Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the ground data requirements for regional scale remote sensing of tropical forest biophysical properties

The use of remotely sensed data to estimate terrestrial properties usually involves the acquisition of ground data. Remotely sensed data are being applied to ever larger areas and the acquisition and use of ground data, being so expensive, requires optimization. This paper investigates a sampling strategy that has already been used to acquire ground data in support of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA AVHRR) imagery of approximately 18 000 km2 of Cameroonian forest and attempts to validate both the strategy and the use of the ground data in regression modelling. Specifically, a geostatistical approach was used to quantify the variability in the scene, the precision of the ground data, the benefits of twostage sampling and the errors associated with regression modelling and prediction.
Paleomagnetic evidence for long-term (104 year) Memory and periodic behavior in the Earth's core dyn

A new paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) record from the late Quaternary Wilson Creek beds of Mono Lake, California contains a distinctive periodic vector waveform that follows and is almost certainly related to the Mono Lake excursion. A comparison of all published PSV results from the Wilson Creek beds suggests that the magnetic field at Mono Lake went through an interval (36,000-28,000 ybp) of very low amplitude PSV followed by the Mono Lake excursion (28,000-27,000 ybp) and four subsequent recurrences (27,000-12,500 ybp) of the excursion waveform with relatively diminished amplitudes (lower than the excursion amplitude but higher than PSV amplitudes at Mono Lake since 12,500 ybp). This pattern clearly suggests that the Mono Lake excursion is related to ‘typical’ PSV; it also suggests that the core dynamo process responsible for PSV is capable of near impulse onset, persistence over a time scale of 15,000 years, and quasi-periodic behavior that is non-wave-length dispersive in time.
Anisotropy, repeating earthquakes, and seismicity associated with the 2008 eruption of Okmok volcano, Alaska

We use shear wave splitting (SWS) analysis and double-difference relocation to examine temporal variations in seismic properties prior to and accompanying magmatic activity associated with the 2008 eruption of Okmok volcano, Alaska. Using bispectrum cross-correlation, a multiplet of 25 earthquakes is identified spanning five years leading up to the eruption, each event having first motions compatible with a normal fault striking NE-SW. Cross-correlation differential times are used to relocate earthquakes occurring between January 2003 and February 2009. The bulk of the seismicity prior to the onset of the eruption on 12 July 2008 occurred southwest of the caldera beneath a geothermal field. Earthquakes associated with the onset of the eruption occurred beneath the northern portion of the caldera and started as deep as 13 km. Subsequent earthquakes occurred predominantly at 3 km depth, coinciding with the depth at which the magma body has been modeled using geodetic data. Automated SWS analysis of the Okmok catalog reveals radial polarization outside the caldera and a northwest-southeast polarization within. We interpret these polarizations in terms of a magma reservoir near the center of the caldera, which we model with a Mogi point source. SWS analysis using the same input processing parameters for each event in the multiplet reveals no temporal changes in anisotropy over the duration of the multiplet, suggesting either a short-term or small increase in stress just before the eruption that was not detected by GPS, or eruption triggering by a mechanism other than a change of stress in the system. © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.
Super Women Lawyers: A Study of Character Strengths

The legal profession has relatively high rates of depression and career dissatisfaction. It has been suggested that positive psychology, which correlates the greater use of individual character strengths with increased life satisfaction and success, may have the answers. In this study, 17 women lawyers named to a top lawyers list compiled by the Super Lawyers rating service, took the online Brief Strengths Test, a 24-question version of the 240-question online Values in Action – Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) and 16 participated in interviews probing the extent of their strengths use both personally and professionally. As predicted, the study found that these superachievers regularly used their character strengths to meet challenges. Though not predicted, they also exhibited a predominance of heart strengths as opposed to more analytical head strengths, with gratitude and kindness appearing most frequently. These successful women exercised heart strengths regularly and strategically in professional and personal settings, in conjunction with head strengths, such as bravery, prudence and self-control. The study suggests that the stereotypical “lawyer personality” in which thinking dominates feeling in every aspect of practice, may not apply to those who excel. Cultivation of heart strengths may be useful to increase success and well-being in the legal profession. This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/mapp_capstone/38 Running head: SUPER WOMEN LAWYERS: A STUDY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS 1 Super Women Lawyers: A Study of Character Strengths Patricia Snyder University of Pennsylvania A Capstone Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Positive Psychology Adviser: Daniel S. Bowling III, JD, MAPP August 1, 2012 SUPER WOMEN LAWYERS: A STUDY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS 2
SAR imaging of wave dispersion in Antarctic pancake ice and its use in measuring ice thickness

