Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental change and catastrophic flooding in the Voidomatis and Aoos basins, northwest Greece

Catastrophic floods are important events, particularly in the Mediterranean region, where they cause damage to life and property and have major effects on the landscape. Unfortunately, their violence and rarity means that investigating them using conventional hydrological monitoring is often not possible. This study uses palaeoflood hydrological techniques to extend flood records and further our understanding of the occurrence and effects of catastrophic floods in the Mediterranean region. Research has focused on the Voidomatis and Aoos basins; two steepland catchments in northwest Greece. Periods of catastrophic flooding are placed within the context of long-term environmental variability and landscape change, so that the environmental controls on catastrophic flooding, and the effects they have had in the development of these river systems can be fully understood. The late Quaternary behaviour of the Voidomatis River has primarily been controlled by climatic conditions. Uranium-series dating results show that major phases of aggradation took place during the cold stages of the Late Pleistocene. Climatic amelioration in the Lateglacial and the Holocene periods reduced sediment supply and induced progressive incision until the last c. 1000 years or so, when prominent vertical accretion in the contemporary floodplain has occurred. Late Quaternary variations in fine-grained fluvial sediment sources are explored using a quantitative fingerprinting technique. These provenance data are shown to be valuable for reconstructing long-term changes in river activity. Analyses of palaeoflood slackwater deposits provides evidence for the occurrence of two distinct periods of Late Pleistocene catastrophic flooding, at around 21 ka and 17 cal ka. Fine sediment provenance data enable a detailed analysis of catchment conditions at the time of these flood events. Glacial meltwater discharges and general climatic and hydrological instability during the last glacial-interglacial transition were important factors in generating these floods. Palaeoflood information obtained from boulder berms and overbank floodplain sedimentation are combined with the short duration gauged data to develop a record of high magnitude flooding spanning the last 200 years. Catastrophic flooding is shown to reoccur at least every 40 to 50 years. Boulder berms record a decrease in the magnitude of extreme floods over this period, in response to hydrological changes induced by climatic warming following the end of the Little Ice Age (c. 1850 AD). This is one of the first extensive applications of palaeoflood hydrology in the Mediterranean region. High magnitude floods over long timescales are shown to play an important role in the late Quaternary development and contemporary operation of these mountain catchments. This study illustrates the potential value of palaeoflood hydrological techniques to flood prone regions of the Mediterranean, where systematic hydrological data are inadequate for understanding and predicting extreme flood events.
Radiocarbon Dates in China's Holocene Yangtze Delta: Record of Sediment Storage and Reworking, Not Timing of Deposition

Evaluation of conventional and AMS radiocarbon dates, obtained for 65 Holocene sediment samples in 20 cores collected in the Yangtze delta, China, indicates that only about one in 4 dates falls within an expected time range. In this Holocene deltaic system, most radiocarbon-dated samples do not become progressively younger upcore, and there is no direct relationship between age and depth . About one in 6 dates is too young, recording locally truncated stratigraphic sections. Of particular note are the nearly two-thirds of all radiocarbon dates that record ages that are much too old, by 1000 to 10,000 years (23% are of Pleistocene age). This phenomenon results from the introduction of old carbon during sediment storage and reworking along the dispersal path between headlands and the coast. Thus, rather than recording final time of Holocene deposition at deltaic core sites, dates in Yangtze delta sediment appear to indicate a time lapse that occurred during storage and transport cycles in the fluvial valley and delta plain. There is no simple, obvious or universal solution to this radiocarbon-dating problem in deltaic sequences. The problem warrants attention since reliable dating of Holocene sequences is essential for measurement of rates of sediment accumulation and delta margin subsidence relative to sea level, two of the parameters needed to help implement protection measures along the vulnerable low-lying Yangtze delta coast. At present, a multi-method dating approach (amino acid racemization, isotopic analyses, archaeological determination, and others) would constrain sediment age, and provide a more reliable measure of deposition time in such settings than by radiocarbon dating alone.
Dynamic changes in genetic diversity, drug resistance mutations, and treatment outcomes of falciparum malaria from the low-transmission to the pre-elimination phase on the isolated islands of São Tomé and Príncipe

Background With effective vector control and case management, substantial progress has been made in the elimination of malaria on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP). During the critical period from the low-transmission to the pre-elimination phase, this study tracked the dynamic changes in the genetic diversity in Plasmodium falciparum, the distribution of antimalarial drug-resistance genes, and the treatment outcomes in patients to provide insights for the prevention of rebounded malaria in STP. Methods Dried blood spots (DBSs) and case follow-up data were collected from malaria patients who had visited the Central Hospital between 2010 and 2016. Genomic DNA of P. falciparum was extracted from DBSs. The polymorphic regions on the genes for merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 (msp1 and msp2) were amplified in 118 pre-treatment samples to identify the genetic diversity of the infected parasites. Anti-malarial drug resistance mutations in the multi-drug resistance (pfmdr1), chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt), and kelch 13 (pfK13) genes were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing in 111 samples. Treatment outcomes were categorized based on the parasitological results from microscopy during the 28-day follow-up after treatment. Factors related to malaria recurrence were characterized by logistic regression models using case follow-up data (total number = 7,482). Results The circulating parasite strains in STP showed significant changes at the recent peak incidence in 2012, during which the prevalent allelic type in MSP1 changed from K1 to MAD20, and that in MSP2 changed from 3D7/IC to FC27. Genotyping results for antimalarial drug-resistance markers showed that the dominant alleles of pfmdr1 86 + 184 + 1246-pfcrt 76 were YFD-T (51.4%). Logistic regression models showed that significant factors related to parasitological failure after treatment were age (protective factor, OR = 0.97–0.98), log10-transformed parasite density (OR = 1.07–1.44), and treatment (quinine vs. artemisinin-based combination therapy, OR = 1.91–1.96). Overall, younger patients, those with higher parasitemia levels at enrollment, and those treated with quinine had a higher risk of recurrence during follow-up. Conclusions Although malaria treatment efficacy remained acceptable in STP, this study showed temporal changes in the dominant strains and the development of drug resistance mutations in the local parasite population. Therapeutic efficacy should be carefully monitored to adequately adjust the policy in the future.
The Henseler-Ogasawara specification of composites in structural equation modeling: A tutorial.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a versatile statistical method that should theoretically be able to emulate all other methods that are based on the general linear model. In practice, however, researchers using SEM encounter problems incorporating composites into their models. In this tutorial article, I present a specification for SEM that was recently sketched by Henseler (2021) to incorporate composites in structural models. It draws from the same idea that was proposed in the c`ontext of canonical correlation analysis to express a set of observed variables forming a composite by a set of synthetic variables (Ogasawara, 2007), which were labeled by Henseler (2021) as emergent and excrescent variables. An emergent variable is a linear combination of variables that is related to other variables in the structural model, whereas an excrescent variable is a linear combination of variables that is unrelated to all other variables in the structural model. This approach is advantageous over existing approaches, as it allows drawing on all existing developments in SEM, such as testing parameter estimates, testing for overall model fit and dealing with missing values. To demonstrate the presented approach, I conduct a small scenario analysis. Moreover, SEM applying the presented specification is used to reestimate an empirical example from Hwang et al. (2021). Finally, this article discusses avenues for future research opened by this approach for SEM to study composites. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Climate-induced agricultural shrinkage and overpopulation in late imperial China

ABSTRACT: There is a continuing debate over whether the series of population checks in lateimperial China were caused by overpopulation or not. The debate may be rooted in the absenceof quantitative estimates of population pressure. In the present study, fine-grained historical socio-economic and population datasets together with statistical methods were utilized to estimatequantitatively the population pressure in China in the period 1730–1910. The possible pathsthrough which population pressure was translated into demographic catastrophes were alsoexamined. Statistical results show that (1) the frequency of various population checks was posi-tively correlated with subsistence pressure, (2) food strain and its associated demographic catas-trophes were driven by the synergistic work of climate-induced agricultural shrinkage and popu-lation growth, and (3) the synthesis significantly determined population growth dynamics acrossChina at various geographic levels. To conclude, overpopulation in late imperial China is not amyth, and the series of population checks and eventually population collapse were caused by sub-sistence pressure during the period. When examining historical Chinese demography, the adverseeffect of climatic forcing on human carrying capacity should be considered.KEY WORDS: Climate change · Human carrying capacity · Population pressure · Overpopulation ·Population checks · Demographic catastrophes · China
Linear models for estimating annual and growing season reference evapotranspiration using averages of weather variables

We develop linear regression equations to estimate location‐specific average annual reference evapotranspiration (ETo) using one or more of annual averages of: incoming solar radiation (Rs), air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (U). We also provide two sets of equations to estimate growing season ETo, either using one or more of annual averages of Rs, T, RH, and U, or using growing season averages of the same variables. The equations are developed using the FAO‐56 Penman–Monteith model ETo estimates as a reference. Supporting weather data to develop the regression equations were from 102 locations (494 station‐years) across the contiguous United States. The models were tested with additional data from 32 stations (114 station‐years). To illustrate potential applications of the regression models, we estimate spatial patterns of annual ETo and growing season ETo across the contiguous United States using existing spatial datasets of annual averages of Rs, T, RH, and U. Other applications of the models provided may include rapid assessments of historical annual and growing season ETo, evaluation of past ETo trends, or evaluation of ETo projected trends based on output from global climate models. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Maternal pre‐pregnancy weight and autistic‐like traits among offspring in the general population

