Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rankine Theory Based Approach for Stability Analysis of 1 Slurry Trenches

: Stability of slurry trenches during excavation is a major concern in design and 18 construction. This paper presents an approach for stability analysis of slurry trenches 19 based on Rankine ’ s theory of earth pressure. The proposed approach is verified via 20 analysis of previously reported problems and is applied to a scenario with a nearby slope. 21 The proposed approach gives the same factor of safety as found by Coulomb force 22 equilibrium methods. Scenarios with soil stratification and variably distributed 23 surcharges can be analyzed by hand calculation when the proposed approach is used. The 24 investigation also indicates that slurry trench stability is sensitive to surcharges from 25 nearby slopes and that they require particular attention in design.
Economics of Solanaceous vegetables in the Gangetic alluvial of West Bengal during autumn-winter season

An attempt has been made on the economics of three major Solanaceous vegetable crops (tomato, brinjal and chilli) grown in West Bengal with their respective cost component analysis and economic return on the basis of the information gathered from ten progressive vegetable growers from three districts selected at random and purposively. Through detailed survey and questionnaire, break up of cost components for each vegetable along with their operational cost and farm harvest price have been collected. It could be determined that cultivating one hectare of brinjal with open pollinated local cultivar, hybrid tomato and chilli with open pollinated local cultivar a farmer gets a minimum return of 2.46/-, Rs. 3.14/- and Rs. 1.27/-, respectively by spending one rupee for cultivation. It is concluded from the present study that during autumn-winter season in West Bengal the cultivation of hybrid tomato is the most remunerative activity, which is closely followed by brinjal. However, brinjal and chilli cultivation seems to be economically more viable during summer-rainy season due to rise in farm harvest price prevailing at that time.
Effects of CO2 perturbation on phosphorus pool sizes and uptake in a mesocosm experiment during a low productive summer season in the northern Baltic Sea

Abstract. Studies investigating the effect of increasing CO2 levels on the phosphorus cycle in natural waters are lacking although phosphorus often controls phytoplankton development in many aquatic systems. The aim of our study was to analyse effects of elevated CO2 levels on phosphorus pool sizes and uptake. The phosphorus dynamic was followed in a CO2-manipulation mesocosm experiment in the Storfjarden (western Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea) in summer 2012 and was also studied in the surrounding fjord water. In all mesocosms as well as in surface waters of Storfjarden, dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) concentrations of 0.26 ± 0.03 and 0.23 ± 0.04 µmol L−1, respectively, formed the main fraction of the total P-pool (TP), whereas phosphate (PO4) constituted the lowest fraction with mean concentration of 0.15 ± 0.02 in the mesocosms and 0.17 ± 0.07 µmol L−1 in the fjord. Transformation of PO4 into DOP appeared to be the main pathway of PO4 turnover. About 82 % of PO4 was converted into DOP whereby only 18 % of PO4 was transformed into particulate phosphorus (PP). PO4 uptake rates measured in the mesocosms ranged between 0.6 and 3.9 nmol L−1 h−1. About 86 % of them was realized by the size fraction 1000 µatm during periods when phytoplankton biomass increased. In addition, we found significant relationships (e.g., between PP and Chl a) in the untreated mesocosms which were not observed under high fCO2 conditions. Consequently, it can be hypothesized that the relationship between PP formation and phytoplankton growth changed with CO2 elevation. It can be deduced from the results, that visible effects of CO2 on P pools are coupled to phytoplankton growth when the transformation of PO4 into POP was stimulated. The transformation of PO4 into DOP on the other hand does not seem to be affected. Additionally, there were some indications that cellular mechanisms of P regulation might be modified under CO2 elevation changing the relationship between cellular constituents.
The 1994 landslide at Sainte-Monique, Quebec: geotechnical investigation and application of progressive failure analysis

In 1994, a landslide occurred in the municipality of Sainte-Monique, Quebec. The debris of the landslide had graben and host shapes, typical of spreads in sensitive clays. The geotechnical investigation shows that the soil involved is a firm to stiff, sensitive, nearly normally consolidated grey silty clay of high plasticity. This soil exhibits a high sensitivity and a high brittleness during shear and is therefore susceptible to progressive failure. Traditional stability analysis cannot explain this landslide. This gives the opportunity to examine the applicability of progressive failure analysis to this spread. Using the finite elements method, it is demonstrated that the initiation and observed extent of the failure surface are explained by a soil having high brittleness during shear and a large-deformation shear strength close to the remoulded shear strength of the soil. The dislocation of the soil mass can also be explained by the active failure occurring in the soil mass above the failure surface du.
Equatorial carbonates: an earth systems approach

