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Drought assessment and management, intensified by global warming, present critical challenges in semi-arid Mediterranean regions, impacting environmental sustainability and economic stability. This study evaluates spatiotemporal drought risk in the Bouregreg watershed in northwest Morocco by integrating remote sensing data with various drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and the Standardized Temperature Index (STI) were utilized to assess meteorological drought over a 12-month period. The Temperature Conditions Index (TCI) was used to evaluate temperature-related conditions for agricultural drought, while the GRACE Drought Severity Index (GRACEDSI) assessed hydrological drought on a monthly scale. Additionally, trend analysis was performed using Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope methods, and Pearson correlations were conducted among the indices. The findings revealed an overall downward trend in drought indices, with evapotranspiration (SPEI) being the primary drought driver. Over the study period, there was a significant increase in total evaporation demand, largely attributed to rising temperatures (STI and TCI). Meanwhile, precipitation conditions (SPI) remained relatively stable, highlighting the impact of global warming on agricultural and hydrological drought severity patterns in recent years. The results further indicated that drought risk is more pronounced in the plateau and plain areas of the Bouregreg compared to the mountainous regions. In evaluating water reserves, total water storage (TWS) data obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) was utilized. Comparisons were made between in situ groundwater level (GWL) data and those from GRACE TWS at a resolution of 0.25°. Our results reveal concordant trends between the two datasets, despite the differences in resolution. The TWS appears to be strongly correlated with GWL measurements and precipitation data with a lag of 1–4 months. The findings underscored a significant decline in water reserves and worsening drought conditions in recent years. Correlation analyses also revealed a moderate relationship between this decline and the systematic temperature rise, suggesting shared trends influenced by other anthropogenic factors not accounted for in the analysis. In summary, these results underscore the vulnerability of the entire study area to various forms of drought, ranging from mild to extreme severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial insemination (AI) is one of the most frequently implemented assisted reproductive technologies for animals. The dog-breeding industry is extremely dependent on artificial insemination (AI), which enables the successful transfer of genetic material over large distances and its indefinite storage for future use in breeding programs. When natural reproduction is not possible due to male incapacity, receptivity, or physical impairment, AI may also be utilised. The manner in which AI is put into practice in canines differs and is dependent on the variety of sperm utilised. In particular, with preserved or fresh sperm, intrauterine insemination is performed through transcervical catheterization using an endoscope. Endoscopic TCI for frozen sperm offers the advantage of obtaining comparable or superior results while avoiding the requirements and potential risks associated with general anaesthesia and surgery. Undoubtedly, the capacity to perform all inseminations with fresh or refrigerated semen increases the conception rates. This article will centre on the endoscopic transcervical insemination (TCI) method of canine artificial insemination (AI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European tourism industry, a significant contributor to employment and income, is under threat due to climate change. This study, using data from 1315 European regions and considering a tourism-specific climate index and tourism typologies, examines the potential impact of climate change on tourism demand across the continent under four warming scenarios. We find that climate change impacts in Europe will be highly asymmetrical across regions and seasons, resulting in significant reallocations of tourism demand in space and time across all warming scenarios. A clear north-south pattern in tourism demand changes emerges, with northern regions benefiting and southern regions experiencing significant reductions, particularly under higher warming. Summer demand and coastal areas, where tourism demand is more concentrated, will be particularly affected. We also quantify the deseasonalising efforts necessary to maintain the status quo in the annual demand for tourism, involving relative reductions in summer demand and increases in shoulder and winter seasons.

A great number of case-control and population-based studies have shown that depression patients differ from healthy controls in their temperament traits. We investigated whether polygenic risk for depression predicts trajectories of temperament traits from early adulthood to middle age. Participants came from the population-based Young Finns Study (n = 2212). The calculation for Polygenic risk for depression (PRS) was based on the most recent genome-wide association study. Temperament traits of Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, and Persistence were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory in 1997, 2001, 2007, and 2012 (participants being 24–50-year-olds). As covariates, we used depressive symptoms as assessed by a modified version of the Beck Depression Inventory, psychosocial family environment from parent-filled questionnaires, and socioeconomic factors from adulthood. High PRS predicted higher Persistence from early adulthood to middle age (p = 0.003) when controlling for depressive symptoms, psychosocial family environment, and socioeconomic factors. PRS did not predict trajectories of Novelty Seeking (p = 0.063–0.416 in different models) or Reward Dependence (p = 0.531–0.736). The results remained unaffected when participants with diagnosed affective disorders were excluded. Additionally, we found an interaction between PRS and depressive symptoms when predicting the Harm Avoidance subscale Anticipatory Worry, indicating that the association of Anticipatory Worry with depressive symptoms is stronger in individuals with higher (vs. lower) PRS. There was some attrition due to the long follow-up. High polygenic risk for major depression may predict differences in temperament trajectories among those who have not developed any severe affective disorders. • We examined if polygenic risk for major depression (PRS) predicts temperament traits. • High PRS predicted higher Persistence from early adulthood to middle age. • PRS was not related to Novelty seeking or Reward dependence. • The link of Anticipatory Worry with depressive symptoms was stronger if having high PRS. • The results remained when excluding participants with diagnosed affective disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess vegetation drought, it is important to understand the relationship between climate and vegetation and to accurately measure the response of vegetation activity to meteorological drought. In this study, we used the vegetation health index (VHI) to investigate the propagation time and time-lag of vegetation response to different meteorological drought indices, including the standardized precipitation index (SPI), evaporative demand drought index (EDDI), standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index (SPEI), and copula-based joint drought index (CJDI). Using correlation analyses of meteorological drought indices with different time-scales and time-lags and VHIs with different weights, we determined which meteorological drought indices and their corresponding time-scales and time-lags best represent the effects of meteorological drought on vegetation activity on the Korean Peninsula. We also evaluated the relative roles of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) in quantifying vegetation response to meteorological drought. The meteorological drought index for monitoring vegetation response to meteorological drought on the Korean Peninsula was best applied using EDDI in January–May and SPEI in June–December. Vegetation health was dominated by LST in January–September, with a higher impact of NDVI in November–December. We expect these results to provide useful information for vegetation drought monitoring. HIGHLIGHTS Quantifying vegetation response to meteorological drought based on correlation analysis.; Identifying meteorological drought indices that are most closely related to vegetation activity.; Estimating the propagation time and time-lag of meteorological drought on vegetation drought.; Evaluating the relative contribution of NDVI and LST to VHI.;

