Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Water–air temperature relationships in a Devon river system and the role of flow

The nature of the water–air temperature relationship, and its moderation by discharge, were investigated for catchments ranging in size from 2·1 to 601 km2 in the Exe basin, Devon, UK and for data relating to hourly, daily and weekly time bases. The sensitivity and explanatory power of simple water–air temperature regression models based on hourly data were improved by incorporation of a lag, which increased with catchment size, although relationships became more sensitive and less scattered as the time base of data increased from hourly to weekly mean values. Significant departures from linearity in water–air temperature relationships were evident for hourly, but not for daily mean or weekly mean, data. A clear tendency for relationships between water and air temperatures to be stronger and more sensitive for flows below median levels was apparent, and multiple regression analysis also revealed water temperature to be inversely related to discharge for all catchments and time‐scales. However, discharge had a greater impact in accounting for water temperature variation at shorter time‐scales and in larger catchments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Paleoecología de Foraminíferos de un Testigo Holoceno en la Planicie Costera de la Laguna Mar Chiquita, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract. PALEOECOLOGY OF FORAMINIFERA FROM A HOLOCENE CORE RECOVERED IN THE COASTAL PLAIN OF MAR CHIQUITA LAGOON, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. Foraminifera associations from a 182 cm long sediment core drilled east of Mar Chiquita Lagoon were studied in order to provide evidence of Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution and its probable relationship with the last transgressive-regressive cycle. A total of 91 taxa were recorded. The most frequent and abundant species were Buccella peruviana (d'Orbigny) f. campsi (Boltovskoy) and Elphidium discoidale (Boltovskoy) followed by Ammonia beccarii s.l. (Linné) and Elphidium gunteri Cole. Qualitative and quantitative analyses allowed the recognition of four sections and three main stages in the paleoenvironmental evolution of the studied sequence. In the first stage (Section A) previous to 8500 years BP, estuarine and low salinity conditions would have prevailed; it should be associated to a low sea-level position before sea advance over the continent. In a second stage (Sections B-C) deposited between ca. 8000 and 5000 years BP, marine influence increased probably representing the transgressive event; the early stages of a gradual decrease of marine influence is noted towards the top of Section C. Finally, the third stage (Section D) —after 5000 years BP— reveals a progressive evolution towards brackish, low energy and more restricted environments. This last phase may be explained by the onset of the sand-dune barrier during the regressive phase of the Holocene transgression as proposed by other authors.
Adequacy of Visually Classified Particle Count Statistics From Regional Stream Habitat Surveys 1

Abstract: Streamlined sampling procedures must be used to achieve a sufficient sample size with limited resources in studies undertaken to evaluate habitat status and potential management‐related habitat degradation at a regional scale. At the same time, these sampling procedures must achieve sufficient precision to answer science and policy‐relevant questions with an acceptable and statistically quantifiable level of uncertainty. In this paper, we examine precision and sources of error in streambed substrate characterization using data from the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which uses a modified “pebble count” method in which particle sizes are visually estimated rather than measured. While the coarse (2ϕ) size classes used in EMAP have little effect on the precision of estimated geometric mean (Dgm) or median (D50) particle diameter, variable classification bias among observers can contribute as much as 0. 3ϕ, or about 15‐20%, to the root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of Dgm or D50 estimates. Dgm and D50 estimates based on EMAP data are nearly equal when fine sediments (<2 mm) are excluded, but otherwise can differ by up to a factor of 2 or more, with Dgm < D50 for gravel‐bed streams. The RMSE of reach‐scale particle size estimates based on visually classified particle count data from EMAP surveys, including variability associated with reoccupying unmarked sample reaches during revisits, is up to five to seven times higher than that reported for traditional measured pebble counts by multiple observers at a plot scale. Nonetheless, a variance partitioning analysis shows that the ratio of among site to revisit variance for several EMAP substrate metrics exceeds 8 for many potential regions of interest, suggesting that the data have adequate precision to be useful in regional assessments of channel morphology, habitat quality, or ecological condition.
The well-being correlates of religious commitment amongst South African and Kenyan students

Religious commitment is a prominent feature in the lives of many students in Africa. The present study investigated the well-being correlates (emotional well-being, social contribution, and depression) of religious commitment, and compared them across sex. A cross-sectional sample of 471 students from South Africa and Kenya (men = 244; women = 227; with an average age of 22.8 years) completed the Religious Commitment Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, Social Well-being Scale, and Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to estimate direct effects of religious commitment on emotional well-being, social contribution and depression, and comparison across sex. The results showed significant direct effects, attesting to the association of religious commitment with higher emotional well-being and social contribution, and lower depression, with no significant sex differences. In addition to insight into positive and negative intra- and interpersonal well-being correlates of religious commitment, the absence of sex differences shows uniformity in how religious commitment is related to well-being for male and female students.
Rich and heterogeneous fossil ostracod fauna in the Ordovician sediment intrusions at Osmussaar Island, Estonia, reveals an ancient impact event

