Reproducibility in the absence of selective reporting : An illustration from large-scale brain asymmetry research

Altres ajuts: Max Planck Society (Germany).The problem of poor reproducibility of scientific findings has received much attention over recent years, in a variety of fields including psychology and neuroscience. The problem has been partly attributed to publication bias and unwanted practices such as p-hacking. Low statistical power in individual studies is also understood to be an important factor. In a recent multisite collaborative study, we mapped brain anatomical left-right asymmetries for regional measures of surface area and cortical thickness, in 99 MRI datasets from around the world, for a total of over 17,000 participants. In the present study, we revisited these hemispheric effects from the perspective of reproducibility. Within each dataset, we considered that an effect had been reproduced when it matched the meta-analytic effect from the 98 other datasets, in terms of effect direction and significance threshold. In this sense, the results within each dataset were viewed as coming from separate studies in an "ideal publishing environment," that is, free from selective reporting and p hacking. We found an average reproducibility rate of 63.2% (SD = 22.9%, min = 22.2%, max = 97.0%). As expected, reproducibility was higher for larger effects and in larger datasets. Reproducibility was not obviously related to the age of participants, scanner field strength, FreeSurfer software version, cortical regional measurement reliability, or regional size. These findings constitute an empirical illustration of reproducibility in the absence of publication bias or p hacking, when assessing realistic biological effects in heterogeneous neuroscience data, and given typically-used sample sizes

Breakup and reestablishment of the armour layer in a large gravel-bed river below dams: the lower Ebro

[eng] Changes in armour layer during floods under supply limited conditions are little known. This paper describes the breakup and the reestablishment of the bed armour layer in the regulated gravel-bed Ebro River during a flooding period. The study was conducted over a 28-km study reach from 2002 to 2004. The surface, subsurface and bed load grain size distribution constitute the bases for the analysis of bed-armouring dynamics. The results indicate that the magnitude of floods controlled the degree of armouring of the river bed. The initial mean armouring ratio was 2.3, with maximum values reaching 4.4. Floods in the winter of 2002-2003 (Q8) caused the breakup of the armour layer in several sections. This resulted in the erratic bed load pattern observed during the December 2002 flushing flow and in the increase in bed load transport during successive events. Most grain size classes were entrained and transported, causing river bed incision. The mean armouring ratio decreased to 1.9. In contrast, during low magnitude floods in 2003-2004 (Q2), the coarsest fractions (64 mm) did not take part in the bed load while finer particles were winnowed, thus surface deposits coarsened. As a result, the armour layer was reestablished (i.e., the mean armouring ratio increased to 2.3), and the supply of subsurface sediment decreased. The supply and transport of bed material appear to be in balance in the river reach immediately below the dam. In contrast, the transport of medium and finer size classes in the downstream reaches was higher than their supply from upstream, a phenomenon that progressively reduced their availability in the river bed surface, hence the armour layer reworking

Suspended sediment transport in a small Mediterranean agricultural catchment

[eng] The aim of this study is to analyze suspended sediment transport in a Mediterranean agricultural catchment under traditional soil and water conservation practices. Field measurements were conducted in Can Revull, a small ephemeral catchment (1.03 km2) on the island of Mallorca. This study uses continuous turbidity records to analyse suspended sediment transport regimes, construct and interpret multiple regression models of total suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and of SSC related to stormflow discharge, and assess the sediment loads and yields of three hydrological years (2004-2005 to 2006-2007). An annual average SSC of 17.3 mg l−1, with a maximum of 2270 mg l−1, was recorded in the middle of the winter period when rainfall intensities are high and headwater slopes are ploughed and thus bare. Strong seasonal contrasts of baseflow dynamics associated with different degrees of dilution provide a large scatter in SSC and in the derived rating curves, reflecting that other factors control the supply of suspended sediment. Multiple regression models identify rainfall intensity as the most significant variable in sediment supply. However, under baseflow conditions, physical and biological processes generate sediment in the channel that is subsequently removed during high flow. In contrast, when baseflow is not present, rainfall intensity is the only process that supplies sediment to the channel, mostly from hillslopes. Considering the study period as average in terms of total annual rainfall and intensities, suspended sediment yields were an order of magnitude lower than those obtained in other Mediterranean catchments, a factor that can be related to the historical use of soil conservation practices. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Hydrologycal responses of a small Mediterranean agricultural catchment