Background: In current days, smartphone use is inevitable in everyday life and has increased drastically over recent decades not only in adults but also in adolescents. Even though smartphone provides convenience and produces personal pleasure, the potential causable problems due to excessive smartphone use (ESU) of adolescents have been reported continuously. As ESU of adolescents became one of the important social issue, the connection between specific personality traits and ESU is being studied continuously. Aims & Objectives: This study explored whether altered resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) is related to personality traits and other psychological factors in adolescents demonstrating ESU compared to healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Thirty six adolescents (38.7%) were prone to ESU and fifty seven adolescents were HCs. Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale for Adolescents (S-scale) was used to measure ESU and adolescent version of temperament and character inventory (JTCI) was used to measure personality traits in this study. For rsFC analysis, the left and right central executive network (CEN), the salience network (SN) and default mode network (DMN) were included in the analysis in order to investigate the brain networks related to personality traits that impact ESU. In addition, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), midcingulate cortex (MCC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which are related to reward processing and cognitive control, were included in the analysis in order to examine the brain networks related to temperament and character subscales of TCI that influence ESU. Results: Mean scores of ESU adolescents were lower in persistence than HCs. In addition, HCs group had a positive correlation with novelty seeking and a negative correlation with persistence in bivariate correlation analysis. However, ESU group had no significant correlation with TCI personality traits. In the rsFC, ESU group showed lower functional connectivity in brain regions related to the salience network compared with HCs. ESU showed lower connectivity between the left middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and left superior parietal lobule, and between the left MCC and left postcentral gyrus. In addition, lower connectivity between the left posterior cingulate gyrus and right precentral gyrus and between the left orbital frontoinsula and right precentral gyrus were shown in ESU. Discussion & Conclusions: This study suggests that smartphone proneness was associated with low persistence in terms of temperament and it was engaged in neurofunctional alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

خلفية وهدف البحث: يُنقص الإنباب تحت التخدير العميق من تأثيراته القلبية الوعائية, ومن السعال والجهد الحادث بسبب الأنبوب الرغامي. والهدف هودراسة تأثير كل من الليدوكائين الوريدي والريمي فنتانيل على ارتكاس المريض للأنبوب الرغامي أثناء الصحو من التخدير العام بعد استئصال المرارة بالتنظير, وسلامة الريمي فنتانيل أثناء التنفس العفوي. المواد والطرائق: في تجربة سريرية معشاة, تم توزيع 50 مريض(12ذكرو38أنثى) (ASA class Ⅰ-Ⅱ)بعمر وسطي(39.98±15.6) محضرين لجراحة انتقائية على المرارة بالتنظير إلى مجموعتين, المجموعة R=25 مريض, تم الإستمرار في تسريب الريمي فنتانيل لما بعد الإنباب بدقيقة واحدة وبجرعة TCI=2ng ml-1 , المجموعة L=25 مريض, تم إيقاف التسريب مع انتهاء العمل الجراحي وإعطاء الليدوكائين بالطريق الوريدي بجرعة 1.5mg kg-1 . تم تسجيل قيم الضغط, النبض, EtCo2, عدد حركات التنفس, Spo2 في الدقيقتين الأولى والثانية قبل الإنباب, دقيقة الإنباب, والدقيقة ما بعد الإنباب. كما تم تسجيل زمن فتح العينين, زمن التوجه للزمان والمكان, وعلامات Aldrete.استخدم اختبارT-test للدراسة الإحصائية عند مستوىP

Aviation is rapidly expanding and recovering from the pandemic impact driven by the experience economy. This is particularly subject to interfaces such as the aircraft seats, which are getting intense attention as a differentiator in the cabin. The focal point of this paper is to assess and convert customer requirements into what must be done for an optimum aircraft seat. To achieve this, a 2-step analytic hierarchy process and quality function deployment (AHP-QFD) methodology was successfully applied, consolidating product quality characteristics. Then, it leverages a novel scoring method of interdependencies to isolate dependable design variables. Consequently, safety, weight, and durability scored maximum, emphasizing backrest design and alternative composite materials, while test infrastructure was determined as a critical investment component. Furthermore, it is shown how AHP-QFD can be used for product strategy and strategic portfolio management of R&D projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol Use Disorder is a chronic relapsing disorder, with a complex and multidisciplinary management, characterized by higher rates of treatment drop-out and relapse, influenced by the types of craving and personality characteristics. The present study uses the post-rationalist perspective to assess the relationship between the personal meaning organizations and psychopathological symptomatology, craving and temperamental characteristics in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder. Results evidenced that patients with Eating Disorder Organization and Depressive organization rated themselves as more damaged with high psychopathology symptoms, craving and personality features related to a greater severity of alcohol use disorder, a worse prognosis and frequent relapse and treatment abandoning. The use of the personal meaning organizations, and the underlying post-rationalist model, could permit to early assess specific personality profiles, characterizing patients with alcohol dependence. Adequately assessment of these profiles in clinical practice may be relevant to diagnoses and to plan efficacious treatments tailored on patient characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought assessment using drought indices has been widely carried out for drought monitoring. Remote sensing-based indices use remotely sensed data to map drought conditions in a particular area or region. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to make a study on drought risk based on the calculation of an indicator from biophysical parameters extracted from NOAA/AVHRR satellite data, namely TCI and VCI, to obtain a better understanding of the differentiation between each index, and their application for drought monitoring in the High Atlas of Marrakech on the Chchaoua Morocco watershed during 1980-2020. Landsat oli7 and8 data were used to construct the indices. The result showed that each index proved to be a useful, fast, sufficient, and inexpensive tool for drought monitoring. However, each index has its differences. The TCI was found to be drought sensitive during the dry season or in months when high temperatures occurred. While VCI detected drought more sensitively in the rainy season as well (December-January-February to May) than TCI and VCI. Meanwhile, VCI, including the improved TCI, combined two indicators to better understand drought occurrence. These indices were calculated using GIS, QGis, ArcGis satellite imagery scenes, and Landsat. After a comparative study of these years, from 1984 to 2020, the evolution of the VCI and TCI was highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ping Wang,1,2 Lei Zhao,1 Tianlong Wang,1 Wei Mei,3 Jingsheng Li,1 Yi An,1 Lixia Li,1 Zhongjia Li1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lei Zhao, Email zhaoalei@sina.comObjective: This study aimed to compare the half-effective concentration (EC50) of propofol required for the bispectral index (BIS) 50 in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and non-PD (NPD) during induction by the Dixon’s improved sequential method.Methods: This prospective study recruited 20 patients with PD undergoing deep brain stimulation and 20 patients with NPD accompanied by meningioma or glioma undergoing intracranial surgery from March 2018 to March 2019. The patients were induced by propofol via target-controlled infusion. The target effect-site concentration of propofol was determined by the Dixon’s improved sequential method. The results of the pilot experiment showed that the target effect-site concentration for the first patient with PD and NPD was 3.5 μg/mL and 2.8 μg/mL, respectively. BIS values were recorded after achieving a constant effect-site concentration of propofol. The increment or decrement of the target effect-site concentration of the next patient was 0.1 μg/mL.Results: Demographic data, general physical condition, and hemodynamic values were similar between the PD and the NPD groups. The target effect-site concentration of propofol induction doses was significantly higher in the PD group than in the NPD group. The EC50 of propofol required for BIS 50 was 3.213 μg/mL [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.085– 3.287 μg/mL] in the PD group and 2.77 μg/mL (95% CI, 2.568– 2.977 μg/mL) in the NPD group.Conclusion: The EC50 of propofol required for BIS 50 was higher in patients with PD than in patients with NPD.Keywords: BIS, effect-site concentration, Parkinson’s disease, propofol, sequential method, TCI

