Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonparametric analysis of nonhomogeneous multi-state processes based on clustered observations

Frequently, clinical trials and observational studies involve complex event history data with multiple events. When the observations are independent, the analysis of such studies can be based on standard methods for multi-state models. However, the independence assumption is often violated, such as in multicenter studies, which makes the use of standard methods improper. In this work we address the issue of nonparametric estimation and two-sample testing for the population-averaged transition and state occupation probabilities under general multi-state models based on right-censored, left-truncated, and clustered observations. The proposed methods do not impose assumptions regarding the within-cluster dependence, allow for informative cluster size, and are applicable to both Markov and non-Markov processes. Using empirical process theory, the estimators are shown to be uniformly consistent and to converge weakly to tight Gaussian processes. Closed-form variance estimators are derived, rigorous methodology for the calculation of simultaneous confidence bands is proposed, and the asymptotic properties of the nonparametric tests are established. Furthermore, we provide theoretical arguments for the validity of the nonparametric cluster bootstrap, which can be readily implemented in practice regardless of how complex the underlying multi-state model is. Simulation studies show that the performance of the proposed methods is good, and that methods that ignore the within-cluster dependence can lead to invalid inferences. Finally, the methods are applied to data from a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Dynamic properties of solid waste based on back-analysis of OII landfill

Back-analyses of the recorded seismic response of the Operating Industries, Inc. landfill were performed to estimate strain-dependent shear modulus reduction and material damping relationships for solid waste. Two-dimensional dynamic finite element analyses were performed using the accelerograms from five earthquake events. The sensitivity of the computed results to variations in shear wave velocity, shear modulus reduction, damping, and Poisson's ratio was examined. The recorded and calculated motions at the top of the landfill were compared through an objective statistical analysis of the computed and recorded acceleration response spectra. Statistically significant findings from the analysis indicate that strain-dependent shear modulus reduction and material damping relationships for the solid waste at this site are best characterized by those of a medium plasticity clay.
Removal of thorium from simulated acid process streams by fungal biomass: Potential for thorium desorption and reuse of biomass and desorbent

When thorium was biosorbed by biomass of Rhizopus arrhizus or Aspergillus niger it could be removed by treatment using carbonate solutions, but not by phosphates or distilled water. Desorption was rapid, reaching completion in 15 and 30 min respectively. Desorption efficiency was independent of the desorbent concentration above 0.05 mol dm−3 but was strongly dependent on the biomass concentration, decreasing as the biomass concentration increased for both species. Biomass from both species could be regenerated by desorption using sodium carbonate solutions and reused for biosorption. In both species, the efficiency of biosorption and desorption fell as the number of exposures increased although there was an initial rise in desorption efficiency for R. arrhizus. Biosorption and desorption efficiencies of A. niger biomass showed the steeper decline but both were severely reduced in R. arrhizus after five treatments. There was also a significant loss of biomass during repeated treatment but this was not apparently related to the loss of biosorption and desorption efficiencies. The same batch of sodium carbonate solution could be used to repeatedly desorb batches of biomass. The total amount of thorium removed was greater with increasing sodium carbonate concentration up to 0.1 mol dm−3. It was considered that reuse of both biomass and desorbent did not yield significant improvements in process economics.
CEP2 Attenuates Myoblast Differentiation But Does Not Affect Proliferation

CEP2 (CDC42EP2) is a member of the CDC42 subfamily that belongs to the Rho family. The Rho family plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes including skeletal myogenesis. Here, we find the expression of CEP2 increased significantly during C2C12 myogenesis. Overexpression of CEP2 could attenuate myoblast differentiation, while knockdown of CEP2 by siRNA results in enhancing myogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that CEP2 attenuates myoblast differentiation via suppression of muscle regulatory factors (MRFs) rather than influencing myoblast proliferation. These results indicate that CEP2 acts as a repressor during myogenesis, which provides new insights into the role of CEP2 in muscle development.
Floating houses: an adaptation strategy for flood preparedness in times of global change

The rising sea-level and the frequency of devastating floods have already increased in a considerable way. At the same time, the population is continuously rising, along with the demand for adequate housing and sufficient space. In this context the so-called floating houses are a future-oriented solution for settlements along coastlines and river districts or on little islands. In highly industrialized countries which export products or the associated licenses it is an opportunity for the development and construction of floating houses. Up to now in most cases the floating objects are built on pontoons as usual buildings on a fixed ground. The special boundary conditions caused by water waves, water chemistry and climate components should be considered in order to prevent damage. Concomitantly the floating objects bring chances for mobility and use of alternative energies due to the water environment. In Lusatia, a landscape in the eastern part of Germany southeast of Berlin, a lot of former lignite open-cast mines were filled with water and the worldwide largest artificial lake landscape was created among others by the assistance of the International Building Exhibition “Furst-Puckler-Land”. Different types of floating houses have already been built. The department Building Physics of the university BTU-CS has carried out a lot of investigations with regard to materials, energy use and climate boundary conditions by means of measurements and numerical simulations. Besides, water as a building ground must be cost effective and exhibit an affordable floating architecture.
Knowledge management and virtual communities