The hypothesis here is that an earth systems ‘processes to products’ approach can be used to better develop predictive models for the recognition and assessment of under‐evaluated equatorial carbonate systems. Warm temperatures, together with common clastic, fresh water and nutrient influx, as well as basinal settings in the equatorial tropics, all have a major impact on carbonate deposition and diagenesis. Specific features of equatorial carbonate systems resulting from the combination of processes acting in the region include: common occurrence of photoautotrophs and heterotrophs, aragonitic and/or calcitic dominant mineralogies, lack of coated grains or aggregates, common associations with clastics, lack of associations with evaporites, and diversity of platform types, including oligophotic ones. Additional diagenetic characteristics include: common micritization and bioerosion, paucity of marine cements, extensive vadose dissolution and concomitant phreatic cementation. There is also significant replacement of aragonite by calcite in regions of meteoric groundwater flow, common burial compaction and leaching, as well as localized massive dolomitization via sea water or continental derived groundwater flow. Although equatorial carbonates fall into the warm‐water Photozoan Association, many of the features described above are at odds with models derived from their warm‐water, arid‐zone counterparts. Instead, a range of the equatorial carbonate features show some similarities with those formed in cool waters, and there have been difficulties separating carbonates from these two very different climatic regimes. Recommendations for the recognition of Phanerozoic regional equatorial carbonate development are: (i) a diversity of calcitic and/or aragonitic photoautotrophs; plus (ii) common elements of the Heterozoan Association; plus (iii) independent (for example, isotopic) evidence for warm temperatures (>22°C). Additional indicators towards a humid equatorial setting are: (iv) situation in appropriate palaeolatitudes; (v) lack of association with sedimentary evaporites, coated grain or aggregates; and (vi) geochemical evidence for reduced marine salinity and/or nutrient upwelling. The aim is that this work will lead to greater awareness and understanding of equatorial carbonate systems, and contribute to the development of globally predictive models to better understand past and likely future environmental change.
Expectation Formation with Coincident Indicators

Judgmental forecasting of real time series is performed in complex information environments. The complexity is caused by the number, quality and temporal characteristics of the sources of information. In a laboratory experiment we analyze the impact of these three factors on the forecasting behavior of the participants. The subjects are presented coincident indicators with a constant lead period of zero. The results are compared to prior experimental settings including leading indicators (lead period one) and no indicators. We find that forecasts with coincident time series hardly differ from information sets without indicators, but differ significantly from the leading indicator settings. The subjects are able to identify the temporal structure of the additional information. We present a model for the explanation of the average forecasts of the subjects to support this result.
Attempted predation and shell repair in Middle and Upper Ordovician gastropods from Sweden

Repaired shell injuries are reported in 11 specimens including six genera and eight species of gastropods from the upper Middle Ordovician (Caradoc) Kullsberg Limestone and the Upper Ordovician (Ashgill) Boda Limestone, Siljan district, Sweden. The specimens are of different sizes and morphologies, including one isostrophic, three low-spired, and six moderately high-spired turbinate forms. Single and repeated episodes of shell damage and subsequent repair are preserved, the breaks ranging from simple arcuate or scalloped fractures to removal of large sections of the apertural margin. Both early and late growth stages show damage, but the injuries are usually restricted to only one whorl. No shell repairs were discovered on the 65 more or less complete specimens of the subulitids, although the smooth shell makes observation difficult. Injuries in the Siljan samples are found in both microgastropods and large specimens, but the sample is too small for meaningful quantification. The shell repair frequency is about 7 percent, based on examination of 404 specimens (54 from Kullsberg Limestone and 350 from Boda Limestone). Most of the repaired injuries are attributed to failed predation, adding significantly to the Lower Paleozoic documentation of predation on gastropods. The gastropod shells are morphologically weak by modern standards, but do show some architectural strengthening features such as narrow apertures, collabral or spiral threads, and other ornamentation. The identity of the predator(s) is unknown.
The STM report: An overview of scientific and scholarly journal publishing fourth edition

STM publishing takes place within the broader system of scholarly communication, which includes both formal and informal elements. Scholarly communication plays different roles at different stages of the research cycle, and (like publishing) is undergoing technology-driven change. Categorising the modes of communication into one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many, and then into oral and written, provides a helpful framework for analysing the potential impacts of technology on scholarly communication ( The annual revenues generated from English-language science, technical and medical (STM) journal publishing are estimated at about $10 billion in 2013, (up from $8 billion in 2008), within a broader STM information publishing market worth some $25.2 billion. About 55% of global STM revenues (including non-journal STM products) come from the USA, 28% from Europe/Middle East, 14% from Asia/Pacific and 4% from the rest of the world. The USA continues to dominates the global output of research papers with a share of about 23% but the most dramatic growth has been in China and East Asia. China’s double-digit compound growth for more than 15 years led to its moving into second position, with 17% of global output. It is followed by the United Kingdom (7%), Germany (6%), Japan (6%), and France (4%). The rank order changes for citations, however, with the US strongly in the lead with 36% and China at 11th place with 6%.
Analysis of field data and spatial methods for the parametrization of a spatial duff consumption model