In the pharmacotherapy of depressive disorders, the problem of the predictors of a therapeutic response remains relevant, they may be important in determining treatment tactics.Objective: to determine the predictive power of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the results of antidepressant pharmacotherapy in patients with depression (major depressive disorder).Material and methods. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between 1990 and November 2021. Only English-language prospective studies, that examined the relationship between pre-treatment TCI personality scores and antidepressant pharmacotherapy efficacy were selected.Results. A total of 18 studies were found (Ntot=3122). The most commonly cited statistically significant predictors of therapy effectiveness were: harm avoidance (HA) in 11 studies (Ntot=2413), reward dependence in 6 (Ntot=1941), cooperativeness (CO) in 6 (Ntot=1259). In only two studies (Ntot=234), personality parameters were not associated with treatment efficacy. In 10 studies (Ntot=1065) baseline values of personality characteristics were indicated, which made it possible to include them in the meta-analysis. HA (z=4.06; p

The positive psychology movement has reintroduced the concepts of character and virtue to the study of individual differences. Over the past few decades, a variety of instruments have been developed to measure character and virtue. We conducted a scoping review of psychometric instruments intended to measure an individual's character or virtues published after 1970. Our review found 41 instruments, described across 641 publications. The vast majority of the publications used the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Values In Action (VIA) instruments. The instruments identified in our review are recent (all published after 1993), with increasing numbers of instruments published in each subsequent decade. A variety of other instruments have been developed for particular cultural, occupational, and academic contexts. Reviewed psychometric reliability properties were satisfactory. The literature lacks consensus on the definitions of character and virtue and names many character and virtue traits. Yet, many instruments also share common ground in the meanings of their traits. We use the findings of our scoping review to suggest three projects to advance the field of character and virtue assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloninger’s psychobiological model has systematically responded to academic research that has been conducted for years on the definition of temperament and character concepts and the areas of personality they affect. The aim of this research is to examine Cloninger’s theory, which deals with personality on the basis of psycholobiological theory and has been the subject of many studies, with the bibliometric analysis method and to provide information to researchers about which research themes the model has been researched in the past and with which research themes it can be researched in the future. For this purpose, common word analysis, social network analysis and concept mapping methods were used in our study. According to the results of the frequency analysis of keywords, the most frequently used research topics in studies are; It was found that there are “personality”, “character and temperament”, “TCI”, “Cloninger’s psychobiological model” and “harm avoidance”. According to the degree centrality and betweenness centrality results, the keywords were listed as “personality”, “character and temperament”, “TCI”, “harm avoidance” and “Cloninger’s psychobiological model”. Although “Cloninger’s psychobiological model” is the more frequently used keyword, other networks have lower number of connections and capacity to connect networks than the keyword harm avoidance. According to the concept mapping results, the most current research topics were “well-being”, “resilience”, “psychopathology” and “personality traits”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trend change analysis is a tool that complements the assessment of human body stability and provides information on the number and frequency of postural corrections during an examination. The present research aims to determine the possibility of using this method of analysis to investigate postural stability during tests of standing with open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE). A total of 118 participants (67 females, 51males) aged 23 (SD 1.3) were assessed. Tests involved standing on a stabilographic platform for 50 s. Trend change analysis was used to evaluate displacement values of the center of pressure (COP). Values for the COP courses as well as values associated with trend change analysis, such as: TCI, MACD_t and MACD_V were determined. Histograms of distribution were plotted for TCI values. The present study provides information on alterations of the strategy used for maintaining balance, which are associated with the number of postural corrections and COP displacement between corrections for measurements taken during the standing test with CE in relation to OE measurements. The strategy demonstrated an ability to detect a smaller number of quick corrections, an increased number of corrections of longer duration, and the elongation of displacement between subsequent postural corrections. Slight standard deviations in TCI and MACD_t values calculated during trend change analysis, for both the OE and CE conditions, made it possible to classify these values as indexes of postural stability with significant sensitivity to slight changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

خشکسالی وضعیتی از کمبود بارندگی و افزایش دما است که در هر منطقه جغرافیایی و در هر اقلیمی، حتی در مناطق مرطوب رخ می­دهد که فراوانی و شدت وقوع آن در مناطق خشک و نیمه­خشک بیشتر است. خشکسالی بدون اعلام قبلی رخ می­دهد و دامنه تأثیر آن بر خلاف وقایع طبیعی دیگر بسیار وسیع می­باشد. خسارات ناشی از خشکسالی غیر­ملموس ولی بسیار وسیع و پر هزینه است. لذا اساس یک برنامه منظم برای مدیریت بهتر طبق رخدادهای گذشته پایش خشکسالی را ایجاب می­کند. شاخص‌های خشکسالی هواشناسی مستقیماً از روی ‌داده‌های هواشناسی نظیر بارندگی محاسبه می­شوند و در صورت فقدان داده‌های مذکور، در پایش خشکسالی مفید واقع نخواهند شد. لذا تکنیک سنجش‌ازدور می‌تواند ابزاری مفید در پایش خشکسالی به شمار رود. در این تحقیق به بررسی ارتباط بین شاخص خشکسالی هواشناسی (شاخص SPI) و شاخص­های سنجش‌ازدوری VCI، TCI و VHI در استان­های اصفهان، چهارمحال و بختیاری، مرکزی و قم پرداخته شده است. در این راستا، با بهره‌گیری از تصاویر ماهواره مودیس سنجنده ترآ و داده­های بارش ایستگاه­های باران‌سنجی و سینوپتیک واقع در منطقه موردمطالعه، آشکارسازی تغییرات رخ داده در بازه زمانی 10 ساله محاسبه گردید. بدین منظور ابتدا با بررسی داده­های ایستگاه­های موجود و با استفاده از مدل شاخص بارش استاندارد شده (SPI) چهار ماه (فروردین، اردیبهشت، خرداد و تیر) به‌عنوان نمونه انتخاب شد. در این مطالعه با توجه به‌دقت زمانی، پوشش طیفی بالا، سهولت دسترسی، عدم نیاز به تصحیح اتمسفری و زمین مرجع نمودن، تصاویر با کد (MOD11A2 و MOD13A2) از محصولات ماهواره مودیس سنجنده ترا مربوط به سال­های 2011 تا 2020 به دلیل اطمینان از وجود پدیده ترسالی و خشکسالی استفاده شد و سپس شاخص SPI با شاخص­های VCI، TCI و VHI به‌صورت تلفیقی مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. نتایج پایش خشکسالی نشان داد که طی این دوره ده‌ساله در برخی از سال­ها خشکسالی شدید وجود داشته که در همان سال نیز بارش به میزان کمتری رخ داده است. برای مثال در سال 2020 این خشکسالی بسیار شدید بوده است و در سال 2011 ترسالی بسیار شدیدی را نشان داد. نتایج حاصل از همبستگی بین شاخص SPI و شاخص­های سنجش‌ازدوری نشان داد که شاخص SPI بالاترین همبستگی را با شاخص VCI در سطح 01/0 دارد که مشخص گردید تصاویر MODIS و شاخص­های ساخته شده دارای قابلیت لازم برای پایش خشکسالی می‌باشد. نتایج این تحقیق می­تواند گزینه مناسبی برای تصمیم­گیران به‌منظور بررسی نظارت، بررسی و حل‌وفصل شرایط خشکسالی مؤثر باشد و ضرورت تعریف نمایه­ای را دو چندان کند.

Drought is a complex natural hazard which can create significant impacts on society and environment. Given that this phenomenon varies across space and changes over time dependent on various factors (e.g., physical conditions and human activities), the available of spatiotemporal drought data enables a better monitoring and assessment of drought severity This study introduced the integrated multivariate drought index (iMDI) data, a new regional drought index, at 1 km spatial and monthly temporal resolutions for the Vietnamese Central Highlands over a 20-years period. The iMDI was developed recently which is a combination of vegetation condition index (VCI), the temperature condition index (TCI), and the evaporative stress index (ESI) based on the feature of scaling algorithms (i.e., normalisations and standardisation). The data were processed using the median values of MODIS time-series imagery obtained from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The iMDI datasets are available for monthly and annual drought monitoring between 2001 and 2020. Additionally, the datasets of VCI, TCI, and ESI were provided so that users can apply for their own purposes even though these data can directly obtain from GEE or other sources. Users, especially those without technical expertise, can reap the advantages of having open access to iDMI data. By doing so, they can reduce their expenses and the time required to process data. As such, this accessibility can promote the use of data for diverse applications, such as evaluating the impact of droughts on the environment and human activities and monitoring droughts regionally.

Summary: Propfol‐remifentanil‐based total intravenous anaesthesia has dominated recent clinical practice due to its favourable pharmacokinetic profile. Interruption in remifentanil supply has presented an opportunity to diversify or even avoid the use of opioids and consider adjuncts to propofol‐based total intravenous anaesthesia. Propofol, while a potent hypnotic, is not an effective analgesic. The administration of opioids, along with other adjuncts such as α‐2 adrenoceptor agonists, magnesium, lidocaine, ketamine and nitrous oxide provide surgical anaesthesia and avoids large doses of propofol being required. We provide an overview of both target‐control and manual infusion regimes for the alternative opioids: alfentanil, sufentanil and fentanyl. The optimal combination of hypnotic‐opioid dose, titration sequence and anticipated additional postoperative analgesia required depend on the chosen combination. In addition, we include a brief discussion on the role of non‐opioid adjuncts in total intravenous anaesthesia, suggested doses and expected reduction in propofol dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parenting practices are crucial to children's development and are important predictors of children's conduct problems. The aim of the current study was to test the mediating role of mothers' character traits on the relationship between their temperamental self-regulation and their parenting practices, and on their children's conduct problems. Method: A representative sample of 387 Israeli mothers of kindergarten children was recruited online. They completed questionnaires about their own effortful control (adult temperament questionnaire; ATQ), character traits (temperament and character inventory-revised (TCI-R), big five inventory (BFI)), and parenting practices (coping with children's negative emotions scale; CCNES), as well as conduct problems of their children (strengths and difficulties questionnaire; SDQ). Structural equation models were fitted, testing for direct and indirect connections, once with character traits drawn from the TCI and once with BFI traits. Results: In both analyses, the first model presented a significant direct effect between mothers' effortful control and children's conduct problems. When including mother's parenting and character (based on the TCI or on the BFI) in the model, the direct path became insignificant and significant mediation effects were found; specifically, the indirect path through the parenting practices, as well as the mediated mediation path through the parenting practices and character. Moreover, mediation effects were found between mothers' effortful control and parenting practices through some character traits. The selected models showed a good fit (e.g., NFI = 0.985; CFI = 0.997; RMSEA = 0.038). Discussion: Our findings emphasize the importance of the mother's mature personality characteristics, the mother's actual parental practices, and the crucial value of this path for predicting child behavior outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, drought affects all regions of Morocco, especially in the arid climate region, which has negative consequences on agriculture, economic and environmental. The present study aims to describe the intensity of drought in Morocco and more specifically their impact on the distribution of vegetation. Spatial and temporal remote sensing data are used to monitor drought in the Doukkala region of Morocco, using a set of Landsat images, including Landsat 5 (ETM), and Landsat 7 (ETM+) captured during the period 1964-2014. This was determined based on remote sensing parameters: temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was determined for the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009, in order to identify the vegetation categories and quantify the vegetation density in the Doukkala region. The NDVI obtained was analyzed using the SPI (Normalized Precipitation Index) based on the rainfall data of the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009. The results obtained showed that the correlation between NDVI and SPI indicated negative values or less than 1. The calculation of VHI showed low values (VHI < 40%) in one part of the studied area that indicate severe to extreme drought conditions, while in the other part the VHI showed high values (VHI > 40%), which mainly reflect favorable conditions for crop development (no drought). The results of this study can be used for monitoring and evaluation of the drought for sustainable management of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background About 3% to 8% of women of fertile age are thought to have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is regarded as a serious form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), although the details of this common condition remain unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the interrelations of childhood maltreatment, personality traits, and life stress in the etiology of PMS/PMDD. Methods A total of 240 adult female volunteers from a community in Japan were investigated, using the following 5 questionnaires: Patient Health Quesstionaire-9, Child Abuse and Trauma Scale, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Life Experiences Survey, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) scale. The questionnaire data were subjected to path analyses to clarify the association between childhood maltreatment and the severity of premenstrual symptoms, mediated by personality traits and life stress. Results The 2 path analysis models showed that high harm avoidance (HA) on the TCI and low self-directedness (SD) on the TCI had significant direct effects on the severity of premenstrual symptoms. Moreover, childhood maltreatment was associated with the severity of premenstrual symptoms, both directly and indirectly through personality traits. Conclusion Our findings suggest that HA on the TCI might be a risk factor for severe premenstrual symptoms among general women and furthermore that SD on the TCI may be a protective factor. In addition, childhood maltreatment is associated with severe premenstrual symptoms both directly and indirectly through personality traits.

