Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mapping the Martian polar ice caps: Applications of terrestrial optical remote sensing methods

With improvements in both instrumentation and algorithms, methods for mapping terrestrial snow cover using optical remote sensing data have progressed significantly over the past decade. Multispectral data can now be used to determine not only the presence or absence of snow but the fraction of snow cover in a pixel. Radiative transfer models have been used to quantify the nonlinear relationship between surface reflectance and grain size thereby providing the basis for mapping snow grain size from surface reflectance images. Model-derived characterization of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function provides the means for converting measured bidirectional reflectance to directional-hemispherical albedo. In recent work, this approach has allowed climatologists to examine the large scale seasonal variability of albedo on the Greenland ice sheet. This seasonal albedo variability results from increases in snow grain size and exposure of the underlying ice cap as the seasonal snow cover ablates away. With the current Mars Global Surveyor and future missions to Mars, it will soon be possible to apply some of these terrestrial mapping methods to learn more about Martian ice properties, extent, and variability. Distinct differences exist between Mars and Earth ice mapping conditions, including surface temperature, ice type, ice-mineral mixtures, and atmospheric properties, so a direct application of terrestrial snow and ice mapping methods may not be possible. However, expertise in mapping and interpreting terrestrial snow and ice will contribute to the inventory of techniques for mapping planetary ices. Furthermore, adaptation of terrestrial methods will provide a basis for comparison of terrestrial and planetary cryospheric components.
Novel Ultrasound Liver Attenuation Imaging for Detection of Liver Steatosis: Comparison with MRI Based Imaging Methods with Liver Biopsy as A Reference Standard

Background and aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a predominant cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the novel ultrasound attenuation imaging (ATI) with MRI-proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (proton-MRS) in detecting and grading of liver steatosis, using liver biopsy as a reference standard. Materials and methods : From March 2019 to September 2021, 15 adult subjects (age: 38 years, Male/female:5/10 females, BMI: 38.5kg/m 2 ) with morbid obesity planned for laparoscopic-sleeve-gastrectomy were recruited, and an intraoperative liver biopsy was performed. A control group of 8 healthy lean subjects (age: 25 years, Male/female: 4/4 females, BMI: 20.2kg/m 2 ) was also enrolled. ATI, MRI-PDFF, and proton-MRS were performed on the same day and within two weeks before surgery. Results: Liver steatosis was present in 100% of the patients. ATI correlated with steatosis grade (r=0.833, p< 0.001). MRI-PDFF correlated with steatosis grade (r=0.926, p< 0.001) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis activity score (r=0.820, p=0.001). ATI correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.885, p<0.001). AUROCs of ATI were 0.91, 0.97, and 0.93 for detecting steatosis grades 1,2, and 3 respectively. Conclusions: ATI showed no significant d ifference in th e diagnostic performance when compared to MRI-PDFF and proton-MRS.
Quaternary deformation of the Bajo Segura blind fault (eastern Betic Cordillera, Spain) revealed by high-resolution reflection profiling

The blind reverse Bajo Segura Fault is located at the eastern extreme of the Trans-Alboran shear zone (Betic Cordillera, southeast Iberian Peninsula). The surface expression of recent activity of this blind ENE–WSW fault is represented by coseismic surface anticlines and growth synclines on both sides of the anticlines. In the synclines, the deformation of the most recent Quaternary materials is obscured by a sedimentary unit more than 30 m thick which was deposited during the later part of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. The present study reports three high-resolution seismic profiles made in the northern growth syncline, which was the one developed most by the Bajo Segura Fault. In these seismic profiles we recognize the boundary between pre-growth strata and growth strata. This marker, Early Pliocene in age, dates the start of the activity of this blind reverse fault. The geometry observed in the seismic profiles of the syntectonic strata, dating from the Late Pliocene and Quaternary, indicates a limb rotation folding mechanism. On seismic profile 2, the complex geometry of the Benejúzar anticline forelimb can be attributed to several splay faults close to the surface of Bajo Segura Fault.
Progressive development of the Büyük Menderes Graben based on new data, western Turkey

