Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Dapagliflozin Administration in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease—A Retrospective Single-Arm Case Series Study

Treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may have pleiotropic and beneficial effects in terms of ameliorating of risk factors for the progression of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, there is insufficient evidence regarding the use of these drugs in patients with ADPKD, as they were excluded from several clinical trials conducted to explore kidney protection provided by SGLT2 inhibitors. This retrospective single-arm case series study was performed to investigate the effects of dapagliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor administered at 10 mg/day, on changes in height-adjusted kidney volume (htTKV) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in ADPKD patients. During a period of 102 ± 20 days (range 70–156 days), eGFR was decreased from 47.9 (39.7–56.9) to 40.8 (33.7–44.5) mL/min/1.73 m2 (p < 0.001), while htTKV was increased from 599 (423–707) to 617 (446–827) mL/m (p = 0.002) (n = 20). The annual increase in htTKV rate was significantly promoted, and urinary phosphate change was found to be correlated with the change in htTKV (rs = 0.575, p = 0.020). In the examined patients, eGFR was decreased and htTKV increased during short-term administration of dapagliflozin. To confirm the possibility of the effects of dapagliflozin on ADPKD, additional interventional studies are required.
Kinematics of the southwestern U.S. deformation zone inferred from GPS motion data

[1] We have estimated the surface deformation field of the southwestern U.S. deformation zone in terms of the velocity gradient field and surface creep simultaneously by inversion of 497 geodetic velocities. The model shows aseismic fault motion consistent with aseismic creep measurements and a sense of motion consistent with geological observations. We deduce that our surface deformation field shows distributed deformation in a zone around the faults containing shear strains and rotations. The eastern California shear zone acts as a distinct fault zone bounded by more rigid blocks. The faults within the zone partition the shear motion, while right-lateral shear strain rates and clockwise rotations are concentrated between the bounding faults. In the same way, the San Jacinto and southern San Andreas faults act as bounding faults of a fault zone. The Mojave Desert is dominated by right-lateral shear, whereas the western Transverse Ranges (WTR) is subjected to contraction. We find significant localization of deformation east of the San Andreas fault between the Transverse Ranges and the San Francisco Bay. We attribute this to a relative rigidity contrast across the fault of ∼1.8. Finally, a moment deficit analysis shows an accumulation of moment deficit between 1973 and 2000 corresponding to a Mw = 6.1–6.3 earthquake along the San Andreas fault just north of the Big Bend, around the Imperial and southern San Andreas faults, and in the San Francisco Bay area along the Hayward and southern Calaveras faults.
Flow duration curves II : a review of applications in water resources planning

ABSTRACT: A streamflow duration curve illustrates the relationship between the frequency and magnitude of streamflow. Flow duration curves have a long history in the field of water-resource engineering and have been used to solve problems in water-quality management, hydropower, instream flow methodologies, water-use planning, flood control, and river and reservoir sedimentation, and for scientific comparisons of streamflow characteristics across watersheds. This paper reviews traditional applications and provides extensions to some new applications, including water allocation, wasteload allocation, river and wetland inundation mapping, and the economic selection of a water-resource project.
MATISSE--advanced earth modeling for imaging and scene simulation: first results

In this paper we present MATISSE 1.1 a new background scene generator, whose goal is to compute spectral or integrated radiance images of natural background, as well as the transmission of a hot gas signature. The spectral bandwidth for this version of the code is from 750 to 3300 cm-1 (3 to 13 μm) with a 5 cm-1 resolution. Gaseous absorption is computed by a Correlated K model. The spatial variability of atmospheric quantities (temperatures and mixing ratios, among others) is taken into account, using variable profiles along the line of sight. Natural backgrounds include the atmospheric background, low altitude clouds and the Earth ground. The radiation models used are designed for observation at low spatial resolution of clouds and soils, so a texture model was developed to increase the high spatial resolution rendering in the metric range. Intermediate outputs of the code deliver radiance and transmission restricted to a single line of sight, in which case atmospheric refraction effects are taken into account. Along this line of sight the transmission can also be computed using a line-by-line model, which is useful to propagate the radiation emitted by a hot gas source (fires, aircraft or missile plume). MATISSE 1.1 was released in June 2002, so this paper is devoted to a presentation of the first results obtained with the code and some validation tests.
Predicting effects of N pollutant load on plant species based on a dynamic soil eutrophication indicator. Final report on Nitrogen Effects on Dune Species (NEDS) project

