Comprehensive In Situ Validation of Five Satellite Land Surface Temperature Data Sets over Multiple Stations and Years

Global land surface temperature (LST) data derived from satellite-based infrared radiance measurements are highly valuable for various applications in climate research. While in situ validation of satellite LST data sets is a challenging task, it is needed to obtain quantitative information on their accuracy. In the standardised approach to multi-sensor validation presented here for the first time, LST data sets obtained with state-of-the-art retrieval algorithms from several sensors (AATSR, GOES, MODIS, and SEVIRI) are matched spatially and temporally with multiple years of in situ data from globally distributed stations representing various land cover types in a consistent manner. Commonality of treatment is essential for the approach: all satellite data sets are projected to the same spatial grid, and transformed into a common harmonized format, thereby allowing comparison with in situ data to be undertaken with the same methodology and data processing. The large data base of standardised satellite LST provided by the European Space Agency’s GlobTemperature project makes previously difficult to perform LST studies and applications more feasible and easier to implement. The satellite data sets are validated over either three or ten years, depending on data availability. Average accuracies over the whole time span are generally within ±2.0 K during night, and within ± 4.0 K during day. Time series analyses over individual stations reveal seasonal cycles. They stem, depending on the station, from surface anisotropy, topography, or heterogeneous land cover. The results demonstrate the maturity of the LST products, but also highlight the need to carefully consider their temporal and spatial properties when using them for scientific purposes

Prevalencia del dolor en pacientes hospitalizados en el Servicio de Neurocirugía de un Hospital Universitario Terciario en Madrid, España

Objectives: to measure the prevalence and intensity of acute pain in hospitalized patients in the Neurosurgery Service of a Tertiary Hospital, using a numerical verbal scale, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for its evaluation. Material and methods: observational, cross-sectional study to evaluate acute pain. All patients admitted to the ward during November 2019 are included and those with limitations to understand or evaluate pain according to VAS are excluded. Results: of the total of 120 patients admitted to the ward during the study period, 40 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Eighty patients with a high prevalence of pain (76.61%) were analyzed, with a mean score of 3.47 ± 0.78. Of those who report pain, 20% is mild, 40% moderate and 40% intense. For pathologies, the highest values ​​correspond to post-intervention. Hospital analgesic protocols were applied in all cases and no patient went to the emergency room due to pain after hospital discharge. The main limitation of the study was that the VAS score was not adequately collected in all patients. Conclusions: the prevalence of pain in a neurosurgery ward is high (76.61%), with average scores (3-4, moderate pain) that require improving our analgesic strategies and its measurement. Malignant diseases, predominantly intracranial, were associated with greater pain.Objetivos: medir la prevalencia e intensidad del dolor agudo en pacientes hospitalizados en el Servicio de Neurocirugía de un Hospital Terciario, utilizando una escala verbal numérica, la Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) para su evaluación. Material y métodos: estudio observacional, transversal, para evaluar el dolor agudo. Se incluyen todos los pacientes ingresados en planta durante noviembre del 2019 y se excluyen aquellos con limitaciones para entender o evaluar el dolor según EVA. Resultados: del total de 120 pacientes ingresados en planta durante el periodo de estudio, son excluidos 40 por no cumplir los criterios de inclusión. Se analizan 80 pacientes que presentan elevada prevalencia de dolor (76,61%), con una puntuación media de 3,47 ± 0.78. De los que refieren dolor, en un 20% es leve, 40% moderado y 40% intenso. Por patologías los valores más elevados corresponden a post-intervención. Los protocolos analgésicos del Hospital se aplicaron en todos los casos y ningún paciente acudió a urgencias por dolor tras el alta hospitalaria. La principal limitación del estudio fue que no en todos los pacientes se recogió adecuadamente la puntuación EVA. Conclusiones: la prevalencia de dolor en una planta de neurocirugía es elevada (76,61%), con unas puntuaciones medias (3-4, dolor moderado) que requieren mejorar nuestras estrategias analgésicas y la medición del mismo. Las enfermedades malignas, de predominio intracraneal, se asociaron con mayor dolor

Nueva estrategia didáctica para fomentar la participación del alumnado en el proceso de aprendizaje en el ámbito de la tecnología farmacéutica (continuación)

Depto. de Farmacia Galénica y Tecnología AlimentariaFac. de FarmaciaFALSEsubmitte

Association Between Preexisting Versus Newly Identified Atrial Fibrillation and Outcomes of Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Full list of RIETE Investigators is provided in the Appendix of this article. V.Ģībietis, D.Kigitoviča and A.Skride are mentioned in the Appendix.Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) may exist before or occur early in the course of pulmonary embolism (PE). We determined the PE outcomes based on the presence and timing of AF. Methods and Results Using the data from a multicenter PE registry, we identified 3 groups: (1) those with preexisting AF, (2) patients with new AF within 2 days from acute PE (incident AF), and (3) patients without AF. We assessed the 90-day and 1-year risk of mortality and stroke in patients with AF, compared with those without AF (reference group). Among 16 497 patients with PE, 792 had preexisting AF. These patients had increased odds of 90-day all-cause (odds ratio [OR], 2.81; 95% CI, 2.33-3.38) and PE-related mortality (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.37-4.14) and increased 1-year hazard for ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 5.48; 95% CI, 3.10-9.69) compared with those without AF. After multivariable adjustment, preexisting AF was associated with significantly increased odds of all-cause mortality (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.57-2.32) but not PE-related mortality (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.85-2.66). Among 16 497 patients with PE, 445 developed new incident AF within 2 days of acute PE. Incident AF was associated with increased odds of 90-day all-cause (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.75-2.97) and PE-related (OR, 3.64; 95% CI, 2.01-6.59) mortality but not stroke. Findings were similar in multivariable analyses. Conclusions In patients with acute symptomatic PE, both preexisting AF and incident AF predict adverse clinical outcomes. The type of adverse outcomes may differ depending on the timing of AF onset.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Sex-specific early survival drives adult sex ratio bias in snowy plovers and impacts mating system and population growth

