Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land-use land-cover classification analysis of Giba catchment using hyper temporal MODIS NDVI satellite images

ABSTRACT Landsat-based land-use land-cover (LULC) mapping studies were previously conducted in Giba catchment, comprising an area of 4019 km2. No attempt has been done to map LULC of this catchment through the analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time-series data. This article is aimed to see whether time-series MODIS NDVI data set is applicable for LULC mapping of Giba catchment or not. MODIS NDVI data sets of the year 2010 were used for classification analysis. The original data were subjected to MODIS Reproduction Tool and stacking. The re-projected and stacked images were filtered using Harmonic Analysis of Time-Series filtering algorism to remove the effects of cloud and other noises. The MODIS NDVI data sets (16-day maximum value composite) were classified using the ISODATA clustering algorithm available under ERDAS IMAGINE software. A series of unsupervised classification runs were carried out with a pre-defined number of classes (5–24). From this classification, the optimal numbers of classes were determined to be eight after checking for average divergence analysis. The classification result became eight LULC classes namely: bare land, grass land, irrigated land, cultivated land, area closure, shrub land, bush land, and forest land with an overall accuracy of 87.7%. It was therefore concluded that MODIS NDVI time-series image is applicable for mapping large watersheds.
Bioremediation of diesel fuel-contaminated soils in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Since the 1980s, composting has been used as an alternative for bioremediation in open sites, with the microbial communities involved being a focal point of study. The use of this innovative bioremediation approach has been necessary due to recent changes in waste management regulations around the world, which focus towards more integrated, practical, sustainable and economic schemes than landfilling. Currently, not much literature on the feasibility of bioremediation technologies to soils contaminated with mixtures of organic compounds exists. Even less information on the application of composting as a bioremediation technology is available. This chapter will include a case study on the successful application of in-vessel composting of a fuel-contaminated (diesel and gasoline) desert-mining soil/sawdust in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The physical and chemical factors that influence the distribution, abundance, richness diversity and evenness of microbial communities during composting of a fuel-contaminated soil during bioremediation will be discussed. This chapter will also provide a review of the research conducted to date using molecular tools for the biomonitoring of changes in microbial communities as an indicator of remediation and restoration of oil-contaminated soils. In particular, the investigation of microbial community structure changes based on molecular tools including terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), BIOLOG EcoPlate and the COMPOCHIP microarray will be presented. The advantages and disadvantages of certain molecular tools for environmental management will also be discussed. Future needs for biomonitoring of microbial community structure changes during bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils will be identified, and a discussion of the technological management, regulatory and sustainable aspects of using composting as a bioremediation technology will be included. A. Godoy-Faúndez, B. Antizar-Ladislao et al. 2
Smart City Traffic Management: Acoustic-Based Vehicle Detection Using Stacking-Based Ensemble Deep Learning Approach

Acoustic data analysis has emerged as a critical area of exploration for the detection of different events for quick actions in smart traffic management systems, particularly in traffic management and safety as a step toward smart cities. A specific challenge is to precisely classify road noises and emergency vehicles using sound, which is essential for speeding up emergency response times and improving traffic flow management. While existing solutions address this problem, there is opportunity for enhancement in terms of precision and accuracy to enhance the traffic flow in a sustainable smart city through a demanding and innovative technique. In this study, we suggest stacking ensemble deep learning techniques to intelligently classify emergency vehicle sirens from various background noises using a data set of traffic collected on roads via microphone sensors. The ensemble model incorporates Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) as base-learners, with an LSTM model as a meta-learner. This approach not only optimizes model efficiency but also facilitates advanced feature engineering to extract useful features including Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), Z-score, root mean square (RMS), spectral centroids, spectral flux, mel spectrogram, chroma, contrast, and Tonnetz. Using these features, our proposed Stacking Ensemble LSTM successfully classified traffic noises and emergency vehicle sirens with the highest efficiency. Upon evaluation of the test set of data for our proposed model, it has gained an accuracy of 99.12% with F1 scores ranging from 98%. This significant improvement highlights the dominance of our proposed model approach over prior research. Our proposed model presents assurance in advancing traffic control and safety statutes, demonstrating potential applicability in daily intelligent transportation systems.
Climate and Hydrological Change Characteristics and Applicability of GLDAS Data in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, China

