Scientific drilling in active faults after a large earthquake is ideal to study earthquake mechanisms. The Wenchuan earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling project (WFSD) is an extremely rapid response ...to the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, which happened along the Longmenshan fault, eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. In order to better understand the fault mechanism and the physical and chemical characteristics of the rocks, the WFSD project will eventually drill 5 boreholes along the two main faults. This paper focuses on the first hole (WFSD-1), which started just 178days after the earthquake, down to a final depth of 1201.15m. Petrological and structural analyses of the cores allowed the identification of fault-related rocks in the Yingxiu–Beichuan fault (fault gouge, cataclasite, and fault breccia), and the Principle Slip Zone (PSZ) location of the Wenchuan earthquake was determined.
We found 12 fault zones in the entire core profile, with at least 10, including the Yingxiu–Beichuan fault zone, with a multiple cores structure and minimum width of ~100m. The co-seismic slip plane of the Wenchuan earthquake at depth (corresponding to the Yingxiu–Beichuan fault zone at the outcrop), as well as its PSZ, was expected to be located at the bottom of the fault zone (at 759m-depth). Instead, it was found at ~590m-depth with 1cm-wide fresh fault gouge, as determined by logging data such as temperature, natural gamma ray, p-wave velocity and resistivity, combined with the fresh appearance, magnetic susceptibility, and microstructure of the gouge. The Wenchuan earthquake slip plane has a dip angle of ~65°, showing the high-angle thrust feature. The distribution of fault gouge with several meters thick, the location of the Wenchuan earthquake's PSZ and the thickness of fresh gouge all imply a correlation between the width of the fault zone and the number of seismic events.
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► WFSD-1 borehole started shortly (178days) after the Wenchuan earthquake down to 1201m-depth ► The Wenchuan earthquake alone produced ~1cm thick fresh fault gouge ► At least 12 fault cores/zones were discovered and constitute the Yingxiu–Beichuan fault zone with multiple cores structure (~100m-wide) ► The principal slip zone is located at ~590m-depth, with a slope of 65° ► The fault gouge is 3.79m-thick, attesting the long-term high seismic activity of the fault
Microcrystalline graphite can form from coal naturally as a result of igneous intrusion, but the mechanism of alteration from anthracite to graphite remains elusive. The occurrence of ...microcrystalline graphite in altered coal seams is not common globally; however, several microcrystalline graphite occurrences that are associated with igneous intrusions are currently being mined commercially in China. In this study, petrographic, geochemical, and X-ray diffraction analyses of a series of Carboniferous coals with different levels of graphitization were used to study transformations in coal structure and chemical composition evolution during natural graphitization.
The graphitized coals were collected from mines located at varying distances from a large (~130 km2 in extent) Indosinian-period granite intrusion; the coals in this region have been highly altered by this intrusion. Mean random reflectance of the samples increases from 4.36% to 8.23% approaching the intrusion, but decreases to 4.58% in the most graphitized samples. Vitrinite and inertinite become difficult to distinguish under white light with increased coal rank, and newly formed components including pyrolytic carbon, needle graphite, and flake graphite are seen in the most graphitized samples. The pyrolytic carbon accumulated from a vapor phase that was likely generated during intrusion. The needle and flake graphite occur as fracture and void fills and probably represent graphitization of a mobile phase that migrated through the coal. Timing of generation and the source of the mobile phase is unclear, but predates graphitization and could have been associated with the intrusion event. Microcrystalline graphite, with a characteristic texture consisting of fine granular particles, is the dominant component in the most graphitized samples. Reflectance of microcrystalline graphite using standard coal procedures does not accurately reflect its rank. Approaching the intrusion, structural parameters show a progressive change, especially in highly graphitized coals. Samples closest to the intrusion have transformed into graphite (as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and geochemical data). A plot of volatile matter (VM) versus Rr suggests that the maturation pathway for graphitized coals differs from that of coals that have undergone normal burial maturation. Elemental changes in graphitized coals also differ from coals that have been intruded by smaller-scale sills and dikes. This is probably due to the extreme level of metamorphism associated with the large-scale intrusion that graphitized these coals.
•Series of anthracite to graphitized coal adjacent to large pluton studied.•Approaching the pluton, Rr increases from 4.36 to 8.23%, then decreases to 4.58%.•XRD confirms the presence of graphite adjacent to pluton.•Needle and flake graphite occur in voids and fractures may derive from liquid phase.•Maturation pathway for graphitized coals may differ from other coals.
