Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Culturally appropriate health education for type 2 diabetes mellitus in ethnic minority groups.

BACKGROUND Ethnic minority groups in upper-middle and high income countries tend to be socio-economically disadvantaged and to have higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes than the majority population. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of culturally appropriate diabetes health education on important outcome measures in type 2 diabetes. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, SIGLE and reference lists of articles. We also contacted authors in the field and handsearched commonly encountered journals. SELECTION CRITERIA RCTs of culturally appropriate diabetes health education for people over 16 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus from named ethnic minority groups resident in upper-middle or high income countries. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Where there were disagreements in selection of papers for inclusion, all four authors discussed the studies. We contacted study authors for additional information when data appeared to be missing or needed clarification. MAIN RESULTS Eleven trials involving 1603 people were included, with ten trials providing suitable data for entry into meta-analysis. Glycaemic control (HbA1c), showed an improvement following culturally appropriate health education at three months (weight mean difference (WMD) - 0.3%, 95% CI -0.6 to -0.01), and at six months (WMD -0.6%, 95% CI -0.9 to -0.4), compared with control groups who received 'usual care'. This effect was not significant at 12 months post intervention (WMD -0.1%, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.2). Knowledge scores also improved in the intervention groups at three months (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.7), six months (SMD 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7) and twelve months (SMD 0.4, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.6) post intervention. Other outcome measures both clinical (such as lipid levels, and blood pressure) and patient centred (quality of life measures, attitude scores and measures of patient empowerment and self-efficacy) showed no significant improvement compared with control groups. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Culturally appropriate diabetes health education appears to have short term effects on glycaemic control and knowledge of diabetes and healthy lifestyles. None of the studies were long-term, and so clinically important long-term outcomes could not be studied. No studies included an economic analysis. The heterogeneity of studies made subgroup comparisons difficult to interpret with confidence. There is a need for long-term, standardised multi-centre RCTs that compare different types and intensities of culturally appropriate health education within defined ethnic minority groups.
MANIPULATION-ROBUST REGRESSION DISCONTINUITY DESIGNS12

In regression discontinuity designs, manipulation threatens identiﬁcation. A known channel of harmful manipulations is precise control over the observed assignment, but this channel is only an example. This study uncovers the only other channel: sample selection by deciding manipulation precisely based on the given assignment status. For example, in the assignment design of a qualiﬁcation exam, self-selection by allowing test retakes precisely based on failing the exam is a precise decision. This precise decision harms identiﬁcation without precisely controlling the ﬁnal assignment. For instance, retaking the test never ensures passage, but it distorts the qualiﬁcation assignment because some students that failed then pass. However, students that have already passed, never fail. This novel channel redeﬁnes the justiﬁcation for identiﬁcation. Furthermore, under a new auxiliary condition, McCrary (2008)’s test is able to conﬁrm identiﬁcation and the existing worst-case bounds are nested within our new bounds. In a replication study, another sample selection by analysts appears critical in the robustness of their original conclusion.
Coseismic deformation of the 2001 Mw = 7.8 Kokoxili earthquake in Tibet, measured by synthetic aperture radar interferometry

[1] The 14 November 2001, Mw = 7.8, Kokoxili earthquake ruptured more than 400 km of the westernmost stretch of the left-lateral Kunlun fault in northern Tibet. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from descending orbits, along four adjacent tracks covering almost the entire rupture, and 1-m pixel Ikonos satellite images are used to map the rupture geometry and the surface displacements produced by the event. Interferograms are then inverted to solve for coseismic slip on the fault at depth. The radar data show that the rupture connected the Heituo fault, where the earthquake initiated, to the main Kunlun fault, cutting across a pull-apart trough in between the two strike-slip faults. The fault model includes two vertical sections extending to a depth of 20 km and discretized into 5 km × 5 km patches. Using a nonnegative least squares method that includes an appropriate degree of smoothing, we solve for the left-lateral slip on each fault patch. Our solution shows that the largest slip occurred at depths between 0 and 5 km, reaching ≃8 m in two areas, 200 and 250 km east of the earthquake epicenter. Significant slip took place below 10 km at both ends of the rupture. Slip appears to have been highly variable along the fault, defining six sections of major moment release. These sections correspond to six subsegments of the Kunlun fault system, defined from the surface morphology of the fault. This suggests that fault geometry exerted a predominant influence on controlling the rupture propagation.
Predicting deep drainage in the soil from soil properties and rainfall

Simple predictions of deep drainage in the soil profile are often required for preliminary planning of land management where the cost of direct measurement is not warranted. Soil hydraulic conductivity and drainage of water below the root zone can be related to the salt content at the bottom of the root zone, assuming steady-state balances of water and salt. A physically based empirical model uses readily measured soil properties to predict the quantity of drainage below the root zone under varying regimes of water management and shows a good relationship with ponded infiltration rate.
Stiffness and Damping of Clean Quartz Sand with Various Grain-Size Distribution Curves

AbstractApproximately 240 resonant column (RC) tests have been performed on 26 clean quartz sands with piecewise linear, gap-graded, S-shaped, and other smoothly shaped grain-size distribution curves. For each material, the small-strain shear modulus, Gmax, the shear modulus degradation curves, G(γ)/Gmax, and the damping ratio curves, D(γ), were measured at different pressures and densities. The applicability of the extended empirical equations proposed by the authors in two previous publications, considering the influence of the uniformity coefficient, Cu=d60/d10, of the grain-size distribution curve, has been inspected for the various tested materials. These equations were developed originally based on RC test data for linear gradations. It is demonstrated that the extended empirical equations work well also for most of the more complicated grain-size distribution curves tested in the current study.
A diver-operated electric suction sampler for sympagic (= under-ice) invertebrates

The construction and operation of a diver-operated suction sampler for sympagic fauna are described. An interchangeable sampling cylinder with a 0.5 mm sieve connected to a battery driven turbine pump makes it possible to‘vacuum’predetermined areas of the ice under-surface, even if the surface is rugged and perforated by brine channels. Several samples can be obtained during one dive by using different sampling cylinders.
The Scientific Beaufort Equivalent Scale: Effects on Wind Statistics and Climatological Air-Sea Flux Estimates in the North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The Beaufort equivalent scale of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), used for decades to transform marine Beaufort estimates to surface wind speeds over the oceans, contains systematic errors that depend nonlinearly on the wind speed. Applying a revised scientific equivalent scale instead of the WMO scale produces significant changes in statistics of surface wind speed U over the ocean and, consequently, in all air-sea fluxes that are related to U. For the North Atlantic Ocean these biases are quantified as follows. The WMO scale underestimates climatological monthly means of U significantly: up to 1.6 m s−1in tropical latitudes throughout the year. In subpolar regions, differences are significant from spring through autumn and reach 1.3 m s−1. These regionally and seasonally different monthly biases are equivalent to an overestimate of the annual variation of U, which reaches 1.5 m s−1 in the westerlies. Local standard deviations may be overestimated up to 1.2 m s−1. The WMO scale under.
Machine learning techniques applied to prediction of residual strength of clay

Stability with first time or reactivated landslides depends upon the residual shear strength of soil. This paper describes prediction of the residual strength of soil based on index properties using two machine learning techniques. Different Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models and Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques have been used. SVM aims at minimizing a bound on the generalization error of a model rather than at minimizing the error on the training data only. The ANN models along with their generalizations capabilities are presented here for comparisons. This study also highlights the capability of SVM model over ANN models for the prediction of the residual strength of soil. Based on different statistical parameters, the SVM model is found to be better than the developed ANN models. A model equation has been developed for prediction of the residual strength based on the SVM for practicing geotechnical engineers. Sensitivity analyses have been also performed to investigate the effects of different index properties on the residual strength of soil.
Mid- to late-Holocene reservoir-age variability and isotope-based palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Limfjord, Denmark

Palaeoenvironmental and 14C reservoir age variability in the Limfjord, a sound through northern Jutland, Denmark, was investigated for the period 7300 to 1300 cal yr BP. Shells and bulk sediment samples from a core from a former inlet, Kilen, were analysed by radiocarbon dating and stable isotope (C/N) measurements. A strong correlation between the C/N ratios and δ13C values verifies that these are good carbon source indicators and thus allow environmental reconstructions. Furthermore, δ13C values are correlated with salinity in the photic zone, inferred quantitatively from diatom assemblages. They are therefore used to differentiate between brackish and marine palaeo-conditions. 14C reservoir ages of shells vary from Δ R =−140 to +300 14C years. Between 7300 and 5400 cal. yr BP, reservoir age and stable isotope values are highly variable and indicate mixing of marine water and brackish surface waters with hard water effects. After 5400 cal. yr BP, the ΔR values stabilise and show an increasingly marine environment, with 14C reservoir ages close to 400 years (ΔR=0). After 2000 cal. yr BP, Kilen becomes brackish. Reservoir ages and stable isotope values are again highly variable and δ13C and C/N values are no longer correlated. Before 4000 cal. yr BP, δ15N values vary by only 1‰ and do not reflect the changes in the marine environment. A δ15N increase between 3500 and 2000 cal. yr BP signifies enhanced organic productivity or a change in agricultural practices.
The Late Triassic Araucarioxylon Arizonicum trees of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA

Examination and measurement of many of the trunks attributed to Araucarioxylon arizonicum Knowlton eroded from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona demonstrate that the living tree did not closely resemble any of the present‐day Araucaria trees of the southern hemisphere as postulated in past reconstructions. The research indicates that it was a tall monopodial tree with branches occurring in a disordered manner on the trunk from the base to the crown. Calculations using the allometric method of Niklas indicate that the trees were of considerable size. The largest recorded trunk has a basal diameter of nearly 3 m and may represent a tree 59 m high, when living. The root system of the A. arizonicum tree consisted of a ring of four to six steeply inclined lateral roots and a massive, vertically directed tap root. Many of the trunks still have their root systems attached, a circumstance that indicates their felling by the cut‐bank operations of the local river system. The massive roots of these trunks, particularly the large tap root, are consistent with growth in soft, deep, alluvial soil, and the thin scale bark is to be expected in a tropical climate free from frost.
Processing and analysis of Mars Pathfinder science data at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Science Data Processing Systems Section

The Mars Pathfinder mission required new capabilities and adaptation of existing capabilities in order to support science analysis and flight operations requirements imposed by the in situ nature of the mission. The Science Data Processing Systems Section of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was responsible for the design, development, and application of the system required to perform telemetry processing, distribution, and archiving of data from the four primary science instruments, and support of flight operations through production of automatically generated stereo and color mosaics, terrain visualizations, and animations. The system developed for Mars Pathfinder incorporated new capabilities in producing computer-generated color mosaics, for cataloging and distribution of science data, and utilized new display technology to support science analysis and flight operations requirements. This paper describes the data processing performed to support the science and operations payload on the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover.
Constraints on the Preservation of Ferriferous Microfossils

The taphonomy of ancient microbial communities is understood via rare windows of microbes that are successfully entombed and preserved in the fossil record. Laboratory investigations using live bacterial cultures, combined with observations on microfossils preserved in ferriferous oolitic beds formed around 161 million years ago, were used to constrain conditions that are conducive to preservation by mineralization. Lab experiments confirmed redox conditions in conjunction with bacterial Fe metabolism as the critical parameter. When Fe was mobilized during the reductive dissolution of ferric hydroxide in laboratory studies, bacteria did not sorb sufficient amounts of ferriferous phases to result in casts. By contrast, iron-oxidizing bacteria sorbed sufficient ferric hydroxide to entomb the cells, although there was variation in Fe oxide sorption within a single culture. The comparison of information from lab and field investigations opens an avenue to infer processes of preservation by mineralization in a geological time frame.
Variability: The effects of variation in power relations within the firm, in its market performance, and in the evaluations of its products

The distribution of power and influence within an organization, past product performance records, and product evaluations are not new for the literature and its effects to the performance and strategy of an organization have been extensively investigated. However, the impact of the changes and variability of the value of such factors across time and/or across different actors are largely overlooked. The main aim of this research is to explore and discuss how variability in consumer and expert evaluations and sales affects the performance of the organization in regard to sales and evaluations of future products, strategy in terms of the likelihood to explore new markets, and how the changes in marketing-R&D orientation strategy affect performance.
Non‐similar frequency‐magnitude distribution for M < 1 Seismicity

A series of 1503 induced seismic events ranging in magnitude from −2 to 1 as computed based on a locally calibrated seismic moment scale were located within a well-defined volume at depth. The seismicity analysis was carried out over 2 months and included events recorded before, during, and following the after-shock period of a mN 2.6 rockburst. A non-similar pattern was clearly apparent for both cumulative and non-cumulative frequency-magnitude distributions, showing a relative enhancement of seismicity between magnitudes −0.5 and 0. This supports the existence of non-similar scaling at these magnitudes. The time variation of the b-value, as computed for a limited self-similar magnitude domain (−1.1 to −0.4), did not appear to be related to the rockburst. Instead, it is suggested that the rockburst perturbed the local stress field and consequently the distribution of the very small events. No correlations were found between b and space clustering.
Modeling ice algal growth and decline in a seasonally ice‐covered region of the Arctic (Resolute Passage, Canadian Archipelago)

[1] We have developed a coupled snow-ice–ice algae model to investigate the importance of different ice algal growth limitation terms, as well as different loss terms, in regulating the ice algal biomass accumulation at the bottom of landfast ice in the Canadian Archipelago. The model results are compared with data collected from May to July 2002 at a station near Resolute in Barrow Strait. Our results show that ice algae are light limited at the beginning of the bloom, then fluctuate between light and nutrient limitation, finally remaining nutrient limited toward the end of the bloom. The fortnightly tide modulates the ice algal biomass through the supply of nutrient to the ice algal layer but mainly through modulation of the bottom ice melt rate. We also demonstrate that the bottom ice melt rate regulates the maximum biomass attained in the region and that a rapid increase in ice temperature can lead to a significant decline in ice algal biomass. The eventual termination of the bloom is triggered by melting of the snow cover and results from (1) increased ice algal losses due to high bottom ice melt rate and (2) decreased ice algal growth due to nutrient limitation caused by the formation of a meltwater lens below the ice. Finally, our results show that the snow cover controls the length of the bloom, such that earlier snowmelt that is expected to accompany climate warming may lead to a reduction in ice algal production.
Evaluation of Seismic-Acoustic Analysis Methods for a Real-time UXO Monitoring System

The Department of Defense (DoD) uses over two million rounds of high-explosive (HE) munitions per year (Defense Science Board Task Force, 2003). A small percentage does not explode, thus generating unexploded ordnance (UXO) in current range areas at a substantial rate. As these ranges are closed, the DoD becomes responsible for the environmental restoration of the affected properties. Current methods of UXO remediation are costly because of high false alarm rates. Our current research is to develop a complementary technology that will alleviate false alarm rate by detecting, classifying, and locating UXO in near real time (less than 1 minute) as a munition impacts the range. This technology will utilize an array of buried seismic sensors in a calibrated range area, along with a set of algorithms based on theoretical and applied seismology and statistical analysis. Initial field tests at three sites focused on developing concepts of the seismic and acoustic location of ordnance impacts. Our research program developed from these initial field tests has four primary objectives: 1) fully implement a wired seismic-acoustic ordnance impact location system for live fire ranges; 2) develop a system capability to discriminate high-order (HE), loworder (partially exploded), and zero-order (UXO) events; 3) reduce location error to a stringent program metric of 1–2 m; and 4) investigate the feasibility of developing a wireless implementation of the technology. This paper describes the procedures and results from follow-on tests that were conducted in two locations at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland. These tests were used to evaluate potential seismic-acoustic methods and system configurations for a Seismic-Acoustic Impact Monitoring Assessment (SAIMA) system for mitigating UXO hazards. Significant results from this work include: 1) seismic impulses from low-order impacts were detected at distances up to 1,000 meters; 2) classification features based on measurements of the amplitude of acoustic and seismic phases produce clear discrimination between HE and UXO impacts; 3) calculated location solutions for HE and UXO impacts yield an average location error of 10–20 meters; and 4) empirical observation and waveform modeling demonstrated that surface waves dominate the signal at all distances and therefore should be the primary phase used for all components of analysis. Furthermore, these tests demonstrated the current system design, allowing further enhancements, is capable of meeting the initial research objectives (1) and (2). Future research will focus on improving system performance with refinement of the sensor-layout geometry and the detection and location algorithms through system error analyses and follow-on field testing.
Spatial and Temporal Variability in Fish Diversity of Vellar Estuary(South East Coast of India)

Aim: The present study describes spatial and seasonal changes in fish species composition of3 zones in Vellar estuary. Sample: The95 species of finfishes recorded here (bony fishes 93 species and elasmobranchs 2 species) included 8 freshwater species, 9 estuarine species, 63 estuarine and marine species and 13 marine species. Results:The number of species and diversity (Shanno n-Wiener index, Margalef richness index,average taxonomic distinctness index and the total phylogenentic diversity index) decreased from the marine zone towards freshwater zone. Cluster analysis showed gradual change in species composition from the marin e zone to the freshwater zone of the estuary. ANOSIM showed significant seasonal changes (Global R=-0.93;P=0.1%). Pair wise comparison between the seasons also showed significant differences except between post monsoon and summer. However the differences between the zones were not
Exhumation paths of high‐pressure metapelites obtained from local equilibria for chlorite–phengite assemblages

The compositional variation of phengite and chlorite pairs in rocks sampled across the metamorphic zonation of three different blueschist belts (Cycladic, Sambagawa and Schistes Lustrés) is characterized from the regional to the thin‐section scale. The different sample suites show different compositional trends, but similar trends are observed at the regional and thin‐section scale in the same unit. At the thin‐section scale, several local chlorite–phengite equilibria involving minerals of different compositions can be identified. These observations suggest that at temperature T < ∼550°C, equilibration of chlorite and phengite compositions with varying pressure and temperature is controlled by crystallization/recrystallization processes rather than by changing the composition of older grains by lattice diffusion. In some instances, the relative time of growth of the different phyllosilicate generations can be determined using microstructural criteria. The observed compositional variations are interpreted and quantified in terms of pressure (P) and temperature (T) variations using new thermodynamic solution models accounting for the Tschermak, di/trioctahedral, and pyrophyllitic substitutions. Chlorite–phengite local equilibria constrain the shape of the exhumation P–T paths of the rocks under consideration. The assemblage chlorite–phengite–paragonite–albite–quartz–H2O can be used to constrain different P–T paths for Tinos and Sambagawa blueschists. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.