The hydrological cycle is particularly sensitive to and is greatly affected by global climate change. In addition, runoff change has a strong influence on the hydrological cycle and migration of biogenic substances. The Yarlung Zangbo River basin in China is a typical basin for which climate and hydrological data are lacking. Land surface models can provide data for studying land surface substance and energy circulation, which are meaningful to face climate change. The midstream region of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, which is strongly affected by climate change, was selected as the study area. First, the observed mean temperature, precipitation and runoff characteristics were analysed. Second, after combining the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and the water balance equation, we simulated climate and hydrological processes for the same time period. Finally, the correlation and error between GLDAS and observed data were analysed to verify applicability of the GLDAS data, and the impacts of climate factors on runoff were discussed. The results revealed that under the background of global warming, precipitation, temperature, and runoff changed significantly and showed strong consistency during the research period. Mean monthly precipitation, temperature and runoff exhibited clear cyclical fluctuations of approximately 12 months, and they all tended to increase. GLDAS is not a good system to describe the land surface conditions of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin all the time. However, within a certain time period, GLDAS data have a good applicability in the basin. Thereinto, the GLDAS mean monthly precipitation was moderately correlated with observed precipitation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.75. GLDAS mean monthly temperature was highly correlated with observed data, with a correlation coefficient of 0.94. Based on the Brunke ranking method, it indicates that GLDAS-Noah-based runoff data were closer to observed runoff data than the three other GLDAS models. Correlation coefficients between precipitation and runoff for the three time scales were higher than those between temperature and runoff. This means that rainfall was the main factor affecting natural runoff change, as opposed to temperature, and it can control the evolution of the river to some degree. This paper indicates the impacts of climate change on runoff and the application of GLDAS for data-limited basins. The results provide a deeper understanding of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin characteristics and can provide a scientific basis for the management of water resources and policy implementation for this basin.
From Twin Blocks to Quad Blocks: A Two-Phase Approach to Class II Correction

Twin Block, a functional orthodontic appliance, has a major impact on the dentoalveolar structures with limited skeletal effects. In specific clinical scenarios, particularly in growing patients such as class II division 1 where the mandible is retropositioned, these appliances can effectively address the malocclusions. Patient compliance plays a crucial role in the success of these appliances, which also streamline subsequent phases of fixed appliance treatment. In the current case report, a Twin Block appliance followed by a Quad Block was given to a 12-year-old boy to refine the occlusion. The design and treatment outcomes of the appliance are discussed in this case study.
Petroleum geology of the Black Sea: introduction

Abstract The exploration for petroleum in the Black Sea is still in its infancy. Notwithstanding the technical challenges in drilling in its deep-water regions, several geological risks require better understanding. These challenges include reservoir presence and quality (partly related to sediment provenance), and the timing and migration of hydrocarbons from source rocks relative to trap formation. In turn, these risks can only be better understood by an appreciation of the geological history of the Black Sea basins and the surrounding orogens. This history is not without ongoing controversy. The timing of basin formation, uplift of the margins and facies distribution remain issues for robust debate. This Special Publication presents the results of 15 studies that relate to the tectonostratigraphy and petroleum geology of the Black Sea. The methodologies of these studies encompass crustal structure, geodynamic evolution, stratigraphy and its regional correlation, petroleum systems, source to sink, hydrocarbon habitat and play concepts, and reviews of past exploration. They provide insight into the many ongoing controversies regarding the geological history of the Black Sea region and provide a better understanding of the geological risks that must be considered for future hydrocarbon exploration. The Black Sea remains one of the largest underexplored rift basins in the world. Although significant biogenic gas discoveries have been made within the last decade, thermogenic petroleum systems must be proven through the systematic exploration of a wide variety of play concepts.
Assessment of Bangsamoro Library and Archives’ Online Library Services: Implications to Users’ Information Needs Satisfaction

As technological advancements continue to reshape the landscape of information access, libraries have transitioned to digital platforms to provide a wide array of resources and services. This study aimed to assess the quality of the online library services of Bangsamoro Library and Archives in relation to the satisfaction of the users’ information needs. A modified questionnaire, which was content-validated, and pilot-tested to establish its internal consistency and reliability was distributed to one hundred (100) actual users of the library. Descriptive statistics was used to organize the data on the participants’ assessment of the quality of the online services and users’ information needs satisfaction and regression analysis to determine the significant influence of service quality on the online services on their information needs satisfaction. Findings reveal that participants assessed the quality of online library services considering Affect of Service and Information Control as very good, while participants’ information needs in terms of educational needs and information needs were rated as generally satisfied, indicating that the library has diverse information resources available and can provide online library services needed by the participants for their informational needs. Moreover, the quality of online library services assessment significantly influenced the participants' information needs satisfaction. It is concluded that the public library understudy can cater to the information needs of the community it is serving and services and information resources in the library are being accessed by the users. This study highlights the need for the library personnel to strengthen the area on the Information Control dimension, and the subscription of electronic databases, audiovisual materials, and updated library resources.
Long-Term Outcomes of Ablative Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy for Central Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study