Eberhart-Phillips L, Küpper C, Miller TEX, et al. Sex-specific early survival drives adult sex ratio bias in snowy plovers and impacts mating system and population growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2017;114(27):E5474-E5481.Adult sex ratio (ASR) is a central concept in population biology and a key factor in sexual selection, but why do most demographic models ignore sex biases? Vital rates often vary between the sexes and across life history, but their relative contributions to ASR variation remain poorly understood—an essential step to evaluate sex ratio theories in the wild and inform conservation. Here, we combine structured two-sex population models with individual-based mark–recapture data from an intensively monitored polygamous population of snowy plovers. We show that a strongly male-biased ASR (0.63) is primarily driven by sex-specific survival of juveniles rather than adults or dependent offspring. This finding provides empirical support for theories of unbiased sex allocation when sex differences in survival arise after the period of parental investment. Importantly, a conventional model ignoring sex biases significantly overestimated population viability. We suggest that sex-specific population models are essential to understand the population dynamics of sexual organisms: reproduction and population growth are most sensitive to perturbations in survival of the limiting sex. Overall, our study suggests that sex-biased early survival may contribute toward mating system evolution and population persistence, with implications for both sexual selection theory and biodiversity conservation

A Reliable and Standardizable Differential PCR and qPCR Methodology Assesses HER2 Gene Amplification in Gastric Cancer

We have applied two PCR techniques, differential PCR (diffPCR) and qPCR for the identification of HER2 gene amplifications in genomic DNA of tumor and distal gastric samples from patients with gastric cancer. The diffPCR technique consists of the simultaneous amplification of the HER2 gene and a housekeeping gene by conventional PCR and the densitometric analysis of the bands obtained. We established a cut-off point based on the mean and standard deviation analyzing the DNA of 30 gastric tissues from patients undergoing non-cancer gastrectomy. diffPCR and qPCR yielded consistent results. HER2-overexpression was detected in 25% of patients and was further confirmed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The approaches herein described may serve as complementary and reliable methods to assess HER2 amplification

Predicting serious complications in patients with cancer and pulmonary embolism using decision tree modelling: the EPIPHANY Index

Background: Our objective was to develop a prognostic stratification tool that enables patients with cancer and pulmonary embolism (PE), whether incidental or symptomatic, to be classified according to the risk of serious complications within 15 days. Methods: The sample comprised cases from a national registry of pulmonary thromboembolism in patients with cancer (1075 patients from 14 Spanish centres). Diagnosis was incidental in 53.5% of the events in this registry. The Exhaustive CHAID analysis was applied with 10-fold crossvalidation to predict development of serious complications following PE diagnosis. Results: About 208 patients (19.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 17.1-21.8%) developed a serious complication after PE diagnosis. The 15-day mortality rate was 10.1%, (95% CI, 8.4-12.1%). The decision tree detected six explanatory covariates: Hestia-like clinical decision rule (any risk criterion present vs none), Eastern Cooperative Group performance scale (ECOG-PS; = 2), O-2 saturation (= 90%), presence of PE-specific symptoms, tumour response (progression, unknown, or not evaluated vs others), and primary tumour resection. Three risk classes were created (low, intermediate, and high risk). The risk of serious complications within 15 days increases according to the group: 1.6, 9.4, 30.6%; P<0.0001. Fifteen-day mortality rates also rise progressively in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients: 0.3, 6.1, and 17.1%; P<0.0001. The cross-validated risk estimate is 0.191 (s.e. = 0.012). The optimism-corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.779 (95% CI, 0.717-0.840). Conclusions: We have developed and internally validated a prognostic index to predict serious complications with the potential to impact decision-making in patients with cancer and PE

Formin follows function: a muscle-specific isoform of FHOD3 is regulated by CK2 phosphorylation and promotes myofibril maintenance

Phosphorylation of the muscle-specific formin splice variant FHOD3 by CK2 regulates its stability, myofibril targeting, and myofibril integrity

Nematicity dynamics in the charge-density-wave phase of a cuprate superconductor

Understanding the interplay between charge, nematic, and structural ordering tendencies in cuprate superconductors is critical to unraveling their complex phase diagram. Using pump-probe time-resolved resonant x-ray scattering on the (0 0 1) Bragg peak at the Cu L3 and oxygen K resonances, we investigate non-equilibrium dynamics of Qa = Qb = 0 nematic order and its association with both charge density wave (CDW) order and lattice dynamics in La1.65Eu0.2Sr0.15CuO4. In contrast to the slow lattice dynamics probed at the apical oxygen K resonance, fast nematicity dynamics are observed at the Cu L3 and planar oxygen K resonances. The temperature dependence of the nematicity dynamics is correlated with the onset of CDW order. These findings unambiguously indicate that the CDW phase, typically evidenced by translational symmetry breaking, includes a significant electronic nematic component.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure