Investigating long-term changes in surface water temperature of Dongting Lake using Landsat imagery, China.

Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) plays a crucial role in assessing the health of aquatic ecosystems. Variations in LSWT can significantly impact the physical, chemical, and biological processes within lakes. This study investigates the long-term changes in surface water temperature of the Dongting Lake, China. The LSWT is retrieved using Landsat thermal infrared imageries from 1988 to 2022 and validated with in situ observations, and the change characteristics of LSWT and near-surface air temperature (NSAT) as well as the spatial distribution characteristics of LSWT are analyzed. Additionally, the contribution rates of different meteorological factors to LSWT are quantified. The results show that the accuracy assessment of satellite-derived temperatures indicates a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) of 0.961, suggesting an accurate retrieval of water temperature. From 1988 to 2022, both the annual average LSWT and NSAT of Dongting Lake exhibit an increasing trend, with similar rates of warming. They both undergo a mutation in 1997 and have the main periods on the 11-year and 4-year time scales. The changes in NSAT emerge as one of the important factors contributing to variations in LSWT. Among the multiple meteorological factors, NSAT exhibits a significant correlation with LSWT (R = 0.822, α < 0.01). Furthermore, NSAT accounts for the highest contribution rate to LSWT, amounting to 67.5%. The distribution of LSWT within Dongting Lake exhibits spatial variations, with higher LSWT observed on the west part compared to the east part during summer, while lower LSWT occurs on the west part during winter. The findings of this study can provide a scientific understanding for the long-term thermal regimes of lakes and help advance sustainable lake management.

Association between ambient temperature and risk of stroke morbidity and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that ambient temperature is associated with the morbidity and mortality of stroke although results among these investigations remained unclear. Therefore, the purpose of present meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence of the relationship between ambient temperature and stroke morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases was from inception to April 13, 2022. The pooled estimates for heat ambient temperature and cold ambient temperature, which were defined as comparison between extreme hot or cold conditions and the reference or threshold temperature, were calculated utilizing a random-effects model. A total of 20 studies were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: The pooled estimated show that the heat ambient temperature was significant associated with 10% (relative risk [RR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.02-1.18) and 9% (RR, 1.09; 95%CI: 1.02-1.17) increase in the risk of stroke morbidity and mortality, respectively. In addition, the pooled estimated show that the cold ambient temperature was significant associated with 33% (RR, 1.33; 95%CI: 1.17-1.51) and 18% (RR, 1.18; 95%CI: 1.06-1.31) increase in the risk of stroke morbidity and mortality, respectively. CONCLUSION: Integrated epidemiological evidence supports the hypothesis that both heat and cold ambient temperature have positive association with the risk of stroke morbidity and mortality. Targeted measures should be promoted in public health to reduce this risk.

A fast vanishing point detection method based on row space features suitable for real driving scenarios.

The vanishing point (VP) is particularly important road information, which provides an important judgment criterion for the autonomous driving system. Existing vanishing point detection methods lack speed and accuracy when dealing with real road environments. This paper proposes a fast vanishing point detection method based on row space features. By analyzing the row space features, clustering candidates for similar vanishing points in the row space are performed, and then motion vectors are screened for the vanishing points in the candidate lines. The experimental results show that the average error of the normalized Euclidean distance is 0.0023716 in driving scenes under various lighting conditions. The unique candidate row space greatly reduces the amount of calculation, making the real-time FPS up to 86. It can be concluded that the fast vanishing point detection proposed in this paper would be suitable for high-speed driving scenarios.

Effectiveness of feeding supplementation in preterm infants: an overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants have higher nutrition needs than term infants. The effectiveness of various feeding supplementation was assessed by the improvement of health outcomes in single specific systematic reviews (SRs). The aim of this review was to comprehensively describe the effectiveness of feeding supplementation in promoting health outcomes of preterm infants. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the PUBMED, EMBASE, Science Direct, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Wiley online library. SRs selection followed clear inclusion and exclusion criteria. Pairs of reviewers independently applied the criteria to both titles/abstracts and full texts. Screening and data extraction were performed by using the advanced tables. The methodological quality of SRs and the quality of the evidence were carried out according to the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidelines (GRADE) respectively. A qualitative synthesis of evidence is presented. RESULTS: Seventeen SRs were included in the review. Fifteen kinds of feeding supplementation were reported in the SRs. In preterm infants, the effectiveness of feeding supplementation in addition to regular breast-feeding was mainly shown in six aspects: physical health, neurodevelopment, biochemical outcomes, other health outcomes, morbidity and all-cause mortality. And the effectiveness of the interventions on health outcomes in preterm infants was found by most systematic reviews. The methodological quality of all the included SRs was high, and most of the evidences was of low or very low quality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results will allow a better understanding of the feeding supplementation in preterm infants. Although the feeling supplements may improve the health outcomes of in preterm infants, the existing evidence is uncertain. Therefore, the clinical use of these supplements should be considered cautiously and more well-designed RCTs are still needed to further address the unsolved problems of the included SRs.

Phase Change Behavior of NaCl-H2O Binary Solution Under the Control of AC Electric Field.

Cryopreservation, which refers to preservation of cells or tissues at subzero temperatures, inevitably involves the problem of cryoinjury caused by ice crystals. The application of an external electric field during the freezing process has been shown to be a promising approach to produce miniature ice grains and decrease the fraction of ice crystallization at a slow cooling rate. Thus, the dielectric and thermodynamic properties of NaCl-H2O binary solutions at subzero temperatures were tremendously important for understanding the mechanism of ice formation under the manipulation of an AC electric field in biopreservation. However, there was still a lack of relevant information in the literature. The first objective of this study was to systematically measure the dielectric spectrum of 0.9% NaCl-H2O binary solutions at temperatures ranging from -100°C to 0°C with a cooling/heating rate of 2°C/min. We further measured the thermodynamic properties of a 0.9% NaCl-H2O binary solution while applying a series of electric fields near its dielectric relaxation frequency. The effect of the electric field on the crystal morphology was studied last. Pure water was selected as the control group. The results showed that an AC electric field can alter the thermodynamic process and thus the phase transition and ice crystal structure could be manipulated. It was concluded that the AC electric-assistant preservation method will be a promising technology in cryopreservation.

Effects of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum on the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, and death in preterm infants: a meta-analysis of RCTs.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and late-onset sepsis (LOS) are two major contributors to death among preterm infants. Oropharyngeal administration of colostrum (OAC) has been proved as an easy, safe, and economically viable technique to help preterm neonates to build up their immunity. In this review, we assessed the effects of OAC on preterm infants. Several mainstream databases were searched including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and a website of clinical trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing OAC vs. placebo or no intervention in preterm infants (gestation age <34 weeks or birth weight <1500 g) were eligible. Overall, nine RCTs (n = 689) were included in the review. Meta-analysis showed no statistical significance in terms of the incidence of NEC (RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.33-1.06, p = 0.08), LOS (RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.60-1.03, p = 0.08) and mortality rate (RR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.38-1.05, p = 0.07). No significant difference was found in the subgroup analysis, apart from the group of the undeveloped region in NEC and mortality. In addition, time was significantly reduced in terms of achieving full enteral feeding (MD = -3.60, 95% CI = -6.55-0.64, p = 0.02) and hospital stay (MD = -10.38, 95% CI = -18.47-2.29, p = 0.01). The results show that OAC does not reduce the incidences of NEC, LOS, and death in preterm infants, but there is a trend toward a positive effect. It is therefore recommended as routine care for preterm infants in the NICU.