Abstract Oblique and normal fault systems exposed in the Büyük Menderes Graben (BMG) region record two successive and independent complex tectonic events. The first group tectonic event is defined by an E–W extension related to N–S contraction and transpression. This group is responsible for the development of NW- and NE-trending conjugate pairs of oblique faults which controlled Early–Middle Miocene basin formation. Between the Early–Middle Miocene and Plio-Quaternary strata exists an unconformity, indicating a period of folding, uplift and severe erosion associated with N–S shortening. The second group of events was the change in tectonic regime from E–W extension to N–S extension which controlled the formation of the Büyük Menderes Graben by three progressive pulses of deformation. The first pulse of extensional deformation was initially recorded in the region by the exhumation of the deep part of the Menderes Massif (MM) with the development of the E-trending Büyük Menderes Detachment Fault (BMDF). The minimum age of this pulse is constrained by the older Plio-Quaternary fluviatile deposits of the Büyük Menderes Graben that range in age from the Plio-Pleistocene boundary interval to Late Pleistocene. The second pulse, which is marked by the rapid deposition of alluvial deposits, initiated the formation of approximately E–W-trending high-angle normal faults synthetic and antithetic to the Büyük Menderes Detachment Fault, on the northern margin during Holocene times. These faults are interpreted as secondary steeper listric faults that merge with the main Büyük Menderes Detachment Fault at depth. The third pulse was the migration of the Büyük Menderes Graben depocentre to the present day position by diachronous activity of secondary steeper listric faults. These steeper faults are the most seismically active tectonic elements in western Turkey. According to the stratigraphic and structural data, the N–S extension in the Büyük Menderes Graben region produced a progressive deformation phase with different pulses during its Plio-Quaternary evolution, with migration of deformation from the master fault to the hangingwall. The formation of diachronous secondary synthetic and antithetic steeper faults on the upper plate of the Büyük Menderes Detachment Fault, hence the southward migration of the deformation and of the Büyük Menderes Graben depocentre, should be related to the evolution of detachment in the region. The presence of the seismically active splays of secondary faults implies an active detachment system in the region. This young Plio-Quaternary N–S extension in the Büyük Menderes Graben may be attributed to the combined effects of the two continuing processes in Aegean region. The first process is back-arc spreading or probably the roll-back of African slab below the south Aegean Arc, which seems to be responsible for the change in the stress tensor from E–W extension to N–S extension. The second and later event is the southwestward escape of the Anatolian block along its boundary fault, that is, the North Anatolian fault (NAF).
Automatic Segmentation and Quantification of Abdominal Aortic Calcification in Lateral Lumbar Radiographs Based on Deep-Learning-Based Algorithms

To investigate the performance of deep-learning-based algorithms for the automatic segmentation and quantification of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in lateral lumbar radiographs, we retrospectively collected 1359 consecutive lateral lumbar radiographs. The data were randomly divided into model development and hold-out test datasets. The model development dataset was used to develop U-shaped fully convolutional network (U-Net) models to segment the landmarks of vertebrae T12–L5, the aorta, and anterior and posterior aortic calcifications. The AAC lengths were calculated, resulting in an automatic Kauppila score output. The vertebral levels, AAC scores, and AAC severity were obtained from clinical reports and analyzed by an experienced expert (reference standard) and the model. Compared with the reference standard, the U-Net model demonstrated a good performance in predicting the total AAC score in the hold-out test dataset, with a correlation coefficient of 0.97 (p <0.001). The overall accuracy for the AAC severity was 0.77 for the model and 0.74 for the clinical report. Additionally, the Kendall coefficient of concordance of the total AAC score prediction was 0.89 between the model-predicted score and the reference standard, and 0.88 between the structured clinical report and the reference standard. In conclusion, the U-Net-based deep learning approach demonstrated a relatively high model performance in automatically segmenting and quantifying ACC.
Seismic time-frequency spectral decomposition by matching pursuit

A seismic trace may be decomposed into a series of wavelets that match their time-frequency signature by using a matching pursuit algorithm, an iterative procedure of wavelet selection among a large and redundant dictionary. For reflection seismic signals, the Morlet wavelet may be employed, because it can represent quantitatively the energy attenuation and velocity dispersion of acoustic waves propagating through porous media. The efficiency of an adaptive wavelet selection is improved by making first a preliminary estimate and then a localized refining search, whereas complex-trace attributes and derived analytical expressions are also used in various stages. For a constituent wavelet, the scale is an important adaptive parameter that controls the width of wavelet in time and the bandwidth of the frequency spectrum. After matching pursuit decomposition, deleting wavelets with either very small or very large scale values can suppress spikes and sinusoid functions effectively from the time-frequency spect.
Effects of Horizontal Advection on Upper Ocean Mixing: A Case of Frontogenesis

Abstract The wind stress on the ocean surface induces horizontal advection and vertical mixing, two mechanisms which are capable of changing the surface water density. Advection and mixing can enhance or partially destroy the effects of each other. Frontogenesis due to convergent Ekman transports forced by a wind-stress field is one example. A bulk model for the study of advection and mixing in such circumstances is constructed from a one-dimensional model. Continuity of mass requires that water masses either downwell (convergence) or escape laterally (confluence). This distinction leads to a study of two extreme cases of frontogenesis, each herein treated separately. The model reduces to two coupled highly nonlinear prognostic equations for the mixed-layer buoyancy and mixed-layer depth. Scaling of the equations leads to the definition of a mixing parameter, a nondimensional number which measures the relative importance of advection and mixing. For large-scale ocean frontogenesis, this parameter is of th.
Wind retrievals in typhoons from QuikSCAT considering rain effect

