Teleseismic and strong-motion source spectra from two earthquakes in eastern Taiwan

The 20 May and 14 November 1986 Hualien earthquakes occurred in a seismically active region of Taiwan. Locally determined focal mechanisms and aftershock patterns from the Taiwan Telemetered Seismographic Network indicate that both earthquakes occurred on steeply dipping reverse faults that trend NNE. This agrees with teleseismic first-motion data for the May event but not for the November event. This discrepancy is due to a moderate foreshock before the November event. Surface-wave analysis gives a solution for the November event of: dip 57°, rake 100°, and strike 43°, which is similar to the locally reported focal mechanism. The seismic moment of the November event is M_0 = 1.7 × 10^(27) dynecm and the magnitudes determined from WWSSN data are m_b = 6.4, M_s = 7.3. Teleseismic source spectra show that the two events also have similar spectral signatures above 0.15 Hz. Reference acceleration spectra are computed from the average teleseismic source spectra and compared to the averaged acceleration spectra computed from strong-motion stations for both events. Correlations between the spectral amplitudes of the strong-motion spectra obtained from the main portion of the SMART 1 array and the teleseismically estimated reference spectra are poor above 0.2 Hz. Data from the hard-rock site situated outside of the basin indicates that amplification of the ground motion between 0.17-1.7 Hz is due to the alluvial valley where the SMART 1 array is located. The amplitude of the observed spectrum is five times the reference spectrum at the hard-rock site. This is consistent with similar observations from the 1985 Michoacan and 1983 Akita-Oki earthquakes. The analysis of these and more teleseismic and strong-motion records will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between their spectra

Source Parameters Of the May 7, 1986 Andreanof Islands Earthquake

Source characteristics of the May 7, 1986 Andreanof Islands earthquake (51.412°N, 174.830°W, NEIC) are investigated from WWSSN, GDSN and IDA records. First motions from over 60 stations determine one steeply dipping nodal plane. We constrained this nodal plane and inverted long-period surface waves at a period of T=256 sec and determined the second nodal plane to be dip 18°, rake 116°, and strike 257°. This shallowly dipping thrust mechanism is consistent with plate motions in this region. Seismic moment from surface-wave inversion is 1.3×10^(28) dyne-cm corresponding to M_w=8.0. Amplitudes of body and surface waves from short-period instruments yield magnitudes of equation image and M_s=7.7. The teleseismic average P-wave moment rate spectrum from 17 short- and intermediate-period instruments is slightly lower than that of an average M_w=8.0 subduction-zone event. We constrained the fault plane as determined above to deconvolve the first 90 secs of the long-period body wave at 11 teleseismic stations to determine the source time function and the spatial distribution of moment release. The source time function consists of 4 moment-releasing episodes which have a total moment release of 9.4×10^(27) dyne-cm. The fault ruptured bilaterally with the largest moment releasing subevent occurring between 30-45 sec. This subevent nucleates approximately 75-90 km west of the determined epicenter. This region corresponds to the epicentral area of the 1957 Great Aleutian earthquake which is one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history

Teleseismic source parameters and rupture characteristics of the 24 November 1987, Superstition Hills earthquake

Long-period body waves from the 24 November 1987, Superstition Hills earthquake are studied to determine the focal mechanism and spatial extent of the seismic source. The earthquake is a complex event consisting of two spatially distinct subevents with different focal mechanisms. Two consistent models of rupture are developed. For both models, the second subevent begins 8 sec after the initiation of the first subevent and the preferred centroid depth lies between 4 to 8 km. Model 1 consists of two point sources separated by 15 to 20 km along strike of the Superstition Hills fault. Model 2 consists of one point source and one line source with a rupture velocity of 2.5 km/sec with moment release distributed along strike of the focal plane at a distance of 10 to 22 km from the epicenter. These moment release patterns show that a significant amount of long-period energy is radiated from the southern segment of the fault. Total moment release for both models is approximately 8 × 10^(25) dyne-cm. Both models also suggest a change of dip from near vertical near the epicenter to steeply southwesterly dipping along the southern segment of the fault. The difference in rupture characteristics and fault dips seen teleseismically is also reflected in aftershock and afterslip data, and crustal structure underlying the two fault segments. The northern segment had more aftershocks and a smaller proportion of afterslip than the southern segment. The boundary between the two segments lies at a step in the basement that separates a deeper metasedimentary basement to the south from a shallower crystalline basement to the north

Citations for Software: Providing Identification, Access and Recognition for Research Software

Software plays a significant role in modern academic research, yet lacks a similarly significant presence in the scholarly record. With increasing interest in promoting reproducible research, curating software as a scholarly resource not only promotes access to these tools, but also provides recognition for the intellectual efforts that go into their development. This work reviews existing standards for identifying, promoting discovery of, and providing credit for software development work. In addition, it shows how these guidelines have been integrated into existing tools and community cultures, and provides recommendations for future software curation efforts.