Background Parenting practices are crucial to children’s development and are important predictors of children’s conduct problems. The aim of the current study was to test the mediating role of mothers’ character traits on the relationship between their temperamental self-regulation and their parenting practices, and on their children’s conduct problems. Method A representative sample of 387 Israeli mothers of kindergarten children was recruited online. They completed questionnaires about their own effortful control (adult temperament questionnaire; ATQ), character traits (temperament and character inventory-revised (TCI-R), big five inventory (BFI)), and parenting practices (coping with children’s negative emotions scale; CCNES), as well as conduct problems of their children (strengths and difficulties questionnaire; SDQ). Structural equation models were fitted, testing for direct and indirect connections, once with character traits drawn from the TCI and once with BFI traits. Results In both analyses, the first model presented a significant direct effect between mothers’ effortful control and children’s conduct problems. When including mother’s parenting and character (based on the TCI or on the BFI) in the model, the direct path became insignificant and significant mediation effects were found; specifically, the indirect path through the parenting practices, as well as the mediated mediation path through the parenting practices and character. Moreover, mediation effects were found between mothers’ effortful control and parenting practices through some character traits. The selected models showed a good fit (e.g., NFI = 0.985; CFI = 0.997; RMSEA = 0.038). Discussion Our findings emphasize the importance of the mother’s mature personality characteristics, the mother’s actual parental practices, and the crucial value of this path for predicting child behavior outcomes.