Simple Summary Ablative radiotherapy for central early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial in its feasibility and optimal dose prescription due to the risk of severe pneumonia and adverse events associated with mediastinal organs. Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) is a promising modality of radiotherapy with steep and linear dose distribution and high biological efficacy. We retrospectively analyzed the long-term results of ablative CIRT using 68.4 Gy in 12 fractions for central early stage NSCLC. Irradiation doses to lungs and mediastinal organs such as bronchus and esophagus were controlled and no serious mediastinal organ-related adverse events occurred. In addition, the efficacy was not inferior to that reported in previous studies, including photon SBRT or proton radiotherapy. This means that our CIRT regimen is expected to have a relatively high safety profile for central NSCLC with tumor and organ at risk (OAR) proximity. Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of ablative carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for early stage central non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We retrospectively reviewed 30 patients who had received CIRT at 68.4 Gy in 12 fractions for central NSCLC in 2006–2019. The median age was 75 years, and the median Karnofsky Performance Scale score was 90%. All patients had concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 20 patients (67%) were considered inoperable. In DVH analysis, the median lung V5 and V20 were 15.5% and 10.4%, and the median Dmax, D0.5cc, D2cc of proximal bronchial tree was 65.6 Gy, 52.8 Gy, and 10.0 Gy, respectively. At a median follow-up of 43 months, the 3-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and local control rates were 72.4, 75.8, and 88.7%, respectively. Two patients experienced grade 3 pneumonitis, but no grade ≥3 adverse events involving the mediastinal organs occurred. Ablative CIRT is feasible and effective for central NSCLC and could be considered as a treatment option, especially for patients who are intolerant of other curative treatments.
Accepted for publication in Quaternary Science Reviews Lake Baikal isotope records of Holocene Central Asian precipitation

Climate models currently provide conflicting predictions of future climate change across Central Asia. With concern over the potential for a change in water availability to impact communities and ecosystems across the region, an understanding of historical trends in precipitation is required to aid model development and assess the vulnerability of the region to future changes in the hydroclimate. Here we present a record from Lake Baikal, located in the southern Siberian region of central Asia close to the Mongolian border, which demonstrates a relationship between the oxygen isotope composition of diatom silica (δOdiatom) and precipitation to the region over the 20 and 21 Century. From this, we suggest that annual rates of precipitation in recent times are at their lowest for the past 10,000 years and identify significant long-term variations in precipitation throughout the early to late Holocene interval. Based on comparisons to other regional records, these trends are suggested to reflect conditions across the wider Central Asian region around Lake Baikal and highlight the potential for further changes in precipitation with future climate change. 1/26 1 2 3 4 5
Dependence of sediment sorting on bedload transport phase in a river meander

It is widely recognized nowadays that there are at least two different phases of bedload sediment transport in gravel‐bed rivers. However, the transition between these phases is still poorly or subjectively defined, especially at bends in rivers, where cross‐stream sediment transport can strongly influence changes in the texture of the transported sediment. In this paper, we use piecewise models to identify objectively, at two points in the cross‐section of a river bend, the discharge at which the transition between bedload transport phases occurs. Piecewise models were applied to a new bedload data set collected during a wide range of discharges while analysing the associated changes in sediment texture. Results allowed the identification of two well‐differentiated phases of sediment transport (phase I and phase II), with a breakpoint located around bankfull discharge. Associated with each phase there was a change in bedload texture. In phase I there was non‐dominance in the transport of fine or coarse fractions at a particular sampling point; but in phase II bedload texture was strongly linked to the position of the sampling point across the channel. In this phase, fine particles tended to be transported to the inner bank, while coarse sizes were transferred throughout the middle parts of the channel. Moreover, bedload texture at the inner sampling point became bimodal while the transport of pebble‐sized particles was increasing in the central parts of the river channel. It is suggested that this general pattern may be related both to secondary currents, which transfer finer particles from the outer to the inner bank, and to the progressive dismantling of the riverbed surface layer. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Interrelationship of Agronomic and Physiological Traits as Affected by Irrigation Regimes in Wheat: Application of Multivariate Statistical Analyses

