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ABSTRACT Water infrastructure and flood mitigation projects are currently designed assuming a stationary climate. However, increased frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall events questions the stationary climate assumption. The reality of non-stationary rainfall extremes should be properly considered in the design of water infrastructure and flood mitigation projects, because the extreme value distribution models with constant parameters may no longer be valid under non-stationary climate conditions. In this study, first extreme rainfall frequency analysis in Victoria (Australia) was conducted through generalized extreme value ( GEV) models under non-stationary and stationary climate conditions, and superiority of non-stationary GEV models over stationary models was investigated. High quality extreme rainfall data (i.e. annual maximums) from 23 stations in Victoria for storm durations ranging from 10 min to 48 h were used for frequency analysis. In developing the non-stationary extreme rainfall models, both the time dependency and the dependency to indices of climate oscillations affecting Australian rainfall variability were investigated. It was found that none of the non-stationary GEV models was superior to stationary GEV models. Therefore, the stationary GEV models were used to determine the spatial variability of rainfall intensity-frequency-duration relationships in Victoria. In general, low rainfall intensity estimates in the Western Region (except southern portion for long storm durations) were found in Victoria, whereas high rainfall intensity estimates were detected mostly in the Central and Northern Regions for short storm durations and in the Gippsland Region for long storm durations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent climate change impact studies suggest that current rainfall intensity-frequency- duration (IFD) curves are likely to change as a result of climate change. In this paper, an effort was made to quantify the changing character of storm IFD curves using data of four consecutive 30-year time slices from 1880 to 2010. The Melbourne Regional Office rainfall data were used for the purposes of the study. Annual maximum series and generalised extreme value distribution were employed to derive the IFD curves using the data of different time slices and the whole period. Results of IFD curves produced from data for the whole period and the current IFD procedure in Australia, described in Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR), showed that the former had produced higher intensities for all sub-hourly storms of return periods of 10 to 100 years compared to the latter, and vice versa for return periods below 10 years. For all other storm durations (ie. 1-72 hours) and for short return periods (<10 years), the current ARR method had generated more intense storms. The above results demonstrate that there is a need to conduct further analysis to investigate changing character of storm IFD curves using rainfall data at several stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Er,Cr: YSGG laser is a rising treatment option for dentine hypersensitivity ( DH). However, there is no data available concerning the scanning electron microscope ( SEM) evaluation of the clinical application of Er,Cr: YSGG laser in the treatment of DH. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the desensitising and tubule occlusion effects of Er,Cr: YSGG laser with different power settings. Twenty patients (60 teeth) participated in this study. For each patient, teeth were randomised to 3 groups. In groups 1 and 2, patients were treated with Er,Cr: YSGG laser at 0·25 and 0·5 W, respectively. In control group, same laser was applied without laser emission. DH was assessed for all groups with a visual analogue scale ( VAS). When compared with the baseline data and control group, in both active treatment groups laser irradiation provided a desensitising effect immediately after treatment ( P < 0·001). In group 2, VAS scores were significantly lower than group 1. The tubule diameters in the both laser groups were significantly smaller than the control group ( P < 0·01). When group 1 compared with group 2, group 2 showed significantly smaller tubule diameters ( P < 0·001). Both 0·25 and 0·5 W laser irradiation were effective for the treatment of DH; however, 0·5 W laser irradiation showed best results for the decrease in VAS scores. The SEM findings of the reduction in number/patency of dentine tubules seem to be related to the clinical findings, which were associated with improvement in treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the processes most affected by global warming are the hydrological cycle and water resources. Regions where the majority of runoff consists of snowmelt are very sensitive to climate change. It is significant to express the relationship between climate change and snow hydrology and it is imperative to perform climate change impact studies on snow hydrology at global and regional scales. Climate change impacts on the mountainous Upper Euphrates Basin were investigated in this paper. First, historical data trend analysis of significant hydro-meteorological data is presented. Available future climate data are then explained, and, finally, future climate data are used in hydrological models, which are calibrated and validated using historical hydro-meteorological data, and future streamflow is projected for the period 2070–2100. The hydrological model outcomes indicate substantial runoff decreases in summer and spring season runoff, which will have significant consequences on water sectors in the Euphrates Basin. Citation Yilmaz, A.G. & Imteaz, M.A. (2011) Impact of climate change on runoff in the upper part of the Euphrates basin. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(7), 1265–1279. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the author of the article "Time-varying character of storm intensity frequency and duration curves" by AG Yilmaz and collegues" in the previous issue is presented.

