Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Middle–Upper Miocene fluvial–lacustrine rift sequence in theSong Ba Rift, Vietnam: an analogue to oil-prone, small-scale continental rift basins

The small Neogene Krong Pa graben is situated within the continental Song Ba Rift, which is bounded by strike-slip faults that were reactivated as extensional faults in Middle Miocene time. The 500 m thick graben-fill shows an overall depositional development reflecting the structural evolution, which is very similar to much larger and longer-lived graben. The basal graben-fill consists of thin fluvial sandstones interbedded with well-oxygenated lacustrine siltstones in the basin centre, while very coarse-grained fluvial sandstones and conglomerates dominate at the basin margins. With increased subsidence rate and possibly a higher influx of water from the axial river systems the general water level in the graben rose and deep lakes formed. High organic preservation in the lakes prompted the formation of two excellent oil-prone lacustrine source-rock units. In the late phase of the graben development sedimentation rate outpaced the formation of accommodation space and fluvial activity increased again. During periods when the general sedimentation rate was in balance with the creation of accommodation space the environment changed frequently between lake deposition and intermittent vigorous fluvial activity. It is likely that the resulting interbedding of fluvial sandstones and lacustrine sediments reflects variations in precipitation. In periods of little precipitation the lakes diminished and lake bottoms became exposed. After heavy precipitation, transverse river systems transported sands from the rift shoulders across the exposed lake bottom and fluvial sands were deposited on lake bottom sediments. Subsequently, lake level rose due to increased water supply from the axial river and the sands were drowned and topped by transgressive lacustrine mudstones. These sandstones may function as carrier beds, whereas the braided fluvial sandstones and conglomerates along the graben margins may form reservoirs. The Krong Pa graben thus contains oil-prone lacustrine source rocks, effective conduits for generated hydrocarbons and reservoir sandstones side-sealed by the graben faults toward the footwall granites. In addition to the structural and climatic signals recorded by the graben-fill, sediment partitioning among the partly isolated basins along the rift axis seems to have been important.
Border effects and urban structure

I propose a general model of economic geography to investigate the effect of border changes on the spatial distribution of population. I decompose the total effect into a standard "local effect" related to the change in distance from borders, and a novel "global effect" related to centrality before the border change. The global effect is especially strong in economies with a dominant central region that is home to a large fraction of the country's population. Conforming to this prediction, I show that the global effect played an important role in the population reallocation in Hungary after border changes in 1920.
Geochemistry Sampling for Traditional and Multicomponent Equilibrium Geothermometry in Southeast Idaho

The Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) is an area of high regional heat flux due the movement of the North American Plate over the Yellowstone Hotspot beginning ca.16 Ma. Temperature gradients between 45-60 °C/km (up to double the global average) have been calculated from deep wells that penetrate the upper aquifer system (Blackwell 1989). Despite the high geothermal potential, thermal signatures from hot springs and wells are effectively masked by the rapid flow of cold groundwater through the highly permeable basalts of the Eastern Snake River Plain aquifer (ESRPA) (up to 500+ m thick). This preliminary study is part of an effort to more accurately predict temperatures of the ESRP deep thermal reservoir while accounting for the effects of the prolific cold water aquifer system above. This study combines the use of traditional geothermometry, mixing models, and a multicomponent equilibrium geothermometry (MEG) tool to investigate the geothermal potential of the ESRP. In March, 2014, a collaborative team including members of the University of Idaho, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory collected 14 thermal water samples from and adjacent to the Eastern Snake River Plain. The preliminary results of chemical analyses and geothermometry applied to these samplesmore » are presented herein. « less
Within-person changes in the aging white matter microstructure and their modifiers: A meta-analysis and systematic review of longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging studies

Abstract This meta-analysis and systematic review synthesized data from 30 longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies on the magnitude, direction, spatial patterns, and modifiers of naturally occurring within-person changes in healthy adult white matter (WM) microstructure. Results revealed: (1) significant within-person declines in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the whole WM (d = -0.12), genu (d = -0.16), and splenium (d = -0.13); (2) greater declines in FA associated with older age, longer follow-up times, and female sex; (3) a possible yet inconclusive vulnerability of late-myelinating WM (the “development-to-degeneration” gradient); and (4) factors decelerating (e.g., physical activity and social activities) and accelerating (e.g., vascular risk factors, biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, and alcohol consumption) age-related FA changes. Our findings encourage the consideration of WM as a new target for treatments and interventions against cognitive decline and lay the foundation for studying the plastic and regenerative potential of adult WM in clinical trials. Individual differences in WM changes could aid in the preclinical diagnosis of dementia, opening a window for earlier, more effective treatments.
The new psychology of language : cognitive and functional approaches to language structure

Contents: Introduction: Some Surprises for Psychologists. L. Talmy, Concept Structuring Systems in Language. J.W. Du Bois, Discourse and Grammar. S. Kemmer, Human Cognition and the Elaboration of Events: Some Universal Conceptual Categories. C.E. Ford, B.A. Fox, S.A. Thompson, Social Interaction and Grammar. J. Bybee, Cognitive Processes in Grammaticalization. K. van Hoek, Pronouns and Point of View: Cognitive Principles of Coreference. B. Comrie, On Explaining Language Universals. M. Haspelmath, The Geometry of Grammatical Meaning: Semantic Maps and Cross-Linguistic Comparison. C.J. Fillmore, P. Kay, M.C. O'Connor, Regularity and Idiomaticity in Grammatical Constructions: The Case of Let Alone.
An Empirical Analysis of The Impact of Money Attitudes on Retirement Savings Behaviour in Malaysia

Saving for the future, especially for life after retirement, is a critical issue often debated. Early savings planning needs to be paid serious attention to ensure a good and comfortable life after retirement. However, behaviour towards savings for retirement is related to money attitude as it is how an individual behaves or reacts to money. Each person is believed to have different views and behaviours towards money and income, especially regarding retirement savings. As such, this study aims to investigate the effect of money attitudes on retirement savings behaviour. The survey approach was employed and conducted using questionnaires developed by adopting several studies and then randomly distributed via an online platform. A total of 160 respondents from 250 targeted respondents successfully answered the questionnaire and were used for further analysis. The collected sample suggested a successful response rate of 64%, more than enough to allow for population-wide generalisation of the findings. The analyses conducted were the pilot test for the initial screening of the items in the questionnaire, descriptive statistics, multicollinearity test, and the ordered Probit model. This study revealed mixed findings on the relationship between the type of money attitudes and retirement savings behaviour, indicating that people with different attitudes towards money will have different perceptions of savings for retirement.
Deciphering cumulative fault slip vectors from fold scarps: Relationships between long‐term and coseismic deformations in central Western Taiwan

We document the 30 ka cumulative slip history and long‐term slip vector azimuth on the northern Chelungpu fault based on a series of fault‐bend folded alluvial terraces and draw quantitative relationships between geological structure, deformation observed from the geomorphology, and coseismic displacements during the 1999 Mw = 7.6 Chi‐Chi earthquake. In our study area, three main terrace levels show progressive folding by kink band migration in relation to the underlying fault geometry, forming a main N‐S fold scarp up to ~193 m high and secondary E‐W scarps. Detailed analysis using 5 m resolution digital elevation model allows us to characterize the scarp morphology and quantify the deformation parameters, namely, terrace heights, fold scarp relief, and fold limb width and slope angle. The 3‐D deformation of the highest terrace, dated by optically stimulated luminescence at 30.2 ± 4.0 ka, enables to simultaneously determine amplitude and azimuth of the long‐term slip vector based on scarp relief. The long‐term slip vector, oriented N338° ± 6°, is found to parallel the Chi‐Chi coseismic displacements in this area. Cumulative slip and dating results yield a constant slip rate of 17.7 ± 2.2 mm/a in the direction N338° ± 6°. Late Quaternary shortening rates observed at four sites vary along strike in a similar way to Chi‐Chi coseismic displacements. Together with the collinearity of long‐term and coseismic slip vectors at our study site, this suggests that Chi‐Chi earthquake is a characteristic earthquake for the Chelungpu thrust with recurrence interval ~470 years. We also discuss implications for the regional and long‐term distribution of shortening in the central Western Foothills.
What built Shatsky Rise, a mantle plume or ridge tectonics?