[eng] Field studies have recently shown that quickflow may be produced in Mediterranean environments as the result of saturation mechanisms, considering that the dominant runoff processes may change throughout the year due to the significant seasonality. One of the most representative agriculture elements of Mediterranean- climate regions is rainfed herbaceous crops. The aim of this study is to achieve a better understanding of hydrological responses and the role played by under-drained systems in runoff variations under such climatic and land use conditions. Field measurements were conducted in Can Revull, a small catchment (1.03 km2) in the island of Mallorca. The mean annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration are 517 mm and 1010 mm, respectively. The hydrological regime is intermittent with a mean annual discharge of 4 l s 1. Based on 3 years of field data (July 2004-June 2007), this study presents a soil water balance of the catchment and an evaluation of the variability of runoff and its components on an annual and seasonal time scale. In addition, the response of runoff components at event-scale was analysed. At the annual and seasonal time scales, it was only possible to observe a succession of three different hydrological periods throughout the year conditioned by the evapotranspiration which also plays an important role in the baseflow response. Precisely, baseflow was predominant, presumably enhanced by the under-drained system. Furthermore, quickflow response was dominated by saturation mechanisms, whereas rainfall excess mechanisms were limited during study period to dry seasons when baseflow was not present and discharge values therefore were lower

Groundwater control on the suspended sediment load in the Na Borges River, Mallorca (Spain)

[eng] Groundwater dominance has important effects on the hydrological and geomorphological characteristics of river systems. Low suspended sediment concentrations and high water clarity are expected because significant inputs of sediment-free spring water dilute the suspended sediment generated by storms. However, in many Mediterranean rivers, groundwater dominance is characterised by seasonal alternations of influent and effluent discharge involving significant variability on the sediment transport regimes. Such areas are often subject to soil and water conservation practices over the centuries that have reduced the sediment contribution from agricultural fields and favour subsurface flow to rivers. Moreover, urbanisation during the twentieth century has changed the catchment hydrology and altered basic river processes due to its 'flashy' regime. In this context, we monitored suspended sediment fluxes during a two-year period in the Na Borges River, a lowland agricultural catchment (319 km2) on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands). The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) was lower when the base flow index (i.e., relative proportion of baseflow compared to stormflow, BFI) was higher. Therefore, strong seasonal contrasts explain the high SSC coefficient of variation, which is clearly related to dilution effects associated with different groundwater and surface water seasonal interactions. A lack of correlation in the Q-SSC rating curves shows that factors other than discharge control sediment transport. As a result, at the event scale, multiple regressions illustrate that groundwater and surface water interactions are involved in the sedimentary response of flood events. In the winter, the stability of baseflow driven by groundwater contributions and agricultural and urban spills causes hydraulic variables (i.e., maximum discharge) to exert the most important control on events, whereas in the summer, it is necessary to accumulate important volumes of rainfall, creating a minimum of wet conditions in the catchment to activate hydrological pathways and deliver sediment to the drainage network. The BFI is also related to sediment delivery processes, as the loads are higher with lower BFI, corroborating the fact that most sediment movement is caused by stormflow and its related factors. Overall, suspended sediment yields were very low (i.e., < 1 t km− 2 yr− 1) at all measuring sites. Such values are the consequence of the limited sediment delivery attributable to soil conservation practices, low surface runoff coefficients and specific geomorphic features of groundwater-dominated rivers, such as low drainage density, low gradient, steep valley walls and flat valley floors

Transport of sediment borne contaminants in a Mediterranean river during a high flow event

