The IIASA Database for Mean Monthly Values of Temperature, Precipitation, and Cloudiness on a Global Terrestrial Grid

A database for current climate for a global terrestrial grid has been created using weather records from many different sources. Average monthly temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness values are included in the data set. The weather records were mostly constrained to include at least five observational years from the period 1931-1960. In order to achieve reliable data coverage in regions with especially sparse data, this constraint was not always strictly adhered to. The selected weather records were interpolated onto a grid with a resolution of 0.5 degrees longitude and latitude using a triangulation network followed by smooth surface fitting. Temperature values were corrected to mean sea level; using an estimated moist adiabatic lapse rate and a global topography data set. This technique has enhanced the quantity of the data set, especially for temperature in data-sparse mountainous areas. Precipitation was not corrected, due to more complex relationships between precipitation and altitude. The cloudiness data set, defined as the number of recorded bright sunshine hours as a percent of its potential number, is based on fewer stations and often derived from estimated rather than computed data. Although the major annual cloud dynamics are shown, the regional reliability of the data is low. The final data base can be improved by including more weather records and by using local correction methods, especially for precipitation. The final data set is considered appropriate for use in agricultural, geographical, biogeographical and ecological studies

Multidimensional Conservation Laws: Overview, Problems, and Perspective

Some of recent important developments are overviewed, several longstanding open problems are discussed, and a perspective is presented for the mathematical theory of multidimensional conservation laws. Some basic features and phenomena of multidimensional hyperbolic conservation laws are revealed, and some samples of multidimensional systems/models and related important problems are presented and analyzed with emphasis on the prototypes that have been solved or may be expected to be solved rigorously at least for some cases. In particular, multidimensional steady supersonic problems and transonic problems, shock reflection-diffraction problems, and related effective nonlinear approaches are analyzed. A theory of divergence-measure vector fields and related analytical frameworks for the analysis of entropy solutions are discussed.Comment: 43 pages, 3 figure

Modelling present and potential future ranges of some European higher plants using climate response surfaces

International audienceIt is hypothesized that the principal features of higher plant distributions at continental scales are determined by the macroclimate. Bioclimate data have been computed on a 50 km grid across Europe. Along with published maps of higher plant distributions based upon the same grid, these data have been used to derive climate response surfaces that model the relationship between a species' distribution and the present climate. Eight species representative of a variety of phytogeographic patterns have been investigated. The results support the hypothesis that the European distributions of all eight species are principally determined by macroclimate and illustrate the nature of the climatic constraints upon each species. Simulated future distributions in equilibrium with 2 X CO2 climate scenarios derived from two alternative GCMs show that all of the species are likely to experience major shifts in their potential range if such climatic changes take place. Some species may suffer substantial range and population reductions and others may face the threat of extinction. The rate of the forecast climate changes is such that few, if any, species may be able to maintain their ranges in equilibrium with the changing climate. In consequence, the transient impacts upon ecosystems will be varied but often may lead to a period of dominance by opportunist, early-successional species. Our simulations of potential ranges take no account of such factors as photoperiod or the direct effects of C02, both of which may substantially alter the realized future equilibrium

Unravelling the grey zone : Cardiac MRI volume to wall mass ratio to differentiate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the athlete's heart

Background Differentiating physiological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in athletes from pathological hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be challenging. This study assesses the ability of cardiac MRI (CMR) to distinguish between physiological LVH (so-called athlete's heart) and HCM. Methods 45 patients with HCM (71% men and 20% athletic) and 734 healthy control participants (60% men and 75% athletic) underwent CMR. Quantitative ventricular parameters were used for multivariate logistic regression with age, gender, sport status and left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (EDV) to ED ventricular wall mass (EDM) ratio as covariates. A second model added the LV EDV: right ventricular (RV) EDV ratio. The performance of the model was subsequently tested. Results LV EDM was greater in patients with HCM (74 g/m2) compared with healthy athletes/non-athletes (53/41 g/m2), while LV EDV was largest in athletes (114 ml/m2) as compared with non-athletes (94 ml/m2) and patients with HCM (88 ml/m2). The LV EDV: EDM ratio was significantly lower in patients with HCM compared with healthy controls and athletes (1.30/2.39/2.25, p<0.05). The LV EDV: RV EDV ratio was significantly greater in patients with HCM (1.10) than in healthy participants (non-athletes/athletes 0.94/0.93). The regression model resulted in high sensitivity and specificity levels in all and borderline-LVH participants (as defined by septal wall thickness). Corresponding areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were 0.995 (all participants) and 0.992 (borderline-LVH participants only). Adding the LV EDV: RV EDV ratio yielded no additional improvement. Conclusions A model incorporating the LV EDV: EDM ratio can help distinguish HCM from physiological hypertrophy in athletes. This also applies to cases with borderline LVH, which present the greatest diagnostic challenge in clinical practice