Comparative effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K antagonists for atrial fibrillation in clinical practice: GLORIA-AF Registry

Background and purpose: Prospectively collected data comparing the safety and effectiveness of individual non-vitamin K antagonists (NOACs) are lacking. Our objective was to directly compare the effectiveness and safety of NOACs in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: In GLORIA-AF, a large, prospective, global registry program, consecutive patients with newly diagnosed AF were followed for 3 years. The comparative analyses for (1) dabigatran vs rivaroxaban or apixaban and (2) rivaroxaban vs apixaban were performed on propensity score (PS)-matched patient sets. Proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for outcomes of interest. Results: The GLORIA-AF Phase III registry enrolled 21,300 patients between January 2014 and December 2016. Of these, 3839 were prescribed dabigatran, 4015 rivaroxaban and 4505 apixaban, with median ages of 71.0, 71.0, and 73.0 years, respectively. In the PS-matched set, the adjusted HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dabigatran vs rivaroxaban were, for stroke: 1.27 (0.79–2.03), major bleeding 0.59 (0.40–0.88), myocardial infarction 0.68 (0.40–1.16), and all-cause death 0.86 (0.67–1.10). For the comparison of dabigatran vs apixaban, in the PS-matched set, the adjusted HRs were, for stroke 1.16 (0.76–1.78), myocardial infarction 0.84 (0.48–1.46), major bleeding 0.98 (0.63–1.52) and all-cause death 1.01 (0.79–1.29). For the comparison of rivaroxaban vs apixaban, in the PS-matched set, the adjusted HRs were, for stroke 0.78 (0.52–1.19), myocardial infarction 0.96 (0.63–1.45), major bleeding 1.54 (1.14–2.08), and all-cause death 0.97 (0.80–1.19). Conclusions: Patients treated with dabigatran had a 41% lower risk of major bleeding compared with rivaroxaban, but similar risks of stroke, MI, and death. Relative to apixaban, patients treated with dabigatran had similar risks of stroke, major bleeding, MI, and death. Rivaroxaban relative to apixaban had increased risk for major bleeding, but similar risks for stroke, MI, and death. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT01468701, NCT01671007. Date of registration: September 2013

Anticoagulant selection in relation to the SAMe-TT2R2 score in patients with atrial fibrillation. the GLORIA-AF registry

Aim: The SAMe-TT2R2 score helps identify patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) likely to have poor anticoagulation control during anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and those with scores >2 might be better managed with a target-specific oral anticoagulant (NOAC). We hypothesized that in clinical practice, VKAs may be prescribed less frequently to patients with AF and SAMe-TT2R2 scores >2 than to patients with lower scores. Methods and results: We analyzed the Phase III dataset of the Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (GLORIA-AF), a large, global, prospective global registry of patients with newly diagnosed AF and ≥1 stroke risk factor. We compared baseline clinical characteristics and antithrombotic prescriptions to determine the probability of the VKA prescription among anticoagulated patients with the baseline SAMe-TT2R2 score >2 and ≤ 2. Among 17,465 anticoagulated patients with AF, 4,828 (27.6%) patients were prescribed VKA and 12,637 (72.4%) patients an NOAC: 11,884 (68.0%) patients had SAMe-TT2R2 scores 0-2 and 5,581 (32.0%) patients had scores >2. The proportion of patients prescribed VKA was 28.0% among patients with SAMe-TT2R2 scores >2 and 27.5% in those with scores ≤2. Conclusions: The lack of a clear association between the SAMe-TT2R2 score and anticoagulant selection may be attributed to the relative efficacy and safety profiles between NOACs and VKAs as well as to the absence of trial evidence that an SAMe-TT2R2-guided strategy for the selection of the type of anticoagulation in NVAF patients has an impact on clinical outcomes of efficacy and safety. The latter hypothesis is currently being tested in a randomized controlled trial. Clinical trial registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov//Unique identifier: NCT01937377, NCT01468701, and NCT01671007

Refined histopathological predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status: A large-scale analysis of breast cancer characteristics from the BCAC, CIMBA, and ENIGMA consortia

Introduction: The distribution of histopathological features of invasive breast tumors in BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutation carriers differs from that of individuals with no known mutation. Histopathological features thus have utility for mutation prediction, including statistical modeling to assess pathogenicity of BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants of uncertain clinical significance. We analyzed large pathology datasets accrued by the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) and the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) to reassess histopathological predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status, and provide robust likelihood ratio (LR) estimates for statistical modeling. Methods: Selection criteria for study/center inclusion were estrogen receptor (ER) status or grade data available for invasive breast cancer diagnosed younger than 70 years. The dataset included 4,477 BRCA1 mutation carriers, 2,565 BRCA2 mutation carriers, and 47,565 BCAC breast cancer cases. Country-stratified estimates of the

Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis

Abstract Background Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery. Results To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N = 1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3–5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism. Conclusions Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk