Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aeolian sand sea development along the mid‐Cretaceous western Tethyan margin (Spain): erg sedimentology and palaeoclimate implications

The existence of a mid‐Cretaceous erg system along the western Tethyan margin (Iberian Basin, Spain) was recently demonstrated based on the occurrence of wind‐blown desert sands in coeval shallow marine deposits. Here, the first direct evidence of this mid‐Cretaceous erg in Europe is presented and the palaeoclimate and palaeoceanographic implications are discussed. The aeolian sand sea extended over an area of 4600 km2. Compound crescentic dunes, linear draa and complex aeolian dunes, sand sheets, wet, dry and evaporitic interdunes, sabkha deposits and coeval extradune lagoonal deposits form the main architectural elements of this desert system that was located in a sub‐tropical arid belt along the western Tethyan margin. Sub‐critically climbing translatent strata, grain flow and grain fall deposits, pin‐stripe lamination, lee side dune wind ripples, soft‐sediment deformations, vertebrate tracks, biogenic traces, tubes and wood fragments are some of the small‐scale structures and components observed in the aeolian dune sandstones. At the boundary between the aeolian sand sea and the marine realm, intertonguing of aeolian deposits and marine facies occurs. Massive sandstone units were laid down by mass flow events that reworked aeolian dune sands during flooding events. The cyclic occurrence of soft sediment deformation is ascribed to intermittent (marine) flooding of aeolian dunes and associated rise in the water table. The aeolian erg system developed in an active extensional tectonic setting that favoured its preservation. Because of the close proximity of the marine realm, the water table was high and contributed to the preservation of the aeolian facies.
A Novel Hybrid Prairie Dog Algorithm and Harris Hawks Algorithm for Resource Allocation of Wireless Networks

Enhancing the performance of wireless networks and communication systems requires careful resource allocation. Resource allocation optimization, however, is regarded as a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem, which is NP-hard and non-convex. Due to the serious limitations of conventional procedures, solving such optimization problems requires specialized approaches. For instance, no optimal performance can be guaranteed using the heuristic algorithms; besides, the global optimization systems suffer from exponential computation complexity and considerable training duration. This paper introduces an improved version of the Prairie dog optimization (PDO) algorithm by the Harris Hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm. The developed technique, namely HPDO, relies on using the HHO operators to improve the exploitation capability of PDO during the searching procedure. The significance of the presented HPDO is examined and analyzed using 23 mathematical benchmark functions and CEC-2019 with several dimension sizes to show the ability to solve different numerical problems. In addition to the resource allocation problem, the HPDO is evaluated using three engineering problems: The spring design issue, The pressure vessel design issue, and the Welded beam design issue. The experimental and simulation results demonstrated that the exploration and exploitation search method of HPDO and its convergence rate had remarkably increased. The experimental results of the resource allocation of the wireless network with different numbers of users 10, 50, and 100 achieve superior results compared to other algorithms with 0.136, 2.75, and 3.64, respectively.The results showed the supremacy of the HPDO over the traditional HHO, PDO, and several with state-of-the-art algorithms.
Aberystwyth University Towards improved spatio-temporal resolution soil moisture retrievals from the synergy of SMOS and MSG SEVIRI spaceborne observations

10 Earth Observation (EO) technology is today at a maturity level that allows deriving operational 11 estimates of Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) from a variety of sensors; yet, such products are at present 12 provided at a coarse spatial and/or temporal resolution, which restricts their use in local or regional 13 scale studies and practical applications. Herein, a methodology to derive SSM estimates from space at 14 previously unattained spatio-temporal resolutions is proposed. The method is based on a variant of the 15 “triangle” inversion technique leveraging on the strengths and synergies of SMOS (Soil Moisture and 16 Ocean Salinity mission) microwave observations and geostationary optical/infrared data. The SSM 17 retrieval technique allows for: i) enhancing the spatial resolution of SMOS SSM product estimates to 3 18 km spatial resolution, and, ii) providing a temporal average daytime SM product from the instantaneous 19 fine-scale SSM estimates acquired every 15 minutes; the latter is allowing higher coverage in presence 20 of clouds and representativeness (up to 96 estimates per day) in comparison to the instantaneous 21 estimate at the time of satellite overpass. 22 The and Second Generation) SEVIRI 23 (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager) observations acquired over the Iberian Peninsula and 24 Southern France during year 2011. SSM instantaneous estimates at the time of SMOS overpass and 25 daytime-averaged SSM estimates have been obtained and evaluated separately against collocated in-situ 26 measurements acquired from a total of 40 stations belonging to the REMEDHUS, VAS and SMOSMANIA 27 permanent soil moisture measurement networks. Statistical agreement between compared datasets has 28 been evaluated both at individual stations and considering the network average on the basis of several 29 statistical terms computed including correlation, bias, root-mean-squared errors and slope and 30 intercept of linear regression. Results showed that the proposed method not only preserves the quality 31 of SMOS SSM at finer spatial scales, but also allows achieving higher temporal coverage and 32 representativeness in daytime averages. The synergy of SMOS and SEVIRI provides a pathway to 33 enhance water cycle EO capabilities taking full advantage of the new observational records of SSM and 34 operational geostationary information.
Large‐eddy simulation of three mixed‐phase cloud events during ISDAC: Conditions for persistent heterogeneous ice formation