Aim
Skeletal muscle loss is a common feature of aging, and is associated with unfavorable outcomes. Although several indexes of skeletal muscle mass measurement have been developed, the most optimal ...index for sarcopenia diagnosis among Asian populations has remained unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and physical performance among community‐dwelling people in Taiwan.
Methods
Data of the I‐Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were retrieved for study. Comparisons between demographic profiles, physical performance and skeletal muscle mass (measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry) were carried out. Skeletal muscle mass expressed by lean body mass divided by squared height (LBM/ht2), appendicular muscle mass divided by squared height (ASM/ht2) and percent skeletal muscle index (SMI%) were compared between measurements of physical performance.
Results
Overall, the data of 532 participants (mean age 64.6 ± 9.5 years, male 53.0%) were retrieved for analysis. Age was associated with poorer physical performance, and decreased ASM/ht2 and LBM/ht2, but not SMI%. Skeletal muscle mass (SMI%) was less significantly related to slow walking speed than ASM/ht2 in men. In women, all three muscle indexes showed no significant association between slow walking speed. In contrast, low handgrip strength was strongly associated with decreased skeletal muscle mass (measured by ASM/ht2 and LBM/ht2, but not SMI%) in both men and women.
Conclusions
Skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with handgrip strength along with aging, but the association of skeletal muscle mass and walking speed was less significant. In sarcopenia diagnosis among Asian populations, ASM/ht2 should be the most suitable index for skeletal muscle mass measurements, and physical performance should be measured universally beyond measurements of skeletal muscle mass. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 964–971.
Abstract
The aging process is accompanied by changes in the brain’s cortex at many levels. There is growing interest in summarizing these complex brain-aging profiles into a single, quantitative ...index that could serve as a biomarker both for characterizing individual brain health and for identifying neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Using a large-scale structural covariance network (SCN)-based framework with machine learning algorithms, we demonstrate this framework’s ability to predict individual brain age in a large sample of middle-to-late age adults, and highlight its clinical specificity for several disease populations from a network perspective. A proposed estimator with 40 SCNs could predict individual brain age, balancing between model complexity and prediction accuracy. Notably, we found that the most significant SCN for predicting brain age included the caudate nucleus, putamen, hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellar regions. Furthermore, our data indicate a larger brain age disparity in patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease than in healthy controls, while this metric did not differ significantly in patients with major depressive disorder. These findings provide empirical evidence supporting the estimation of brain age from a brain network perspective, and demonstrate the clinical feasibility of evaluating neurological diseases hypothesized to be associated with accelerated brain aging.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower limbs can easily arise from prolonged sitting or standing. Elders and pregnant women are most likely to have this disease. When the embolus of DVT comes to pass ...the lung, it will become a life-threatening disease. Thus, for DVT disease, early detection and the early treatment are needed. The goal of this study was to develop an examination system to be used at non-medical places to detect the DVT of lower limbs with light reflection rheography (LRR). Consisting of a wearable device and a mobile application (APP), the system is operated in a wireless manner to control the actions of sensors and display and store the LRR signals on the APP. Then, the recorded LRR signals are processed to find the parameters of DVT examination. Twenty subjects were recruited to perform experiments. The veins of lower limbs were occluded by pressuring the cuff up to 100 mmHg and 150 mmHg to simulate the slight and serious DVT scenarios, respectively. Six characteristic parameters were defined to classify whether there was positive or negative DVT using the receiver operating characteristic curves, including the slopes of emptying and refilling curves in the LRR signal, and the changes of venous pump volume. Under the slight DVT scenario (0 mmHg vs. 100 mmHg), the first three parameters, m
, m
, and m
, had accuracies of 72%, 69%, and 69%, respectively. Under the serious DVT scenario (0 mmHg vs. 150 mmHg), m
, m
, and m
achieved accuracies of 73%, 76%, and 73%, respectively. The experimental results show that this proposed examination system may be practical as an auxiliary tool to screen DVT in homecare settings.
It is estimated that 360,000 patients have suffered from heart failure (HF) in Taiwan, mostly those over the age of 65 years, who need long-term medication and daily healthcare to reduce the risk of ...mortality. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is an important index to diagnose the HF. The goal of this study is to estimate the LVEF using the cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters, morphological characteristics of pulse, and bodily information with two machine learning algorithms. Twenty patients with HF who have been treated for at least six to nine months participated in this study. The self-constructing neural fuzzy inference network (SoNFIN) and XGBoost regression models were used to estimate their LVEF. A total of 193 training samples and 118 test samples were obtained. The recursive feature elimination algorithm is used to choose the optimal parameter set. The results show that the estimating root-mean-square errors (ERMS) of SoNFIN and XGBoost are 6.9 ± 2.3% and 6.4 ± 2.4%, by comparing with echocardiography as the ground truth, respectively. The benefit of this study is that the LVEF could be measured by the non-medical image method conveniently. Thus, the proposed method may arrive at an application level for clinical practice in the future.