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of the advancing winter marginal ice zone (MIZ) in the Antarctic, composed of frazil‐pancake ice, has been analysed in a new way in order to test the predictions of a recently developed theory of wave dispersion in pancake ice which treats the ice as a viscous layer. In the image, obtained in April 2000, the structure of the wave spectrum in the MIZ and its change from the open‐water spectrum are consistent with a pancake layer 24 cm thick. Intensive in situ measurements of the pancake ice in the MIZ 280 km W of the image location were made from FS Polarstern during a period covering the satellite imaging, and also yielded a mean ice thickness of 24 cm. We conclude that this technique gives realistic results for ice thickness, whereas earlier work based on a different dispersion theory (mass loading) tended to over‐estimate thickness. After further validation, it is therefore possible that the SAR wave technique can become an accepted method for monitoring ice thickness in pancake icefields.
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer application on maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield at Ado-Ekiti, South-west, Nigeria.

Nutrient depletion as a result of continuous cultivation without supplementary addition of external inputs is a major challenge to agricultural productivity in South-west Nigeria. An experiment was set up to evaluate the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer application rates on the performance of maize (Zea mays L.) in field trials at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, south-west Nigeria. The treatments consisted of 2 factors (i) N at 0, 30, 60, 90kg N.ha -1 (ii) P at 0, 15, 30, 45kg P∙ha -1 in all possible combinations and laid out in a randomized complete block design arranged with three replicates. Data of plant height, leaf area, stem girth and cob length, cob diameter, 100 grain weight and grain yield were collected. The result showed that plant height, stem girth and leaf area∙ plant -1 increased with N and P fertilizer rates. Cob length, cob diameter, 100 grain weight and grain yield, significantly (P=.05) increased with N and P application such that 90kg N∙ha -1 and 30kg N∙ha -1 gave the highest values. It may be concluded that application of the combination of N at 90kg∙ha -1 and P at 30kg∙ha -1 which produced the highest grain yield of maize could be regarded as the optimum for N and P in the study area. Therefore, further work should be carried out to ascertain the validity of this rate for maximum productivity. Original Research Article Olusegun; AJEA, 6(1): 22-29, 2015; Article no.AJEA. 2015.061 23
On the Affinities and probable Habits of the extinct Australian Marsupial, Thylacoleo carnifex, Owen

The late Dr. Falconer, in a paper published in the Quarterly Journal of this Society for November 1862*, has given a masterly and detailed statement of the arguments which led him to infer that the small oolitic mammal, Plagiaulax, known only by its lower jaw, was a phytophagous or mixed-feeding animal, having its nearest allies among the recent Hypsiprymni, or Rat-kangaroos. This paper was written in consequence of Professor Owen having published his conclusion, from precisely the same data, that Plagiaulax was a “carnivorous marsupial,” its teeth being fitted to “pierce, retain, and kill,” and “cut and divide soft substances such as flesh. ” As justly stated by Dr. Falconer, the interests involved in the case are important. “Are the indications of palæontology,” he inquires, if more especially in its great stronghold in the mammalia—the teeth and correlated organs—so unstable and so obscure that, of two palæontologists, the same dental and mandibular materials shall lead the one to infer that the fossil form was a vegetable feeder, and the other that it was a predaceous carnivore? Or does the conflict of opinion arise from different methods having been followed by the observers in dealing with the evidence? ” He concludes that the question will not rest in its present disputed state. “Other palæontologists will examine the evidence, and give their verdict. ” For my part, I cannot hesitate to express my full conviction of the soundness of Dr. Falconer's views, as far as may be deduced from the evidence before us. There is
Rates of tafoni weathering on uplifted shore platforms in Nojima‐Zaki, Boso Peninsula, Japan

Many tafoni occur on the faces of marine cliffs on three uplifted shore platforms with different altitudes and with known ages of emergence. The mean value of the ten largest depths of tafoni, D (cm), was obtained and the period of their formation, t (years), was estimated. The relationship between the two variables was found to be D = 20·3 × (1−e−0.005t).
Adoption of soil conservation practices in North Achefer District, Northwest Ethiopia

Land degradation in the form of soil erosion presents a threat to food security and sustainability of agricultural production in Ethiopia. In response, governments and development agencies have invested substantial resources to conserve soil. However, the efforts put toward to conserve soil have failed to meet the anticipated objectives. Hence, the study was carried out to investigate the factors that are affecting the adoption of soil conservation measures in North Achefer District. The data were collected from 121 households by the use of household survey, focus group discussion, and key informant’s interview. Descriptive, inferential, and binary logistic regression models were employed to analyze the factors determining adoption of soil conservation measures in the study area. The most important factors affecting the adoption of soil conservation were age, farmers’ level of perception on soil erosion, family size and labor availability, livestock holding, farm size, farmers’ contact with development agents, and farmers’ access to training and credit services . For instance, the family size increases by one person, held other factors constant, the likely probability to adopt soil conservation measures increases by a factor of 2.04, livestock-holding increases adoption by a factor of 2.53, and so on. Therefore, in order to improve adoption of soil conservation measures by farmers’ district officials, extension experts and development agents should give due attention to those significant variables that determine farmers’ decision to adopt soil conservation measures.
Observations of regional phase propagation across the Tibetan Plateau