ANALYSIS OF FIELD DATA AND SPATIAL METHODS FOR THE PARAMETRIZATION OF A SPATIAL DUFF CONSUMPTION MODEL William Levi Gill Field data collected from the consumption of organic forest soil (duff) by smoldering combustion are analyzed to determine the spatial patterns as input for a smoldering combustion model. Moisture, organic, and inorganic contents were measured at longleaf pines to detect patterns that could be used to explain the spatial patterns in post-burn consumption. The model takes these environmental predictors as input values and then outputs spatial consumption patterns. Methods are also developed to describe the two-dimensional spatial patterns of consumption created by the smoldering combustion. The spatial patterns revealed that smoldering combustion occurs most often at the base of a tree stem at the reintroduction of wildland fire in long-unburned forest. The data from the organic soil parameters were unable to completely predict this behavior, indicating that other factors might be involved. Duff depth was noted as being significantly higher at the areas of smoldering initiation indicating that understanding the soil characteristics of these deep duff mounds at the tree base will help predict smoldering patterns, and therefore deserve further research.
Challenges in Implementing a Small-Scale Farmers’ Capacity-Building Program: The Case of the Food Production, Processing, and Marketing Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo

In 2011, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government launched the Food Production, Processing, and Marketing project — which aimed to raise incomes and improve food security in the target areas by improving agricultural productivity, market efficiency, and the capacity of producers to respond to market signals. In August-October 2013 and February-March 2014, halfway through the project’s implementation, a midline survey was conducted to assess progress with respect to intermediate outcomes. The present paper highlights the results of that assessment survey. We pay close attention to accurate attribution of observed changes to the project and employ a double-difference method that compares the changes in indicators before the project and at the time of the survey (project midline) between the beneficiaries and comparable control groups. Overall, the survey results suggest weak impact on most of the outcome indicators, and they highlight challenges in implementing small-scale farmers’ capacity building within the context of weak institutions and a fragile political context.
The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

This chapter surveys some of the ethical challenges that may arise as one can create artificial intelligences (AI) of various kinds and degrees. Some challenges of machine ethics are much like many other challenges involved in designing machines. There is nearly universal agreement among modern AI professionals that artificial intelligence falls short of human capabilities in some critical sense, even though AI algorithms have beaten humans in many specific domains such as chess. In creating a superhuman chess player, the human programmers necessarily sacrificed their ability to predict Deep Blue's local, specific game behavior. A different set of ethical issues arises when one can contemplate the possibility that some future AI systems might be candidates for having moral status. One also has moral reasons to treat them in certain ways, and to refrain from treating them in certain other ways. Superintelligence may be achievable by increasing processing speed.
Stay Connected People Involved in Friendships with the Elderly in Nursing Homes

Background: Relationships with friends have an impact on the physical and psychological health of elderly people. Older people living in nursing homes can have a great opportunity to make broader social networks. Study aims : This study aims to identify people who are involved and the barriers regarding friendships of the resident of nursing homes. Method: The method used in this study is a literature review of existing research on friendship in nursing homes in three scientific article databases including Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Emerald. Result : The studies reviewed were conducted in various countries including Australia, Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States. Friendships that exist in nursing homes do not only occur between fellow residents. The elderly who are living in nursing homes also make friends with caregivers, health workers, daily visitors and their old friend. There are several obstacles for the elderly in nursing homes in making friends including limited physical conditions, dementia, trust issues, age and gender gaps, preferences, and an unfriendly environment. Conclusion : Seniors in nursing homes can make friends with fellow residents, staff, and old friends. However, there are also many elderlies who find it difficult to have close friends in nursing homes.
Households' response to changes in the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods: Exploring reference- dependence and asymmetric preference structures