By analyzing several collocated QuikSCAT measurements and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) rain rate in typhoons, the evidence of rain influence to wind retrieval is presented. The results show that the present of heavy rain in typhoons will cause large bias in both wind speed and wind direction for QuikSCAT wind retrieval. So that the Holland's model is applied in the ambiguity clear process to correct the errors in wind direction induced by rain. Also, a radiate transfer function (RTF) and collocated SSM/I rain rate is employed to correct the attenuation and scattering effects of rain. The performance of RTF method is limited due to lack of information of the collocated rain rate and the un-precise of the RTF. As an alternative way to RTF, an interpolation method which just uses the data from QuikSCAT itself is introduced to correct the attenuation and scattering effects of rain. This method is applied to retrieve the wind vector in typhoon Ioke, the result shows that the bias in the wind direction and wind speed induced by rain has both been well corrected, indicating that our correction to the impacts of rain on QuikSCAT wind retrieval in typhoons is effective.
Dynamics of Coupled Contaminant and Microbial Transport in Heterogeneous Porous Media: Purdue Component

Dynamic microbial attachment/detachment occurs in subsurface systems in response to changing environmental conditions caused by contaminant movement and degradation. Understanding the environmental conditions and mechanisms by which anaerobic bacteria partition between aqueous and solid phases is a critical requirement for designing and evaluating in situ bioremediation efforts. This interdisciplinary research project, of which we report only the Purdue contribution, provides fundamental information on the attachment/detachment dynamics of bacteria in heterogeneous porous media. Fundamental results from the Purdue collaboration are: (a) development of a matched-index method for obtaining 3-D Lagrangian trajectories of microbial sized particles transporting within porous media or microflow cells, (b) application of advanced numerical methods to optimally design a microflow cell for studying anaerobic bacterial attachment/detachment phenomena, (c) development of two types of models for simulating bacterial movement and attachment/detachment in microflow cells and natural porous media, (d) application of stochastic analysis to upscale pore scale microbial attachment/detachment models to natural heterogeneous porous media, and (e) evaluation of the role nonlocality plays in microbial dynamics in heterogeneous porous media
Radiometric correction in laser scanning

Scanning airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) has gained considerable acceptance in both scientific and commercial communities as a tool for topographic measurement, becoming an industry‐standard tool for collecting high‐resolution topographic data. Once processed, the laser scan data consist of a series of values of coordinates of points at which the laser beam has been reflected. In addition to the coordinates for every single reflection, the backscattering amplitude is also recorded. We describe a methodology to achieve an accurate radiometric calibration of the laser amplitude data so as to generate pseudo‐reflectance maps of the surface illuminated by the laser. The pseudo‐reflectance maps have then been used to classify the target illuminated by the laser. The method can be considered as a potential aid to enhance the accuracy of laser data classification.
Aboveground biomass estimation using Landsat TM data in the Brazilian Amazon

The complicated forest stand structure and associated abundant tree species in the Amazon often induce difficulty in estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) using remotely sensed data. This paper explores AGB estimation using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data in the eastern and western Brazilian Amazon, and discusses the impacts of forest stand structure on AGB estimation. Estimating AGB is still a challenging task, especially for the sites with complicated biophysical environments. The TM spectral responses are more suitable for AGB estimation in the sites with relatively simple forest stand structure than for the sites with complicated forest stand structure. Conversely, textures appear more important than spectral responses in AGB estimation in the sites with complicated forest stand structure. A combination of spectral responses and textures improves AGB estimation performance. Different study areas having various biophysical conditions affect AGB estimation performance.
Accumulation and composition of total organic carbon in reclaimed coal mine lands

Reclaimed coal mine lands have the potential to sequester atmospheric carbon (C); however, limited information exists for the western USA coalfields. This study was carried out on two chronosequences (BA‐C3 grasses and DJ‐shrubs) of reclaimed sites at two surface coal mines to determine the effects of vegetation, soil texture, and lignin content on soil total organic carbon (TOC) accumulations. In the BA chronosequence, TOC increased over 26 years at an average rate of 0·52 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in the 0–30 cm depth and was significantly correlated with clay content. Comparison between < 1 and 16‐year‐old stockpile soils indicated TOC content did not differ significantly. In the DJ chronosequence, TOC content in the 0–30 cm depth declined from 31·3 Mg ha−1 in 5‐year‐old soils to 23·4 Mg ha−1 in 16‐year‐old soils. The C:N ratios suggested that some (up to 2·0 per cent) of the TOC was potentially derived from coal particles in these reclaimed soils. Soil total N (TN) contents followed a similar trend as TOC with TOC and TN concentrations strongly correlated. Lignin contents in TOC of all reclaimed soils and topsoil stockpiles (TSs) were higher than that of nearby undisturbed soils, indicating the recalcitrant nature of TOC in reclaimed soils and/or possibly the slow recovery of lignin degrading organism. Results indicated that TOC accumulations in DJ were largely controlled by its composition, particular lignin content. In BA sites TOC accumulation was strongly influenced by both clay and lignin contents. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cell Design Considerations and Impact on Energy Density—A Practical Approach to EV Cell Design