Serum uric acid level is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether it is an independent risk factor or not remains controversial. We analyzed the association between serum uric ...acid level and cardiovascular risk. In total, 973 nonhypertensive and nondiabetic participants in the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study were eligible for this study. Subjects were divided into tertiles according to uric acid levels. The 10-year cardiovascular risk was calculated using Framingham risk score (FRS). Study subjects in the highest tertile of serum uric acid level were older, more likely to be male, and had higher systolic blood pressure, body mass index, carotid artery intima-media thickness and serum triglyceride, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all p < 0.05). Subjects in the highest tertile had significantly higher FRS (p < 0.001). After adjusting for other risk factors, serum uric acid level remained associated significantly with the FRS (p < 0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, the serum uric acid level was an independent predictive factor for high (≥20%) FRS (odds ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.68). These findings warrant attention to this cardiovascular risk factor in apparently healthy adults.
The purpose of this study was to explore variables associated with rewarded caregiving for family caregivers of persons living with dementia over a 2‐year follow‐up. This correlational longitudinal ...study was comprised of 200 family caregivers of persons living with dementia from neurological clinics of a medical center was conducted. Dichotomous scoring of the Rewards of Caregiving Scale of the Family Caregiving Inventory resulted in 61 (30.5%) caregivers being assigned to the well‐rewarded group and 139 (69.5%) to the poorly reward group at baseline. Variables included characteristics of family caregivers and their care receivers and assessments with validated scales of caregivers' social support and dyadic relational variables of mutuality, preparedness, and balance. Analysis at baseline showed significant predictors of well‐rewarded family caregivers were being an adult child of the care receiver, having a high perceived level mutuality and having a high perceived level of preparedness. These three variables remained as significant predictors at the 1‐ and 2‐year follow‐up. Caregivers with high levels of perceived mutuality and preparedness at 2‐years were seven times more likely to perceive themselves as well‐rewarded. Based on the findings, developing clinical interventions that focus on promoting mutuality and preparedness for family caregivers of persons with dementia could allow caregivers to perceive their role as rewarding. Attention should also be paid to the relationship between the caregiver and care receiver to enhance the family caregiver's feelings of mutuality and preparedness.
Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate rank for a series of coals collected adjacent to an igneous intrusion. For these intruded coals, Raman parameters for collotelinite and its coked equivalent ...show complex changes during the transformation from low to very high levels of maturity (with vitrinite reflectance increasing from 0.55% to 5.0%). With increasing coal rank up to anthracite-level reflectance, the Raman spectra show a decrease in both G band full width at half maximum (FWHM) and D band intensity. The D band shape becomes increasingly asymmetric during the bituminization and de-bituminization stages, whereas in the anthracitization stage, the width of the D and G bands continues to decrease while D band intensity increases. In meta-anthracites (as seen in the ancillary Hunan samples), the G band has a low intensity and undergoes an apparent broadening due to the presence of the D2 band that occurs as a shoulder on the G band.
Differences in Raman spectral parameters for vitrinite and inertinite macerals suggest differences in molecular structure between the macerals; as such, the heterogeneous nature of coal may affect Raman spectral results significantly if different maceral types are not considered. Within individual samples, Raman spectra indicate a high level of structural homogeneity between and within vitrinite particles, allowing assessment of differences between samples of different ranks.
For vitrinite, the Raman spectral parameters G FWHM and DAs/GA (Area(1100-s)/Area(s-1650), s is the saddle point between 1100 cm−1 and 1650 cm−1) are highly correlated (R2 > 0.9) with vitrinite reflectance (Rr) and maximum alteration temperature (Tpeak), and allow establishment of geothermometers over the temperature range of ~70–300 °C that can be used to evaluate temperatures attained in intruded coals.
•Rr increases from 0.55%–5.0% for a coal transect adjacent to an intrusion.•With increased Rr, Raman spectra parameters G FWHM and D band intensity decrease.•G FWHM and DAs/GA are correlated (R2 > 0.9) with Rr and Tpeak.•Two equations were developed to estimate maximum temperature from Raman data.
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