Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retrieval of Leaf area index and stress conditions for Sundarban mangroves using Sentinel-2 data

ABSTRACT The potential of Sentinel-2 (S2) data in mapping Leaf area index (LAI) of mangroves having heterogeneous species composition, variable canopy density, and complex backgrounds was studied. Out of the three available near-infrared bands in S2, band-8 of 10 m spatial resolution was found to be the most suitable one for deriving the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for mangroves. The LAI-NDVI relation did not accord apparently with the earlier reports and the underlying complex background effect was validated with Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) hyperspectral data. It simulated spectral and spatial conditions of S2 by linear mixing of canopy and background that confirmed the effect of background contributions to the canopy reflectance decorrelating the NDVI from LAI. The compensation for diverse backgrounds was accomplished with optimum-scaled NDVI (scNDVIm) obtained from the mean of scaled NDVIs derived with different backgrounds in the mangroves. LAI was well correlated with composite NDVI (NDVIcom), derived empirically from the most appropriate NDVI (NDVIS2) and scNDVIm where ground observation controlled the threshold arbitration in extracting the range of scNDVIm. It was shown that an improved LAI estimate with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.69 and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.02 could be obtained with NDVIcom. This method has the advantage of compensating the contaminations due to background reflectance. While the relation between LAI and NDVIcom was found to be consistent, the application of the same methodology in similar mangroves should be site-specific with ample ground observation. The fusion of NDVI and scNDVI obtained from S2 yields better LAI retrieval for mixed mangroves, such as that of Sundarban.
Occurrence Forms, Composition, Distribution, Origin and Potential Hazard of Natural Hydrogen–Hydrocarbon Gases in Ore Deposits of the Khibiny and Lovozero Massifs: A Review

The Khibiny and Lovozero massifs—the world’s largest alkaline massifs—contain deposits with unique reserves of phosphorus and rare metals, respectively. The reduced gas content in the rocks and, especially, the ore deposits of these massifs is unusually high for igneous complexes, thus representing both geochemical and practical interests. There are three morphological types (or occurrence forms) of the gas phase in these deposits: occluded (predominantly in vacuoles of micro-inclusions in minerals), diffusely dispersed, and free. All three morphological types have the same qualitative chemical gas composition. Methane is the main component, and molecular hydrogen (which sometimes dominates) and ethane are the subordinate constituents. Heavier methane homologs (up to and including pentanes), alkenes, helium, and rarely carbon oxide and dioxide are present in minor or trace amounts. All three morphological types of gases are irregularly distributed in space to various degrees. Free gases also show a release intensity that varies in time. The majority of researchers recognize that the origin of these gases is abiogenic and mostly related to the formation of the massifs and deposits. However, the relative time and mechanism of their generation are still debated. Emissions of combustible and explosive hydrogen–hydrocarbon gases pose hazards during the underground mining of ore deposits. Therefore, the distinctive features of gas-bearing capacity are an essential part of the mining and geological characterization of such deposits because they provide a basis for establishing and implementing special measures of the gas regime during mining operations.
Projected Changes in the Probability Distributions, Seasonality, and Spatiotemporal Scaling of Daily and Subdaily Extreme Precipitation Simulated by a 50‐Member Ensemble Over Northeastern North America

Global warming is expected to produce modifications in the intensity, as well as in the seasonality and spatiotemporal structure of extreme precipitation. In the present study, the temporal evolution of simulated daily and subdaily precipitation extremes was analyzed to assess how they respond to climate warming over different time horizons. Pooling series from the recent 50‐member Canadian Regional Climate Model v5 Large Ensemble, the probability distributions, date and time of occurrences, and spatiotemporal structure of simulated Annual Maxima (AM) precipitation were analyzed at various spatial scales and for durations between 1 hr and 3 days. In agreement with previous studies, the results underline the large increases in AM precipitation quantiles, especially for the shortest durations and for the more extreme events (i.e., longest return periods), and modifications in their spatiotemporal scaling properties and annual and diurnal cycles. For instance, subdaily AM extremes are expected to occur later in the evening, while, no matter the duration, the extremes are expected to occur over a wider period of the year in future climate. Finally, the analysis of projected AM probability distributions showed that heavy‐tail Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distributions will most likely be observed in the future climate, with some model grid boxes experiencing a significant increase of GEV shape parameters. These results may have major consequences in terms of the occurrence and possible impacts of the most extreme precipitation events.
Group Formation and Poverty Reduction among Farming Households in Selected Areas in Ibadan, Oyo State

