Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease Using Null Longitudinal Model-Based Classifiers

Incipient Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by a slow onset of clinical symptoms, with pathological brain changes starting several years earlier. Consequently, it is necessary to first understand and differentiate age-related changes in brain regions in the absence of disease, and then to support early and accurate AD diagnosis. However, there is poor understanding of the initial stage of AD; seemingly healthy elderly brains lose matter in regions related to AD, but similar changes can also be found in non-demented subjects having mild cognitive impairment (MCI). By using a Linear Mixed Effects approach, we modelled the change of 166 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based biomarkers available at a 5-year follow up on healthy elderly control (HC, n = 46) subjects. We hypothesized that, by identifying their significant variant (vr) and quasi-variant (qvr) brain regions over time, it would be possible to obtain an age-based null model, which would characterize their normal atrophy and growth patterns as well as the correlation between these two regions. By using the null model on those subjects who had been clinically diagnosed as HC (n = 161), MCI (n = 209) and AD (n = 331), normal age-related changes were estimated and deviation scores (residuals) from the observed MRI-based biomarkers were computed. Subject classification, as well as the early prediction of conversion to MCI and AD, were addressed through residual-based Support Vector Machines (SVM) modelling. We found reductions in most cortical volumes and thicknesses (with evident gender differences) as well as in sub-cortical regions, including greater atrophy in the hippocampus. The average accuracies (ACC) recorded for men and women were: AD-HC: 94.11%, MCI-HC: 83.77% and MCI converted to AD (cAD)-MCI non-converter (sMCI): 76.72%. Likewise, as compared to standard clinical diagnosis methods, SVM classifiers predicted the conversion of cAD to be 1.9 years earlier for females (ACC:72.5%) and 1.4 years earlier for males (ACC:69.0%).
Multiphase-flow numerical modeling of the 18 May 1980 lateral blast at Mount St. Helens, USA

Volcanic lateral blasts are among the most spectacular and devastating of natural phenomena, but their dynamics are still poorly understood. Here we investigate the best documented and most controversial blast at Mount St. Helens (Washington State, United States), on 18 May 1980. By means of three-dimensional multiphase numerical simulations we demonstrate that the blast front propagation, final runout, and damage can be explained by the emplacement of an unsteady, stratified pyroclastic density current, controlled by gravity and terrain morphology. Such an interpretation is quantitatively supported by large-scale observations at Mount St. Helens and will influence the definition and predictive mapping of hazards on blast-dangerous volcanoes worldwide.
Factors related to the self-application of insulin in subjects with diabetes mellitus

Objective: To identify the factors associated with the self-application of insulin in adult individuals with Diabetes Mellitus. Method: A cross-sectional study developed in the city of Viçosa-MG, which assessed 142 patients. The data collection was performed between April and July 2013 through an interview at the participant’s home. Multiple logistic regression was used. Results: The prevalence of the self-administration of insulin was of 67.6%, and it was associated with ages between 57 and 68 years old (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.9), living with a partner and children (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.0), 9 years or more of study (OR = 8.4, 95% CI: 1.9-37.9), living in an area not covered by the Family Health Strategy (FHS) (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1 7.0). Conclusion: The self-application of insulin was associated with age, schooling, marital status, and the FHS coverage. The recognition of these factors may contribute to the adherence to the self-application of insulin.
Ocean bottom pressure waves predicted in the tropical Pacific

Using a mass‐conserving (non‐Boussinesq) Pacific Ocean model and TOPEX/POSEIDON sea‐surface height measurements, we document previously unreported bottom pressure waves (BPWs), associated with large‐amplitude eddies (vortices) both north and south of the Equator. The bottom pressure signals, defined as the vertically integrated water‐mass anomalies, are found to propagate westward across the Pacific Ocean with an approximate 4‐mbar amplitude (1 mbar = 100 Newton/m2, approximately equivalent to 1 cm of sea surface height), continuously interacting with topographic features. Their wavelength is about 1100 kilometers, phase speed is about 0.5 m/s, and period is about 30‐days, all consistent with the known properties of tropical instability waves (TIWs). These results suggest that the constantly evolving tropical instability eddies might have strong bottom pressure signals, therefore, likely alias the U.S.‐German Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements, which have a monthly‐sampling period.
Deglaciation of the eastern flank of the north patagonian icefield and associated continental‐scale lake diversions