The effects of nitrogen (N) pollution on dune grassland were explored using a model chain that predicts how plant species are likely to respond to changes in soil chemistry. The model chain was calibrated to data from an N addition and grazing experiment at Newborough in Anglesey. The N14C soil model predicted increases in plant productivity and plant litter carbon (C) inputs with more N addition, resulting in an initial and persistent increase in soil C/N ratio. This contrasts with predictions of decreasing C/N ratio from the simpler N saturation model currently used to calculate nutrient-N critical load exceedance. All N addition rates also caused persistent increases in plant-available N. Using the MultiMOVE niche models for plant species typical of dune grassland, these soil changes were related to changes in the overall nutrient enrichment of the flora, as indicated by mean Ellenberg N score, and thereby to the habitat’s suitability for particular species. Declines in Habitat Suitability were interpreted as increasing risk to the species. At rates above 30 kg N ha-1y-1, the more sensitive species were placed at risk almost immediately, but at smaller rates species were placed at risk later on, with an increasing delay with less N addition. At rates lower than the critical N load for calcareous fixed dunes, more mesotrophic species were placed at risk. Species viewed as positive indicators of habitat condition were placed at risk under both high and low rates of N addition. Changes in Habitat Suitability due to changed grazing regime had greater simulated effects on Habitat Suitability. For more confidence in the model chain, differences between the spatial and temporal effects of N addition need to be addressed. More information on the effects of N on vegetation structure and litterfall would be very useful, and objective measurements of vegetation height should be included in monitoring schemes alongside floristic recording. Management was shown to be critical for mitigating the effects of N. Although N removal through grazing or mowing is unlikely to export sufficient N to prevent enrichment, reducing vegetation height can prevent competitive species shading out the more distinctive low-growing, light-demanding dune species.
SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Brockman Iron Formation of the Hamersley Range, Western Australia

Tuffaceous mudrocks are common in the banded iron‐formations (BIF) of the Brockman Iron Formation. These tuffaceous mudrocks are either stilpnomelane‐rich or siliceous. Their compositions reflect bimodal volcanic activity in the vicinity of the Hamersley BIF depositional site. They also contain complex zircon populations that record resedimentation, syndepositional volcanism and post‐depositional isotopic disturbance. The best estimates of depositional age are obtained from siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member that contain 2459 ± 3 Ma and 2454 ± 3 Ma zircon populations most likely derived from felsic volcanism coeval with BIF deposition. These dates constrain the sedimentation rates for the ∼370 m‐thick Joffre Member BIF to >15 m per million years. Siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks are not present in the underlying ∼120 m‐thick Dales Gorge Member and it is uncertain whether previously reported ages of ca 2479–2470 Ma for this unit reflect detrital/xenocrystic or syndepositional zircon populations in resedimented stilpnomelane‐rich tuffaceous mudrocks. The increased abundance of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member suggests that a pulse of enhanced igneous and hydrothermal activity accompanied deposition of the bulk of the Brockman Iron Formation BIF after ca 2460 Ma. This preceded and culminated in the emplacement of the 2449 ± 3 Ma large igneous province represented by BIF and igneous rocks of the Weeli Wolli Formation and Woongarra Rhyolite.
Petrological diversity and origin of ophiolites in Japan and Far East Russia with emphasis on depleted harzburgite

Abstract Ophiolites are divided into lherzolite-type (L-type) and harzburgite-type (H-type) by the lithology of their mantle peridotites. Rare depleted harzburgite-type (DH-type) is distinguished from the normal H-type by the more refractory nature of its mantle peridotite and the occurrence of orthopyroxene-type cumulate rocks including iron-rich harzburgite and orthopyroxenite. The Shelting (Sakhalin) and Krasnaya (Koryak Mountains) ophiolites in Far East Russia, which have both depleted harzburgite and orthopyroxene-type cumulate rocks, belong to this newly defined DH-type. The ophiolites in SW Japan-Primorye, NE Japan-Sakhalin, and the Koryak Mountains in the northwestern Pacific margin have diverse ophiolite types ranging from L- to DH-types. The wide petrological diversity, the common occurrence of DH-type, and the presence of thick crustal sections in these ophiolites suggest regionally inhomogeneous, commonly very high degrees of mantle melting over subduction zones, as in the modern Mariana forearc environment. The ophiolites of Japan and Far East Russia range in age from Early Palaeozoic to Cenozoic and are tectonically underlain by younger blueschists and accretionary complexes. The spatial association of these ophiolites with blueschists is analogous to the ophiolite-blueschist assemblages recovered from the Mariana forearc. This association might have formed in a period of non-accretion at an oceanic subduction zone that was followed by voluminous accretion of sediments, facilitating subsequent uplift of the ophiolites and blueschists.
Automatic measurement of crops canopy height based on monocular vision