Participation of farmers in local institutions has been known to increase their access to loan, promote and encourage savings and investment, hence alleviate their poverty level. This study therefore examined the determinants of group formation and the bi-causal relationship between group formation and poverty reduction among farming households. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics, group formation indices, Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and Tobit regression model. The incidence of poverty and the average intensity of MPI were 50.58percent and 48.7 percent respectively. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for the sampled households was 0.246. The Tobit regression result revealed that a unit increase in group interaction and group structure will decrease the level of poverty of the households by 0.0056 and 0.0043 respectively. Similar increase in group goals and group cohesion will lead to 0.0046 and 0.0045 decrease in poverty level respectively. Also, a unit increase in years of education decreases (p<0.01) poverty level by 0.0163. Group formation was truly exogenous to poverty reduction with no reverse causality. The study concludes that group formation positively affects the poverty status of farming households. This implies that a farmer’s participation in a group reduces his probability of being poor.
Extracting Raft Aquaculture Areas from Remote Sensing Images via an Improved U-Net with a PSE Structure

Remote sensing has become a primary technology for monitoring raft aquaculture products. However, due to the complexity of the marine aquaculture environment, the boundaries of the raft aquaculture areas in remote sensing images are often blurred, which will result in ‘adhesion’ phenomenon in the raft aquaculture areas extraction. The fully convolutional network (FCN) based methods have made great progress in the field of remote sensing in recent years. In this paper, we proposed an FCN-based end-to-end raft aquaculture areas extraction model (which is called UPS-Net) to overcome the ‘adhesion’ phenomenon. The UPS-Net contains an improved U-Net and a PSE structure. The improved U-Net can simultaneously capture boundary and contextual information of raft aquaculture areas from remote sensing images. The PSE structure can adaptively fuse the boundary and contextual information to reduce the ‘adhesion’ phenomenon. We selected laver raft aquaculture areas in eastern Lianyungang in China as the research region to verify the effectiveness of our model. The experimental results show that compared with several state-of-the-art models, the proposed UPS-Net model performs better at extracting raft aquaculture areas and can significantly reduce the ‘adhesion’ phenomenon.
Contained Laboratory Earthquakes Ranging From Slow to Fast

Loading a 3‐m granite slab containing a saw‐cut simulated fault, we generated slip events that spontaneously nucleate, propagate, and arrest before reaching the ends of the sample. This work shows that slow (0.07 mm/s slip speeds) and fast (100 mm/s) contained slip events can occur on the same fault patch. We also present the systematic changes in radiated seismic waves both in time and frequency domain. The slow earthquakes are 100 ms in duration and radiate tremor‐like signals superposed onto a low‐frequency component of their ground motion. They are often preceded by slow slip (creep) and their seismic radiation has an ω−1 spectral shape, similar to slow earthquakes observed in nature. The fastest events have slip velocity, stress drop, and apparent stress (0.2 m/s, 0.4 MPa, and 1.2 kPa, respectively) similar to those of typical M −2.5 earthquakes, with a single distinct corner frequency and ω−2 spectral falloff at high frequencies, well fit by the Brune earthquake source model. The gap between slow and fast is filled with intermediate events with source spectra depleted near the corner frequency. This work shows that a fault patch of length p with conditions favorable to rupture can radiate in vastly different ways, based on small changes in ph*, where h* is a critical nucleation length scale. Such a mechanism can help explain atypical scaling observed for low‐frequency earthquakes that compose tectonic tremor.
Analysis of the climatology and transport pathways of Iraq dust storms between 1985-2013

The interest of investigating the phenomenon of dust storms comes from their direct impact on human and ecosystem health and climate global change. Despite that the majority of previous investigations performed in many parts of the Middle East, Africa and China, however the main source regions of dust storms in Iraq and the processes that govern their evolution have not been well studied, making their effects an important fact of uncertainty in future dust storms predictions in the region. The key importance of this study is determining the meteorological, source regions and transport pathways. The analysis in this work was based on a 3 hourly meteorological dataset (dust storms, wind speed and wind direction observations) collected over a 29 year period (1985-2013) which was obtained from the Iraqi Meteorological Organisation (IMO), for which systematic observations were available for 11 ground surface stations across Iraq. As well as that this thesis investigated in the Iraqi dust storms events from SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager) satellite data point of view, the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) 10m wind-field reanalysis data and air mass history of backward and forward trajectories from the HYSPLIT (HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model. Dust storms were found to be highly associated with north-westerly winds and are often associated high wind speeds (15-20 ms-1). Dust storms were observed to be more frequent during March-September, particularly in the daytime (06:00-15:00) and that they are short lived (<6 hours) with the period of greatest frequency being between (0-3 hours). Source region of large dust storms (12 major dust storms) was identified based on a dust characterisation using the absolute radiance difference of (12.0-10.8 I¼m) and (10.8-8.7 I¼m), in addition to (10.8 I¼m) from the SEVIRI. The early stages of the 12 large dust storms were investigated, the development of the storms was tracked and the main source region explored. A frequency distribution of the occurrence of dust in all these storms revealed that the source region was consistent across all storms and was centred on the Euphrates River basin (34.20.00Â°-36.50.00Â° N to 38.00.12Â°-41.00.20Â° E) on the Syrian-Iraqi border. This region has been subject to recent conflict and hence reduced agricultural development but also has received reduced water supply due to upriver water management in Turkey. This work shows that these changes have given rise to an increase in major dust storms and identified the region as the major cause of large dust storms across Iraq. All of the 12 major dust storms were generated during periods when the region was impacted by low pressure systems that had travelled eastward from the Mediterranean Sea and were highly associated with the Shamal north-westerly winds causing massive dust concentration along the most populated region in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of the Alluvial Plain. The advection of large storms carried on…
Variability in the Manufacturing of Triangular Geometric Microliths during the Early Mesolithic: Toward a Simplification of Barb Manufacturing? A Comparative Techno-functional Analysis of Microlithic Assemblages from Saint-Lizier at Creysse (24) and La Grande Rivoire at Sassenage (38)