Shatsky Rise is an oceanic plateau that formed at the Pacific-Farallon-Izanagi triple junction during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Its origin is unclear, but volcanism from a mantle plume or plume head is accepted as an explanation because many observations from the plateau are consistent with the plume head model. Initial eruptions were massive and rapid, with emplacement rates estimated at 1.2–4.6 km/yr, similar to continental flood basalts. The plateau exhibits an age progression, with igneous output waning over time, possibly representing the transition from plume head to plume tail. Shallow water fossils imply that the rise top was subaerial and that thermal and dynamic uplift was significant. Furthermore, the age progression and trends of Shatsky and Hess rises are mimicked by the Mid-Pacific Mountains, to be expected if these features formed by the drift of the plate over mantle plumes. In contrast, several observations do not fit the plume head model. The initial eruption was coincident with a reorientation of the Pacific-Izanagi ridge and an 800-km jump of the triple junction, a low probability occurrence if plume heads behave independently of plate motions. Moreover, this same type of event may have occurred repeatedly, as other western Pacific plateaus occur near the trace of this triple junction (Hess Rise) and the Pacific-Farallon-Phoenix triple junction (Magellan Rise, Manihiki Plateau, Mid-Pacific Mountains). If these other plateaus formed from plumes, either there were many plumes or the plumes defining the triple junction paths exhibited large relative motion. Moreover, rocks recovered from the main Shatsky Rise edifices have mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) geochemistry and isotopic signatures, whereas most plume head models imply that lower mantle material, with a different signature, will be carried to the surface. A simpler hypothesis is that Shatsky Rise and other neartriple-junction plateaus were formed as a result of ridge tectonics. One possibility is that decompression melting occurred near the triple junctions during the Mesozoic because the northwest Pacific was located over a region of anomalous asthenosphere that was susceptible to melting given only small perturbations in lithospheric stress. A pitfall for this argument is that changes in the thin, fast-spreading Pacific lithosphere must result in massive volcanism. Although both plume and ridge tectonics hypotheses explain some observations from Shatsky Rise, uncertainties make it premature to conclude which, if either, is correct. Resolution awaits future investigations, which must reveal missing pieces to this puzzle.
Engaging Cancer Care Physicians in Off-Label Drug Clinical Trials: Human-Centered Design Approach