Computer vision technology has been increasingly used for automatically observing crop growth state, but as one of the key parameters in the field of agro-meteorological observation, crop canopy height is still measured manually in the actual observation process up to now. In order to automatically measure the height based on the forward-and-downward-looking image in the existing monocular vision observation system, a novel method is proposed, that is, to measure the canopy height indirectly by the solving algorithm for the actual height of the vertical objects (SAAH) with the help of the intelligent sensor device. The experiment results verified the feasibility and validity of our method, and that the method could meet the actual observation demand.
The Changing Geography of the U.S. Water Budget: Twentieth-Century Patterns and Twenty-First-Century Projections

Persistent changes in temperature and precipitation patterns have dramatic effects on the availability of surface water for natural vegetation, streamflow, agricultural production, and human consumption. We use a combination of historical observational climate data and water budget equations to develop time-series and maps of twentieth-century water variables within the contiguous United States and compare these with anticipated twenty-first-century patterns projected by global climate models. The results graphically demonstrate regional variation in hydroclimatic trends: areas that experienced convergent actual (AET) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) rates during the twentieth century (such as the Great Lakes and Gulf South) witnessed long-term increases in available moisture, whereas areas with divergent rates (such as the Mid-Atlantic and Great Plains) had greater water deficits. Increasing temperatures through the twenty-first century will produce higher PET across the United States; areas where AET similarly escalates will maintain average moisture levels within twentieth-century ranges, but where AET does not correspondingly increase, as in much of the South and West, average conditions will be comparable to those of extreme twentieth-century droughts. The findings highlight the importance of a regional approach to environmental change, as the impacts of climate on water in the United States will be spatially uneven.
A new approach to DInSAR pixel selection with a combined multi resolution selection method

In DInSAR processing it is possible to detect different kinds of targets at different resolutions. Point like scatters can be selected with high resolution selection methods, like amplitude dispersion. Distributed scatters can be selected with a coherence spatial window. The joint combination of two or more pixel selection methods can be useful to get a higher pixel density and identify, compare and evaluate distributed and point like scatters at the same time.
Multiscale comparison of remote-sensing data for linear woody vegetation mapping

Wooded hedgerows do not cover large areas but perform many functions that are beneficial to water quality and biodiversity. A broad range of remotely sensed data is available to map these small linear elements in rural landscapes, but only a few of them have been evaluated for this purpose. In this study, we evaluate and compare various optical remote-sensing data including high and very high spatial resolution, active and passive, and airborne and satellite data to produce quantitative information on the hedgerow network structure and to analyse qualitative information from the maps produced in order to estimate the true value of these maps. We used an object-based image analysis that proved to be efficient for detecting and mapping thin elements in complex landscapes. The analysis was performed at two scales, the hedgerow network scale and the tree canopy scale, on a study site that shows a strong landscape gradient of wooded hedgerow density. The results (1) highlight the key role of spectral resolution on the detection and mapping of wooded elements with remotely sensed data; (2) underline the fact that every satellite image provides relevant information on wooded network structures, even in closed landscape units, whatever the spatial resolution; and (3) indicate that light detection and ranging data offer important insights into future strategies for monitoring hedgerows.
Automatic pulmonary artery-vein separation in CT images using a twin-pipe network and topology reconstruction

Background With the wide application of CT scanning, the separation of pulmonary arteries and veins (A/V) based on CT images plays an important role for assisting surgeons in preoperative planning of lung cancer surgery. However, distinguishing between arteries and veins in chest CT images remains challenging due to the complex structure and the presence of their similarities. Methods We proposed a novel method for automatically separating pulmonary arteries and veins based on vessel topology information and a twin-pipe deep learning network. First, vessel tree topology is constructed by combining scale-space particles and multi-stencils fast marching (MSFM) methods to ensure the continuity and authenticity of the topology. Second, a twin-pipe network is designed to learn the multiscale differences between arteries and veins and the characteristics of the small arteries that closely accompany bronchi. Finally, we designed a topology optimizer that considers interbranch and intrabranch topological relationships to optimize the results of arteries and veins classification. Results The proposed approach is validated on the public dataset CARVE14 and our private dataset. Compared with ground truth, the proposed method achieves an average accuracy of 90.1% on the CARVE14 dataset, and 96.2% on our local dataset. Conclusions The method can effectively separate pulmonary arteries and veins and has good generalization for chest CT images from different devices, as well as enhanced and noncontrast CT image sequences from the same device.
Homogeneity of marginal distributions for a large number of populations