Pollutants’ dynamics in rivers flowing through industrial areas is linked to the entrainment and transport of contaminants attached to solid particles. The transport of sediment is mainly associated to high discharges and flood episodes, and these events constitute one of the main factors causing fluxes of buried pollutants in rivers. We performed a field study in the lower River Cinca (Ebro basin, Northeast Spain) to quantify the mobilization and transfer of several contaminants present in the river bed sediments. We focused on contaminants previously identified (PCBs, DDXs, PBDEs, HBCDs and PFRs) to occur in the river. River bed sediment samples were collected during low flows and a subsequent sampling campaign was used to capture sediment borne contaminants during a flood event. Water samples were taken at the same locations as the static sediment samples and used to determine the suspended sediment concentrations and the contaminants content (i.e. mass of contaminant per sediment mass unit) during the event. We estimated mass fluxes for both sediment and pollutants, and determined that sediment transport followed a clockwise hysteresis. This is typically observed in high flow events after dry summer periods. With sediments there was a large mobilization of PFRs (36 kg in 48 h in one of the main tributaries) and PCBs not previously observed in the static sediment. Observed contaminant load ranges during the two-day sampling campaign were: PCB (34–152 g), DDT (12–213 g), PBDE (50–1740 g), HBCD (0–2.2 g) and PFR (2410–35,895 g). An environmental risk assessment was carried out by comparing the pollutant concentrations found in the sediments with the Canadian quality guidelines (ISQC), showing a significant noncompliance for PCBs in dynamic sediments. Our results point out to the need of a regular assessment of the downstream transfer of the sediment-borne pollutants in drainage basins historically affected by intense industrial activities and associated contamination

Recent geomorphological evolution of a natural river channel in a Mediterranean Chilean basin

In this paper we analyse the recent geomorphological evolution of the River 1uble, an unmodified wandering river in the Mediterranean region of Chile, highlighting the relation between the observed hydroclimatic trends in the region and the morphology of the river. The work documents the recent changes (2003\u20132016) in channel morphology (i.e., narrowing, simplification, vegetation encroachment) and, in particular, how the river has progressively reduced its geomorphic activity during the last decade. Changes have been detected using aerial imagery and quantified by means of a series of channel form indices that allow tracking the geomorphological evolution of an 8-km river segment. The catchment has experienced a clear decrease in the frequency and magnitude of flood events, although this fact is not fully supported by a generalized reduction in the analysed rainfall series. We relate the observed river relaxation and the associated channel changes with the reported period of low hydroclimatic activity, which follows a humid period that occurred in the Pacific region during the 1970s and 1980s, connected to the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillations) that particularly affected the northern and the central parts of Chile. Altogether, this resulted in generalized river stability and a simplification of the drainage pattern of the channel. In absence of river training practices and other major changes in the catchment, the reduction of formative discharges appears thus to be the main control of the recent evolution of this gravel-bed river

Effects of afforestation on runoff and sediment load in an upland Mediterranean catchment

This paper assesses annual and seasonal trends in runoff and sediment load resulting from climate variability and afforestation in an upland Mediterranean basin, the Ribera Salada (NE Iberian Peninsula). We implemented a hydrological and sediment transport distributed model (TETIS) with a daily time-step, using continuous discharge and sediment transport data collected at a monitoring station during the period 2009–2013. Once calibrated and validated, the model was used to simulate the hydrosedimentary response of the basin for the period 1971–2014 using historical climate and land use data. Simulated series were further used to (i) detect sediment transport and hydrologic trends at different temporal scales (annual, seasonal); (ii) assess changes in the contribution of extreme events (i.e. lowand high flows) and (ii) assess the relative effect of forest expansion and climate variability on trends observed by applying a scenario of constant land use. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test indicated upward trends for temperature and decreasing trends (although non-significant) for precipitation. Downward trends occurred for annual runoff, and less significantly for sediment yield. Reductions in runoff were less intense when afforestation was not considered in the model, while trends in sediment yield were reversed. Results also indicated that an increase in the river's torrential behaviour may have occurred throughout the studied period, with low and high flow events gaining importance with respect to the annual contribution, although its magnitude was reduced over time