Background Using a human-centered design (HCD) approach can provide clinical trial design teams with a better understanding of the needs, preferences, and attitudes of clinical trial stakeholders. It can also be used to understand the challenges and barriers physician stakeholders face in initiating and completing clinical trials, especially for using off-label drugs (OLDs) to treat unmet clinical needs in cancer treatment. However, the HCD approach is not commonly taught in the context of clinical trial design, and few step-by-step guides similar to this study are available to demonstrate its application. Objective This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and process of applying an HCD approach to creating clinical trial support resources for physician stakeholders to overcome barriers to pursuing clinical trials for OLDs to treat cancer. Methods An HCD approach was used to develop OLD clinical trial support concepts. In total, 45 cancer care physicians were contacted, of which 15 participated in semistructured interviews to identify barriers to prescribing OLDs or participating in cancer OLD clinical trials. Design research is qualitative—it seeks to answer “why” and “how” questions; thus, a sample size of 15 was sufficient to provide insight saturation to address the design problem. The team used affinity mapping and thematic analysis of qualitative data gathered from the interviews to inform subsequent web-based co-design sessions, which included creative matrix exercises and voting to refine and prioritize the ideas used in the final 3 recommended concepts. Results The findings demonstrate the potential of HCD methods to uncover important insights into the barriers physicians face in participating in OLD clinical trials or prescribing OLDs, such as recruitment challenges, low willingness to prescribe without clinical data, and stigma. Notably, only palliative care participants self-identified as “frequent prescribers” of OLDs, despite high national OLD prescription rates among patients with cancer. Participants found the HCD approach engaging, with 60% (9/15) completing this study; scheduling conflicts caused most of the dropouts. Over 150 ideas were generated in 3 co-design sessions, with the groups voting on 15 priority ideas that the design team then refined into 3 final recommendations, especially focused on increasing the participation of physicians in OLD clinical trials. Conclusions Using participatory HCD methods, we delivered 3 concepts for clinical trial support resources to help physician stakeholders overcome barriers to pursuing clinical trials for OLDs to treat cancer. Overall, integrating the HCD approach can aid in identifying important stakeholders, such as prescribing physicians; facilitating their engagement; and incorporating their perspectives and needs into the solution design process. This paper highlights the process, methods, and potential of HCD to improve cancer clinical trial design. Future work is needed to train clinical trial designers in the HCD approach and encourage adoption in the field.
Avian Urban Ecology: Conservation Planning Opportunities for Reno, NV, USA

The study of urban ecology has grown significantly over the years, resulting in an increased understanding of how human-designed landscapes fit into the larger landscape, and how this impacts local, regional, and global biodiversity. This dissertation explores the relationship between urban birds and the various components that combine to create the urban environment in the cities of Reno and Sparks, Nevada, USA. The first chapter explores the overall pattern of native species diversity, and finds that native species diversity increases as urbanization increases. This pattern appears to be related to the presence of the Truckee River, and its associated riparian habitat. This relationship between riparian habitat and urbanization is explored further in the second chapter, where land use planning is assessed with vegetation as a new way to describe the urban environment (urban form), in order to better describe avian diversity patterns. Urban form, and specifically land use planning, described avian diversity patters better than vegetation alone, suggesting that urban form represents a more robust way to quantify the urban environment. Using the relationships established in the first two chapters, the third chapter models the impacts to avian habitat under three different growth scenarios. This chapter discusses the fact that while avian-centric policies can be an effective tool for conservation, open space plans (which are a critical part of most urban land use plans) can also be effective conservation tools, especially when they are flexible to incorporate locally collected empirical data. A primary tenant of urban ecological research is the identification and implementation of land use plans that protect urban ecological function. This research identifies the opportunities for increased conservation planning in cities, and suggests some specific ways that Reno and Sparks (with generalizations that could help other semi-arid medium sized cities) can increase the implementation of ecologically-based land use plans.
Patients’ experiences of GP consultations following the introduction of the new GP contract in Scotland: a cross-sectional survey