We present observations of regional phase velocity and propagation characteristics using data recorded during a 1-year deployment of broadband digital seismic stations across the central Tibetan Plateau along the Qinghai-Tibet highway from Golmud to Lhasa. Previous seismological studies within this region have had to rely on earthquakes recorded almost exclusively at stations outside of the plateau. We have the opportunity to study numerous source-receiver paths confined entirely within the Tibetan Plateau. Our analysis concentrates on travel time, amplitude, and frequency content measurements of the Pg, Pn and Sn phases. Pn can be clearly picked for all observed paths and propagates at an average velocity of 8.16±0.07 km/s within the Tibetan Plateau. Sn, however, shows dramatic variations in propagation efficiency across the Tibetan Plateau that is strongly dependent on frequency. We observe that Sn rapidly decreases in frequency and amplitude as it passes through the northern portion of the plateau. We show that in general, Sn propagation efficiency decreases with increasing frequency content. We use 122 events from outside of the plateau and 61 from within to refine the boundaries of a region of inefficient high-frequency Sn propagation. Specifically, we show that a larger portion of the northern Tibetan Plateau attenuates Sn energy than was previously suggested. In the southern plateau, where high-frequency Sn is observed, we computed an average velocity of 4.59±0.18 km/s. We also observed that the Pn velocity within this region of inefficient high-frequency Sn propagation is nearly 4% slower than the Pn velocity computed for paths restricted to the southern plateau and that the crust is about 10 km thinner than in the south. The coincident locations of inefficient Sn propagation and slow Pn velocity is commonly observed in regions of active tectonics. Our results add constraints to the velocity structure of the lithosphere beneath the Tibetan Plateau and require first-order lateral variations in the uppermost mantle structure, despite the relatively uniform topography of the plateau.
The spiders of the Falkland Islands 2: non-erigonine Linyphiidae

Abstract This is the second in a series of accounts providing descriptions of all the spider species found on the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Here, seven species of non-erigonine Linyphiidae are reported from the Falkland Islands. Six species are recorded from the islands for the first time, four are new species: Falklandoglenes hadassa sp. nov., Falklandoglenes iasonum sp. nov., Falklandoglenes weddelli sp. nov., and Stictonanus lafonia sp. nov. Falklandoglenes is an endemic genus and Stictonanus lafonia is known only from the Falkland Islands. The introduced species Tenuiphantes tenuis (Blackwall, 1852) and Lepthyphantes leprosus (Ohlert, 1865) are recorded from the islands for the first time. Two erigonine species, Erigone palustris Millidge, 1991 and Sphecozone rubescens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 are recorded from the islands for the first time; both are introductions. The taxonomic position of the endemic Falkland Island species is discussed. Falklandoglenes is considered to be close to a characteristically southern Neotropical group of species. The position of Stictonanus remains ambiguous. The relationships of both genera within the Linyphiidae remains unclear. The conservation status of the new species is discussed, with Falklandoglenes spinosa noted as of great concern because it is known from only one small island and has not be refound since its discovery in 1980.
Ice formation in ash‐influenced clouds after the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010

[1] The influence of volcanic ash on heterogeneous ice nucleation in tropospheric clouds is investigated on the basis of 90 observed cloud cases. The clouds were observed with polarization lidars at the two central-European EARLINET stations Leipzig (51.3°N, 12.4°E) and Maisach (48.2°N, 11.3°E, 25 km northwest of Munich), Germany, in volcanic aerosol layers which originated from the strong eruptions of the Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010. Case studies of evolving boundary layer cumuli and long-lasting free tropospheric cloud events with unusual behavior (mixed-phase cloud complex, cirrus deck) are discussed. A clear impact of ash is observed. The ice nuclei concentration derived from the lidar observations has been estimated to range from 2–20 per liter in the boundary layer and from 100–300 per liter at cirrus level. The statistical analysis based on the 90 evaluated cloud cases revealed that all observed cloud layers with cloud top temperatures of below −15°C contained ice. Typically (under non-volcanic aerosol conditions) such a high fraction of ice-containing clouds is not reached before temperatures decrease below −25°C over central Europe.
The effect of a layer of varying density on high-frequency reflection, forward loss, and backscatter [seafloor acoustics]

