a non-interventional study. Data from patients with available documentation who had either achieved a sustained virological response, or were non-responders, relapsers, or had virological breakthrough following treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a±ribavirin, or who had been diagnosed but never treated at least 3 years previously, and who remained under medical observation were analyzed. Primary endpoint was liver-associated events (composite of decompensation/liver failure, ascites, hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver transplant/placement on a transplant list). Results In all, 1444 eligible patients were identified. Mean follow-up was 4.7 (standard deviation; SD 1.1) years. Patients with sustained virological response had a lower incidence of liver-associated events vs non-responders, relapsers, or virological breakthrough and never treated patients (1.7% vs 4.7% and 4.7% respectively). The proportion of patients with cirrhosis increased from baseline in the non-responders, relapsers, or virological breakthrough (6.8%-10.5%) and never treated group (3.7%-8.4%), with an associated increase in severity, but was unchanged in the sustained virological response group (2.1%). Event-free survival was significantly higher in sustained virological response patients ( P=.0082). Conclusions In this 'real-world' cohort, the achievement of sustained virological response almost eliminated liver-related morbidity and mortality compared with patients who failed to achieve sustained virological response and those who were untreated. Overall, the LOTOS cohort highlights the importance of timely and effective treatment for patients with CHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:The significance of lung function as an independent risk factor for lung cancer remains unclear. The objective of the study is to answer the question if spirometry can identify patients at risk for lung cancer among people occupationally exposed to asbestos dust in the past. Methods:In order to identify a group of individuals with the highest risk of lung cancer incidence based on lung function levels of FEV1% predicted value, we examined 6882 subjects enrolled in the health surveillance program for asbestos related diseases over the years 2000–2014. We found a total of 110 cases confirmed as primary lung cancer. Results:Using Cox's proportional hazards model after adjustment for age, gender, number of cigarettes, duration of smoking and cumulative asbestos exposure, we estimated that compared with the subjects with FEV1≥90% pred, the HR of lung cancer was 1.40 (95%CI: 0.94–2.08) for the subjects with FEV1less than 90% and 1.95 (HR = 1.86; 95%CI: 1.12–3.08) for those with FEV1less than 70%. In addition, probability of the occurrence of lung cancer for FEV1<90% of the predicted value was HR = 2.19 (95%CI: 1.04–4.61) in the subjects whose time since spirometry and cancer diagnosis was three years or less. Conclusions:The results strongly support the hypothesis that spirometry can identify patients at a risk of lung cancer development. Regular spirometry should be offered to all patients with a history of asbestos exposure, at least once every three years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is very important to clarify the initiation and propagation behavior of crevice corrosion of stainless steel in natural seawater. Dynamic observation of the crevice corrosion behavior of SUS304 stainless steel with a metal/quartz glass crevice in natural seawater was carried out for 764 h. The corrosion potential of the specimen was continuously measured throughout the test duration. After the immersion test, the corrosion depth profile of the specimen was measured. The results were as follows. (1) The corrosion potential gradually increased up to about 600 mV vs. SHE by biofilm formation and dropped at 331.5 h immersion resulting from the initiation of crevice corrosion near the crevice mouth. (2) Crevice corrosion spread throughout the crevice as two-dimensional propagation, though the corrosion depth was very small. The propagation behavior of crevice corrosion after 100 h from the initiation of crevice corrosion changed from two-dimensional to threedimensional propagation, namely, toward thickness. (3) The average current through the immersion test was 74.5 µA calculated from the crevice corrosion volume measured after the immersion test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem responses to climate change can exert positive or negative feedbacks on climate, mediated in part by slow-moving factors such as shifts in vegetation community composition. Long-term experimental manipulations can be used to examine such ecosystem responses, but they also present another opportunity: inferring the extent to which contemporary climate change is responsible for slow changes in ecosystems under ambient conditions. Here, using 23 years of data, we document a shift from nonwoody to woody vegetation and a loss of soil carbon in ambient plots and show that these changes track previously shown similar but faster changes under experimental warming. This allows us