Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of rotational tillage practices on soil water characteristics and crop yields in semi-arid areas of north-west China

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major crop grown generally in semi-arid areas of north-west China, and water deficiency is the major factor that limits crop yields. Between 2007 and 2010, we conducted a field experiment on winter wheat to investigate the effects of interval with no-tillage and subsoiling (rotational tillage) after crop harvesting on soil water characteristics and crop yields in semi-arid areas of southern Ningxia. Three tillage treatments were tested: no-tillage in year 1, subsoiling in year 2, and no-tillage in year 3 (NT/ST/NT); subsoiling in year 1, no-tillage in year 2, and subsoiling in year 3 (ST/NT/ST); and conventional tillage over years 1–3 (CT). The three-year comparative experiment showed that during the summer fallow, compared with CT, the NT/ST/NT and ST/NT/ST treatments improved mean soil water content at 0–2.0 m depth by 3.9% and 7.8%, respectively, and significantly (P < 0.05) increased mean rainfall storage efficiency by 15.4% and 26.7%. During the wheat growing season, mean soil water content with the NT/ST/NT and ST/NT/ST treatments was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than with the CT treatment (8.0% and 8.6% higher, respectively), and the two rotational tillage treatments significantly (P < 0.05) increased mean rainfall use efficiency compared with CT (by 9.3% and 10.7%, respectively). Yield improvements coupled with greater water-use efficiency occurred with the NT/ST/NT and ST/NT/ST treatments, i.e. mean grain yields were significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 9.6% and 10.7%, respectively, and water-use efficiency was significantly (P < 0.05) improved by 6.7% and 7.8% compared with the CT treatment. The results showed that the interval of no-tillage and subsoiling could improve soil status, and significantly increase crop yields and water-use efficiency. This method could have important applications in the semi-arid areas of north-west China.
Changes in countermovement jump force-time characteristic in elite male basketball players: A season-long analyses

Basketball is a sport that is characterized by various physical performance parameters and motor abilities such as speed, strength, and endurance, which are all underpinned by an athlete’s efficient use of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). A common assessment to measure SSC efficiency is the countermovement jump (CMJ). When performed on a force plate, a plethora of different force-time metrics may be gleaned from the jump task, reflecting neuromuscular performance characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate how different CMJ force-time characteristics change across different parts of the athletic year, within a sample of elite collegiate male basketball players. Twelve basketball players performed CMJ’s on near-weekly basis, combining for a total of 219 screenings. The span of testing was broken down into four periods: pre-season, non-conference competitive period, conference competitive period, and post-season competitive period. Results suggest that basketball players were able to experience improvements and maintenance of performance with regards to various force-time metrics, transitioning from the pre-season period into respective later phases of the in-season period. A common theme was a significant improvement between the pre-season period and the non-conference period. Various force-time metrics were subject to change, while outcome metrics such as jump height remained unchanged, suggesting that practitioners are encouraged to more closely monitor how different force-time characteristics change over extended periods of time.
Cross-Pollinated Crop Variety Adoption Studies and Seed Recycling: The Case of Maize in Tanzania

A survey of 126 maize farmers was conducted in northern Tanzania with the objective of examining adoption of cross-pollinated seeds among farmers who recycle improved seeds. In this study, an improved variety is defined as any variety that has been bred using formal plant breeding methods. Formally bred cultivars that have been recycled but still maintain some of their characteristic attributes were also categorized as “improved. ” About 91% of sample maize farmers used improved seeds. Heckman's two-step procedure was used to examine the factors that affect the probability to adopt and the intensity of adoption of improved maize seed and chemical fertilizer use. Most factors included in the model did not have a statistically significant impact on the adoption of improved maize varieties. The determinants of adoption did not have a significant impact probably due to the high rate of adoption of improved maize seed (91%). Researchers conducting studies in areas where seed recycling is common need to use a more restrictive definition of “improved seeds” than the one used in this study. In the case of studies examining factors influencing intensity of adoption, researchers need to determine the intensity of adoption by using scaling factors that are based on loss of genetic potential (yield) due to seed recycling. Such scaling factors may be determined empirically since they vary from one maize variety to another. About 64% of the moderate rainfall zone (800 – 1200 mm per year) respondents used chemical fertilizer, as compared to 44% in the low rainfall zone (500 - 800 mm per year). The level of fertilizer applied was well below recommended rates, hence the need to research on and promote extension efforts in organic fertilizers that will complement the expensive chemical fertilizers. Eastern Africa Journal of Rural Development (2001) 17, 25-34
TumorDetNet: A unified deep learning model for brain tumor detection and classification

Accurate diagnosis of the brain tumor type at an earlier stage is crucial for the treatment process and helps to save the lives of a large number of people worldwide. Because they are non-invasive and spare patients from having an unpleasant biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are frequently employed to identify tumors. The manual identification of tumors is difficult and requires considerable time due to the large number of three-dimensional images that an MRI scan of one patient’s brain produces from various angles. Moreover, the variations in location, size, and shape of the brain tumor also make it challenging to detect and classify different types of tumors. Thus, computer-aided diagnostics (CAD) systems have been proposed for the detection of brain tumors. In this paper, we proposed a novel unified end-to-end deep learning model named TumorDetNet for brain tumor detection and classification. Our TumorDetNet framework employs 48 convolution layers with leaky ReLU (LReLU) and ReLU activation functions to compute the most distinctive deep feature maps. Moreover, average pooling and a dropout layer are also used to learn distinctive patterns and reduce overfitting. Finally, one fully connected and a softmax layer are employed to detect and classify the brain tumor into multiple types. We assessed the performance of our method on six standard Kaggle brain tumor MRI datasets for brain tumor detection and classification into (malignant and benign), and (glioma, pituitary, and meningioma). Our model successfully identified brain tumors with remarkable accuracy of 99.83%, classified benign and malignant brain tumors with an ideal accuracy of 100%, and meningiomas, pituitary, and gliomas tumors with an accuracy of 99.27%. These outcomes demonstrate the potency of the suggested methodology for the reliable identification and categorization of brain tumors.
USO DE BIOESTIMULADORES EN LA REPRODUCCIÓN DE GUAYABA (Psidium guajava L.) MEDIANTE EL ENRAIZAMIENTO DE ESQUEJES

This experiment was carried out in "La Joya" farm, a technically-made nursery from San Jose de las Lajas, with the objective of studying the effect of three national growth stimulants (Biobras-16, Pectimorf and Rizobac) at different concentrations, on the rooting of intermediate cuttings from two Psidium guajava L cultivars. The cuttings once treated were placed in a natural 3-mm-diameter Zeolite substratum under controlled conditions. Also, the percentage of live plants, number of roots per plant, root length and weight were evaluated. Results proved that the use of Pectimorf 10 ppm and Rizobac 0.1% showed the best values in relation to the variables evaluated in this experiment.
Insights into the Global Distribution of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans were measured in 63 pairs of tree bark and soil samples. Maps of lipid-adjusted concentrations in bark and fluxes to soil indicated that Vancouver Island, the Midwestern United States, Germany, and Hong Kong were areas of high PCDD/F deposition. Concentrations and fluxes in the regions north of the 60th parallel, particularly the Canadian Arctic, were low, indicating that PCDD/F do not move appreciably from warm to cold latitudes. Linear regressions of the PCDD/F concentrations in tree bark versus fluxes to soil showed that total concentrations in bark can be used to estimate total fluxes to soil in a particular region. Comparison of the homologue profiles for each pair of bark and soil samples indicated that the pairs fell into three categories: 1. bark and soil both resembled source profiles; 2. bark and soil both resembled sink profiles; and 3. bark resembled a source profile but the soil resembled a sink profile. This variation in homologue profiles.
Plankton Dynamics and Aurelia aurita Production in Two Contrasting Ecosystems: Comparisons and Consequences

Abstract The population dynamics and production of the Scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita (Lam.) were examined within two contrasting ecosystems on the south coast of England; Southampton Water, an open productive estuary, and Horsea Lake, an enclosed, brackish, man-made body of water. Annual A. aurita production in Southampton Water ranged between 31 and 58 mg C m −3 year −1 in different years (1990–94); while at Horsea Lake, annual production was 76 mg C m −3 year −1 in 1994. The potential impact of A. aurita on the mesozooplankton communities was estimated through measurements of in situ secondary production and transfer efficiency between the two populations. Using literature-based estimates for mesozooplankton production, the annual transfer efficiency between the mesozooplankton and A. aurita populations in Southampton Water ranged between 9 and 26% in different years, and in Horsea Lake was 73% in 1994. These data imply that the abundant A. aurita population may have a significant impact on the mesozooplankton community of Horsea Lake, and in turn, the very small A. aurita sizes observed indicate a severely food limited population. The ecological role of A. aurita in Horsea Lake is discussed in view of the very low chl a and mesozooplankton numbers present.
Time-averaged fluxes of lead and fallout radionuclides to sediments in Florida Bay

Recent, unmixed sediments from mud banks of central Florida Bay were dated using 210 Pb/ 226 Ra, and chronologies were verified by comparing sediment lead temporal records with Pb/Ca ratios in annual layers of coral (Montastrea annularis) located on the ocean side of the Florida Keys. Dates of sediment lead peaks (1978 ± 2) accord with prior observations of a 6 year lag between the occurrence of maximum atmospheric lead in 1972 and peak coral lead in 1978. Smaller lags of 1-2 years occur between the maximum atmospheric radionuclide fallout and peaks in sediment temporal records of 137 Cs and Pu. Such lags are consequences of system time averaging (STA) in which atmospherically delivered particle-associated constituents accumulate and mix in a (sedimentary? ) reservoir before transferring to permanent sediments and coral. STA model calculations, using time-dependent atmospheric inputs, produced optimized profiles in excellent accord with measured sediment 137 Cs, Pu, lead, and coral lead distributions. Derived residence times of these particle tracers (16 ± 1, 15.7 ± 0.7, 19 ± 3, and 16 ± 2 years, respectively) are comparable despite differences in sampling locations, in accumulating media, and in element loading histories and geochemical properties. For a 16 year weighted mean residence time, STA generates the observed 6 year lead peak lag. Evidently, significant levels of nondegradable, particle-associated contaminants can persist in Florida Bay for many decades following elimination of external inputs. Present results, in combination with STA model analysis of previously reported radionuclide profiles, suggest that decade-scale time averaging may occur widely in recent coastal marine sedimentary environments.
The summer 2012 Greenland heat wave: In situ and remote sensing observations of water vapor isotopic composition during an atmospheric river event

During 7–12 July 2012, extreme moist and warm conditions occurred over Greenland, leading to widespread surface melt. To investigate the physical processes during the atmospheric moisture transport of this event, we study the water vapor isotopic composition using surface in situ observations in Bermuda Island, South Greenland coast (Ivittuut), and northwest Greenland ice sheet (NEEM), as well as remote sensing observations (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instrument on board MetOp‐A), depicting propagation of similar surface and midtropospheric humidity and δD signals. Simulations using Lagrangian moisture source diagnostic and water tagging in a regional model showed that Greenland was affected by an atmospheric river transporting moisture from the western subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, which is coherent with observations of snow pit impurities deposited at NEEM. At Ivittuut, surface air temperature, humidity, and δD increases are observed. At NEEM, similar temperature increase is associated with a large and long‐lasting ∼100‰δD enrichment and ∼15‰ deuterium excess decrease, thereby reaching Ivittuut level. We assess the simulation of this event in two isotope‐enabled atmospheric general circulation models (LMDz‐iso and ECHAM5‐wiso). LMDz‐iso correctly captures the timing of propagation for this event identified in IASI data but depict too gradual variations when compared to surface data. Both models reproduce the surface meteorological and isotopic values during the event but underestimate the background deuterium excess at NEEM. Cloud liquid water content parametrization in LMDz‐iso poorly impacts the vapor isotopic composition. Our data demonstrate that during this atmospheric river event the deuterium excess signal is conserved from the moisture source to northwest Greenland.
Minor and trace element geochemistry of volcanic rocks dredged from the Galapagos Spreading Center: Role of crystal fractionation and mantle heterogeneity

A wide range of rock types (abyssal tholeiite, Fe-Ti-rich basalt, andesite, and rhyodacite) were dredged from near 95°W and 85°W on the Galapagos spreading center. Computer modeling of major element compositions has shown that these rocks could be derived from common parental magmas by successive degrees of fractional crystallization. However, the P2O5/K2O ratio averages 0.83 at 95°W and 1.66 at 85°W and implies distinct mantle source compositions for the two areas. These source regions also have different rare earth element (REE) abundance patterns, with [La/Sm]EF = 0.67 at 95°W and 0.46 at 85°W. The sequence of fractionated lavas differs for the two areas and indicates earlier fractionation of apatite and titanomagnetite in the lavas from 95°W. The mantle source regions for these two areas are interpreted to be depleted in incompatible (and volatile? ) elements, although the source region beneath 95°W is less severely depleted in La and K. Incompatible trace element abundances in 26 samples are used to infer that the range of Fe-Ti-rich basalt from 85°W represents 19 to 35% residual liquid following crystal fractionation of a mineral assemblage of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and lesser olivine. The most highly differentiated samples have also had less than 1% titanomagnetite removed. Most samples from 85°W can be related to a common parental magma that contained approximately 9 wt % FeO*, 1 wt % TiO2, and had an Mg number (Mg# = 100 Mg/(Mg + Fe2+)) of about 65. Although the samples from 95°W cannot all be derived from a common parental magma, the inferred parental magmas may have been derived by varying degrees of partial melting of a common source. The fractionation sequence consists of two parts: an initial iron enrichment trend followed by a silica enrichment trend. We interpret the trace element data to indicate that the most iron rich lavas represent about 32% residual liquid derived by crystal fractionation of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and lesser olivine from a parental magma with an Mg number of about 66. The silica enrichment trend results from crystallization of titanomagnetite and some apatite. Fractionation of pigeonite, which is a minor phase in the major element models, cannot be distinguished from clinopyroxene fractionation by using trace elements.
Quantification of uncertainty in design water levels due to uncertain bed form roughness in the Dutch river Waal

Hydrodynamic river models are applied to design and evaluate measures for purposes such as safety against flooding. The modelling of river processes involves numerous uncertainties, resulting in uncertain model results. Knowledge of the type and magnitude of these uncertainties is crucial for a meaningful interpretation of the model results. Uncertainty in the hydraulic roughness due to bed forms is one of the main contributors to the uncertainty in the modelled water levels. The aim of this study was to quantify the uncertainty in the bed form roughness under design conditions and quantify the effect on the design water levels in the Dutch river Waal. Five roughness models that predict bed form roughness based on measured bed form and flow characteristics were extrapolated to design conditions. The results show that the 95% confidence interval of the predicted Nikuradse roughness values under design conditions ranges from 0.32 to 1.03 m. This uncertainty was propagated through the two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model, WAQUA, by means of a Monte Carlo simulation for an idealized schematization of the Dutch river Waal. The uncertain bed form roughness results in an uncertainty in the design water levels, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.53 m, which is significant for Dutch river management practice. The uncertainty in the bed form roughness was mainly caused by a lack of knowledge about the physical process of bed form evolution that causes roughness. An improved estimation of bed form roughness can significantly reduce the uncertainty in the design water levels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Data report: Pliocene-Pleistocene planktonic foraminifer bioevents at IODP Site U1313 1

We performed a quantitative study of some planktonic foraminifer species from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1313 to define main biostratigraphic events. Some of these events were characterized by large changes in species abundance rather than their first or last occurrences. Changes in relative abundances of planktonic foraminifers were compared to the color reflectance and magnetostratigraphic records measured at this site. We obtained astronomical ages for all these events through calibration to the isotope timescale. Comparison of these ages with the astronomical dates derived from the Mediterranean indicates that most of the events were synchronous in the mid-latitudes of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
Comparing ten classification methods for burned area mapping in a Mediterranean environment using Landsat TM satellite data

Various methods have been developed during the past three decades to improve the classification accuracy in burned area mapping using satellite data captured by different sensors. In this article, we compare ten such classification approaches using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery on three Mediterranean test sites by evaluating the classification accuracy using (i) a traditional pixel-based approach, (ii) the concept of the Pareto boundary of efficient solution and (iii) linear regression analysis. Additionally, we make a discrimination of errors depending on their distribution and causal factor. The classification approaches compared resulted in not statistically significant differences in the accuracy of the burned area maps. Differences between the methods were also observed when considering the accuracy along the edges of the burned patches; however, again these were not statistically significant. The findings of our study in a Mediterranean environment clearly demonstrate that, for the selection of the most suitable classification approach, other factors could be given more weight, such as computational resources, imagery characteristics, availability of ancillary data, available software and the analyst's experience. Maybe the most important finding of our work is that the variance imposed by the methods is less than the variance imposed by factors differentiated locally in the three study sites since the between-group variance of the overall accuracy is higher than that of the within groups.
Determinants of the international influence of a R&D organisation: a bibliometric approach

Traditionally, studies on the influence and impact of knowledge-producing organisations have been addressed by means of strict economic analysis, stressing their economic impact to a local, regional or national extent. In the present study, an alternative methodology is put forward in order to evaluate the international scientific impact and influence of a knowledge-producing and -diffusing institution. We introduce a new methodology, based on scientometric and bibliometric tools, which complement traditional assessments by considering the influence of a R&D institution when looking at the scientific production undertaken and the recognition of its relevance by its international peer community. Focusing on the most prolific scientific areas of INESC Porto, and resorting to published scientific work recorded in the Science Citation Index (SCI), we show that INESC Porto has enlarged its international scientific network. The logit estimations demonstrate that the wide geographical influence of INESC Porto scientific research is a result not of its international positioning in terms of co-authorships, but rather a result of the quality of its scientific output.
Ion microprobe Al–Mg dating of single plagioclase grains in an Efremovka chondrule

Copyright © 2014 by The Geochemical Society of Japan. (1994) found a much smaller initial 26Al/27Al ratio of (4.60 ± 1.10) × 10–6 based on the anorthite grains in E44-CAI using a Cameca IMS-4f. Sugiura et al. (2001) measured Al–Mg systematics of the Efremovka CAIs (E38, E44, E48, and E69) using a Cameca IMS-6f ion microprobe. No substantial correlation exists between Al/Mg ratios and Mg isotopic compositions in inclusions of E38, E44 and E69, suggesting a disturbed Al–Mg system. In addition, no excess 26Mg was detected in the E48 inclusion. Recently Wadhwa et al. (2009) reported a small 26Al/27Al ratio of (3.20 ± 0.35) × 10–5 in diopside–melilite– plagioclase grains in the E60-CAI, which is consistent with the value of (3.11 ± 0.33) × 10–5 of the same CAI (Goswami et al., 1994). Consequently, the Al–Mg systematics of anorthite and melilite in the Efremovka CAIs is complicated probably because of the partial reequilibration and disturbance to various degrees (Sugiura et al., 2001). In contrast to the 26Al chronology of CAIs, that of chondrules in CV chondrites is not well documented in the literature (McKeegan and Davis, 2007; Sheng et al., 1991; Srinivasan et al., 1999). Until recently, there was a conference abstract reporting an Al–Mg age of the Efremovka chondrule (Srinivasan et al., 2000). The initial 26Al/27Al ratio was 2.5 × 10–5. Hutcheon et al. (2009) Ion microprobe Al–Mg dating of single plagioclase grains in an Efremovka chondrule