Understanding the interrelationships between agronomic and water status characters helps development of drought tolerant cultivars. In the present study, 34 wheat genotypes were used to investigate joint variability of water status characters and yield related traits under normal irrigation regimes and drought stress in 2014-2015 growing season. The results indicated that selection of genotypes based on loadings in factors number 1, 3 and 4 would be of beneficial in terms of increasing grain yield related traits under drought stress conditions. In canonical correlation analysis (CCA), the first (U1, V1) and second (U2, V2) pairs canonical variables (CV) explained 75% and 67% of the total joint variability of agronomic and physiological traits under drought stress conditions, respectively. The first (V1) physiological CV that had positive correlation with water saturated deficit (WSD, r = 0.63) and excised leaf water loss (ELWL, r = 0.35) was more correlated with grain yield and harvest index under drought stress. The second (V2) physiological CV which was more influenced by variations in initial water content (IWC, r = 0.6) and leaf water content (LWC, r = 0.65) was associated with spike length and spikelet per spike variations. Significant between-groups mean squares advocated that classification of genotypes into four groups was the best possible branching under both conditions. Therefore, making crosses between genotypes of cluster numbers 1 (with high grain yield and its components) and 3 (having shortest height) can be used for the production of extreme or novel phenotypes for grain yield and dwarfness in the progenitors in further breeding programs for drought tolerance.
Geophysical signature of Målingen, the minor crater of the Lockne–Målingen doublet impact structure

Målingen is the 0.7 km wide minor crater associated to the 10 times larger Lockne crater in the unique Lockne–Målingen doublet. The craters formed at 458 Ma by the impact of a binary asteroid related to the well‐known 470 Ma Main Belt breakup event responsible for a large number of Ordovician craters and fossil meteorites. The binary asteroid struck a target sequence including ~500 m of sea water, ~80 m of limestone, ~30 m of dark mud, and a peneplainized Precambrian crystalline basement. Although the Lockne crater has been extensively studied by core drillings and geophysics, little is known about the subsurface morphology of Målingen. We performed magnetic susceptibility and remanence, as well as density, measurements combined with gravity, and magnetic field surveys over the crater and its close vicinity as a base for forward magnetic and gravity modeling. The interior of the crater shows a general magnetic low of 90–100 nT broken by a clustered set of high‐amplitude, short wavelength anomalies caused by bodies of mafic rock in the target below the crater and as allogenic blocks in the crater infill. The gravity shows a general −1.4 mgal anomaly over the crater caused by low‐density breccia infill and fractured crystalline rocks below the crater floor. The modeling also revealed a slightly asymmetrical shape of the crater that together with the irregular ejecta distribution supports an oblique impact from the east, which is consistent with the direction of impact suggested for the Lockne crater.
Miocene foraminiferal assemblage occurred from the lower part of the Josoji Formation, Shimane Peninsula, southwest Japan, and its geological implication

The lower–middle Miocene biostratigraphy of the Shimane Peninsula is difﬁcult to interpret due to limited fossil occurrences in the lower Josoji Formation. In contrast, the middle–upper Josoji Formation and the underlying Koura Formation are rich in deep-sea foraminifera and non-marine to brackish fossils, respectively. We identiﬁed a diverse microfossil assemblage in the lower Josoji Formation that indicates deposition in dee-water environment that transitioned to the oceanic conditions. The microfossil assemblage consists mainly of agglutinated foraminifera such as Martinottiella communis and Spirosigmoilinella compressa , and calcareous hyaline forms such as Ammonia honyaensis , Valvulineria masudai , Globobulimina auriculata , and Nonionella miocenica . We therefore define this as the Spirosigmoilinella compressa –G lobobulimina auriculata Zone. The assemblage indicates upper to middle bathyal paleodepths and a poorly oxygenated depositional environment. The first occurrences of Spirosigmoilinella compressa and Martinottiella communis were identiﬁed in ODP Site 797 (Japan Sea). These species co-occurred just before the appearance of calcareous-rich foraminifera, similar to their occurrence in the lower Josoji Formation. The indicated geological age of the lower S. compressa – G. auriculata Zone is about 17 . 75 Ma, based on the biochronology of Miocene calcareous nannofossils of Backman et al. ( 2012 ). The biostratigraphy indicates progressive deepening of the sedimentary basin during deposition of the Koura to Josoji formations. This resulted in deep brackish waters during the earliest depositional period of the Josoji Formation, which explains the lack of foraminifera in the lower section. The appearance of both benthic and planktonic foraminifera along with nannofossils is interpreted as indicating a large-scale inundation of seawater. The basin, which was initially ﬁlled with brackish water, was then completely ﬁlled by sea water. This geological event, indicating abrupt water exchange, has important implications for the initial opening of the Japan Sea.