to infer that climate change is the cause of the observed shifts in ambient vegetation and soil carbon and that the vegetation responses mediate the observed changes in soil carbon. Our findings demonstrate the realism of an experimental manipulation, allow attribution of a climate cause to observed ambient ecosystem changes, and demonstrate how a combination of long-term study of ambient and experimental responses to warming can identify mechanistic drivers needed for realistic predictions of the conditions under which ecosystems are likely to become carbon sources or sinks over varying timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal and spatial contrasts of nitrate + nitrite (N + N) concentrations in the slope area (the inshore area to the Kuroshio), Kuroshio and subtropical gyre areas were described by using data sets carried out along the O-line (138°E) between 34°45′N and 30°N over 11 years (2002-2013). The mean concentration of N + N in the surface mixed layer during winter was elevated to 4.8 ± 2.7, 1.5 ± 1.6 and 0.7 ± 0.4 µM in the slope, Kuroshio and subtropical gyre areas, respectively, while it was depleted to < 0.1 µM in all areas during summer. Applying regression analyses to the data, a significant negative correlation between N + N concentration and temperature was found at any depths above 1000 m in both summer and winter in these areas, except for the summer surface depletive layers. The analyses also showed that the diffusive upward flux and the depth difference between the surface mixed layer and the 15-µM nitrate-isoconcentration depth were important factors to induce the seasonal contrast between winter and summer and horizontal contrast among the slope, Kuroshio and gyre areas in the N + N concentration in the surface mixed layer. Since the nitrate-isoconcentration depth is much shallower in the slope area than in the other two areas, the developing wintertime mixed layer reaches to the nitrate-rich water in the slope area, and that leads to a several micromolar increase in the surface N + N concentration there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 18 months of field observations on the state-of-polarization (SOP) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) on three routes monitored using deployed coherent 40 Gb/s transponders. Two fiber paths were monitored on each of three different routes, ranging from 30 km with one amplified span to 273 km with seven amplified spans. In general, the changes in SOP and PMD were slow, with the autocorrelation half-width-half-maxima ranging from 1.3 to 4.1 days for the differential-group-delay and from 0.18 to 1.7 days for the SOP. We observed the largest correlation of active periods between fiber paths sharing the same cable and weak correlation with fiber paths sharing an office. With over 10,000 hours of measurements spanning an 18-month period, we believe this to be the most extensive study published on the polarization behavior of buried fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: Pulmonary parenchymal changes appear many years after the start of exposure to asbestos and their progression has been observed to continue many years after cessation of the exposure. The aim of the present analysis is to assess the risk of progression of radiological changes in the respiratory system, based on long-term follow-up of groups of workers occupationally exposed to asbestos dust. Materials and Methods: The analysis included 3144 individuals voluntarily applying for a medical examination in 2000-2010, who had performed at least two radiographs of the chest. Probability of progression in subsequent studies was based on the evaluation of radiographs for the presence of small, irregular type s, t, u opacities in the parenchymal lung tissue with profusion categories as specified in the classification of ILO, 1980. Multistate hidden Markov model was used in the statistical analysis. Results: In the group of patients, small irregular opacities with a profusion of 1/1 or higher occurred in 640 (20%) patients in the first examination, and in 918 (29%) patients in the last examination. No parenchymal changes were observed in 1360 (43%) patients in the first examination (opacity profusion category 0/0), and in 645 (20%) patients in the last examination. The risk of progression of radiographic changes in former workers of asbestos processing plants is higher in smokers, from profusion category 0 to 1 - by 30% (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.15-1.47), from profusion category 1 to 2 - by 50% (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 0.92-2.45). The risk of progression of parenchymal changes decreases in the workers employed in subsequent calendar years: for category changes from 1 to 2, the decrease is nearly 40% for every 10 years of subsequent employment (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.45-0.80). The probability of the progression increases with longer latency period: for change of category from 1 to 2, the increase is about 20% (HR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.42) per 10 years of employment for blue