Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On-farm blast freezing of saskatoon berries

Stephenson, N.G. , Cenkowski, S. , Muir, W.E. , Izydorczyk, M. and Tessier, S. 2002. On-farm blast freezing of saskatoon berries. Canadian Biosystems Engineering/Le genie des biosystemes au Canada 44:3.1-3.6. In Canada, saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia) are grown primarily in the Prairie Provinces. Freezing of saskatoons extends the time period of availability of saskatoons for more than the short harvest length of approximately 1 to 4 weeks and increases market flexibility. A 2.2 kW prototype freezer was designed, constructed, and tested on a saskatoon farm in the 1999 and 2000 harvest years. At the beginning of a harvest day, the temperature of the prototype freezer was below –20LC, the initial temperature of berries was approximately 5LC, and the berries reached a temperature of –10LC within 1 h. At the end of a harvest day, the chamber temperature had risen to –12LC, the initial temperature of the berries was approximately 20LC, and the time for the berries to reach –10LC was greater than 4 h. Freezing caused: small change in colour lightness; up to a 30% loss of anthocyanin content; approximately a 23 to 80% loss of benzaldehyde content; no recognizable pattern in changes to total acidity (malic acid); and statistically insignificant change in soluble solids (sugars). For a 2 ha producer, the cost to purchase and operate the prototype freezer was estimated at $0.45/kg of berries and an additional expense of $0.40/kg was required to cover the cost and operation of a storage freezer. On-farm blast freezing of saskatoons is a viable option for value-added processing at the farm.
Structural evolution of the Neogene Gar Basin, western Tibet: Implications for releasing bend development and drainage patterns

We investigated the interaction among basin-bounding faults, basin fi ll, and geomorphic features of the southern Gar Basin, one of only two known releasing double-bend basins along the Karakoram fault, to better understand their structural evolution and role in basin development. The southern Gar Basin is bounded by an ~44-km-long, N20°Wstriking central fault segment fl anked by two N40°W-striking segments that parallel the regional strike of the Karakoram fault system. The central fault segment is composed of a system of strike-slip and normal faults that young basinward and incorporate basin fi ll in their uplifted footwalls. The oldest faults along the extensional portion of the bend are dominantly strike-slip, and they strike ~15°W from the main strike of the Karakoram fault. Basin fi ll is broadly folded about a NNWtrending axis and can be explained by E-SE‐ directed slip along a listric normal fault. Cross sections across the basin and associated faults suggest the geometry is best described as an extensional fl ower structure. Forward structural modeling of the intrabasinal faults shows that the system has accommodated ~8 km of east-west extension. We interpret the bend to have formed from linking of R and P shears into a through-going principal displacement zone. At shallow levels in the crust (low confi ning pressures), R shears are exploited; at deeper levels, these faults merge with the principal displacement zone, forming the extensional fl ower structure geometry. We estimate that the shear zone is 50‐35 km wide based on the aerial distribution of P and R shears. Restoration of R shears on the west and east sides of the Gar Valley indicates ~55 km of right-lateral separation along the Karakoram fault, which is a minimum slip estimate for the Karakoram fault system.
Broadband Ground‐Motion Simulation Using Energy‐Constrained Rise‐Time Scaling

Abstract The simulation of realistic ground motions associated with large earthquakes is of utmost importance for engineering concerns, for example, in testing the seismic performance of buildings. It is also needed to estimate the level of ground shaking for future earthquakes. In this paper, we focus on two aspects of ground‐motion modeling. First, we use deterministic wave propagation for the entire frequency range but account for source variability by implementing self‐similar slip distributions and rough fault interfaces. Second, we scale the rise time of the source time function so that the modeled waveforms represent the correct radiated seismic energy. The method is validated for the 2008 Wenchuan, China, earthquake and the 2003 Tokachi‐Oki, Japan, earthquake. We demonstrate the robustness of our approach with regard to changes of the assumed rupture velocity. We find the fine source discretizations combined with the small scale source variability ensure that the high frequencies (1–8 Hz) are satisfactorily introduced, justifying the deterministic wave propagation approach even at high frequencies. The adjustment of the rise time via the radiated seismic energy permits a simulation without making assumptions on the stress drop, as is usually done by other modeling approaches. By varying different parameters, such as the energy magnitude, the simulation approach could be especially useful for estimating the range of possible ground motions issuing from a distinct fault in a future earthquake. The rise‐time scaling may also be used for seismogram modeling in the context of early‐response systems as the energy magnitude, which is the parameter needed for the scaling, is available shortly after the earthquake. Online Material: Tables of kinematic rupture models for 2008 Wenchuan and 2003 Tokachi‐Oki, and Fourier spectra of simulations.
Tremor reveals stress shadowing, deep postseismic creep, and depth‐dependent slip recurrence on the lower‐crustal San Andreas fault near Parkfield

