Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainable production from the Rough Fescue Prairie.

ABSTRACT: Native prairie communities have evolved to produce relatively low but sustained production. Demand for greater production has resulted in overgrazing and, consequently, lower and more unstable annual yields and increased risk of soil erosion. Because the Rough Fescue Prairie is best suited for grazing, studies were made to determine its carrying capacity and assess the effects of overgrazing. Overgrazing resulted in an increase in plant species that were shallow-rooted and less productive, but more resistant to grazing. This was associated with higher soil temperatures and reduced infiltration. Consequently, the soil was transformed to one characteristic of a drier microclimate. Soil color changed from black to dark brown as stocking rate increased from light to very heavy. Grazing caused a redistribution of nitrogen in the soil by concentrating a greater proportion in a shallower Ah horizon. Productivity deteriorated rapidly with overgrazing, but more than 20 years of drastically reduced stocking rates are required to enable recovery.
Predictor selection for downscaling GCM data with LASSO

[1] Over the last 10 years, downscaling techniques, including both dynamical (i.e., the regional climate model) and statistical methods, have been widely developed to provide climate change information at a finer resolution than that provided by global climate models (GCMs). Because one of the major aims of downscaling techniques is to provide the most accurate information possible, data analysts have tried a number of approaches to improve predictor selection, which is one of the most important steps in downscaling techniques. Classical methods such as regression techniques, particularly stepwise regression (SWR), have been employed for downscaling. However, SWR presents some limits, such as deficiencies in dealing with collinearity problems, while also providing overly complex models. Thus, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) technique, which is a penalized regression method, is presented as another alternative for predictor selection in downscaling GCM data. It may allow for more accurate and clear models that can properly deal with collinearity problems. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to compare the performances of a classical regression method (SWR) and the LASSO technique for predictor selection. A data set from 9 stations located in the southern region of Quebec that includes 25 predictors measured over 29 years (from 1961 to 1990) is employed. The results indicate that, due to its computational advantages and its ease of implementation, the LASSO technique performs better than SWR and gives better results according to the determination coefficient and the RMSE as parameters for comparison.
Estimation of land surface water and energy balance parameters using conditional sampling of surface states

Numerical models of heat and moisture diffusion in the soil‐vegetation‐atmosphere continuum are linked through the moisture flux from the surface to the atmosphere. This mass flux represents a heat exchange as latent heat flux, coupling water, and energy balance equations. In this paper, a new approach for estimating key parameters governing moisture and heat diffusion equation and the closure function which links these equations, is introduced. Parameters of the system are estimated by developing objective functions that link atmospheric forcing, surface states, and unknown parameters. This approach is based on conditional averaging of heat and moisture diffusion equations on land surface temperature and moisture states, respectively. A single objective function is expressed that measures moisture and temperature‐dependent errors solely in terms of observed forcings and surface states. This objective function is minimized with respect to the parameters to identify evaporation and drainage models and estimate water and energy balance flux components. The approach is calibration free (surface flux observations are not required), it is not hampered by missing data and does not require continuous records. Uncertainty of parameter estimates is obtained from the inverse of Hessian of the objective function, which is an approximation of the error covariance matrix. Uncertainty analysis and analysis of the covariance approximation, guides the formulation of a well‐posed estimation problem. Accuracy of this method is examined through its application over three different field sites. This approach can be applied to diverse climates and land surface conditions with different spatial scales, using remotely sensed measurements.
Lateral variations in SH velocity structure of the transition zone beneath Korea and adjacent regions

[1] Using seismic profiles of triplicated waveforms, we show significant lateral variations in the SH velocity (Vs) structure of the transition zone (TZ) beneath Korea and adjacent regions. Beneath Sakhalin, we detected a high Vsanomaly (∼2%) limited to middle regions of the TZ (mid-TZ), and a largeVsjump across the 660-km discontinuity. A similar jump inVs also occurs beneath the northern portion of the North China Craton (NCC). Beneath Korea, a high Vs anomaly (∼2%) in the lower TZ is inferred, accompanied by a relatively small Vsjump across the 660-km discontinuity, which is depressed by about ∼15–20 km. The deep structure under the eastern part of northeast China (NEC) also includes a slightVsanomaly (∼1%) in the lower TZ but does not exhibit significant depression of the 660-km discontinuity. Compared with previous study, our observations reveal strong regional variations of the TZ structure on a relatively short scale. These variations most likely reflect the geometrical distribution of the subducting northwest Pacific plate. Our results suggest that the subducting slab dips across the mid-TZ under Sakhalin, and becomes flattened atop of the 660-km discontinuity beneath Korea, while only the tip of the slab reaches the lower TZ beneath the NEC. The TZ beneath the NCC does not show evidence of the slab stagnation.
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED FIG TYPES IN BATMAN CENTRAL DISTRICT

The objectives of this study were to select of fig types which had good quality and determine their physical and chemical characteristics. Turkey has great variations and distributions in both wild and cultivar forms of figs. No studies have been made about the selection and their physical and chemical characteristics of fig types grown in Batman central district by researchers up to now. Therefore, this studies were very significant. At the end of the study, six fig types were selected and their physical and chemical characteristics were determined. In these characteristics, it was determined that titrable acidity, total soluble solid content, fruit weight and ostiolum width changed from 0.13% to 0.29%, from 18.48% to 24.35%, from 44.52 g to 117.03 g and from 43.96 mm to 65.87 mm, respectively. According to the weighted ranked method, in all the fig types, 72–35 and 72–38 types which had the higher score were evaluated to be best table fig types.
Set-valued fractional order differential equations in the space of summable functions

In this paper, we study the existence of integrable solutions for the set-valued differential equation of fractional type ( Dn − n−1 ∑ i=1 aiD αi ) x(t) ∈ F (t, x(φ(t))), a.e. on (0, 1), I1−αnx(0) = c, αn ∈ (0, 1), where F (t, ·) is lower semicontinuous from R into R and F (·, ·) is measurable. The corresponding single-valued problem will be considered first.
Use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency–high magnitude simulated rainfall events

Soil and water losses due to agricultural mismanagement are high and non-sustainable in many orchards. An experiment was set up with rainfall simulation at 78 mm h–1 over 1 hour on 20 paired plots of 2 m2 (bare and straw covered) in new persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain. Effects of straw cover on the control of soil and water losses were assessed. An addition of 60% straw cover (75 g m–2) resulted in delayed ponding and runoff generation and consequently reduced water losses from 60% to 13% of total rainfall. The straw cover reduced raindrop impact and thus sediment detachment from 1014 to 47 g plot–1 h–1. The erosion rate was reduced from 5.1 to 0.2 Mg ha–1 h–1. The straw mulch was found to be extremely efficient in reducing soil erosion rates.
Formation of the thermocline step structure by large‐amplitude internal gravity waves

It is suggested that a possible mechanism for the formation of the thermocline step structure is a sporadic overturning by rotors associated with finite-amplitude internal waves. A criterion for the required critical amplitude of an internal wave is derived, and good agreement is found with numerical experiments illustrating the mechanism. A scale analysis for the ocean shows that downward-propagating waves with a vertical wavelength of 10–20 meters would be most favored to ‘break’ by the convective instability mechanism. Examination of velocity spectra measured in the North Atlantic shows that more than enough energy exists in the internal wave frequency range for this type of instability to occur.
New models for Paleoproterozoic orogenesis in the Cheyenne belt region: Evidence from the geology and U-Pb geochronology of the Big Creek Gneiss, southeastern Wyoming

The disputed age of the deep crust of the Colorado Province is central to hypotheses for Paleoproterozoic crustal growth in the region. We studied the high-grade Big Creek Gneiss, southeastern Wyoming, as a potential exposure of pre-1780 Ma basement rocks. New geologic mapping and U-Pb geochronological data indicate that the Big Creek Gneiss exposes a deeper, but coeval, level of the Green Mountain arc relative to the predominantly supracrustal section to the west. The Big Creek Gneiss is composed of: supracrustal rocks; a ca. 1780 Ma Green Mountain arc–correlative, bimodal intrusive suite; a ca. 1763 Ma extensional(? ) bimodal intrusive suite; and widespread ca. 1630 Ma pegmatitic leucogranite. The mafic member of the younger bimodal suite is documented here for the first time. U-Pb zircon ages from migmatite leucosomes indicate penetrative deformation of the Big Creek Gneiss at ca. 1750 Ma. We find that the postarc intrusive suite is mantle-involved, implying a second period of crustal growth. Shortening postdates arc magmatism by ∼20 m.y. , implying that termination of arc magmatism and accretion were separate events. Finally, criteria previously used to constrain the polarity of subduction for the Green Mountain arc are not reliable. We propose two competing models: (1) southward-dipping Green Mountain arc subduction (present coordinates), with slab breakoff–related magmatism following arc accretion; or (2) northward-dipping subduction, with extensional postarc magmatism. In both models, high-temperature deformation coincides with accretion along the Cheyenne belt, and extensional magmatism is an important component of crustal growth. We prefer the northward-dipping subduction model because it can be better integrated with regional tectonic events and published isotopic compositions of the igneous rocks.
Dynamical and thermodynamical modulations on future changes of landfalling atmospheric rivers over western North America

This study examines future changes of landfalling atmospheric rivers (ARs) over western North America using outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). The result reveals a strikingly large increase of AR days by the end of the 21st century in the RCP8.5 scenario, with fractional increases between 50% and 600%, depending on the seasons and landfall locations. These increases are predominantly controlled by the super‐Clausius‐Clapeyron rate of increase of atmospheric water vapor with warming, while changes of winds that transport moisture in the ARs, or dynamical effect, mostly counter the thermodynamical effect of increasing water vapor, limiting the increase of AR events in the future. The consistent negative effect of wind changes on AR days during spring and fall can be linked to the robust poleward shift of the subtropical jet in the North Pacific basin.
Ruin marble: a record of fracture-controlled fluid flow and precipitation

The ruin marble structure of the Cretaceous/Paleogene fine-grained marly limestone from the Outer Flysch Belt of the Western Carpathians has a non-tectonic origin, according to structural and sedimentological evidence. Distinctive offsets of coloured red-brownish ferric oxyhydroxide bands are not due to displacements along rock-cutting fractures, as they superficially appear to be. Evidences for shear movement along these pseudo-faults were not observed. Band offsets result from different velocities of pervasively diffusing fluids, precipitating ferric oxyhydroxides in corridors bounded by sets of mineralised systematic joints. During rock weathering, calcite-filled joints operated as barriers for lateral fluid diffusion, but enabled longitudinal diffusion along healed joints. Simple laboratory experiments have been performed to simulate the formation of natural ruin marble structure.
A comparison of three visual assessments for riparian and stream health

Visual assessments are integral components of several widely promoted efforts to assess the health of stream and riparian areas across the Nation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Habitat Assessment Field Data Sheet (HAFDS), U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Stream Visual Assessment (SVA), and U.S. Department of Interior (USDI) Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) assessment were applied to 234 rangeland riparian areas to determine: 1) how well the assessments correlate, and 2) how site-specific stream and riparian characteristics affect the outcome of each assessment and thus the comparison of outcomes across stream types. Habitat Assessment Field Data Sheet and Stream Visual Assessment are habitat driven assessments, which target similar parameters resulting in a strong positive correlation between these methods (r = 0.81). BLM's Proper Functioning Condition focuses on parameters related to hydrologic function, thus a weaker correlation was found when comparing Proper Functioning Condition to the Habitat Assessment Field Data Sheet and the NRCS' Stream Visual Assessment methods (r = 0.58 and 0.54, respectively). A combination of one habitat assessment and Proper Functioning Condition should be utilized to conduct a comprehensive assessment of riparian/stream health. Site characteristics, which were significantly associated with assessment outcomes included entrenchment ratio, substrate size, channel width to depth and slope. This presents a problem in that comparison of assessment outcomes across different streams and stream reaches are confounded by factors such as slope and substrate type, which may not always be indicative of riparian/stream health. The Rosgen Stream Morphology Classification system was used to successfully control for the effect of these site-specific effects on assessment outcome, allowing for comparison of riparian/stream health assessments across streams.
Carbon and oxygen isotopic composition and foraminifers of condensed basal Zechstein (Upper Permian) strata in western Poland: environmental and stratigraphic implications

The basinal facies of the Lopingian Zechstein Limestone in SW Poland consists of thin (often less than 1 m thick) limestones and/or dolomites, often containing the Kupferschiefer (few tens of centimetres thick) at their base, and local thick (up to 90 m) reefal carbonates. The δ13C curve of these basal Zechstein deposits strongly suggests that even when the Kupferschiefer is lacking, the thin (condensed) sequences record the entire interval of the Zechstein prior to the onset of evaporite deposition, in contrast to the thick reef sequences which lack the characteristic δ13C curve for the lowermost part of the Zechstein. The calcite samples show considerable ranges of δ18O values. If the maximum δ18O values are considered to be the closest to the pristine original ones and if δ18Owater value = 0 is assumed, then the calculated range of palaeotemperatures for the Kupferschiefer and Zechstein Limestone calcite ranges from 19 to 34 °C. The faunal restriction, common dwarf foraminifers and the predominance of lagenids in the foraminiferal assemblage indicate continual dysaerobic conditions and possibly elevated salinity of seawater during deposition of thin basinal Zechstein Limestone deposits. The mixing of shallow and deeper waters in the stratified Zechstein Basin caused by upwelling could result in prolific carbonate precipitation in reefs located at the slope of the marginal carbonate platform of the Zechstein Limestone and in isolated reefs related to palaeohighs within the basin; however, there is no isotopic record of eventual upwelling. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vapor clouds generated by laser ablation and hypervelocity impact

Laser ablation experiments are carried out using a high intensity laser (∼1010 W/cm2) and basalt targets. Using a high‐speed camera and a spectrometer, the radius and the temperature of the silicate vapor clouds generated by laser ablation are observed as a function of time. Then a numerical simulation of vapor expansion is carried out, and the thermodynamic state of the silicate vapor is determined so as to reproduce the experimental results. The result of the analysis indicates that the impact velocity which would generate a vapor cloud with this thermodynamic state is ∼120 km/s for collisions between two basaltic bodies.
Can Contaminant Transport Models Predict Breakthrough?