The aim of this short article is to present the heuristic potential of a detailed analysis of microliths. The analysis of the manufacturing methods and of the use-wear traces of microliths from two Early Mesolithic assemblages show a certain variability which can be interpreted as a simplification of operating procedures.
Linacre Derived Potential Evapotranspiration Method and Effect on Supplementary Irrigation Water Needs of Tomato/Cabbage/Carrot

The study examined the dynamic nature of water balance parameters over Kano town, a semi-arid environment and impact of Linacre derived potential evapotranspiration method on the supplementary irrigation water needs of selected crops. Monthly Rainfall and Temperature data were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Lagos for the period 1953-2012. The study observed that there is a steady decline in annual precipitation over Kano from the first decade (1953-1962) to the fifth decade (1993-2002), after which there was a sign of weak recovery in the last decade (2003-2012). For water loss through potential evapotranspiration, there was a steady rise from the first decade (1953-1962) to the fifth decade (1993-2002), and then followed by a sudden decline in the last decade (2003-2012). The total average of water storage on the other hand, first experienced a rise between the first two decades (1953-1962) and (1963-1972), followed by a steady decline, up until the fifth decade (1993-2002) and finally a rise in the last decade (20032012). The total average of soil water deficit experienced a steady rise between the first and the fifth decades (1953-1962) to (1993-2002), this was followed by a decline in the last decade (20032012). Finally, the total average of water surplus experienced a steady decline between the first and the fifth decades. The observed decline in precipitation, storage, and water surplus, and the rise in water loss from potential evapotranspiration and soil water deficit, suggests that there have been changes in the climatic pattern over Kano and this could be seen in the supplementary irrigation water needs of Tomato/Cabbage/Carrot.
The growth and yield of Calliandra Callothyrsus trees as biomass-based energy feedstock

Calliandra callothyrsus is a woody plant that grows quickly and well in a wide range of natural conditions. C. callothyrsus is a tree species which easily cultivated and can be harvested in a short time (short-rotation wood crops). However, information about time and harvesting techniques that explain harvesting biomass is still needed. The aimed of this study is measured growth after trimming, the best time interval for harvesting and the results of cutting both biomass and the heating value contained. The method used is a destructive method. Observations are carried out repeatedly in a permanent plot. The permanent plot as treatment level cutting. So, this study evaluated the correlation between time and cutting level to growth and biomass harvested. The results showed that the best cutting limit was 50 cm above ground level. It is due to the high harvest biomass and the number of new stems that grow more. Meanwhile, to ensure business sustainability, the best harvest interval is 1 year. It will ensure adequate growth of new stems, large harvesting biomass and high calorific value of harvest. Harvesting potential can reach 25 m3.ha-1.yr1. While the heating value will be at an interval of 3016 - 3757 kcal.kg−1.
Differentiation of Period, Age, and Cohort Effects on Drug Use 1976-1986. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series, Paper 22.

v Introduction.1 Cohort Analysis Overview.2 Analysis Strategy Decisions . 3 Estimation of Population Values . 5 Modelling Technique . 6 Methods.8 Samples and Survey Procedures . 8 Drug Use Measures.8 Results.9 General Comments on Earlier Results.11 Cigarettes . 11 Alcohol.13 Marijuana . 14 Illicit Drugs Other Than Marijuana . 14 Summary of Results.16 Discussion . 17 References.20 Period, Age, and Cohort Effects
Numerical analysis of the impact of loss-sight and undetected cases in the spread of TB