The objective of this article is to illuminate the relation between knowledge management and virtual communities. A model which comprises four types of knowledge management is presented. A central theme in this article is the suggestion that knowledge management is not an unequivocal concept. Depending on the environment of the organization, the knowledge management will differ in focus and content. Increasing complexity and dynamics in the environment induce organizations to collaborate within and beyond their boundaries. In this collaboration there will be more attention for virtual communities. Knowledge Management and Virtual Communities
InSAR observations of the 1993–95 Bering Glacier (Alaska, U.S.A.) surge and a surge hypothesis

Time-varying accelerations were observed on Bagley Icefield during the 1993-95 surge of Bering Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A. , using repeat-pass synthetic aperture radar interferometry. Observations were from datasets acquired during winter 1991/92 (pre-surge), winter 1993/94 (during the surge) and winter 1995/96 (post-surge). The surge is shown to have extended 110 km up the icefield from Bering Glacier to within 15 km or less of the flow divide. Acceleration and step-like velocity profiles are strongly associated with an along-glacier series of central phase bull's-eyes with diameters of 0.5-4 km. These bull's-eyes are interpreted to represent glacier surface rise/fall events of ∼3-30 cm during 1-3 day observation intervals and indicate possible migrating pockets of subglacial water. We present a surge hypothesis that relates late-summer climate to englacial water storage and thence to the subglacial water dynamics-pressurization, hydraulic jacking, depressurization and migration-suggested by our observations.
Archean (3.3 Ga) paleosols and paleoenvironments of Western Australia

The Pilbara craton of northwestern Australia is known for what were, when reported, the oldest known microfossils and paleosols on Earth. Both interpretations are mired in controversy, and neither remain the oldest known. Both the microfossils and the paleosols have been considered hydrothermal artefacts: carbon films of vents and a large hydrothermal cupola, respectively. This study resampled and analyzed putative paleosols within and below the Strelley Pool Formation (3.3 Ga), at four classic locations: Strelley Pool, Steer Ridge, Trendall Ridge, and Streckfuss, and also at newly discovered outcrops near Marble Bar. The same sequence of sedimentary facies and paleosols was newly recognized unconformably above the locality for microfossils in chert of the Apex Basalt (3.5 Ga) near Marble Bar. The fossiliferous Apex chert was not a hydrothermal vein but a thick (15 m) sedimentary interbed within a sequence of pillow basalts, which form an angular unconformity capped by the same pre-Strelley paleosol and Strelley Pool Formation facies found elsewhere in the Pilbara region. Baritic alluvial paleosols within the Strelley Pool Formation include common microfossil spindles (cf. Eopoikilofusa) distinct from marine microfossil communities with septate filaments (Primaevifilum) of cherts in the Apex and Mt Ada Basalts. Phosphorus and iron depletion in paleosols within and below the Strelley Pool Formation are evidence of soil communities of stable landscapes living under an atmosphere of high CO2 (2473 ± 134 ppmv or 8.8 ± 0.5 times preindustrial atmospheric level of 280 ppm) and low O2 (2181 ± 3018 ppmv or 0.01 ± 0.014 times modern).
Origins and chemical characteristics of fine aerosols during the northeastern Asia regional experiment (Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment 2005)

[1] As a part of ABC-EAREX 2005 (Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment 2005), trace gases and compositions of PM2.5 were measured at Gosan supersite in Jeju Island during 13–30 March 2005. Aerosol constituents were determined continuously on site at 1-a intervals. The mean concentrations of gases were 56 ppbv for O3, 297 ppbv for CO, 3.2 ppbv for SO2, and 2.2 ppbv for NOx. For PM2.5, the average mass concentration was 27.3 μg/m3, and mean concentrations of nss-SO42−, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were 3.34 μg/m3, 4.22 μg/m3, and 1.00 μg/m3, respectively. The simultaneous measurements of gaseous and aerosol species revealed that the composition of PM2.5 was mainly determined by anthropogenic plumes from nearby lands. Most of pollution plumes were associated with the passage of cold frontal systems, when all major species were greatly enhanced. Of these, two episodes were followed by dust incidents. In general, EC and nss-SO42− were well correlated with CO while OC was in good agreement with O3. Particularly, the variations of OC/EC ratios exhibited a maximum in the afternoon corresponding to the peak of O3/CO ratios, suggesting OC/EC as a marker representing the degree of chemical processing of fine aerosol. The ratios of OC/CO for all measurements fell between emission ratios of China and South Korea. For pollution episodes, the correlations of CO with nss-SO42− and EC were significant and their relative enhancement was suggested as an indicator to distinguish different types of pollution plumes.
Use of marine controlled‐source electromagnetic sounding for sub‐basalt exploration