Background The new Scottish GP contract commenced in April 2018 with a stated aim of mitigating health inequalities. Aim To determine the health characteristics and experiences of patients consulting GPs in deprived urban (DU), affluent urban (AU), and remote and rural (RR) areas of Scotland. Design and setting In 2022, a postal survey of a random sample of adult patients from 12 practices who had consulted a GP within the previous 30 days was undertaken. Method Patient characteristics and consultation experiences in the three areas (DU, AU, RR) were evaluated using validated measures including the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure and Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI). Results In total, 1053 responses were received. In DU areas, multimorbidity was more common (78% versus 58% AU versus 68% RR, P<0.01), complex presentations (where the consultation addressed both psychosocial and physical problems) were more likely (16% versus 10% AU versus 11% RR, P<0.05), and more consultations were conducted by telephone (42% versus 31% AU versus 31% RR, P<0.01). Patients in DU areas reported lower satisfaction (82% DU completely, very, or fairly satisfied versus 90% AU versus 86% RR, P<0.01), lower perceived GP empathy (mean CARE score 38.9 versus 42.1 AU versus 40.1 RR, P<0.05), lower enablement (mean PEI score 2.6 versus 3.2 AU versus 2.8 RR, P<0.01), and less symptom improvement (P<0.01) than those in AU or RR areas. Face-to-face consultations were associated with significantly higher satisfaction, enablement, and perceived GP empathy than telephone consultations in RR areas (all P<0.05). Conclusion Four years after the start of the new GP contract in Scotland, patients’ experiences of GP consultations suggest that the inverse care law persists.
GLOBAL WARMING AND CHALLENGES OF FLOODS IN LAGOS METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Global warming and extreme weather events have caused havoc to lives and property in recent years. Research and development, workshops, conferences, seminars and others have also been focused on these global phenomena. The objective of the paper is to study incidences of flooding in Lagos metropolis. Parameters of floods were studied. Effects of urbanization and living habits of the urban dwellers were studied. Topographic maps of the Metropolis were perused. Literature on climate change, urban floods, and Lagos Metropolis were read. Interviews were conducted with the urban dwellers and two Local Government Chairmen of the Metropolis. There was a questionnaire that was administered among 2,000 Lagosian. It collected data about the frequency, sizes and havoc caused for most of the time it occurred. The Metropolis is on low land with an average gradient of less than 1:100,000. Run-offs are increasing in volume and areas of coverage but relatively drainage channels are inadequate; and they have been blocked through the living habits of the urban dwellers. Waste waters from homes, hospitals and maternity homes, markets, Schools and colleges, manufacturing industries and others are contributing as base water to rain water in the drainage channels. There are grievous consequences of flooding at some localities. All forms of transportation are affected each time it comes. Weather–related disasters are becoming increasingly common. Lagosian and the governments should not allow global warming to compound the challenges of flood in the metropolis.
A New Approach for Shallow Subsurface Imaging and its Application to the Dead Sea Sinkhole Problem

Zero-offset CSP stacking and diffraction imaging constitute complementary methods to reveal useful information about the subsurface. As an illustration, this approach has been applied on the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkholes site (Jordan), on which the seismic surface-wave profiling technique has been previously performed. Surface-wave dispersion inversion results presented strong lateral variations, characterized by low shear-wave velocity anomalies, correlated with the proximity of existing sinkholes and the currently most active collapsing zone. Such anomalies have been explained by a systematic decompaction of shallow sediment layers during the sinkhole development process. Diffraction imaging sections computed from these surface-wave profiling data appear to correlate with dispersion inversion results in terms of lateral variations. CSP stacked sections make it possible to enhance deeper structures, possibly related to compacted sediments
Natural immune boosting can cause synchrony in susceptibility and outbreaks of respiratory infections with rapidly waning immunity

Natural immune boosting is a mechanism in which re-exposure to a pathogen while immunity is waning can prolong protection against reinfection. Its role in viral respiratory-tract infections with rapidly waning immunity has not been studied in mathematical models. Here we use a deterministic compartmental model to investigate the effect of immune boosting on such infections, and how the reduction in transmission due to non-pharmaceutical interventions during the covid-19 pandemic could affect immune waning and boosting. We find that immune boosting can introduce unstable equilibria into the model, and we show in simulations that this can amplify, or even cause, oscillations in infections and disease outbreaks. After periods of reduced transmissibility, representing non-pharmaceutical interventions, simulations with more immune boosting exhibit larger rebound outbreaks that occurred sooner. Observed incidence of respiratory syncytial virus infection in Scotland between 2016 and 2023 can be equally explained by models with high levels of immune boosting, and models without natural immune boosting. To produce the same incidence, models with more immune boosting require a greater mean transmissibility, suggesting that models underestimating natural immune boosting will also underestimate transmissibility.