There is an emerging body of evidence demonstrating that maternal obesity at the time of conception increases the risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) among offspring. We explored whether pre‐pregnancy weight was related to autistic‐like traits among offspring not diagnosed with ASD. A large sample of women, recruited during the second trimester of pregnancy, had their height measured and reported their pre‐pregnancy weight. These measurements were then converted to a Body Mass Index (BMI) using the formula: (weight in kilograms)/(height in metres2). At 19–20 years of age, 1238 offspring of these women completed a measure of autistic‐like traits, the Autism‐Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Regression analyses identified a positive association between increasing maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI and increasing AQ Total Score amongst offspring; this association was maintained even after controlling for a range of variables including maternal/obstetric factors (age at conception, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertensive diseases, diabetes, threatened abortion), paternal BMI at pregnancy, and child factors (parity, sex) (P < .01, R2=.03). Chi‐square analyses found that women with pre‐pregnancy obesity (BMI ≥ 30) were more likely to have offspring with high scores (≥26) on the AQ (P = .01). Follow‐up binary logistic regression analyses also accounting for the same obstetric and sociodemographic variables found that the offspring of women with pre‐pregnancy obesity were at a statistically significantly increased risk of having high scores (≥26) on the AQ (OR: 2.80; 95% CI: 1.06, 7.43). This study provides further evidence that maternal pre‐pregnancy obesity is associated with autism‐like behaviors in offspring. Autism Research 2019, 12: 80–88. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes of intracranial germinoma-a retrospective multinational Asian study on effect of clinical presentation and differential treatment strategies.

BACKGROUND This multinational study was conducted to report clinical presentations and treatment strategies in patients with intracranial germinomas across selected Asian centers, including failure patterns, risk factors, and outcomes. METHODS A retrospective data collection and analysis of these patients, treated between 1995 and 2015 from eight healthcare institutions across four countries was undertaken. RESULTS From the results, 418 patients were analyzed, with a median follow-up of 8.9 years; 79.9% of the patients were M0, and 87.6% had β-human chorionic gonadotropin values < 50 mIU/mL. The 5/10-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates was 97.2%/96.2% and 89.9%/86.9%, respectively. RFS was predicted by radiotherapy (RT) field, with focal RT having the worst outcome, whereas chemotherapy usage had no impact on survival. Among patients who received chemotherapy, response to chemotherapy did not predict survival outcomes. In M0 patients, primary basal ganglia tumors predicted a worse RFS. In patients with bifocal tumors, an extended field RT were associated with better outcomes. In multivariable analysis, only RT fields were associated with RFS. In relapsed patients, salvage rates were high at 85.7%. Additionally, patients who received salvage RT had a better outcome (91.6% vs. 66.7%). CONCLUSIONS Survival outcomes of patients with germinoma were excellent. Thus, the focus of treatment for intracranial germinoma should be on survivorship. Further studies are warranted to find the optimal intensity and volume of radiation, including the role of chemotherapy in the survival of patients with intracranial germinomas, considering age, primary tumor location, and extent of disease.
Got Milk? Maternal immune activation during the mid-lactational period affects nutritional milk quality and adolescent offspring sensory processing in male and female rats during

Previous studies have underscored the importance of breastfeeding and parental care on offspring development and behavior. However, their contribution as dynamic variables in animal models of early life stress are often overlooked. In the present study, we investigated how lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced maternal immune activation (MIA) on postnatal day (P)10 affects maternal care, milk, and offspring development. MIA was associated with elevated milk corticosterone concentrations on P10, which recovered by P11. In contrast, both milk triglyceride and percent creamatocrit values demonstrated a prolonged decrease following inflammatory challenge. Adolescent MIA offspring were heavier, which is often suggestive of poor early life nutrition. While MIA did not decrease maternal care quality, there was a significant compensatory increase in maternal licking and grooming the day following inflammatory challenge. However, this did not protect against disrupted neonatal huddling or later-life alterations in sensorimotor gating, conditioned fear, mechanical allodynia, or reductions in hippocampal parvalbumin expression in MIA offspring. MIA-associated changes in brain and behavior were likely driven by differences in milk nutritional values and not by direct exposure to LPS or inflammatory molecules as neither LPS binding protein nor interleukin-6 milk levels differed between groups. These findings reflected comparable microbiome and transcriptomic patterns at the genome-wide level. Animal models of early life stress can impact both parents and their offspring. One mechanism that can mediate the effects of such stressors is changes to maternal lactation quality which our data show can confer multifaceted and compounding effects on offspring physiology and behavior. assessed using body weight as a covariate. The partial eta-squared ( n p 2 ) is reported as an index of effect size for the ANOVAs (38). Because the dataset was not powered to evaluate sex-differences directly, male and female animals were evaluated separately (39). All data are expressed as mean ± SEM. Offspring data are each sex separately and collapsed across and for display purposes.
Deuterium and oxygen 18 in precipitation: Isotopic model, including mixed cloud processes