collar workers. The risk of the 1 to 2 category progression is significant, nearly 2.5-fold higher in the workers employed in the asbestos-processing textile industry. Conclusions: Our results show that the risk of progression of pulmonary parenchymal fibrotic processes was higher in the smokers, workers employed during the earlier calendar years of the discussed period, those with longer latency period, blue collar workers involved directly in the production processes, and employees of the asbestos cement and/or textile industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO) flux was measured above the forest at the Fujiyoshida site on the northern slope of Mount Fuji in Japan in 2000-2008 using an eddy covariance technique. The forest mainly consists of Japanese red pine ( Pinus densiflora) and Japanese holly ( Ilex pedunculosa). The 9-year average of monthly mean net ecosystem production (NEP) ranged from −0.1 g C m day in January to 2.5 g C m day in May. The maximum net uptake was observed in May, although gross primary production (GPP) was highest in July. Variation in the leaf amount did not notably affect seasonal variation in GPP. This site was characterized by carbon uptake even in winter, if the meteorological conditions were conducive for photosynthesis and a resulting long period of carbon uptake. The 9-year averages of annual NEP, GPP, and ecosystem respiration (RE) were 388, 1,802, and 1,413 g C m year, respectively. The annual NEP was lowest in 2003 and highest in 2004 over the 9 years. Year-to-year variability of NEP mainly depended on air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation in summer, and the dependence of the deviation of annual NEP on that of GPP was greater than that of RE. Long-term observational data indicated that the carbon uptake ability at the study site was at a moderate level in comparison with other temperate humid evergreen forests around the world. These data also indicated that the site had a high carbon uptake ability compared with other deciduous forests in Japan because of the duration of carbon uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The old-growth forests on Changbai Mountain have been well protected from human activities and provide a living laboratory for studying forest carbon sequestration under natural environmental conditions. Objectives: We used data from permanent plots measured periodically in 1981 and 2010 to quantify carbon densities for Korean pine-broadleaf mixed forest, coniferous forest and Erman's birch forest on Changbai Mountain. Results: Carbon pools were divided into tree stems, leaves, branches, coarse woody debris, tree roots, and soil. Although the mixed forest experienced minor wind damage, every forest component except for coarse woody debris experienced increases in carbon density, and the total forest carbon density increased from 233 to 317 t C ha. The coniferous forest was severely damaged by wind, so carbon content in trees decreased but the total forest carbon density still increased from 298 to 327 t C ha. The birch forest gained much carbon in trees but the soil carbon pool remained relatively stable, and its total carbon density increased from 226 to 281 t C ha. The old-growth forest was more resilient to disturbance than previously thought. The positive increases in carbon for the three old-growth forests suggest that forest landscapes on Changbai Mountain are indeed carbon sinks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent publications have suggested considerable improvements in the clinical outcomes of ocular Behcet’s disease (BD) patients. However, the long-term time course of clinical ocular features of BD in recent cases remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated annual time-course changes of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during ocular convalescent stages, as well as annual frequency of ocular attacks during the initial 10 years of follow-up in patients with BD. We studied 75 eyes in 39 patients (31 men, eight women) with BD, who were referred to our hospital between 1980 and 1996 within 1 year after the initial ocular attack and followed them up continuously for more than 10 years. The clinical courses of BCVA at the ocular convalescent stage from the onset of ocular disease were retrospectively examined, and the numbers of ocular attacks per eye per year were determined. Mean BCVA was 0.59 at 1 year, 0.31 at 3 years, and 0.12 at 10 years from the onset of ocular disease, while the numbers of ocular attacks per eye were 4.1 ± 3.1 at 1 year, 2.2 ± 1.9 at 5 years, and 1.4 ± 1.8 at 10 years. Ocular attacks were still observed in 33 eyes (45%) of 21 patients (54%) with BD even after 10 years. Final BCVA in 42 eyes (56%) became lower than 0.5. The major reasons for poor visual prognosis were macular atrophy (41%) and chorioretinal atrophy (26%). The decline of BVCA continued, and nearly half the patients still suffered from ocular attacks at 10 years after the onset of ocular BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Forest Science (EDP Sciences) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)