To investigate pharmacokinetics (PK) of fentanyl administered by target-controlled infusion (TCI), and to develop a PK model optimized by covariates for TCI in anaesthetized dogs. Prospective clinical study. A group of 20 client-owned dogs with spinal pain undergoing anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging. Fentanyl was administered as an infusion to 20 anaesthetized dogs using a TCI system incorporating a previously described fentanyl two-compartment PK. Arterial blood samples were collected at specific time points during the infusion and over 60 minutes post-infusion for measurement of fentanyl plasma concentrations. The predictive performance of the Sano PK model was assessed by comparing predicted and measured plasma concentrations. A population PK analysis was then performed using a nonlinear mixed-effect modelling approach, allowing inter- and intra-individual variability estimation. Finally, a quantitative stepwise evaluation of the influence of various covariates such as weight, body condition score, size, size-related age, sex and type of premedication on the PK model was considered. Overall predictive performance of the Sano PK set of variables was not clinically acceptable in anaesthetized dogs. Fentanyl PK was best described by a three-compartment model. Weight and sex were found to affect the volume of distribution of the central compartment. Addition of these two covariate/variable associations resulted in a reduction of the objective function value (OFV) from –340.18 to –448.34, and of the median population weighted residual and the median population absolute weighted residual from 16.1% and 38.6% to 3.9% and 20.3%, respectively. Fentanyl infusions at measured concentrations up to 5.4 ng mL–1 in sevoflurane-anaesthetized dogs resulted in stable anaesthesia and smooth recoveries without complications. A population three-compartment PK model for fentanyl TCI in anaesthetized dogs was developed. Weight and sex have been detected and incorporated as significant covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture drought is a recurrent phenomenon that affects most parts of Sahel regions. With the advent of various satellite data, drought risk assessment has become more accessible, but the challenge lies in choosing a well-defined time scale. This study aims to contribute to agricultural drought monitoring, based on the calculation of composite indices using the MODIS sensor in the Senegalese Groundnut basin. The approach is based upon vegetation condition and health (VCI, VHI) and temperature (TCI) indices. Subsequently, those indices were evaluated based upon crop yield data, and a Holt-Winter forecasting was performed to determine the driest month in 2020-2021. Here we show that all investigated communes are sensitive to drought, especially Keur-Samba Gueye (in July, September, and October). Based on its significant correlation with VCI and TCI (R²>0.57), VHI was proven to be a reliable water stress indicator. Our approach demonstrates the Groundnut basin’s vulnerability to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system is an alternative procedure for high-risk patients not suitable for conventional surgery. The MitraClip can be safely performed under general anesthesia (GA) or deep sedation (DS) with spontaneous breathing using a combination of propofol and remifentanil. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of target-controlled infusion (TCI) of remifentanil and administration of propofol during DS compared with manual administration of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) medication during GA in patients undergoing MitraClip. We assessed the impact of these procedures in terms of remifentanil dose, hemodynamic profile, adverse events, and days of hospital stay after the process. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 2013 to June 2015 (mean age 73.5 ± 9,54), patients underwent transcatheter MitraClip repair, 27 received DS via TCI and 27 GA with TIVA. RESULTS: Acute procedural success was 100%. DS-TCI group, in addition to a significant reduction of remifentanil dose administrated (249 μg vs. 2865, p < 0.01), resulted in a decrease in vasopressor drugs requirement for hemodynamic adjustments (29.6% vs. 63%, p = 0.03) during the procedure and a reduction of hypotension (p = 0.08). The duration of postoperative hospitalization did not differ between the two groups (5.4 days vs. 5.8 days, p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of remifentanil by TCI for DS in spontaneously breathing patients offers stable anesthesia conditions, with a lower amount of drugs, higher hemodynamic stability, and decreased side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to test the efficacy, reliability, and applicability of the Kvaal and Tooth Coronal Index (TCI) age determination techniques, and then to compare them with each other, as well as with the conventional anthropological age and sex determination techniques. Methods: The analyzed material originates from the medieval necropolis of the Vinča—Belo brdo site. During the research, 60 periapical (PA) and 30 orthopantomographic (OPT) images were analyzed. On each analyzed tooth, age assessment was performed using both TCI and Kvaal techniques. The obtained values of dental estimated age were compared with age estimated by anthropological analysis, and the deviations between the estimated and chronological age were analyzed in relation to the assessment technique, type of dental radiograph, tooth group, sex, and age. Results: The mean error between TCI and the osteological method was 8.44 (SD = 7.56, Min = 0.169, Max = 36.4) and between Kvaal and the osteological method was 7.71 (SD = 5.57, Min = 0.133, Max = 26.7). The average value of age recorded by TCI method was 32.5 years and by Kvaal method was 34.7 years. There was no statistically significant difference based on the two radiographic methods, gender, individual teeth, or tooth group pairs. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between age and the error present. Conclusion: Gender determination based only on the mandible has a high correlation with the anthropological gender determination. The Kvaal method and the TCI method have proven their efficiency, reliability, and applicability. Significant correlation has been observed between dental and anthropological age and sex determination methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased demand for simple, yet invasive and sometimes painful urological procedures in our unit, coupled with a relative lack of anaesthetists, prompted the search for appropriate safe alternatives to current practice, so to enable efficient, satisfactory, and safe interventions for patients. In response to this need, the Four‐Phase SedUROscopy Project has been developed, a plan in which identified Urology nurses take on a more active role in the anaesthetic procedure at the Lithotripsy and Endourology Unit. The aim of the project is to establish a specific care model that ensures the safety and satisfaction of patients undergoing minor endourological procedures, whilst also optimizing resources and empowering nurses and their practice. The SedUROscopy Project started with the training of five nurses (Phase 1: Theory). Subsequently, one of the nurses then began her practical course (Phase 2: up to 200 sedations). She carried out 90 sedations in patients in preparation for minor procedures. Remifentanil and Propofol were administrated using Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) pumps. The initial target plasma propofol concentration was 2 μg/ml, and the remifentanil one was 1 μg/ml. Doses were adjusted to achieve the right sedation. ECG, pulse oximetry, non‐invasive blood pressure and end‐tidal CO2 were monitored. Up to 10 different procedures were carried out. There were 37 oxygen desaturation events (41%), however they were solved with chin lift manoeuvres and mandibular subluxation (8.88%), use of Guedel tube (21.1%) and manual ventilation (11.1%). The intervention of the anaesthetist was not required in any of the cases, and all the patients involved in the sample were discharged the same day, free of any anaesthetic problem at all (100%). As the surveys indicated, the levels of satisfaction expressed by both patient and staff performing the technique were high (98%). The sedation performed by trained urology nurses using TCI has resulted in a provision of safe and effective procedures. Likewise, the patients' satisfaction was ensured. In conclusion, this model represents an optimal use of resources: not only because just a single anaesthetist could supervise two operation theatres, but also nurses could control the patients pain due to their knowledge of endourological procedures and the sedation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been suggested that individual differences in temperament could be involved in the (non-)response to antidepressant (AD) treatment. However, how neurobiological processes such as brain glucose metabolism may relate to personality features in the treatment-resistant depressed (TRD) state remains largely unclear. Methods: To examine how brainstem metabolism in the TRD state may predict Cloninger's temperament dimensions Harm Avoidance (HA), Novelty Seeking (NS), and Reward Dependence (RD), we collected 18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG PET) scans in 40 AD-free TRD patients. All participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). We applied a multiple kernel learning (MKL) regression to predict the HA, NS, and RD from brainstem metabolic activity, the origin of respectively serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic neurotransmitter (NT) systems. Results: The MKL model was able to significantly predict RD but not HA and NS from the brainstem metabolic activity. The MKL pattern regression model identified increased metabolic activity in the pontine nuclei and locus coeruleus, the medial reticular formation, the dorsal/median raphe, and the ventral tegmental area that contributed to the predictions of RD. Conclusions: The MKL algorithm identified a likely metabolic marker in the brainstem for RD in major depression. Although 18FDG PET does not investigate specific NT systems, the predictive value of brainstem glucose metabolism on RD scores however indicates that this temperament dimension in the TRD state could be mediated by different monoaminergic systems, all involved in higher order reward-related behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) has been widely used worldwide to develop crop yield forecasting models. However, it is still challenging to identify the most critical features from a dataset. Although either feature selection (FS) or feature extraction (FX) techniques have been employed, no research compares their performances and, more importantly, the benefits of combining both methods. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework that uses non-feature reduction (All-F) as a baseline to investigate the performance of FS, FX, and a combination of both (FSX). The case study employs the vegetation condition index (VCI)/temperature condition index (TCI) to develop 21 rice yield forecasting models for eight sub-regions in Vietnam based on ML methods, namely linear, support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (Tree), artificial neural network (ANN), and Ensemble. The results reveal that FSX takes full advantage of the FS and FX, leading FSX-based models to perform the best in 18 out of 21 models, while 2 (1) for FS-based (FX-based) models. These FXS-, FS-, and FX-based models improve All-F-based models at an average level of 21% and up to 60% in terms of RMSE. Furthermore, 21 of the best models are developed based on Ensemble (13 models), Tree (6 models), linear (1 model), and ANN (1 model). These findings highlight the significant role of FS, FX, and specially FSX coupled with a wide range of ML algorithms (especially Ensemble) for enhancing the accuracy of predicting crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folia Pharmacologica Japonica is the property of Japanese Pharmacological Society 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 Tunnel Contour Quality Index (TCI) is an index established by Kim and Bruland for an effective management of a tunnel contour quality. It is estimated on a basis of measurements of two contour profiles within a single blasting round, using a laser profiler. However, the representativeness of measurement results obtained that way for the assessment of a contour quality of the entire blasting round is disputable. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology, combined with available numerical surface modeling tools, enables development of three-dimensional models of a monitored surface. The article reports results of TCI calculations based on TLS data. The presented TLS technique is based not only on selected cross-sections of the tunnel contour but also on the description of the morphology of the tunnel contour surface. The case study concerns measurements of the “Mały Luboń” tunnel niche, located in Naprawa, Poland. The TCI values for three blasting rounds were determined in accordance with Kim and Bruland's guidelines and were compared to TCI values determined with the proposed TLS technique. On a basis of this comparison, it can be concluded that the results obtained with the TLS technique are more reliable and representative for description of the contour quality of the entire blasting round than results obtained with the laser profiling technique.