Four ECG left ventricular hypertrophy criteria and the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with vascular disease

Objective: The relation between different electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) criteria and cardiovascular risk in patients with clinical manifest arterial disease is unclear. Therefore, we determined the association between four ECG-LVH criteria: Sokolow-Lyon, Cornell product, Cornell/strain index and Framingham criterion; and risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in this population. Methods: Risk of cardiovascular events was estimated in 6913 adult patients with clinical manifest arterial disease originating from the Secondary Manifestations of ARTerial disease (SMART) cohort. Cox proportional regression analysis was used to estimate the risk of the four ECG-LVH criteria and the primary composite outcome: myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or cardiovascular death; and secondary outcomes: MI, stroke and all-cause mortality; adjusted for confounders. Results: The highest prevalence of ECG-LVH was observed for Cornell product (10%) and Cornell/strain index (9%). All four ECG-LVH criteria were associated with an increased risk of the primary composite endpoint: Sokolow-Lyon (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.13-1.66), Cornell product (hazard ratio 1.54, 95% CI 1.30-1.82), Cornell/strain index (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.44-2.00) and Framingham criterion (hazard ratio 1.78, 95% CI 1.21-2.62). Cornell product, Cornell/strain index and Framingham criterion ECG-LVH were additionally associated with an elevated risk of secondary outcomes. Cardiovascular risk increased whenever two, or three or more ECG-LVH criteria were present concurrently. Conclusion: All four ECG-LVH criteria are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. As Cornell/strain index is both highly prevalent and carries a high cardiovascular risk, this is likely the most relevant ECG-LVH criterion for clinical practice

Four ECG left ventricular hypertrophy criteria and the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with vascular disease

Objective: The relation between different electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) criteria and cardiovascular risk in patients with clinical manifest arterial disease is unclear. Therefore, we determined the association between four ECG-LVH criteria: Sokolow-Lyon, Cornell product, Cornell/strain index and Framingham criterion; and risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in this population. Methods: Risk of cardiovascular events was estimated in 6913 adult patients with clinical manifest arterial disease originating from the Secondary Manifestations of ARTerial disease (SMART) cohort. Cox proportional regression analysis was used to estimate the risk of the four ECG-LVH criteria and the primary composite outcome: myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or cardiovascular death; and secondary outcomes: MI, stroke and all-cause mortality; adjusted for confounders. Results: The highest prevalence of ECG-LVH was observed for Cornell product (10%) and Cornell/strain index (9%). All four ECG-LVH criteria were associated with an increased risk of the primary composite endpoint: Sokolow-Lyon (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.13-1.66), Cornell product (hazard ratio 1.54, 95% CI 1.30-1.82), Cornell/strain index (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.44-2.00) and Framingham criterion (hazard ratio 1.78, 95% CI 1.21-2.62). Cornell product, Cornell/strain index and Framingham criterion ECG-LVH were additionally associated with an elevated risk of secondary outcomes. Cardiovascular risk increased whenever two, or three or more ECG-LVH criteria were present concurrently. Conclusion: All four ECG-LVH criteria are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. As Cornell/strain index is both highly prevalent and carries a high cardiovascular risk, this is likely the most relevant ECG-LVH criterion for clinical practice

Ecophysiological, ecological, and soil processes in terrestrial ecosystems: a primer on general concepts and relationships

This ecophysiological primer serves as an introductory chapter on the concepts applied in subsequent chapters reviewing the state of knowledge concerning the effects of climate change on ecological processes that affect impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and some socio-economic systems. Because many of the responses of terrestrial plants in the diverse ecosystems are similar, this primer discusses: the effects of important climatic driving forces that are likely to change; soil fertility as a modifying effect with a brief discussion on soil biological factors; and ecological interactions between the different organisms in each ecosystem