ABSTRACT. We examine the deglaciation of the eastern flank of the North Patagonian Icefield between latitudes 46° and 48°S in an attempt to link the chronology of the Last Glacial Maximum moraines and those close to present‐day outlet glaciers. The main features of the area are three shorelines created by ice‐dammed lakes that drained eastwards to the Atlantic. On the basis of 16 14C and exposure age dates we conclude that there was rapid glacier retreat at 15–16 ka (calendar ages) that saw glaciers retreat 90–125 km to within 20 km of their present margins. There followed a phase of glacier and lake stability at 13.6–12.8 ka. The final stage of deglaciation occurred at c. 12.8 ka, a time when the lake suddenly drained, discharging nearly 2000 km3 to the Pacific Ocean. This latter event marks the final separation of the North and South Patagonian Icefields. The timing of the onset of deglaciation and its stepped nature are similar to elsewhere in Patagonia and the northern hemisphere. However, the phase of lake stability, coinciding with the Antarctic Cold Reversal and ending during the Younger Dryas interval, mirrors climatic trends as recorded in Antarctic ice cores. The implication is that late‐glacial changes in southern Patagonia were under the influence of the Antarctic realm and out of phase with those of the northern hemisphere.
LETTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS Clinical Utility of Bedside Multibeam Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging in a Patient With Multiple Basal Cell Carcinomas

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology allows for real-time invivo imagingof the skin, and it has been demonstrated to be accurate in identifying the diagnostic features of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). When used in conjunction with clinical observation, OCT improved the diagnostic accuracy for BCC to 87.4%, compared with 65.8% for clinical assessment and 76.2% for dermoscopic evaluation. Furthermore, sensitivity and specificity for OCT evaluation of BCC were shown to be approximately 93%and80%, respectively, significantly higher than clinical evaluation or dermoscopy alone. Other studies have shown a reliable correlation betweenOCT and histopathology for lesions of squamous cell carcinoma in situ as well as BCC. In this article, we report a case which illustrates the clinical utility of bedside OCT imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple superficial BCCs.
Middle Eocene Pelagornithidae and Gaviiformes (Aves) from the Ukrainian Paratethys

Abstract: We describe avian remains from Novopskov, a new middle Eocene marine locality in Ukraine. The fossils constitute the most substantial collection of Palaeogene bird bones from Eastern Europe and contribute to a better knowledge of the Paratethyan seabird fauna. Most of the specimens belong to Pelagornithidae (bony‐toothed birds), and two species of very different size can be distinguished. The larger of these is tentatively referred to Dasornis sp. , the smaller to Odontopteryx toliapica. The specimens include skeletal elements that were not described for Palaeogene bony‐toothed birds and document previously unknown morphological differences between Palaeogene and Neogene Pelagornithidae. It is argued that the purported crane Eobalearica tugarinovi, from the middle Eocene of Kyrgyzstan, is probably also a bony‐toothed bird. A new genus and species of small Gaviiformes, Colymbiculus udovinchenkoi, is described, which is the earliest fossil record of a loon from Europe, preceding the next oldest specimens by more than 10 myr. The Ukrainian fossils document profound differences between middle Eocene and extant marine avifaunas of Europe, and whereas the middle Eocene Paratethyan avifauna appears to have been similar to that of the North Sea with regard to pelagornithid diversity, the absence of prophaethontids and relative abundance of Gaviiformes may indicate faunistic differences concerning the remaining seabirds.
Comparing Simulated and Experimental Hysteretic Two‐Phase Transient Fluid Flow Phenomena

A hysteretic model for two-phase permeability (k)-saturation (S)-pressure (P) relations is outlined that accounts for effects of nonwetting fluid entrapment. The model can be employed in unsaturated fluid flow computer codes to predict temporal and spatial fluid distributions. Consideration is given to hysteresis in S-P relations caused by contact angle, irregular pore geometry, and nonwetting fluid entrapment effects and to hysteresis in k-S relations caused by nonwetting fluid entrapment effects. An air-water flow experiment is conducted with a 72-cm vertical soil column where the water table is fluctuated to generate scanning S-P paths. Water contents are measured via a gamma radiation system, and water pressures are measured via pressure transducers connected to ceramic tensiometers inserted in the soil column. Computer simulations of the experiment employing the hysteretic k-S-P model and a nonhysteretic k-S-P are compared with measured water contents and pressures. Close agreement is found between experimental water contents and those predicted by a numerical code employing the hysteretic k-S-P relations. When nonhysteretic k-S-P constitutive relations are utilized, there is poor agreement between measured and predicted water saturations of the scanning paths. Only one more parameter is needed to model two-phase hysteretic fluid behavior than to model nonhysteretic behavior. Results of this study suggest that consideration should be given to effects of hysteresis in k-S-P relations to accurately predict fluid distributions.
Survival Rate of Renal Transplant and Factors Affecting Renal Transplant Failure.