Assume that a random vector (X,Y) is observed in k populations and independent samples of that random vector are available at each population. Assume that X and Y have the same dimension. Our purpose is to test the equality of the marginal distributions of X and Y in the k populations when k is large compared to the sample sizes. With this aim, we propose and study a test statistic that compares the empirical characteristic functions of the marginal distributions. Under the null, the test statistic is asymptotically free‐distributed. An expression of the asymptotic power is also derived, which allows to study the consistency of the test. No assumption is made on the distribution of X and Y , which can be continuous, discrete or mixed; moreover, no assumption is made about moments. A simulation study investigates the finite sample performance of the new test. The proposal is applied to study air pollution levels that are directly related to environmental health, in all countries where observations are available.
Supervised image classification by MLP and RBF neural networks with and without an exhaustively defined set of classes

The absence of assumptions about the dataset to be classified is one of the major attractions of neural networks for supervised image classification applications. Classification by a neural network does, however, make assumptions about the classes. One key assumption typically made is that the set of classes has been defined exhaustively. If this assumption is unsatisfied, cases of an untrained class will be present and commissioned into the set of trained classes to the detriment of classification accuracy. This was observed in land cover classifications derived with multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks in which the presence of an untrained class resulted in a ∼12.5% decrease in the accuracy of crop classifications derived from airborne thematic mapper data. However, since the RBF network partitions feature space locally rather than globally as with the MLP, it was possible to reduce the commission of atypical cases into the set of trained classes through the setting of post-classification thresholds on the RBF network's outputs. As a result it was possible to identify and exclude some cases of untrained classes from a classification with a RBF network which resulted in an increase in classification accuracy.
The Imposition of Pretrial Conditions on Released Federal Defendants: The Overuse of Conditions Without Providing Any Measurable Benefits

In the federal system, defendants placed on pretrial release may have multiple conditions imposed on them which are aimed at ensuring court appearances and maintaining public safety. In general, little is known about the number of conditions imposed on released federal defendants, the extent to which conditions are associated with pretrial risk, and the potential of these conditions to maximize court appearances and minimize pretrial crime. This study seeks to address these issues by examining the imposition of pretrial conditions on 223,260 released federal defendants. The results show that defendants received an average of about nine conditions and that the association between conditions and a defendant’s pretrial risk classification was relatively modest. The results also show conditions having no significant relationship with reductions in the likelihood of pretrial crime or missed court appearances; however, the probability of being revoked increases with the number of conditions imposed.
Variability in Microbial Communities in Black Smoker Chimneys at the NW Caldera Vent Field, Brothers Volcano, Kermadec Arc

Microbial communities in black smoker chimney structures at the NW caldera vent field of the Brothers volcano, Kermadec arc were characterized by using both culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The hydrothermal vent fluid chemistry, as given by end-member salinities and gas contents, differ among the black smoker sites of the NW caldera field, indicating probable phase-separation-controlled variability in the fluid chemistry. Chimney structures collected from typical Cl-depleted and Cl-enriched hydrothermal fluid vents were used for the microbiological investigation. The 16S rRNA gene clone analysis showed that the archaeal rRNA gene communities were similar within interior and exterior substructures of any single chimneys, and even between chimneys having either Cl-depleted or Cl-enriched hydrothermal emissions. By contrast, the bacterial rRNA gene communities varied between chimneys hosting Cl-depleted or Cl-enriched fluids. Cultivation analysis showed significant variation in the viable counts of various microbial components among the chimneys, particularly of H 2 - and/or S-oxidizing chemolithotrophs such as the genera Persephonella and Sulfurimonas. The difference shown by the cultured microbial community structures between the chimneys may be related to the different chemistries of hydrothermal fluids being expelled by the chimney structures, and possibly differences in the subseafloor environments beneath the vent sites, especially when considering different gas inputs and carbon sources. The patterns in cultivated microbial populations in the chimney structures were compared among the chimney structures studied so far from various deep-sea hydrothermal fields including this study. It shows that the patterns from the gas-rich hydrothermal fluid chimneys are quite similar between the geographically and geologically different hydrothermal fields of the Brothers NW caldera vent field, and the Mariner vent field of the Valu Fa Ridge.