A Classical‐Nucleation‐Theory‐based parameterization for heterogenous ice nucleation, including explicit dependencies of the nucleation rates on the number concentration, size, and composition of the ambient aerosol population, is implemented in a cloud‐scale, large‐eddy simulation model and evaluated against Arctic mixed‐phase cloud events observed during Indirect and Semi‐Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC). An important feature of the parameterization is that the ice nucleation efficiency of each considered aerosol type is described using a contact angle distribution which evolves with time so that the model accounts for the inhibition of ice nucleation as the most efficient ice‐forming particles are nucleated and scavenged. The model gives a reasonable representation of first‐order (ice water paths) and second‐order (ice crystal size distributions) ice microphysical properties. The production of new ice crystals in the upper part of the cloud, essential to guarantee sustained mixed‐phase conditions, is found to be controlled mostly by the competition between radiative cooling (resulting in more aerosol particles becoming efficient ice nuclei as the temperature decreases), cloud‐top entrainment (entraining fresh particles into the cloud), and nucleation scavenging of the ice+forming aerosol particles. The relative contribution of each process is mostly determined by the cloud‐top temperature and the entrainment rates. Accounting for the evolution of the contact angle probability density function with time seems to be essential to capture the persistence of in‐cloud ice production without having to, for example, increase the free tropospheric aerosol concentration. Although limited to only three cases and despite important limitations of the parameterization (e.g., the present version only considers dust and black carbon as potential ice nuclei), the results suggest that modeling the time evolution of the ice nuclei population ability to form ice is required to accurately model Arctic mixed‐phase cloud processes.
The international importance of the archipelago of Cape Verde for marine turtles, in particular the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

The shores of Cape Verde hosts one of the most important nesting populations of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the world, as well as important feeding grounds for hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and green turtles Chelonia mydas . In the past few years, a number of scientific studies have demonstrated the relevance of the waters and beaches of this archipelago for the conservation of these endangered marine megavertebrates. This article aims to bring together the most relevant scientific information published on the subject so far. In addition, we will provide an overview of the current situation of sea turtles in Cape Verde, their conservation status and their importance in an international context.
Sponge Community Patterns in Mesophotic and Deep-Sea Habitats in the Aegean and Ionian Seas

Sponge assemblages play a significant role in the functioning of the Mediterranean benthic ecosystem. The main goal of this study was to investigate the diversity and distribution of poorly known sponge communities in the mesophotic and deep-sea substrates of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. More than 1500 sponge specimens belonging to 87 taxa were collected from 156 stations during experimental and commercial bottom trawling in the Aegean Sea and the eastern part of the Ionian ecoregion, at depths of between 10 and 800 m. A total of 79 sponge species were found in the Aegean and 40 species in the Ionian Sea. Eight of these species are included in lists of endangered and threatened species, two were newly recorded in the Aegean and six were first recorded in the east Ionian Sea. Both community structure and diversity differed between the two ecoregions. Species richness, biomass, abundance and diversity decreased with increasing depth, while different species dominated, in terms of biomass, abundance and frequency of appearance, in the two ecoregions and the separate depth zones. In contrast with previous investigations, which mostly examined shallow-water sponges, no clear resemblance patterns were observed among the north and south Aegean subareas, probably due to the homogeneity of the deep-sea habitats under investigation. This study, using sampling material from fish stock monitoring programs for the first time, contributed to our knowledge of the largely unknown eastern Mediterranean mesophotic and deep-sea sponge populations, which are subjected to intensive trawling activities.
Incidence and associated factors of developing second pelvic malignant neoplasms among prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy

Objective To identify risk factors of secondary pelvic malignant neoplasms (SPMNs) among prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with radiotherapy. Simultaneously, population-based data were used to validate the high risk of SPMNs in PCa patients with radiotherapy. Materials and methods We identified male patients diagnosed with PCa (localized and regional) as the first primary cancer and pelvic malignant neoplasm (including bladder and rectal cancer) as secondary cancer from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1975-2020). An external validation cohort was obtained from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. The Fine-Gray competing risk regression and Poisson regression were utilized to evaluate the risk of SPMNs development. Poisson regression was also performed to calculate the standardized incidence ratio (SIR). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the overall survival (OS) of patients with SPMNs. Results 89397 PCa patients treated with radiotherapy were enrolled. We identified associated factors of SPMNs, including age at diagnosis, race, year of diagnosis, marital status, radiation strategy and latency. In the multivariable competing risk regression model and Poisson regression model, a significantly higher risk of SPMNs development was observed in patients over 50 years(P<0.05), white patients(P<0.001), unmarried patients and treated with brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy(P<0.05). Patients treated with radiotherapy had a higher bladder and rectal cancer incidence than the general population. Patients who developed SPMNs showed poorer OS. Conclusion We identified several risk factors associated with SPMNs and confirmed a relatively higher incidence of bladder and rectal cancer among PCa patients with radiotherapy. These results help tailor treatment and surveillance strategies.
On the Warm Water Volume and Its Changing Relationship with ENSO

AbstractThe interannual, equatorial Pacific, 20°C isotherm depth variability since 1980 is dominated by two empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes: the “tilt” mode, having opposite signs in the eastern and western equatorial Pacific and in phase with zonal wind forcing and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices, and a second EOF mode of one sign across the Pacific. Because the tilt mode is of opposite sign in the eastern and western equatorial Pacific while the second EOF mode is of one sign, the second mode has been associated with the warm water volume (WWV), defined as the volume of water above the 20°C isotherm from 5°S to 5°N, 120°E to 80°W. Past work suggested that the WWV led the tilt mode by about 2–3 seasons, making it an ENSO predictor. But after 1998 the lead has decreased and WWV-based predictions of ENSO have failed. The authors constructed a sea level–based WWV proxy back to 1955, and before 1973 it also exhibited a smaller lead. Analysis of data since 1980 showed that the decreased .
Thrusting and gravel progradation in foreland basins: A test of post-thrusting gravel dispersal

The use of gravels as syntectonic indicators of thrusting has recently been questioned by foreland-basin models that assign gravels to a post-thrusting interval of progradation, except in very proximal areas. On the basis of precise temporal control provided by magnetostratigraphically dated sections, the history of gravel progradation after a major thrusting and uplift event in the northwestern Himalaya is shown to be a virtually syntectonic phenomenon. Despite considerable crustal subsidence driven by a thick-skinned thrust, gravels prograded {approximately} 70 km during a 1.5-m.y. -long thrusting event. By 3 m.y. after the start of thrusting, gravels extended more than 110 km into the basin. Although delayed gravel progradation appears appropriate for many Rocky Mountain foreland basins, it is clearly not valid for the Himalaya. The authors attribute the difference in depositional response between these basins to difference in the quantity of sediment supplied to them (sediment starved vs. overfilled), the availability of resistates in the source area, and the size of the antecedent drainage.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION AMONG PASTORAL COMMUNITIES IN WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA: A MISSING LINK

Conflicts and conflict resolutions among pastoral communities are not new phenomena. Among the pastoral communities living in arid and semi arid environments of Kenya, conflicts over control of and access to natural resources are a common phenomenon. Despite the increase in peace building initiatives conflicts in these areas are far from ending resulting in conflict-torn pastoral regions. The current study investigated conflict and conflict resolution strategies in West Pokot County. The specific objectives of the study were to: (a) identify the sources of conflict among the pastoral communities in West Pokot County, (b) examine the conflict resolution initiatives in the county and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of peace building initiative in conflict resolution. The main method of data collection was scheduled interviews. The study established that the main source of conflicts was control over and access to natural resources particularly pasture and water an in fewer instances land (intra-conflicts) followed by livestock raids and politically initiated conflicts. Through peace building initiatives, decreased incidences of historical conflict between pastoral communities and the Pokots (living in West Pokot County) were established but not with conflicts associated with natural resources. Scarcity of pasture and water, which is a manifest of the effects of climate change, negates the attempts made at national and local levels to resolve conflicts. However, the aspect of climate change mitigation was absent in all peace building initiatives in the county. The study established a missing link in conflict resolution initiatives and therefore recommends that mitigation of climate change should be the focal point in addressing conflict in pastoral regions since natural resources, which pastoralists entirely depend on, are depleting at an alarming rate due to the changes in climatic patterns.
Multi-task Piano Transcription with Local Relative Time Attention

Automatic music transcription (AMT) is to transcribe music audios into musical symbol representations. Recently, the Transformer-based transcription systems have shown superiority on modeling note-wise sequences. For the frame-wise transcription targets in the AMT, the attention needs to focus more on the neighboring frames instead of notes in context. In this work, we propose a multi-task transcription system with a self-attention mechanism. The designed relative positional self-attention aims to model frame-wise short-term dependencies in audio and transcribe music of variable length. Adding the learnable attention mask on multiple attention head, the network can obtain different multi-scale attention distances for each subtask. Experiments on the MAESTRO dataset show the proposed system with the local relative time attention mechanism achieves state-of-the-art transcription performance on both frame and note metrics (frame F1 93.40%, note with offset F1 88.50%).
Weed Seed Populations in Ridge and Conventional Tillage