Higher-energy-density, Wh L−1 or Wh kg−1, lithium-ion cells are one of the critical advancements required for the implementation of electric vehicles. This increase leads to a longer drive distance between recharges. Aside from material development, full lithium-ion cell design parameters have the potential to greatly influence fabricated cell energy density. The following work highlights the impact of these full-cell design parameters, investigating the effect of a negative to positive capacity ratio, positive electrode porosity, positive electrode active material content, and overall charge voltage on stack volumetric energy density. Decreasing the N:P ratio or increasing active material content results in an almost identical volumetric energy density increase: ~4%. Decreasing the positive electrode porosity from 40–30% or increasing the charge voltage from 4.2–4.35 V also results in an almost identical increase in volumetric energy density: ~5.5%. Combining all design changes has the potential to increase stack volumetric energy density by 20% compared to the baseline cell design.
Unusually loud ambient noise in tidewater glacier fjords: A signal of ice melt

In glacierized fjords, the ice‐ocean boundary is a physically and biologically dynamic environment that is sensitive to both glacier flow and ocean circulation. Ocean ambient noise offers insight into processes and change at the ice‐ocean boundary. Here we characterize fjord ambient noise and show that the average noise levels are louder than nearly all measured natural oceanic environments (significantly louder than sea ice and nonglacierized fjords). Icy Bay, Alaska, has an annual average sound pressure level of 120 dB (referenced to 1 μPa) with a broad peak between 1000 and 3000 Hz. Bubble formation in the water column as glacier ice melts is the noise source, with variability driven by fjord circulation patterns. Measurements from two additional fjords, in Alaska and Antarctica, support that this unusually loud ambient noise in Icy Bay is representative of glacierized fjords. These high noise levels likely alter the behavior of marine mammals.
Impact of vegetation and soil moisture seasonal dynamics on dust emissions over the Sahel

[1] To address the challenging issue of estimating mineral dust emissions from the semi-arid Sahel, a modeling approach is developed by combining two specific models: one dedicated to the simulation of the seasonal herbaceous layer in the Sahel (STEP) and the other to the estimation of dust emissions (MB). The area of interest is the Sahelian belt (12°N–20°N, 20°W–35°E) and the simulations were performed at a 0.25° spatial resolution over a 4-year period (2004–2007). The rainfall forcing is provided by a TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite-derived product; the other meteorological data are ECMWF products. An empirical parameterization is used to estimate the surface roughness and its temporal dynamics according to the characteristics of the simulated vegetation in terms of surface cover and height. Where no vegetation grows, the surface properties are considered as constant in time and are derived from the POLDER-1 satellite measurements. Simulations are constrained step by step by comparisons with observations. Simulated annual dust fluxes emitted from the whole area range from approximately 100 Mt to 400 Mt depending on the year, in good agreement with previous works dealing with Saharan dust emissions. For the fringe where herbaceous vegetation can affect dust emissions, the annual dust emission fluxes range between 0.5 Mt and 20 Mt depending on the year. Inhibition of dust emissions due to the seasonal dynamics of vegetation and surface soil moisture over this fringe varies between 20% and 35%.
Population densities of sheep related to Landsat Thematic Mapper radiance

Abstract The mean annual population densities of free-ranging sheep in upland North Wales were significantly correlated with near-infrared (0.76–0.90 μm) radiance recorded by the Landsat Thematic Mapper. The relationship between sheep density and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) indicated that high sheep densities always occurred on vegetation with high NDVI values, but low sheep densities may occur on vegetation with either low or high NDVI values.
SPANISH JOURNAL OF MARKETING - ESIC

This study sought to determine whether ski resort websites facilitate effective communication with their target audience and whether they are adapted to electronic commerce (e-commerce). To this end, ﬁrst, a content analysis model was developed and applied to ski resort websites, considering four dimensions: Information, Communication, e-Commerce and Additional Features. Second, the extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) methodology was used to identify the opportunities arising from the use of Web 2.0 tools and suggest improvements for the detected shortcomings to enable these businesses to achieve more competitive management. The ﬁndings show that alpine ski resorts are better prepared than Nordic ones, although they still have a long way to go in facilitating effective communication and interaction with their target audience