Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Luminescence dating of wind blown sands from archaeological sites in northern Scotland

The sheltered bays of the Orkney Islands are backed by extensive dune systems that commonly contain archaeological sites, many of which now protrude from cliffed sections due to coastal erosion. In an area where other dating techniques are often precluded due to a lack of organic dating material, this research establishes that optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating can provide a viable and robust alternative by dating wind blown sands within the sites to constrain the archaeological age. Since this is the case, the OSL chronology can also be applied to natural sites where no archaeological chronology exists and so be used in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Six periods of increased sand movement are recorded in the Orkney Islands at the sites sampled; the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, two periods in the Iron Age, the Viking/Medieval period and the Little Ice Age. The phases of sand movement identified using OSL in the Orkney Islands are also identified at other sites in Scotland and north-east Europe and support the chronologies derived from other environmental indicators such as tree rings and peat bogs. It is suggested that at least two events may be related to the deterioration in climate subsequent to the eruption of Hekla 4 in the late Neolithic and Hekla 3 in the late Bronze Age. However, OSL dating requires that the latent luminescence signal within quartz and feldspar is rapidly reduced to near zero by exposure to light, yet the rate and extent of bleaching depends on the length of time that the grains are exposed and the light intensity at the time of exposure. Bleaching experiments used here confirmed that not only is there a difference in the rate of bleaching between quartz and feldspar depending on the light intensity, but that there is also a difference in the rate of bleaching between samples from different geological areas and this needs to be taken into account in future research. The residual levels from the Orcadian modern beach sands (<0.5 Gy) suggest that some samples collected for OSL dating may be partially bleached and a new technique, the psi (? ) ratio, is proposed here to identify partially bleached sediments.
Sumatran Microplates, Their Characteristics and Their Role in the Evolution of the Central and South Sumatra Basins

Abstract The pre-Tertiary framework of Sumatra consists of a mosaic of continental and oceanic microplates accreted in the late Triassic when the Mergui, Malacca and East Malaya Microplates were joined together to form Sundaland. Further accretion involving the west coast Woyla Terrains followed in the late Mesozoic. Concurrent magmatism and faulting affected much of Sundaland. The continental Mergui Microplate occupies the central core of Sumatra from Aceh to southern Jambi and is characterised by a complex history which included older and younger Palaeozoic granite plutonism, late Permian arc volcanism and the widespread deposition of Permo-Carboniferous "peobly mudstones". A NW–SE to N–S trending Triassic suture complex, traceable at subcrop from Riau to the Palembang district and named the Mutus Assemblage, separates the continental Malacca Microplate to the east. This microplate is poorly known, but appears to be dominated by low grade metasediments cut in the east by granites that represent the continuation of the Triassic Main Range Granites of the Malay Paninsula. The East Malaya Microplate is characterized by Permo-Triassic arc magmatism and lies east of a line joining Kundur and NE Bangka. The boundary is a complex one associated with mafic and ultramafic rocks related to the Raub-Bentong Line of peninsula Malaya. The Woyla Terrains consist of tectonised, Jurassic and Cretaceous arc volcanics and ophiolites. The major zone of basement weakness during the development of the back-arc Central and South Sumatra Basins was the Mutus Assemblage. This region experienced Miocene alkaline magmatism and, due to a combination of high heat flow and the early growth of structures, is the site of ± 95% of the two basin's oil production. Young Tertiary structures in this zone are related to wrenching in the north; and in the south, to compressional reactivation of cross cutting WNW–ESE faults formed during the accretion of the adjacent Woyla Terrains.
EUROPEAN SILVER EEL MIGRATION AND FISHERIES‐INDUCED MORTALITY IN THE HAVEL RIVER SYSTEM (GERMANY)

By using acoustic telemetry, the behaviour and fishery mortality of silver eels Anguilla anguilla (L.) were studied during the early phase of the spawning migration through the Havel River downstream to the river Elbe. A total of 99 female silver eels were implanted with acoustic transmitters and released at two locations in the Havel River system in autumn 2007. Tag recaptures by fisheries were used to assess fishery mortality. Most eels continued their downstream migration immediately after release during October–November in the year of release. However, some eels continued their downstream migration the following spring or autumn; only a few eels migrated in winter and summer. Tagged eels reached the river Elbe from 2 days to more than 1 year after tagging. Fishing efficiency was very high, and by the end of December 2008, only 8% of the tagged eels had reached the river Elbe, whereas 25% were reported caught by commercial fishers and 2% by recreational fishers. The remaining 65% of the tagged eels were unaccounted for at the end of the study period. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Effect of Seeding Rate on Spring Wheat Yields in Western North Dakota - An Update