This paper examines the impact that a thin layer of varying density would have on high-frequency reflection, forward loss, and backscattering of acoustic plane waves from the seafloor. A functional form for density stratification was found by examination of several high-resolution density profiles obtained from X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans of seafloor cores. A solution based on these general profiles was used to estimate the reflection coefficient. The influence of the density profile on reflection loss and backscatter was then calculated using the estimated reflection coefficient. Parameter values used in simulations were obtained from the literature or from the CT scans of cores. It was found that inclusion of a density profile adds a strong frequency dependence to estimates of the reflection coefficient and forward loss. The largest effect on total scattering strength is near normal incidence where returns are dominated by interface scattering. The effect of the density profile on the strength of acoustic returns suggests that care should be taken when using high-frequency systems for measuring sediment properties, especially near normal incidence.
Gravity map of Brazil: 2. Regional and residual isostatic anomalies and their correlation with major tectonic provinces

An isostatic residual gravity map of Brazil has been computed by removing from a 0.5° × 0.5° Bouguer anomaly grid a regional gravity field calculated for compensating masses of surface topography. The coherence function, a statistical measure of the correlation between Bouguer anomaly and topography, was first computed in order to constrain the compensation mechanism within Brazil. Similar to results for North America and Australia, the coherence function of South America has a broad transition between high and low coherence values, suggesting a combination of tectonic provinces with different flexural rigidities and/or loading processes. In view of this result, we have considered, as a first approximation, a model in which the surface topography is the only load acting on a nonrigid lithosphere. A regional gravity field has been computed assuming Airy-Heiskanen isostasy with compensation at the crust-mantle boundary. The residual gravity map, which was obtained by removing the computed regional gravity field from the observed Bouguer anomaly, shows a long-wavelength N-S trending negative anomaly over most of Brazil. This gravity feature of approximately 3000 km width is the southern continuation of the western North Atlantic negative geoid/gravity anomaly and reaches at least ∼15 mGal in the northern portion of Brazil. Using the upward continued isostatic residual gravity field at 300 km, this long-wavelength component, which may be dynamically induced, has been removed to first approximation. The final isostatic residual gravity anomaly map depicts anomalies with wavelengths between 100 and 1000 km which correlate with major tectonic provinces. Negative anomalies occur mainly over Paleozoic intracratonic and Cretaceous rift-type sedimentary basins, and granitic intrusions and along Proterozoic thrust belts. Positive residual anomalies are generally observed over regions affected by igneous activity and volcanism such as in the Amazon basin and the Parana flood basalt province. Positive anomalies are also associated with overthrust crustal plates which define a suture zone in central Brazil and over sub-Andean Tertiary foreland basins.
Tectonic geomorphology of the San Andreas fault zone in the southern Indio Hills, Coachella Valley, California

Geomorphic investigation of the San Andreas fault zone in the Indio Hills indicates many tectonically produced landforms, including beheaded streams, right-lateral deflected and offset streams, sags, shutter ridges, pressure ridges, and fault scarps. Near Biskra Palms, an alluvial fan-pediment complex has an apparent cumulative offset of about 0.7 km along the Mission Creek fault zone (north branch, San Andreas fault). Many of the tectonic landforms, as well as the fracture pattern that has developed during the Pleistocene, are explainable by simple shear or uplift associated with a small left bend in the main trace of the Mission Creek fault. The ratio of vertical to horizontal displacement in the vicinity of the bend is about 0.04. Exposed in Pushawalla Canyon, 5 km northwest of the alluvial fan-pediment complex, are: (1) a sequence of stream terraces, (2) folded Plio-Pleistocene fanglomerates, and (3) an example of stream capture following a right lateral deflection or offset of several hundred metres. A left step of the Mission Creek fault in Pushawalla Canyon is a probably cause of folds and sporadic uplift that produced the stream terraces. Possible cause of recent stream capture are: (1) juxtaposition of Pushawalla Canyon with a relict canyon moving northwestward along the Mission Creek fault, or (2) right-lateral deflection or offset of Pushawalla Canyon along the fault, with simultaneous headward erosion of a shorter, steep stream flowing toward the Coachella valley. Estimation of a slip rate and identification of paleoseismicity for the San Andreas fault in the Indio Hills is difficult. However, degree of topographic dissection, formation, and preservation of desert pavement, and relative soil profile development suggest that the age of the offset fan may be as old as 70,000 yr but that most likely it is on the order of 20,000 to 30,000 yr. These age estimates for the offset fan indicate a minimum slip rate for the San Andreas fault of 10 to 35 mm/yr, with about 23 to 35 mm/yr the most likely. The pattern of observed offset drainages is complex, but suggests that during the past few thousand years creep events or moderately large earthquakes have periodically produced several metres of right-lateral displacement.