Weed seed and seedling populations, and weed competition were compared in plots of continuous corn and corn/soybean rotation under ridge and conventional tillage. After 7 to 8 yr of standard chemical and mechanical weed control, from 1500 to 3000 weed seeds/m2 (to a 10-cm depth) were found in continuous corn with ridge tillage whereas about two-thirds fewer seeds were found in conventionally tilled corn. Soil from a corn/soybean rotation had from 200 to 700 seeds/m2 in both tillage systems. Annual loss of weed seeds from the soil through germination was from 3 to 12% in ridge tillage and 11 to 43% in conventional tillage. Additions to the seed pool were supplied by small weeds whose germination was stimulated by “layby” cultivation, with up to 10 times more emergence and 140 times more seed production in ridge than in conventional tillage. Withholding herbicides for 1 yr reduced yields of continuous corn by 10 to 27% in ridge tillage, only 2 to 4% in conventional tillage, and negligibly in corn/soybean rotations regardless of tillage. Reducing seed production of small layby weeds in ridge tillage may aid in solving the weed problem in this conservation tillage system.
B ALANCING THE N EEDS OF P EOPLE AND W ILDLIFE : When Wildlife Damage Crop s and Prey on Livestock

, tigers and bears preying on livestock or elephants, parrots and deer feeding on crops, conflicts arise when the activities of wild animals coincide with those of people. Although damages by wildlife do not have the regional impact that drought and disease have, they do have critical, political and environmental significance for the conservation of biodiversity. They also can have catastrophic economic consequences for vulnerable households. The fringes of protected areas and landscapes with a mix of human development and wild land see most human-wildlife conflicts (HWC). Each year, thousands of people lose their lives and billions of dollars are lost in property because of HWC globally. Traditionally, people respond to wildlife threats by killing “problem” animals and eliminating wild habitat to prevent further losses. The scale of biodiversity and economic costs is hard to estimate for developing countries, but data from developed nations are indicative. The US government responds to roughly $1 billion in agricultural damage nationwide by killing approximately 2.5 million wild animals annually. In 2004, this included 107,044 wild carnivores, of which about 3% were threatened or endangered species or killed unintentionally when other species were targeted. There is no evidence that agricultural damages by wildlife are decreasing in the United States, but in the developing world conditions are more volatile. On the one hand, severe habitat loss has diminished wildlife populations, reducing the number of households affected by HWC,
Karst Landforms in a Martian Evaporitic Dome

The Tithonium Chasma is the northern trench of the western troughs of Valles Marineris (Mars). In the eastern part of the canyon system a mountain displaying a dome shape morphology is located. According to OMEGA mineralogical data (OMEGA data orbit 531_3) and further studies the dome appears to consist of magnesium sulphate (kieserite), an evaporitic mineral also found on the Earth. Previous works highlighted the presence of karst-like landforms and morphologies that strongly resemble the evaporitic karst morphologies found on the Earth. Through the analysis of the new MRO HiRISE images we have investigated the Martian landform and the possible processes involved in their formation and shaping in great detail. The analysis carried out show that the landforms observed clearly indicate the presence of solutional processes that also acted in a selective way, highlighting that the Martian dome can be formed of dfferent materials (minerals, grain-size, ect.) with different solutional properties. The results of our observation also suggest that on the dome liquid water must have existed in the past for enough time so that the solution features we investigated could be formed.
South Africa’s interest rate behaviour: Investigating the influence of the indicators of financial openness

This study seeks to investigate the influence of financial openness variables on South Africa’s interest rate during the period between1980-2020. The study used both Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Philip-Perron (PP) tests to determine the order of integration of the variables, while the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test was used to investigate both the short and long-run impact of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The findings of the study revealed that in the short-run both foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and FDI outflows impacted the interest rate positively. However, portfolio investment, exchange rate and capital account openness did not have any significant impact on interest rate within the duration of this research. The long-run results revealed that FDI inflows had a positive and significant impact on interest rate. Also, while capital account openness had a significant and positive impact on the interest rate, FDI outflows, portfolio investment, and the exchange rate had no significant impact on interest rate. The study concludes that apart from portfolio investment which did not exert significant impact on interest rate, other financial openness indicators used in the study had a significant impact on South Africa’s domestic interest rate. The paper argues that, appropriate monetary policy measures targeted to lessen the monetary impact of excess capital inflows should be considered. Additionally, capital account liberalization policy should be encouraged, but it needs to be regulated if it places an excessive amount of liquidity pressure on the economy.