By 1979, experiments to determine optimum seeding rates for wheat and other cereals had been conducted by nearly every experiment station in the state of North Dakota. As the direct result of these, seeding methods had become rather standardized in most localities. This paper concerns itself with summarizing a study that was conducted in western North Dakota which was undertaken to determine the effect of seeding rates on agronomic performance of semi-dwarf and standard hard red Spring wheat and durum, each differing in kernel size and weight. The trial discussed was initiated in 1969. The procedure, results and discussion, yields and other agronomic data are given. Yields were maximizedmost consistently at one million plants per acre, regardless of variety or type of wheat. As seed size influences the seeing rate expressed by weight, it was suggested that 1,000 kernel weight of the planting seed be used to determine the optimum seeding rate of wheat.
The Effectiveness of Glass Bead and Glutaraldehyde in Sterilizing the Endodontic Files Contaminated with Aerobic Microorganism: A Comparative Study

- In order to maintain asepsis and avoid cross-contamination from one person to another or tooth to another, sterilizing endodontic equipment is essential. In this work, the effectiveness of glass beads and glutaraldehyde in sterilizing endodontic files contaminated with infected pulp and dentinal tissue is assessed and compared. The diseased root canal contaminated samples of endodontic k-files. The samples were then aerobically delivered to the lab. It was determined that the files were microbiologically contaminated by incubating the files for 72 hours under aerobic conditions. The files were divided into three groups and sterilized as necessary while being carefully cleaned, dried, and sterilized using glass beads, glutaraldehyde
Seasonal Controls on the Development and Character of Inclined Heterolithic Stratification in a Tide-Influenced, Fluvially Dominated Channel: Fraser River, Canada

Abstract Inclined heterolithic stratification (interbedded sand and mud with depositional dip; IHS) is developed on an in-channel bar in the tide-influenced, fluvially dominated (brackish water) reach of the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada. The vertical bar succession is characterized by a fining-upward profile with an increase in mud content and mud-bed thickness from the shallow subtidal zone to the upper intertidal zone. There is also an increase in the number and lateral continuity of mud beds from the upstream side to the downstream side of the bar. Sand beds are dominated by current ripples in the intertidal zone, and by current ripples and trough cross-beds in the shallow subtidal zone. The channel base is mantled by downstream (ebb)-oriented dune-scale bedforms. Mud beds are dominantly parallel laminated, although current ripples may develop in silt-rich and sand-rich mud beds. Current-generated bedforms are predominantly ebb-oriented. Sediment deposition is seasonally controlled. Sand deposition occurs during periods of high discharge (snowmelt-induced freshet), and mud is deposited during waning freshet flow and low discharge (base flow). In mud-dominated deposits, current ripples may develop in sand-rich mud beds deposited during the freshet. Seasonal cyclicity in sediment deposition is also recorded in the ichnological characteristics of the IHS. Bioturbation is significantly more common in base-flow deposits (mud beds) than freshet deposits (sand beds). Burrows in sand beds typically subtend from overlying mud beds. Diminutive, vertical burrows dominate the trace suite, reflecting a very low diversity of infauna. Bioturbation is more common on the downstream side of the bar, associated with the thicker and more laterally contiguous mud beds. Based on these observations, seasonal cyclicity in channel-bar deposits, formed in tide-influenced, fluvially dominated channels, can be identified using a combination of sedimentological and ichnological characteristics, particularly in mud-dominated successions and in IHS. In mud-dominated deposits, seasonal controls are best-expressed ichnologically through the interbedding of bioturbated and unbioturbated intervals. The dominance of a low-diversity suite of mainly vertical traces can also be considered indicative of brackish-water conditions in the channel. In IHS successions, interbedded sand and mud beds are the best indicators of seasonal cyclicity: sand beds are typically unburrowed, and mud beds are burrowed. In sand-dominated successions that lack mud interbeds, it is difficult to recognize seasonal cyclicity.
Toward computationally efficient large‐scale hydrologic predictions with a multiscale regionalization scheme

We present an assessment of a framework to reduce computational expense required for hydrologic prediction over new domains. A common problem in computational hydrology arises when a hydrologist seeks to model a new domain and is subsequently required to estimate representative model parameters for that domain. Our focus is to extend previous development of the Multiscale Parameter Regionalization (MPR) technique, to a broader set of climatic regimes and spatial scales to demonstrate the utility of this approach. We hypothesize that this technique will be applicable for (1) improving predictions in ungauged basins, and (2) as a tool for upscaling high‐fidelity hydrologic simulations closer to a general circulation model (GCM) scales, while appreciably reducing computational expense in parameter estimation. We transfer hydrologic model parameters from a single central European basin, to 80 candidate basins within the United States. The regionalization is further tested across a range of climatic and land‐cover conditions to identify potential biases in transferability. The results indicate a high degree of success in transferring parameters from central Europe to North America. Parameter scaling from 1/8° up to 1° confirms that MPR can produce a set of quasi‐scale independent parameters, with only modest differences in model performance across scales (<3%). Model skill generally decreases approximately 10–20% when transferring parameters toward alternate climatic and land‐cover conditions. Finally, we show that the success of model parameter transfer is contingent upon soil, land‐cover, and climatic regimes relative to those used during calibration, particularly going from high‐to‐low clay content and from dense‐to‐sparse forest.
Numerical study on the effect of pantograph fairing on aerodynamic performance at various train heights