When choosing their neighbourhood of residence, people often take account of the ethnic composition of its inhabitants, and in particular, the levels of concentrations of own co-nationals and other foreign groups. Relating to their experience, households tend to value alternative neighbourhoods based on the ethnic characteristics of their current residential location, showing sensitivities to changes in the levels of co-ethnics or ethnic minorities from this reference point. They could thus exhibit different valuations for increases and decreases in the presence of their co-ethnics or other ethnic groups, while such asymmetries could also vary across different population segments. Connecting this idea with prospect theory, this study uses a pivoted choice experiment to explore the reference-dependence and asymmetric preferences structure for ethnic composition of neighbourhoods. Focusing on heterogeneity in such asymmetries across households with different socio-economic characteristics, it aims to explore the effects of such factors on willingness-to-pay (WTP) measures. In our empirical example applied to the Swiss city of Lugano, we find evidence of preferences for living with co-nationals in most population sub-groups, along with an aversion to living with other ethnic groups. We also highlight the presence of important asymmetries between the sensitivities to increases and decreases in these factors, where such asymmetries vary according to the ethnic attribute under inspection as well as origins and educational attainment of individuals. Connecting this analysis with the mainstream segregation literature our findings indicate that people might react to Shelling’s tipping points not because they are strongly averse to members of other ethnic groups, but because they are averse to being a minority in their neighbourhood of residence.
Search for chargino–neutralino pair production in final states with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for chargino–neutralino pair production in three-lepton final states with missing transverse momentum is presented. The study is based on a dataset of √ s = 13 TeV pp collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. No significant excess relative to the Standard Model predictions is found in data. The results are interpreted in simplified models of supersymmetry, and statistically combined with results from a previous ATLAS search for compressed spectra in two-lepton final states. Various scenarios for the production and decay of charginos (χ̃± 1 ) and neutralinos (χ̃0 2 ) are considered. For pure higgsino χ̃ ± 1 χ̃ 0 2 pairproduction scenarios, exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on χ̃0 2 masses up to 210 GeV. Limits are also set for pure wino χ̃± 1 χ̃0 2 pair production, on χ̃0 2 masses up to 640 GeV for decays via on-shell W and Z bosons, up to 300 GeV for decays via off-shell W and Z bosons, and up to 190 GeV for decays via W and Standard Model Higgs bosons.
Sedimentary Characteristics of the Gravel–Sand Transition in the River Rhine

Abstract A gravel-bed river often changes abruptly into a sand-bed river. The causes of such so-called gravel–sand transitions have been elucidated in recent years, but detailed observations of gravel–sand transitions in large rivers are scarce. The present study fills this knowledge gap by investigating the sedimentary characteristics of the gravel–sand transition in the river Rhine. Data on bed composition and flow characteristics are used, in combination with a novel method for the evaluation of the bed structure. The analysis shows that, in contrast to common belief, the bed structure in the gravel–sand transition zone does not change from fully clast supported to fully matrix supported. Instead, there is a strong cross-stream variation in bed structure, especially upstream of the transition zone. The analysis also shows that the downstream decrease in gravel mobility in the gravel–sand transition zone, which is usually attributed to the change in bed structure and the so-called patchiness effect, is at least partly caused by the larger-scale bend sorting process, which concentrates gravel in outer bends where it is only infrequently mobile. Dune sorting, which has been suggested to have an effect on the gravel mobility similar to that of bend sorting, was found to be relatively unimportant in the Rhine, partly because it is strongly counteracted by armoring processes that affect an uncommonly thick sediment layer. The gravel–sand transition in the Rhine, with its length of 50 km, is much less abrupt than the gravel–sand transitions of smaller rivers reported on in the literature. Although the dependence of the transition length on river size intuitively is correct, the exact causes remain unclear.
CHARACTERIZATION OF POINT SOURCES AND WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF RIVER HINDON USING WATER QUALITY INDEX

River Hindon, an important tributary of river Yamuna flowing through the districts of Western Uttar Pradesh, is subjected to varying degree of pollution caused by numerous untreated and/or partially treated waste inputs of municipal and industrial effluents. In the present investigation, assessment of the water quality characteristics of different point sources contributing river Hindon has been carried out by collecting water and wastewater samples during pre- and post-monsoon seasons during the year 2012. Maximum value of BOD (261 mg/L) was observed in Star Paper Mill Drain. The higher values of BOD and COD observed in the drains indicate high degree of organic pollution rendering the water unsuitable even for bathing purpose. At almost all sites of the upstream and mid-section of the river Hindon, DO was observed to be 0 mg/L because of high organic load in the river water. BOD and COD concentration in river Hindon varies from 3.3 to 65 mg/L and 28 to 338 mg/L in pre-monsoon season while 0 to 139 mg/L and 24 to 388 mg/L in post-monsoon season respectively. Further water quality of river Hindon has been assessed using water quality index and the quality of river Hindon was observed to be bad at all site which may be attributed to untreated and/or partially treated waste inputs of municipal and industrial effluents joining the river.