The 2003 magnitude 6.5 San Simeon and the 2004 magnitude 6.0 Parkfield earthquakes induced small, but significant, static stress changes in the lower crust on the central San Andreas fault, where recently detected tectonic tremor sources provide new constraints on deep fault creep processes. We find that these earthquakes affect tremor rates very differently, consistent with their differing transferred static shear stresses. The San Simeon event appears to have cast a “stress shadow” north of Parkfield, where tremor activity was stifled for 3–6 weeks. In contrast, the 2004 Parkfield earthquake dramatically increased tremor activity rates both north and south of Parkfield, allowing us to track deep postseismic slip. Following this event, rates initially increased by up to two orders of magnitude for the relatively shallow tremor sources closest to the rupture, with activity in some sources persisting above background rates for more than a year. We also observe strong depth dependence in tremor recurrence patterns, with shallower sources generally exhibiting larger, less‐frequent bursts, possibly signaling a transition toward steady creep with increasing temperature and depth.
Does urban agriculture help prevent malnutrition

Previous research has suggested that urban agriculture has a positive impact on the household food security and nutritional status of low-socioeconomic status groups in cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, but a formal test of the link between semisubsistence urban food production and nutritional status has not accompanied these claims. This paper seeks to redress this gap in the growing literature on urban agriculture through an analysis of the determinants of the nutritional status of children under five in Kampala, Uganda, where roughly one-third of all households in the sample engage in some form of urban agriculture. When controlling for other individual child, maternal, and household characteristics, these data indicate that urban agriculture has a positive, significant association with higher nutritional status of children, particularly height-for-age. Several pathways by which this relationship is manifested are suggested, and the implications of these results for urban food and nutrition policy and urban management are briefly discussed.
Pre-Columbian land use in the ring-ditch region of the Bolivian Amazon

The nature and extent of pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) human impact in Amazonia is a contentious issue. The Bolivian Amazon has yielded some of the most impressive evidence for large and complex pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon basin, yet there remains relatively little data concerning the land use of these societies over time. Palaeoecology, when integrated with archaeological data, has the potential to fill these gaps in our knowledge. We present a 6000-year record of anthropogenic burning, agriculture and vegetation change, from an oxbow lake located adjacent to a pre-Columbian ring ditch in north-east Bolivia (13°15′44″S, 63°42′37″W). Human occupation around the lake site is inferred from pollen and phytoliths of maize (Zea mays L.) and macroscopic charcoal evidence of anthropogenic burning. First occupation around the lake was radiocarbon dated to ~2500 calibrated years before present (BP). The persistence of maize in the record from ~1850 BP suggests that it was an important crop grown in the ring-ditch region in pre-Columbian times, and abundant macroscopic charcoal suggests that pre-Columbian land management entailed more extensive burning of the landscape than the slash-and-burn agriculture practised around the site today. The site was occupied continuously until near-modern times, although there is evidence for a decline in agricultural intensity or change in land-use strategy, and possible population decline, from ~600–500 BP. The long and continuous occupation, which predates the establishment of rainforest in the region, suggests that pre-Columbian land use may have had a significant influence on ecosystem development at this site over the last ~2000 years.
Characterization of two different Asf1 histone chaperones with distinct cellular localizations and functions in Trypanosoma brucei

The anti-silencing function protein 1 (Asf1) is a chaperone that forms a complex with histones H3 and H4 facilitating dimer deposition and removal from chromatin. Most eukaryotes possess two different Asf1 chaperones but their specific functions are still unknown. Trypanosomes, a group of early-diverged eukaryotes, also have two, but more divergent Asf1 paralogs than Asf1 of higher eukaryotes. To unravel possible different functions, we characterized the two Asf1 proteins in Trypanosoma brucei. Asf1A is mainly localized in the cytosol but translocates to the nucleus in S phase. In contrast, Asf1B is predominantly localized in the nucleus, as described for other organisms. Cytosolic Asf1 knockdown results in accumulation of cells in early S phase of the cell cycle, whereas nuclear Asf1 knockdown arrests cells in S/G2 phase. Overexpression of cytosolic Asf1 increases the levels of histone H3 and H4 acetylation. In contrast to cytosolic Asf1, overexpression of nuclear Asf1 causes less pronounced growth defects in parasites exposed to genotoxic agents, prompting a function in chromatin remodeling in response to DNA damage. Only the cytosolic Asf1 interacts with recombinant H3/H4 dimers in vitro. These findings denote the early appearance in evolution of distinguishable functions for the two Asf1 chaperons in trypanosomes.
Common Energy Facilities Based on Renewable Sources