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Desert Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) 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.)

Drought is a situation of lack of rainfall and rising temperatures that occurs in any geographical area and in any climate, even in humid areas. The frequency and severity of drought are higher in arid and semi-arid regions. Drought occurs without notice and has a wide range of impacts unlike other natural disasters. The damage caused by drought is intangible but very large and costly. Therefore, the basis of a regular program for better management according to past events requires drought monitoring. Meteorological drought indices are calculated directly from meteorological data such as rainfall. In the absence of such data, they will not be useful in monitoring drought. Therefore, remote sensing technique can be a useful tool in drought monitoring. In this study, the relationship between standardized precipitation index (SPI index) and remote sensing indices of VCI, TCI and VHI in Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Markazi, and Qom provinces was investigated. Using satellite images of Modis Terra sensor and precipitation data of rain gauge and synoptic stations located in the studied area, the changes occurred over a period of 10 years was calculated. For this purpose, four months (April, May, June, and July) were selected as a sample by reviewing the data of existing stations and using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) model. In this study, due to time accuracy, high spectrum coverage, ease of access, no need for atmospheric correction and ground reference, images with code (MOD11A2 and MOD13A2) of Modis satellite sensor products related to the years 2011 to 2020 due to confidence of wet and drought phenomena was used and then SPI index was compared with VCI, TCI, and VHI indices in combination. The results of drought monitoring showed that during the tenyear period, there was severe drought in some years, and in the same year, less rainfall occurred. In 2020, for example, the drought was very severe, and in 2011 it was very wet. The results of the correlation between SPI index and remote sensing indices showed that SPI index has the highest correlation with VCI index at the level of 0.01. It was found that MODIS images and constructed indices have the necessary capability for drought monitoring. The results of this study can be a good option for decision makers to monitor, investigate and resolve drought conditions and double the need to define an index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognosis of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is closely related to both immune cell infiltration and mRNA expression. Therefore, we aimed at conducting multi-immune-related gene analyses to improve the prediction of CCA recurrence. Immunerelated genes were selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was used to establish the multi-gene model that was significantly correlated with the recurrence-free survival (RFS) in two test series. Furthermore, compared with single genes, clinical characteristics, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE), and tumor inflammation signature (TIS), the 8-immune-related differentially expressed genes (8-IRDEGs) signature had a better prediction value. Moreover, the high-risk subgroup had a lower density of B-cell, plasma, B-cell naïve, CD8+ T-cell, CD8+ T-cell naïve, and CD8+ T-cell memory infiltration, as well as more severe immunosuppression and higher mutation counts. In conclusion, the 8-IRDEGs signature was a promising biomarker for distinguishing the prognosis and the molecular and immune features of CCA, and could be beneficial to the individualized immunotherapy for CCA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core aims of the present study are first to compute the Scaled Drought Condition Index (SDCI) by integrating Precipitation Condition Index (PCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) for the northeast (NE) monsoon period during the year 2000 to 2019 in the tropical semi-arid ecosystem of Tamil Nadu (TN) state of southern India. Secondly, to assess the dynamics of vulnerability to agricultural drought by using SDCI and identify the critical vulnerability zones in TN state. The PCI, TCI, and VCI were computed from time-series Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) products, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance of MOD11A2, and vegetation indices of MOD13Q1, respectively. The results explain that about 0.1, 13.0, and 39.5% of TN state especially in the northern, NE, western, and southern zones are vulnerable to extreme, severe, and moderate vulnerability to agricultural drought, respectively. In the drought year (2016), about 79.9% area of TN state experienced extreme vulnerability to agricultural drought. The validation of SDCI with the 3-month Standardized Precipitation Index (3-SPI) and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) for the dry year (2016) and wet year (2010) shows a moderate to a strong a positive correlation. It evidently shows the influence of rainfall on overall vegetation and agricultural drought. The study amply reveals that PCI, TCI, and VCI are the most important indices associated with agricultural drought and are clearly explained by the robust SDCI computed from temporal CHIRPS and MODIS datasets in the effective assessment of vulnerability to agricultural drought in the TN state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to investigate the role of presence in an anxiety-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and explain possible individual differences in the feeling of presence. More specifically, it was investigated if the feeling of presence (a) differed by personality and (b) affected individual levels of anxiety. This study utilized the psychobiological model of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to study personality in the context of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). In total, thirty six individuals participated in a lab experiment in which anxiety-inducing VR content was experienced through a head-mounted display. The results suggested that individuals with high levels of cooperativeness and self-transcendence experienced increased levels of presence, which further enhanced cognitive anxiety levels. On a physiological level, cooperativeness and reward dependence enhanced somatic anxiety (respiration), but presence was not a significant mediating factor.

Drought is a slowly progressing and complex natural phenomenon, so the nature of drought events remains unclear. Remote sensing is preferred as an effective tool for finding, evaluating, and monitoring drought especially for large areas throughout long-term periods by providing near real-time and accurate data. Besides, Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a cloud-based service to provide analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets. The ability of GEE as a remote sensing platform to analyze high-impact societal issues, including water management diseases, disaster, deforestation, and climate monitoring environmental protection, offers it as the best option for drought monitoring. Here, Vegetation Health Index (VHI) index that combines Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and Temperature Condition Index (TCI) has been chosen for agricultural drought assessment in a case study (Aegean Region of Turkey) from 2000 to 2018 (19 years). Thence, the land surface temperature (LST) data and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor have been used and analyzed as remotely sensed data. The major data processing steps have been efficiently done on the GEE platform. Also, the time series and periodic behavior of these satellite-based indices have been examined. Besides, as the meteorological drought index, Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) time series were calculated for the region in question at different time scales (SPEI3, SPEI6, SPEI12, etc.) from 1980 to 2018 (39 years). Also, the frequency analysis of both satellite-based and meteorological station-based indices has been done. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for satellite-based indices frequency analyzing and Wavelet Transform (WT) for time-frequency analyzing of SPEI sequence have been used. Cross Wavelet (XWT), and Coherence Wavelet (CWT) were used to evaluate the time-frequency relationship of the satellite-based and the meteorological station-based time series.