The problem of imaging sedimentary structure obscured by high‐velocity layers, such as carbonate, basalt or salt, using conventional seismic techniques is well known. When this problem is encountered in offshore areas, marine electromagnetic data can provide valuable, alternative and complementary constraints on the structure. We concentrate on the use of marine controlled‐source electromagnetic (CSEM) sounding in the frequency domain. The feasibility of mapping sub‐basalt sedimentary structure using this technique is explored by means of modelling studies which mimic a type of survey which could readily be employed in practice. As a starting point the problem is addressed in terms of 1D resistivity structure. We show that sub‐basalt sediments can be detected and their depth of burial quantified to within 200 m in the examples shown. The presence of small‐scale inhomogeneities in the basalt (which cause much of the scattering in seismic data) is shown to have no appreciable effect on the ability of the CSEM data to detect the sediments. The modelling is then extended to 2.5 dimensions. Again the presence of sub‐basalt sediments can be readily detected and their properties and geometry quantified, especially if the electromagnetic data are combined with constraints from complementary geophysical techniques.
Uranium in the Earth's lower mantle

The distribution of the radiogenic heat sources strongly influences the geodynamics and thermal behaviour of the Earth. About 11 TW is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium (25% of the total heat flux at Earth surface), and 55% of this energy comes from the lower mantle. Here we report the first experimental evidence that aluminous CaSiO3 perovskite is the major, or even the only, host of uranium in the Earth lower mantle, since such a phase is able to incorporate up to 35 wt% UO2 (or 4 at% of U). The aluminous Ca‐perovskite could be the main U‐bearing constituent of a dense and radiogenic reservoir proposed in a recent model and located in the bottom half of the lower mantle.
Biofilm Responses to Flow Regulation by Dams in Mediterranean Rivers

Dams regulate downstream hydrology and modify water quality, which in turn can impinge on the biota, especially in rivers naturally subject to large hydrological variability, such as those under Mediterranean climate. The effect of dams on biofilms was analysed in three tributaries (Cinca, Siurana and Montsant) of the Ebro River (NE Spain). We hypothesized that flow regulation would lead to lower spatial variability of biofilms on the streambed and to a decrease in their metabolic rate per unit biomass, especially during low flow periods. Biofilm characteristics were studied in five transects evenly spaced along river reaches upstream (control) and downstream (impact) of dams in each river, along with riverbed granulometry, hydraulics and water chemistry. Chlorophyll‐a, respiratory activity, photosynthetic capacity and efficiency, and extracellular enzymatic activities (β‐d‐glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase and leucine‐amino‐peptidase) of epilithic biofilms were measured in different seasons. Spatial variability of chemical and biological variables was reduced downstream of the dams. Chlorophyll‐a concentration, photosynthetic efficiency and respiration capacity were higher in impact than in control reaches, but generally, low inorganic phosphorus concentrations resulted in comparable phosphatase activities downstream and upstream of dams. On the other hand, β‐d‐glucosidase and leucine‐amino‐peptidase activities were higher at impact reaches. Biofilms were thicker and metabolically more active at the impact reaches, with higher ability to transform dissolved organic matter. Overall, results from this study provide evidence that dams can largely affect the structure and activity of river biofilms, with foreseeable important consequences for river ecosystem functioning. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The crustal structure of the kane fracture zone from seismic refraction studies