A solute breakthrough curve measured during a two‐well tracer test was successfully predicted in 1986 using specialized contaminant transport models. Water was injected into a confined, unconsolidated sand aquifer and pumped out 125 feet (38.3 m) away at the same steady rate. The injected water was spiked with bromide for over three days; the outflow concentration was monitored for a month. Based on previous tests, the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the thick aquifer varied by a factor of seven among 12 layers. Assuming stratified flow with small dispersivities, two research groups accurately predicted breakthrough with three‐dimensional (12‐layer) models using curvilinear elements following the arc‐shaped flowlines in this test.
Soil Physical Measurement and Interpretation for Land Evaluation

Soil physical measurements are essential for solving many natural resource management problems. This operational laboratory and field handbook provides, for the first time, a standard set of methods that are cost-effective and well suited to land resource survey. It provides: *practical guidelines on the soil physical measurements across a range of soils, climates and land uses; *straightforward descriptions for each method (including common pitfalls) that can be applied by people with a rudimentary knowledge of soil physics, and *guidelines on the interpretation of results and integration with land resource assessment. Soil Physical Measurement And Interpretation for Land Evaluation begins with an introduction to land evaluation and then outlines procedures for field sampling. Twenty detailed chapters cover pore space relations, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, water table depth, dispersion, aggregation, particle size, shrinkage, Atterburg limits and strength. The book includes procedures for estimating soil physical properties from more readily available data and shows how soil physical data can be integrated into land planning and management decisions.
The effects of deformation-induced microstructures on intragrain 40Ar/39Ar ages in potassium feldspar

A combination of forescattered scanning electron microscopy and both ultraviolet (UV) laser and cycle stepped-heating 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating techniques have been applied to a single deformed grain of potassium feldspar to investigate the relationship between microstructure and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar isotope systematics. The form and distribution of deformation-induced microstructures have been mapped by using intragrain variations in lattice orientation. These variations are related to thin section and regional structural data to provide a well-constrained deformation history for the feldspar grain. Thirty UV laser 40 Ar/ 39 Ar analyses show age variations that correlate with the internal microstructure. Stepped-heating data provide further evidence of this relationship. Our approach allows the recognition of different Ar reservoirs within the deformed feldspar and identifies microstructural controls on Ar migration. Such a relationship has important implications for the understanding and interpretation of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronological data and the subsequent use of such data to constrain the temperature vs. time evolution of deformed rocks.
Air Pollution and Acute Respiratory Response in a Panel of Asthmatic Children along the U.S.–Mexico Border

Background: Concerns regarding the health impact of urban air pollution on asthmatic children are pronounced along the U.S.–Mexico border because of rapid population growth near busy border highways and roads. Objectives: We conducted the first binational study of the impacts of air pollution on asthmatic children in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, USA, and compared different exposure metrics to assess acute respiratory response. Methods: We recruited 58 asthmatic children from two schools in Ciudad Juarez and two schools in El Paso. A marker of airway inflammation [exhaled nitric oxide (eNO)], respiratory symptom surveys, and pollutant measurements (indoor and outdoor 48-hr size-fractionated particulate matter, 48-hr black carbon, and 96-hr nitrogen dioxide) were collected at each school for 16 weeks. We examined associations between the pollutants and respiratory response using generalized linear mixed models. Results: We observed small but consistent associations between eNO and numerous pollutant metrics, with estimated increases in eNO ranging from 1% to 3% per interquartile range increase in pollutant concentrations. Effect estimates from models using school-based concentrations were generally stronger than corresponding estimates based on concentrations from ambient air monitors. Both traffic-related and non–traffic-related particles were typically more robust predictors of eNO than was nitrogen dioxide, for which associations were highly sensitive to model specification. Associations differed significantly across the four school-based cohorts, consistent with heterogeneity in pollutant concentrations and cohort characteristics. Models examining respiratory symptoms were consistent with the null. Conclusions: The results indicate adverse effects of air pollution on the subclinical respiratory health of asthmatic children in this region and provide preliminary support for the use of air pollution monitors close to schools to track exposure and potential health risk in this population.