Overall health condition of the vegetation is obtained by combining satellite data derived moisture and thermal stresses present in vegetation condition index (VCI) and thermal condition index (TCI), respectively and improves the accuracy of drought classification. Although vegetation health index fuses the information present in VCI and TCI, the relative contribution of each index depends on prior knowledge of the study area. Therefore, the random weighing method is used to obtain optimal weights of VCI and TCI based on variances of individual indices. The obtained fusion results of a normal and drought year demonstrate that the random weighing fusion achieves better estimation of agriculture drought without requiring apriori information and the obtained drought classification results are in line with the available ground truth precipitation records. In addition, the correlation analysis of the obtained optimal weights and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index exhibited a strong correlation with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of above 0.8. The study also showed that the relative contribution of VCI is prevalent in normal conditions while TCI in dry to extreme dry conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: About 3% to 8% of women of fertile age are thought to have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is regarded as a serious form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), although the details of this common condition remain unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the interrelations of childhood maltreatment, personality traits, and life stress in the etiology of PMS/PMDD. Methods: A total of 240 adult female volunteers from a community in Japan were investigated, using the following 5 questionnaires: Patient Health Quesstionaire-9, Child Abuse and Trauma Scale, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Life Experiences Survey, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) scale. The questionnaire data were subjected to path analyses to clarify the association between childhood maltreatment and the severity of premenstrual symptoms, mediated by personality traits and life stress. Results: The 2 path analysis models showed that high harm avoidance (HA) on the TCI and low self-directedness (SD) on the TCI had significant direct effects on the severity of premenstrual symptoms. Moreover, childhood maltreatment was associated with the severity of premenstrual symptoms, both directly and indirectly through personality traits. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that HA on the TCI might be a risk factor for severe premenstrual symptoms among general women and furthermore that SD on the TCI may be a protective factor. In addition, childhood maltreatment is associated with severe premenstrual symptoms both directly and indirectly through personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether temperament modifies an association between polygenic intelligence potential and cognitive test performance in midlife. The participants (n = 1647, born between 1962 and 1977) were derived from the Young Finns Study. Temperament was assessed with Temperament and Character Inventory over a 15‐year follow‐up (1997, 2001, 2007, 2012). Polygenic intelligence potential was assessed with a polygenic score for intelligence. Cognitive performance (visual memory, reaction time, sustained attention, spatial working memory) was assessed with CANTAB in midlife. The PGSI was significantly associated with the overall cognitive performance and performance in visual memory, sustained attention and working memory tests but not reaction time test. Temperament did not correlate with polygenic score for intelligence and did not modify an association between the polygenic score and cognitive performance, either. High persistence was associated with higher visual memory (B = 0.092; FDR‐adj. p = 0.007) and low harm avoidance with higher overall cognitive performance, specifically better reaction time (B = −0.102; FDR‐adj; p = 0.007). The subscales of harm avoidance had different associations with cognitive performance: higher "anticipatory worry," higher "fatigability," and lower "shyness with strangers" were associated with lower cognitive performance, while the role of "fear of uncertainty" was subtest‐related. In conclusion, temperament does not help or hinder one from realizing their genetic potential for intelligence. The overall modest relationships between temperament and cognitive performance advise caution if utilizing temperament‐related information e.g. in working‐life recruitments. Cognitive abilities may be influenced by temperament variables, such as the drive for achievement and anxiety about test performance, but they involve distinct systems of learning and memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural drought seriously affects the economies of developing countries due to heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. The present study aimed to assess agricultural drought based on vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI) using geospatial techniques, the case of Gilgel Gibe sub-basin southern Ethiopia. Landsat images of TM 1990, ETM + of 2000 and OLI/TIRS of 2020 were used to calculate VCI and VHI for assessing agricultural drought. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) were used to estimate agricultural drought through VCI and VHI. The result revealed that NDVI declined from 1990 to 2020 due to expansion of agricultural lands and other socioeconomic activities. The output of VCI values indicates that extreme drought was increased from 0.3 km2 in 1990 to.4 km2 and 0.7 km2 in 2000 and 2020, respectively. In addition, severe drought occurred in 2020 on an area of 6 km2 (0.1%). Consequently, moderate drought was increased by area of 3.3 km2, 22.2 km2 and 1051.1 km2 in 1990, 2000 and 2020, respectively, based on VHI in the study area. Thus, to minimize the negative effects of agricultural drought on socioeconomic and well-being of the society in the Gilgel Gibe sub-basin forest and other natural resources conservations are essentials not optional. To alleviate the detrimental consequences of agricultural drought on socioeconomic and well-being, forest and other natural resources conservation is necessary. Moreover, detailed research should be conducted in the study area by using high-resolution satellite data with ground control points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keisuke Noto,1 Akihito Suzuki,1 Toshinori Shirata,1 Yoshihiko Matsumoto,1 Nana Takahashi,1 Kaoru Goto,2 Koichi Otani1 1Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan; 2Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata 990-9585, JapanCorrespondence: Toshinori Shirata Email white_gregory000@yahoo.co.jpPurpose: Attachment research shows that attachment experiences with parents in childhood influence the characterization of personality traits. Meanwhile, it is known that mu-opioid receptor function is involved in human attachment. Furthermore, a few studies suggest that the A118G polymorphism of the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is associated with altered mu-opioid receptor function. Thus, we examined if the OPRM1 polymorphism moderates the sensitivity to parental behaviors and thereby contributes to the characterization of personality traits.Materials and Methods: Participants were 725 healthy Japanese. Parenting practices of their parents were evaluated by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) with the care and protection subscales. Personality was evaluated using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The OPRM1 A118G polymorphism was detected by a PCR method.Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed significant effects of the interaction between the OPRM1 genotype and maternal protection on scores of the self-directedness and cooperativeness dimensions, while significant main effects of the OPRM1 genotype on scores of the TCI were not found. Further analyses showed that there were significant negative correlations between maternal protection scores and the two dimensional scores in the A/A and A/G genotypes with higher correlation coefficients in the former, but not in the G/G genotype.Conclusion: The present study suggests that the OPRM1 polymorphism contributes to the characterization of personality traits by moderating the sensitivity to parental behaviors, especially maternal protection.Keywords: OPRM1, attachment, personality, PBI, TCI, gene–environment interaction