Modeling the isotropic ratios of precipitation in cold regions meets the problem of `switching` from the vapor-liquid transition to the vapor-ice transition at the oneset of snow formation. The one-dimensional model (mixed cloud isotopic model (MCIM)) described in this paper focuses on the fractionation of water isotopes in mixed clouds, where both liquid droplets and ice crystals can coexist for a given range of temperatures. This feature is linked to the existence of specific saturation conditions within the cloud, allowing droplets to evaporate while the water vapor condensates onto ice crystals. The isotopic composition of the different airborne phases and the precipitation is calculated throughout the condensation history of an isolated air mass moving over the Antarctic ice sheet. The results of the MCIM are compared to surface snow data both for the isotopic ratios and the deuterium excesses. The sensitivity of the model is compared to previous one-dimensional models. Our main result is that accounting specifically for the microphysics of mixed stratiform clouds (Bergeron-Findesein process) does not invalidate the results of earlier modeling studies.
Pile capacity by direct CPT and CPTu methods applied to 102 case histories

Six methods to determine axial pile capacity directly from cone penetration test (CPT) data are presented, discussed, and compared. Five of the methods are CPT methods that apply total stress and a filtered arithmetic average of cone resistance. One is a recently developed method, CPTu, that considers pore-water pressure and applies an unfiltered geometric average of cone resistance. To determine unit shaft resistance, the new method uses a new soil profiling chart based on CPTu data. The six methods are applied to 102 case histories combining CPTu data and capacities obtained in static loading tests in compression and tension. The pile capacities range from 80 to 8000 kN. The soil profiles range from soft to stiff clay, medium to dense sand, and mixtures of clay, silt, and sand. The pile embedment lengths range from 5 to 67 m and the pile diameters range from 200 to 900 mm. The new CPTu method for determining pile capacity demonstrates better agreement with the capacity determined in a static loading test and less scatter than by CPT methods.
Organic Carbon Dynamics in Different Soil Types After Conversion of Forest to Agriculture

State‐of‐the‐art predictive models of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics associated with land use changes are unable to reflect the diversity of tropical soil types as the knowledge of contrasting site‐specific factors in mediating the response of the SOC pool is sparse. This paper examines the influence of soil type and management on SOC dynamics following the conversion of forests to annual cropping in Ghana. Soil from primary forests and from areas with short (2–7 years) and long (20 years) histories of maize cultivation was sampled from a Vertisol dominated by smectite and Ultisol dominated by kaolinite. Wet sieving was used to separate soil fractions below and above 250 µm. SOC concentrations and δ13C signatures of SOC in soil fractions and bulk soil were determined. SOC stocks were calculated by the commonly used fixed depth approach and by the equivalent soil mass approach. After 20 years of cultivation of the Vertisol, the total SOC content was 40 per cent lower than under forest, and about 95 per cent of the forest‐derived SOC had been lost. After 20 years of cultivation of the Ultisol, total SOC content was only about 20 per cent lower than under forest and merely 30 per cent of the forest‐derived SOC had been lost. Both soil types were managed as they would typically be in small scale farming systems, thus the higher SOC losses and the substantial loss of forest‐derived SOC from the Vertisol question the conventional concept of smectite having a higher SOC‐stabilizing potential than kaolinite under field conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Form and internal structure of active-layer detachment slides, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada

Three recent shallow landslides over permafrost are described. Slides occur in low- to medium-plasticity clays containing some bands of silts and fine sands. Slope failure results from rapid thaw at the base of the active layer of soil that is ice-rich due to antecedent two-sided freezing. Displaced slide blocks retain their integrity because of hardening of the active layer by cryodesiccation and summer evaporation. Blocks move over a soft basal shear zone a few millimetres to several centimetres thick. Compression in the toe zone of slides is low at sites where runout is possible, but in other locations causes emergent shears and complex folding. Failure histories are varied and range from simple unitary slides to complex sequential failures in which active-layer segments are mobilized progressively higher up the slope. This study demonstrates the importance of active-layer thermal and hydrological regimes, in addition to material properties, in determining the mode of slope failure.