West Nile fever is a vector-borne viral disease affecting animals and humans causing significant health and economic problems globally. This study was aimed at investigating circulating West Nile virus (WNV) strains in free-ranging corvids in Istanbul, Turkey. Brain, liver, and kidney were collected from corvids (n = 34) between June 2019 and April 2020 and analyzed for the presence of WNV-specific RNA by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, histopathologic and immunohistochemical examinations were also performed. Samples found to be positive by qRT-PCR were partially sequenced. WNV-specific RNA was detected in 8 of 34 corvids analyzed, which included 7 hooded crows (Corvus cornix) and 1 Eurasian magpie (Pica pica). Phylogenetic analysis based on partial WNV sequences from the 8 WNV-positive corvids identified in this study revealed that all sequences clustered within the WNV lineage-2; they were at least 97% homologues to WNV lineage-2 sequences from Slovakia, Italy, Czechia, Hungary, Senegal, Austria, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Germany. WNV sequences showed a divergence (87.94–94.46%) from sequences reported from Romania, Central African Republic, South Africa, Madagascar, Israel, and Cyprus, which clustered into a different clade of WNV lineage-2. Common histopathologic findings of WNV-positive corvids included lymphoplasmacytic hepatitis, myocarditis, and splenitis. The liver and heart were found to be the tissues most consistently positive for WNV-specific antigen by immunohistochemistry, followed by the kidney and brain. This study demonstrates for the first time the existence of WNV virus belonging to the genetic lineage-2 in resident corvids in Istanbul, Turkey. We hypothesize that the WNV strains circulating in Istanbul are possibly the result of a spillover event from Europe. Since WNV is a zoonotic pathogen transmitted by mosquito vectors, the emergence of WNV in Istanbul also poses a risk to humans and other susceptible animals in this densely populated city and needs to be addressed by animal and public health authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs) can spread across continents via migratory birds. Hence, we investigated the frequency of NDV in both non-migratory and birds migrating on the Black Sea-Mediterranean flyway, in Istanbul, Turkey. Birds were trapped using nets placed around the Kucukcekmece lake Avcilar, Istanbul, in spring seasons of 2016 and 2018. In total, 297 birds belonging to 42 different species were trapped, categorized according to species and sex, and flocked oropharyngeal swabs were collected. In addition, flocked swabs were also collected from 115 mallards caught by hunters around Edirne and from 207 birds which had been treated in the Veterinary Faculty of Istanbul university-Cerrahpasa. Tissue samples were taken from dead wild birds brought by public to Veterinary Faculty. A total of 619 flocked oropharyngeal swabs were pooled into 206 samples. RNA was extracted from swabs and tissue samples. Real-time RT-PCR prob. assay was used to detect NDV-RNA in samples. Results: There was no amplification in real time RT-PCR in samples taken from wild birds caught by traps. However, amplification of NDV-F gene was observed in oropharyngeal swabs taken from 2 waterfowls (Common Moorhen and Mallard), and in tissue samples taken from 2 little owls and 1 common kestrel. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of these 5 samples for NDV-F gene showed great similarity with NDV subgenotype VII.2 viruses. Analysis also showed that there is a high similarity with the F gene sequences previously reported from Turkey in 2012 and as well as the sequences from neighbouring countries Bulgaria and Georgia and geographically close country such as Pakistan. Although the strains found in this study are closely related, there is a relatively small degree of molecular divergence within 543 bp of F gene of the Turkish NDV isolate and strains detected in Israel, Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Belgium. Conclusions: Our findings revealed the presence of subgenotype VII.2 of NDVs in wild birds in north west of Turkey and demonstrated some degree of molecular evolution when compared to the earlier NDV-VII.2 isolate in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a valid and reliable tool to measure triadic decision making between older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC), their informal caregivers and geriatricians.Methods: Video observational study with cross-sectional assessment of interaction during medical consultations between geriatricians (n = 10), patients (n = 108) and informal caregivers (68) by three calibrated raters at the geriatric outpatient department of two Dutch hospitals. The Observer OPTIONMCC instrument was developed, based on the 'Dynamic model of SDM in frail older patients' and the 'Observing Patient Involvement in Decision Making - 5 item scale' (Observer OPTION-5).Results: Factor analysis confirms that it is acceptable to regard the new scale as a single construct. The 7-item single factor solution explained 62.76% of the variability for geriatricians, 61.60% of the variability for patients and 54.32% of the variability for informal caregivers. The inter-rater ICC for the total Observer OPTIONMCC score was .96, .96, and .95 (resp. geriatricians, patients, informal caregivers), with values ranging from .60 to .95 for individual items, showing good levels of agreement.Conclusion and Practice Implications: We conclude that Observer OPTIONMCC is sufficiently valid and reliable to be used for the assessment of triadic SDM in populations of older patients with MCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]