TB disease now is still one of the major world’s health problems. Loss-sight and undetected cases in TB contribute to the spread of TB. A deterministic model of TB including loss-sight and undetected cases with quarantine intervention is discussed in this paper. We analyzed a sensitivity analysis on the basic reproduction number (R0)and identified to some parameters that should be considered. Numerical simulations are performed under various scenarios based on the sensitivity analysis results. The simulations show how significant the impact of loss-sight and undetected cases in the spreading of TB. The more people infected with TB disease with loss-sight and undetected cases, the faster process of dissemination of TB disease. Consequently, If this condition persists, then the effort to reduce spreading of disease will take more time and cost to be spent for the treatment of TB disease will be greater.TB disease now is still one of the major world’s health problems. Loss-sight and undetected cases in TB contribute to the spread of TB. A deterministic model of TB including loss-sight and undetected cases with quarantine intervention is discussed in this paper. We analyzed a sensitivity analysis on the basic reproduction number (R0)and identified to some parameters that should be considered. Numerical simulations are performed under various scenarios based on the sensitivity analysis results. The simulations show how significant the impact of loss-sight and undetected cases in the spreading of TB. The more people infected with TB disease with loss-sight and undetected cases, the faster process of dissemination of TB disease. Consequently, If this condition persists, then the effort to reduce spreading of disease will take more time and cost to be spent for the treatment of TB disease will be greater.
Strengths and limitations of the NATALI code for aerosol typing from multiwavelength Raman lidar observations

A Python code was developed to automatically retrieve the aerosol type (and its predominant component in the mixture) from EARLINET’s 3 backscatter and 2 extinction data. The typing relies on Artificial Neural Networks which are trained to identify the most probable aerosol type from a set of mean-layer intensive optical parameters. This paper presents the use and limitations of the code with respect to the quality of the inputed lidar profiles, as well as with the assumptions made in the aerosol model.
Simultaneous Dependence of the Earthquake‐Size Distribution on Faulting Style and Depth

We analyze two high‐quality Southern Californian earthquake catalogues, one with focal mechanisms, to statistically model and test for dependencies of the earthquake‐size distribution, the b values, on both faulting style and depth. In our null hypothesis, b is assumed constant. We then develop and calibrate one model based only on faulting style, another based only on depth dependence and two models that assume a simultaneous dependence on both parameters. We develop a new maximum‐likelihood estimator corrected for the degrees of freedom to assess models' performances. Our results show that all models significantly reject the null hypothesis. The best performing is the one that simultaneously takes account of depth and faulting style. Our results suggest that differential stress variations in the Earth's crust systematically influence b values and that this variability should be considered for contemporary seismic hazard studies.
Downscaling Future Longshore Sediment Transport in South Eastern Australia

Modelling investigations into the local changes in the shoreline resulting from enhanced atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and global climate change are important for supporting the planning of coastal mitigation measures. Analysis of Global Climate Model (GCM) and Regional Climate Model (RCM) simulations has shown that Lakes Entrance, a township located at the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach in south-eastern Australia, is situated in a region that may experience noticeable future changes in longshore winds, waves and coastal currents, which could alter the supply of sediments to the shoreline. This paper will demonstrate a downscaling procedure for using the data from GCM and RCM simulations to force a local climate model (LCM) at the beach scale to simulate additional nearshore wind-wave, hydrodynamic and sediment transport processes to estimate future changes. Two types of sediment transport models were used in this study, the simple empirical coastline-type model (CERC equation), and a detailed numerical coastal area-type model (TELEMAC). The two models resolved transport in very different ways, but nevertheless came to similar conclusions on the annual net longshore sediment transport rate. The TELEMAC model, with the Soulsby-Van Rijn formulation, showed the importance of the contribution of storm events to transport. The CERC equation estimates more transport during the period between storms than TELEMAC. The TELEMAC modelled waves, hydrodynamics and bed-evolutions are shown to agree well with the available observations. A new method is introduced to downscale GCM longshore sediment transport projections using wave-transport-directional change parameter to modify directional wave spectra. We developed a semi-empirical equation (NMB-LM) to extrapolate the ~3.7-year TELEMAC, storm dominated transport estimates, to the longer ~30-year hindcast climate. It shows that the shorter TELEMAC modelled period had twice as large annual net longshore sediment transport of the ~30 year hindcast. The CERC equation does not pick up this difference for the two climate periods. Modelled changes to the wave transport are shown to be an order of magnitude larger than changes from storm-tide current and mean sea level changes (0.1 to 0.2 m). Discussion is provided on the limitations of the models and how the projected changes could indicate sediment transport changes in the nearshore zone, which could impact the coastline position.