OBJECTIVES The most important complication in kidney transplant is acute/chronic rejection. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting kidney rejection and transplant survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this survival analysis study, 352 patients (mean follow-up of 12.9 ± 4.4 years) who underwent renal biopsy due to increased creatinine level from 2012 to 2016 were identified by glomerular filtration rate level and rejection. Probable factors affecting renal function and survival rate after transplant rejection were assessed. P < . 05 was considered as significant. RESULTS Among our study patients, 40.9% developed early and 59.1% developed late acute kidney injury. Graft survival rates at 1 and 5 years were 98.9% and 68.5%, respectively, which was significant when rejection type was considered (P = .002). In addition, patient survival rates at 1 and 5 years were 99.7% and 98.6%, respectively. Graft survival at 5 years was significantly lower among older subjects, those with diabetes, those who received deceased donor organs, and those with late acute kidney injury (P < .002). Patient survival was significantly higher among young patients, those with systemic lupus erythematosus, those who received living donor organs, and those without cytomegalovirus infection (P < .003). CONCLUSIONS We observed that recipient age, type of donor, underlying disease, infection, and late acute kidney injury had great negative impacts on renal dysfunction and survival. In our center, because of the large number of kidney transplants from deceased donors, the necessity of antithymocyte globulin induction therapy was considered, since this study showed that patients who received rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction had better outcomes.
Low‐frequency inertia‐gravity waves in the stratosphere revealed by three‐week continuous observation with the MU radar

Continuous observations over three weeks were performed with the MU radar at Shigaraki, Japan (35N, 136E) in April of 1995. By integrating radar echo spectra over 30 min after removing severe interferences, winds were successfully estimated offline up to 24 km in the lower stratosphere. It was found that inertia‐gravity waves with a period of about 20 h and a vertical wavelength of 3.5 km are dominant near 22 km in a region of weak background winds. Four wave packets were fitted to plane waves by a least‐squares method and wave parameters were estimated theoretically. The inertia‐gravity waves propagate energy upward, and their horizontal phase velocity is westward in the range −10 to −20 m s−1. The waves have large momentum fluxes of about −0.002 Nm−2. This result suggests that inertia‐gravity wave drag may contribute to the formation of easterlies in the summer stratosphere.
Land cover attributes and their utility within land cover mapping: a practical example

A disaggregated approach to land cover survey is developed utilising data primitives. A field methodology is developed to characterise five attributes: species composition, cover, height, structure and density. The utility of these data primitives, as land cover ‘building blocks’ is demonstrated via classification of the field data to multiple land cover schema. Per-pixel classification algorithms, trained on the basis of the classified field data, are utilised to classify a SPOT 5 satellite image. The resultant land cover maps have overall accuracies approaching 80%. However, significantly lower validation accuracies are demonstrated to be a function of sample fraction. The aggregation of attributes to classes under-utilises the potential of remote sensing data to describe variability in vegetation composition across the landscape. Consequently, land cover attribute parameterisation techniques are discussed. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that data primitives provide a flexible field data source proven to support multiple land cover classification schemes and scales.
Conditional sampling, bursting, and the intermittent structure of sensible heat flux

Sensible heat flux measurements were carried out to examine the characteristics related to frequency and duration of extreme flux events above a desert surface. First, the flux bursts were identified by a modified hyperbolic hole “quadrant analysis” in which the threshold criterion depends on the mean and standard deviation of the flux time statistics. Second, the frequency distribution of the extreme flux burst length was examined. It was found that the frequency distribution of the burst length is well approximated by two-parameter power laws which account for two distinct types of bursting phenomena: one is organized, coherent, and has a relatively long duration, while the other is short lived, less organized, and has a relatively short duration. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the two power exponents of the burst length probability density function. Both exponents compare favorably with other reported measurements on concentration bursting in dispersing plumes from an elevated source. The cutoff burst length from one power law to the next also matches other studies. A strong correlation between bursting frequency and flux integral time scales was observed under a variety of atmospheric stability and surface wetness conditions. This strong correlation suggested a relationship between atmospheric stability and the mean time interval between bursts. It was found that the variation in the interval between bursts for the dynamic and dynamic convective sublayers is strongly related to the variation in stability. This was not the case for near-convective and stable atmospheric conditions.
Experiential phenomena of temporal epilepsy

of phenytoin treatment. It occurs most often at toxic levels in brain-damaged individuals but also occurs at therapeutic levels in patients without evidence of nervous system disease. These movements are reversible on phenytoin withdrawal. The pathophysiological basis is unknown. Chalhub and coworkers [2} described phenytoin-induced dystonia in association with choreoathetosis in two retarded epileptic children. A case of arm chorea and dystonia caused by toxic levels of phenytoin was reported by Chadwick and colleagues El}. The present case indicates that phenytoin can also induce a focal dystonia as the sole manifestation of toxicity.
Bay of Islands and Little Port complexes, revisited: age, geochemical and isotopic evidence confirm suprasubduction-zone origin

The Bay of Islands Complex of the Humber Arm allochthon, west Newfoundland, contains the best-exposed ophiolite in the Appalachian Orogen. Associated structural slices, the Little Port and Skinner Cove complexes, also contain rocks formed in an oceanic domain, although their relationship to the Bay of Islands Complex remains controversial.To constrain the origin of the complexes and obtain a better understanding of the geology of the Humber Arm allochthon, we have undertaken an integrated geochronological, geochemical, and isotopic study. A U/Pb zircon age of Ma for the Little Port Complex and a zircon and baddeleyite age of 484 ± 5 Ma for the Bay of Islands Complex have been obtained. Geochemical and isotopic data on trondhjemitic rocks from the two complexes indicate that petrogenetic models for these rocks must account for fundamental differences in source materials and mineralogy during differentiation. The Little Port Complex trondhjemites are characterized by initial eNd of −1 to +1, whereas those .
A temporal interpolation method to obtain hourly atmospheric surface pressure tides in Reanalysis 1979-1995

The diurnal cycle in climatology as revealed in National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Reanalysis 1979–1995 has been studied for global gridded data at 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UT. Climatologies have been prepared for each of the four time levels separately. There are substantial differences in, for instance, the 00002md 0600 UT climatologies, owing to a diurnal cycle and/or what is referred to commonly as atmospheric tides. The semidiurnal tide is quite strong in the mass fields, but with sampling every 6 hours at the Nyquist frequency, some aspects cannot be studied properly. However, a method of interpolation based on spatial harmonic waves moving at an empirically determined speed can be called upon to make an educated guess about the atmospheric tides at any times in between. This interpolation technique is similar to the one published by Van den Dool and Qin [1996], but the wave speeds are not like the slow Rossby modes but roughly 15° westward per hour. We present the global tides in surface pressure thus obtained for every hour of the day for January.
Exploring the physical controls of regional patterns of flow duration curves – Part 2: Role of seasonality, the regime curve, and associated process controls

The goal of this paper is to explore the process controls underpinning regional patterns of variations of streamflow regime behavior, i.e., the mean seasonal variation of streamflow within the year, across the continental United States. The ultimate motivation is to use the resulting process understanding to generate insights into the physical controls of another signature of streamflow variability, namely the flow duration curve (FDC). The construction of the FDC removes the time dependence of flows. Thus in order to better understand the physical controls in regions that exhibit strong seasonal dependence, the regime curve (RC), which is closely connected to the FDC, is studied in this paper and later linked back to the FDC. To achieve these aims a top-down modeling approach is adopted; we start with a simple two-stage bucket model, which is systematically enhanced through addition of new processes on the basis of model performance assessment in relation to observations, using rainfall-runoff data from 197 United States catchments belonging to the MOPEX dataset. Exploration of dominant processes and the determination of required model complexity are carried out through model-based sensitivity analyses, guided by a performance metric. Results indicated systematic regional trends in dominant processes: snowmelt was a key process control in cold mountainous catchments in the north and north-west, whereas snowmelt and vegetation cover dynamics were key controls in the north-east; seasonal vegetation cover dynamics (phenology and interception) were important along the Appalachian mountain range in the east. A simple two-bucket model (with no other additions) was found to be adequate in warm humid catchments along the west coast and in the south-east, with both regions exhibiting strong seasonality, whereas much more complex models are needed in the dry south and south-west. Agricultural catchments in the mid-west were found to be difficult to predict with the use of simple lumped models, due to the strong influence of human activities. Overall, these process controls arose from general east-west (seasonality) and north-south (aridity, temperature) trends in climate (with some exceptions), compounded by complex dynamics of vegetation cover and to a less extent by landscape factors (soils, geology and topography).
A systematic review of factors related to first-year students’ success in Dutch and Flemish higher education

This systematic review presents an overview of factors which play an important role in explaining first-year grade point average (GPA), the number of obtained credits (EC), and persistence in Dutch and Flemish higher education. Thirty-nine peer-reviewed articles were included, mostly Dutch studies using samples of university students. We found that ability factors, prior education characteristics, learning environment characteristics and behavioural engagement indicators were most successful in explaining success. While prior education and behavioural engagement were related to GPA, EC and persistence, the results differed depending on which outcome variable was used in the other predictor categories. Ability and learning environment mattered most as GPA and EC predictors. Personality characteristics, motivational factors, and learning strategies were mainly important for GPA. Demographic factors mattered most for EC, and psychosocial factors for EC and persistence. Recommendations for future research are provided based on this review’s results.