A detailed seismic refraction experiment was carried out across the Kane Fracture Zone near 24°N, 44°W using explosive and air gun sound sources and eight ocean bottom hydrophone receivers. The shooting lines and receivers formed a ‘T’ configuration across the fracture zone, with two receivers located about 50 km apart in the fracture zone trough and the remaining six receivers positioned 25–30 km apart on either side of the fracture zone. The crustal thicknesses and velocities observed at the receivers located north and south of the Kane Fracture Zone fall within the range of those typically observed for normal oceanic crust. There is no convincing evidence for significantly different crustal thicknesses or upper mantle velocities on either side of the fracture zone despite a 10-m.y. age difference. Anomalously thin crust is present beneath the Kane Fracture Zone trough with total crustal thicknesses of only 2–3 km, about half the thickness of normal oceanic crust. This crust is also characterized seismically by low compressional wave velocities (∼4.0 km/s) at shallow depths and the absence of a normal layer 3 refractor. This anomalous crust extends over a width of at least 10 km. Dense, high-velocity mantle type material may also exist at shallow depths beneath the adjacent Kane Fracture Zone ridge. Results from other geological and geophysical studies of fracture zones suggest that this type of crustal structure may by typical of many Atlantic fracture zones. We propose that the anomalously thin crust found within these fracture zones is a primary feature caused by the accretion of a thinner volcanic and plutonic layer within the fracture zone. This anomalous crust, which probably is restricted to a zone no wider than a typical transform fault valley (∼10 km) in most cases, is inferred to consist of a few hundred meters of extrusive basalts and dikes overlying about 2 km of gabbro and metagabbro, possibly interbedded with ultramafics. This anomalously thin crustal section may be extensively fractured and brecciated at shallow levels by faulting in the active transform domain. A relatively narrow zone of thin crust within fracture zones can explain a number of geological and geophysical characteristics of fracture zones including the depth of the transform fault valley and the exposure of deep crustal and upper mantle rocks in the walls of fracture zones.
"Named Amphiboles": A new category of amphiboles recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) and a defined sequence order for the use of prefixes in amphibole names

A new category of "named amphiboles" whose names can be published without previous approval by the IMA-CNMMN, is now recognized by the IMA-CNMMN, so long as the names agree with the IMA-CNMMN-approved system of amphibole nomenclature. Generally there will be only a chemical composition and monoclinic or orthorhombic symmetry known. These are not new amphibole species and the criteria for recognition by the IMA-CNMMN of new amphibole species remain unchanged. In addition, for the first time, the sequence order in which prefixes appear in amphibole names, whether in species or in "named amphiboles," is defined and applies immediately.
A review of the origins of subparallel ridges and troughs: Generalized morphological predictions from terrestrial models

The morphologies of ridges and troughs on Earth and the processes involved in their formation are reviewed for application to sets of subparallel ridges and troughs on outer planet satellites. We consider tension fracturing, normal faulting, thrust faulting, buckle folding, strike-slip tectonism, fissure eruption, wall diapirism, surface folding of a flow, and near-surface (laccolithic) intrusion. The landform characteristics and geologic associations predicted of each process are generalized to be independent of planet-specific parameters. We find that the combinations of landforms derived from each process are unique, making each distinguishable in the idealized case. Morphological parameters most diagnostic of formational process are ridge and trough cross-sectional shape, termination style, and incipient character. The characteristics described are useful in constraining the origin of ridge and trough terrains observed in Voyager images and will aid in analysis of high-resolution images from the Galileo and Cassini spacecraft.
A simple global model of plate dynamics and mantle convection

Cooling and thickening of lithospheric plates with age and subduction result in large-scale horizontal density contrasts tending to drive plate motions and mantle flow. We quantify the driving forces associated with these density contrasts to determine if they can drive the observed plate motions. First, two-dimensional models are computed to evaluate the effects of assumed rheologies and boundary conditions. We are unable to obtain platelike behavior in viscous models with traction-free boundary conditions. The piecewise uniform velocities distinctive of plate motion can be imposed as boundary conditions and the dynamic consistency of the models evaluated by determining if the net force on each vanishes. If the lithosphere has a Newtonian viscous rheology, the net force on any plate is a strong function of the effective grid spacing used, leading to ambiguities in interpretation. Incorporating a rigid-plastic lithosphere, which fails at a critical yield stress, into the otherwise viscous model removes these ambiguities. The model is extended to the actual three-dimensional (spherical) plate geometry. The observed velocities of rigid-plastic plates are matched to the solution of the viscous Stokes equation at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. Body forces from the seismically observed slabs, from the thickening of the lithosphere obtained from the actual lithospheric ages, and from the differences in structure between continents and oceans are included. Interior density contrasts such as those resulting from upwellings from a hot bottom boundary layer are assumed to occur on a scale small compared to plate dimensions and are not included. The driving forces from the density contrasts within the plates are calculated and compared to resisting forces resulting from viscous drag computed from the three-dimensional global return flow and resistance to deformation at converging boundaries; the rms residual torque is ∼30% of the driving torque. The density contrasts within the plates themselves can reasonably account for plate motions. Body forces from convection in the interior may provide only a small net force on the plates. At converging boundaries the lithosphere has a yield stress of ∼100 bars; drag at the base of the plates is ∼5 bars and resists plate motion. The net driving forces from subducting slabs and collisional resistance are localized and approximately balance. Driving forces from lithospheric thickening are distributed over the areas of the plates, as is viscous drag. The approximate balance of these two forces predicts plate velocities uncorrelated with plate area, as observed. The model represents a specific case of boundary layer convection; the dynamical results are consistent with either upper mantle or mantle-wide convection.