The pantograph is one of the primary sources of aerodynamic drag and noise during the operation of a high-speed train. To investigate the impact of the pantograph fairing on the aerodynamic performance at various train heights, six computational models are established, and the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation method is employed. The results indicate that the installation of the fairing can effectively reduce the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the high-speed train and pantograph at different train heights. As the train height increases, the drag reduction effect of the fairing enhances when the sinking platform coexists. The overall drag reduction rate of up to 4.30% can be achieved at a train height of 4000 mm. However, the larger reduction rate of 58.32% in the pantograph's drag coefficient at a train height of 3700 mm indicates that the fairing could make a greater effect on the pantograph at a smaller train height. The reduction in train height and pantograph sinking height leads to an increase in drag coefficient on the tail car, and the implementation of the fairing further amplifies the drag. This work offers a reference for optimizing the aerodynamic performance of high-speed train.
THREE‐STAGE ANALYSIS OF THE ADOPTION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION IN THE HIGHLANDS OF RWANDA

This paper investigates the adoption of bench terraces by applying a three‐stage analysis using data from 301 households in the highlands of Rwanda. Ongoing adoption of bench terraces is ‘unpacked’ to consider both adopters willing to retain and increase the intensity of using terraces already constructed and new adopters willing to develop new bench terraces. Results suggest that farmers' inability to maintain existing terraces may explain the reluctance to adopt new terraces. The same inability explains why some of the terraces constructed earlier are not well maintained and fully used by farmers in northern and southern Rwanda. Policy actions aimed at improving farmer's capacity to invest in complementary inputs will sustain future generations of soil and water conservation measures in Rwanda. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A New Type of the Indian Ocean Dipole since the Mid-1970s

AbstractThe tropical Indian Ocean dipole/zonal mode (IOD) is phase locked with the austral winter and spring seasons. This study describes three types of the IOD in terms of their peak time and duration. In particular, the authors focus on a new type that develops in May–June and matures in July–August, which is distinctively different from the canonical IOD, which may develop later and peak in September–November or persist from June to November. Such “unseasonable” IOD events are only observed since the mid-1970s, a period after which the tropical Indian Ocean has a closer relationship with the Pacific Ocean. The unseasonable IOD is an intrinsic mode of the Indian Ocean and occurs without an ensuing El Nino. A change in winds along the equator is identified as a major forcing. The wind change is in turn related to a weakening Walker circulation in the Indian Ocean sector in austral winter, which is in part forced by the rapid Indian Ocean warming. Thus, although the occurrence of the unseasonable IOD may.
Impact of Soft Segment Composition on Phase Separation and Crystallization of Multi-Block Thermoplastic Polyurethanes Based on Poly(Butylene Adipate) Diol and Polycaprolactone Diol

In this work, we explore the influence of soft segment structure on the crystallinity and phase separation of semicrystalline multi-block thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) based on poly(butylene adipate) diol, polycaprolactone diol, and their mixture. According to thermal and structural analyses, the crystal growth rate and degree of crystallinity decrease with an increase in the PCL/PBA ratio and reach a minimum at the equimolar composition of polyesters. A reduction in crystal phase content leads to an improvement in elastomeric behavior. TPU samples with high PCL content demonstrate enhanced crystallinity but a lower melting temperature compared to TPU with PBA crystals. Crystallization of TPU below room temperature results in an enhancement of total crystallinity and a change in the phase composition of the PBA block. The difference in semicrystalline morphology and crystallization kinetics can be explained by the efficiency of phase separation and the density of hydrogen bonding between soft and hard segments. Our findings show that the ratio of the two crystallizable polyesters, combined with the choice of crystallization temperature, allows for independent control over the melting temperature and the overall degree of crystallinity of the TPUs. This significantly impacts the mechanical characteristics of the materials. The effect of adding a second crystallizable polyester on the crystallization behavior, phase composition, and mechanical properties of TPU is discussed for the first time.
Resprouting and multi-stemming and the role of the persistence niche in the structure and dynamics of subtropical coastal dune forest in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.