Abstract From its decade-long pioneering work dedicated to the economic development and environmental regeneration of the high-altitude region of the Indian Himalayas, Pragya—an NGO based in Gurgaon, India, focusing on appropriate development of vulnerable communities and sensitive ecosystems—devised the MVPower (Mountain Village Power) model. This comprises in essence the development of decentralized energy facilities for use in (a) improving rural welfare facilities, (b) creating sustainable, niche-sector enterprise clusters, and (c) providing alternatives to overuse of natural resources. A pilot project is being implemented in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in the Western Indian Himalayas. Discussion of the initial results of the project constitutes the core of this paper.
The role of street foods in the diet of low-income urban residents, the case of Nairobi

Urbanisation and lack of economic growth have resulted in increasing urban poverty in developing countries. As urban residents rely on purchasing their foods, food security of the urban poor is predominantly determined by their purchasing power. Street foods provide many urban residents with employment and income and consumers with a fast and inexpensive source of food. The street food trade lacks official recognition in many developing countries, despite the general assumption that many poor urban families would be worse off without the availability of street foods. However, little is known to which extent street foods and other non-home prepared foods actually contribute to the diet of the urban poor. A cross-sectional survey among 1011 households from a slum and a low-middle-income area of Nairobi revealed that the majority of poor urban households consume street foods at least once a week. To assess the actual contribution of street foods and other non-home prepared foods to the diet, a subsample of 302 households was randomly selected. Within the households individual food intakes of men, women and children aged 9-14 years were assessed with three 24-hour recalls for each person. Although the level of energy and nutrient intake was higher in the low-middle-income than in the slum area, total energy intake was below recommended daily intakes in all groups. The contribution of non-home prepared foods to daily energy intake ranged from 13% for the children in the slum to 36% for the men in the low-middle-income area. The contribution of non-home prepared foods to fat and protein intake was relatively high, while to micronutrient intake it was relatively low. Adequacy of energy and nutrient intakes was similar in consumers and non-consumers from the same area. Street foods were the major source of non-home prepared foods for men, women and children in the slum area. Kiosk foods were the main source of non-home prepared foods for the men in the low-middle-income area, while street and kiosk foods were equally important sources for the women and street foods were the main source for the children from the low-middle-income area. In combination with an observed relation of increasing socio-economic levels within the areas and more complicated determinants of non-home prepared food consumption, it is concluded that non-home prepared foods are an important source of food for all low-income residents and that especially street foods are the most important source for the poorest among them. In view of the growing number of urban residents and the increasing number of poor among them and the role street foods have in providing food and income to the urban poor, the street food trade deserves recognition by local and national authorities and the attention of urban policy makers, in order to improve the opportunities of vendors to ensure their livelihood and to ensure the availability of cheap, safe and nutritious food for low-income consumers.
Prevalência de atividade física em mulheres

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of physical activity (PA) in women from Florianopolis–SC. Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional study conducted from 2012 to 2013 with 400 women aged 20-59 years in the urban area of the city of Florianopolis. A selfadministered questionnaire containing data on demographics, weight and height was used. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was applied. ANOVA was used to compare physical activity variables and the chi-squared test was used to compare the levels of physical activity (insufficiently active, active and very active). Significance level was set at 5% (p<0.05). Results: Approximately 58-76% of the women were considered sufficiently active, with a prevalence of moderate physical activity in all age groups, particularly at age 46-59 years (74 min/d). In all, 58.7% (n=232) of the women live with their partners, 81.8% (n=327) have a higher education degree, 74.5% (n=298) belong to socioeconomic class B, 46.8% (n=187) do not have children, and 74% (n=296) have normal weight. However, such variables do not seem to influence the practice of PA. Conclusion: The great number of very active women is highlighted and moderate physical activity is the most prevalent in all age groups. Therefore, they meet the recommendations for physical activity established by health agencies. doi: 10.5020/18061230.2014. p533
A DSS for the buffer allocation of production lines based on a comparative evaluation of a set of search algorithms