Resprouting is an important means of plant regeneration especially under conditions that do not favour regeneration through seeding such as frequent disturbances, low productivity, unfavourable soil conditions, extreme cold and limited understorey light availability. Sprouts may be advantageous over seedlings because they have higher survival and growth rates than seedlings, since they use resources from parent plants unlike seedlings that have to acquire their own resources. Resprouting is well documented for ecosystems that experience severe disturbances that damage aboveground biomass. For example, resprouting is important for plant persistence against fire in fire-prone savannas and Mediterranean shrub-lands, and hurricanes and cyclones in tropical forests. In these ecosystems, resprouting often results in multi-stemming, because this dilutes the risk of damage among many stems, improving the chances of individual survival. This study was conducted at coastal dune forest at Cape Vidal in north-eastern South Africa, where there is a high incidence of multi-stemmed trees due to resprouting in response to chronic disturbances of low severity. This study examines (1) the importance of resprouting to tree survival and dynamics in an environment where disturbance severity is low but pervasive, and (2) how this resprouting strategy differs from the more familiar sprouting response to severe disturbances such as fire and hurricanes. Analysis of the relationship between multi-stemming and a number of disturbances potentially causing multi-stemming revealed that stem leaning and substrate erosion were the most important disturbances associated with multi-stemming. There were fewer multistemmed trees on dune slacks that had a stable substrate and were protected from sea winds than on dune crests and slopes that had unstable substrate and were exposed to sea winds.
Decentralized Federated Learning for Epileptic Seizures Detection in Low-Power Wearable Systems

—In healthcare, data privacy of patients regulations prohibits data from being moved outside the hospital, preventing international medical datasets from being centralized for AI training. Federated learning (FL) is a data privacy-focused method that trains a global model by aggregating local models from hospitals. Existing FL techniques adopt a central server-based network topology, where the server assembles the local models trained in each hospital to create a global model. However, the server could be a point of failure, and models trained in FL usually have worse performance than those trained in the centralized learning manner when the patient’s data are not independent and identically distributed (Non-IID) in the hospitals. This paper presents a decentralized FL framework, including training with adaptive ensemble learning and a deployment phase using knowledge distillation. The adaptive ensemble learning step in the training phase leads to the acquisition of a specific model for each hospital that is the optimal combination of local models and models from other available hospitals. This step solves the non-IID challenges in each hospital. The deployment phase adjusts the model’s complexity to meet the resource constraints of wearable systems. We evaluated the performance of our approach on edge computing platforms using EPILEPSIAE and TUSZ databases, which are public epilepsy datasets.
Understanding and predicting deep percolation under surface irrigation

A lysimeter experiment was conducted in southeastern Australia to quantify the deep percolation response under irrigated pasture to different soil types, water table depths, and ponding times during surface irrigation. Deep percolation was governed by the final infiltration rate of the subsoil, the ponding time, the water table depth, and the amount of water stored in the rootzone between saturation and field capacity. These key variables were used to characterize both steady‐ and nonsteady‐state percolation in a conceptual model of deep percolation. The conceptual model was found to provide an effective representation of deep percolation for both the lysimeter and field‐scale water balance data. Steady‐state percolation during irrigation was the dominant process contributing to deep percolation on most of the studied soils. Nonsteady‐state percolation (redistribution) was very important for the sandiest soil type. The conceptual model provided better prediction of deep percolation than both data‐based model (artificial neural network) and process‐based modeling approach (1‐D Richards' equation model).
Age-speci ﬁ c reference values for carotid arterial stiffness estimated by ultrasonic wall tracking

Interaction between arterial stiffness and hypertension plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, assessment of arterial stiffness may provide a tool for estimating cardiovascular risk and monitoring therapy in hypertensive patients. Radiofrequency-based vascular ultrasound allows accurate noninvasive assessment of local mechanical properties of large arteries, but for its use in clinical practice, reference values according to age and sex are mandatory for each vascular site. To provide reference values for common carotid artery stiffness as assessed by an echo-tracking imaging system Hitachi-Aloka, we pooled measurements collected in 1847 healthy subjects aged 3 – 74 years (1008 males and 839 females) recruited in 14 European centers in the E-tracking International Collaboration (ETIC). Statistical models were developed to describe relationships of different stiffness indices with age and to calculate median values and Z -scores corresponding to ± 1 and ± 2 standard deviations. In our apparently healthy population, age accounted for 53% of variability in the elastic modulus (epsilon), 39% in arterial compliance, 47% in stiffness index ( β ), and 56% in local pulse wave velocity; on average, blood pressure accounted for a further 7.5% of variability. Dependence on age was not linear; changes in mean values increased at older ages, especially for epsilon and β . There was an interaction between age and gender for arterial compliance, which was higher in males. We present nomograms and a software that can be used for the automated calculation of Z -scores for local carotid stiffness in individual patients. These tools can be used to establish prognostic indicators or surrogate targets for treatment monitoring.