In the design of production lines, the classical approach to the buffer allocation problem (BAP) is to use a search algorithm in association with an evaluative algorithm to obtain the mathematical optimum of the specified objective function. In practice, a choice often has to be made regarding which search algorithm to use for the efficient solution of the BAP. This paper gives the results of a carefully selected set of experiments on short (K = number of stations = 3, 4, , 11 stations), medium length (K = 12, 13, , 30 stations) and long lines (K = 40, 50, , 100 stations) and, within each line, small N (N = total number of buffer slots = K/2 if K is even; = (K – 1)/2 if K is odd), medium N (N = K + 1) and large N (N = 2K) to evaluate the effectiveness of the following five search algorithms: simulated annealing, genetic, tabu search, myopic and complete enumeration (where possible). The production lines are balanced and the single exponential machine at each station is perfectly reliable. All the experiments were run on a readily available desktop PC with the following specifications: Windows XP Professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3, Pentium® Dual-Core CPU E5300@2.60 GHz, 2.00 GB RAM. The measures of performance used are CPU time required and closeness to the maximum throughput achieved. The five search algorithms are ranked in respect to these two measures and certain findings regarding their performance over the experimental set are noted. The distributions of buffer slots to storage areas for the algorithm(s) leading to maximum throughput are examined and certain patterns are found, leading to indications for design rules. Based on the results of the above experiments, two additional sets of experiments were carried out, one using the simulated annealing algorithm for production lines of K = 3 to 20 and N = 1 to 20 (accounting for a total number of 360 different production lines) and another using the myopic algorithm for production lines of K = 3 to 80 and N = 1 to 120 (accounting for a total number of 9360 different production lines). These results may be used as references for comparison purposes in the international literature. Using the results from all sets of experiments, a decision support system (DSS) is designed and implemented which, as is illustrated, may assist production line designers in making decisions regarding the most appropriate of the five search algorithms tested to use for the BAP-A (the dual problem) and the BAP-B (the primal problem) for a wide class of production lines (consisting of K = 3 to 80 and N = 1 to 120).
The detachment era (1977–1982) and its role in revolutionizing continental tectonics

Abstract After the discovery of thrust-and-nappe structure near the turn of the twentieth century, mountain belts were viewed as a direct expression of horizontal shortening of the continental crust, and continental rifting was viewed as a phenomenon distinct from it. By mid-century, broad consensus had emerged, mainly on the basis of physical reasoning, that thrust-and-nappe structure instead reflected gravity sliding secondary to vertical motions of the crust, as embodied in the influential stockwerk folding hypothesis. In a noteworthy period from 1977 to 1982, informally referred to here as the ‘detachment era’, not only did the last vestiges of support for the stockwerk hypothesis evaporate, but large-magnitude extension was discovered throughout the Cordillera, manifest primarily by extensional detachments and metamorphic core complexes. Soon afterward extensional detachments were recognized as a global phenomenon, forcing first-order reinterpretation of field relations in most orogens. Although plate tectonics is indisputably the most profound discovery in Earth sciences in the twentieth century, the detachment era arguably had commensurate impact on field-based interpretations of continental tectonics. Three decades later, controversy persists over the origin of metamorphic tectonites in core complexes, and over the existence and mechanics of slip on shallowly dipping extensional detachments.
A revision of the 1693 eastern Sicily earthquake and

The 1693 earthquake was a disastrous event affecting eastern Sicily, southern Italy, where it caused over 60,000 victims and total destruction of several villages and towns in the districts of Siracusa, Ragusa, and Catania. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that struck the Ionian coasts of Sicily and the Messina Strait and was probably observed even in the Aeolian Islands. Historical documents on sea waves and flooding, though not abundant, allow us to form a picture of the tsunami first attack and inundation. The first water movement all along the Sicilian coastline was a strong sea withdrawal, followed by a violent sea return and coastal flooding. The main purpose of this research is to put constraints on the focal mechanism of this earthquake on the basis of the available documents on the tsunami (1) by simulating tsunami from different possible sources via numerical modeling based on finite element technique and shallow water approximation and (2) by choosing the source best fitting the tsunami data as the most plausible cause for this tsunami. The relevance of this study should also be evaluated in light of the circumstance that no certain indication on the earthquake fault can be deduced from the available macroseismic data alone. Solving the source problem for this event, one of the largest occurring in southeastern Sicily in historical times, is a significant contribution to understanding the seismotectonic regime of the region and to assessing the related earthquake and tsunami hazard/risk with implications on mitigation policies.
Impacts of wildfire on soil hydrological properties of steep sagebrush-steppe rangeland

In late August 1996, a wildfire swept across the sagebrush-dominated foothills above Boise, Idaho. Fire impacts on infiltration and inter-rill erosion were examined 1 year following the fire with simulated rainfall. Densely vegetated north-facing slopes were compared with sparsely vegetated south-facing slopes under both burned (moderate and high severity) and unburned conditions. Both fire severity and slope aspect strongly influenced the impact of fire on infiltration capacity and soil erodibility. South-facing slopes had the least infiltration and the greatest rates of erosion following the fire. Infiltration rate was significantly less and cumulative sediment yield was significantly greater on severely burned south slopes as compared with those experiencing only moderate burn severity. Fire severity had little effect on infiltration and erosion of north-facing slopes. Despite differences in final infiltration rates, runoff from plots of all treatment combinations (burned and unburned slopes) began within 2-4 min following the start of simulated rainfall. Post-fire microtopography (surface roughness, dependent on pre-fire plant community) and associated ground cover appear to be important determinants of the potential for increased runoff and interrill erosion under conditions of dry antecedent soil moisture on these steep rangelands.