Carbonate quartz-sandstone intrusions, penetrating the brecciated limestone of the Volkhov and Kunda Stages (Dapingian–early Darriwilian) in the northwestern part of Estonia have been posing questions about their genesis for more than a century. The intrusions contain a rich, diverse and well preserved ostracod fauna, which is extremely heterogeneous and shows associations of species from different habitats or facies zones. The ostracod fauna in the intrusions refers to rapid horizontal mixing and displacement of a thick layer of bottom sediments, possibly resulting from a yet unknown impact event.
DATA MINING ALGORITHMS FOR PREDICTION OF STUDENT TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE IN ICT: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Poor ICT performance in teacher training colleges makes it more difficult for the majority of teachers to successfully use ICT resources in their teaching and learning. When teachers can efficiently utilize ICT resources, it empowers them to update their knowledge through online learning, consequently enhancing the overall quality of teaching and learning. This positive outcome can be observed through improved ICT performance. The aim of this article is to identify the appropriate Data Mining algorithms for predicting student teachers’ performance in ICT. The systematic literature review that was guided by the PRISMA statement 2020 served as the study methodology. It makes for clear reporting and offers a detailed checklist and flow diagram that direct the review procedure. On November 6, 2022, about 196 scholarly articles were downloaded from three digital libraries: Science Direct (38), ACM Digital Library (72), IEEE Xplore (51), and 35 from the Google Scholar search engine. After screening and eligibility checking, 28 scholarly articles were selected and analysed through content analysis in terms of the most commonly used algorithms, the year of publication, the study purposes, and the accuracy performance metrics. Considering the specific study findings represented quantitatively, Decision Trees and Naive Bayes were found to be the most commonly used Data Mining algorithms, with a count of 20.6% each. The most recently identified articles were published between 2014 and 2022. In terms of study purposes, a large number of studies focused on predicting student performance. Furthermore, about 6 out of 8 algorithms used in previous studies were found to score 80% or above in the average percentage of the highest and lowest accuracy metrics. Therefore, considering the general findings, the study identified five Data Mining algorithms as appropriate and most commonly used for prediction of student teachers’ performance in ICT. They are Naive Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbour, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and Decision Tree. The findings of this study would assist the government, college tutors, and student teachers in making better decisions to improve ICT performance for pre-service and in-service teachers.
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF LATTICE-SHAPED GROUND IMPROVEMENT BY CEMENT-MIXING FOR LIQUEFACTION MITIGATION

The dynamic behavior of lattice-shaped ground improvements by mixing with cement was investigated using numerical analysis. Three-dimensional effective stress finite-element analyses were conducted to examine the effects of dimension and strength of the improved ground on the potential for liquefaction mitigation. In these analyses, both elastic and elasto-plastic models were used for expressing the behavior of the improved ground, where the elasto-plastic model can describe the post-peak stress-strain behavior of cement-treated soils. The numerical results suggested that the improvement area ratio and the elastic modulus of the cement-treated soil affect the potential of the improved ground for liquefaction mitigation. Moreover, numerical analysis using the elasto-plastic model showed that partial failure of the improved ground causes no considerable reduction in the potential for liquefaction mitigation. Since such partial failure of improved ground can be taken into account appropriately, the analysis using the elasto-plastic model provides an adequate solution for the performance-based design of a lattice-shaped ground improvement.
Modelling the poroelasticity of rocks and ice

For many geophysical and astrophysical applications the relationship between physical bulk properties and porosity is needed. As part of the preparation for the ‘Rosetta’ comet rendezvous mission, a simple model for the porosity dependence of the elastic properties of granular media, i.e. the elastic moduli and the propagation velocities of elastic waves, has been developed based on textural properties and the contact stiffness of the constituent particles. It is shown that the derived relationships fit very well with sandstone data. The model is also consistent with data for snow and ice and is in agreement with the transformation mechanisms from snow to ice. A short review shows the relevance to another physical bulk property, the thermal conductivity.
On the nonlinear theory for gravity waves on the ocean's surface. Part II : Interpretation and applications

Abstract In a previous paper (Weber and Barrick, 1977), a generalization of Stokes’ perturbational technique permitted us to obtain solutions to higher orders for gravity-wave parameters for an arbitrary, two-dimensional periodic surface. In particular, the second-order wave-height correction and the third-order dispersion relation correction were derived there. In this paper, we interpret and apply those solutions in a variety of ways. First of all, we interpret the dispersion relation (and its higher order corrections) physically, as they relate to the phase velocity of individual ocean wave trains. Second, the validity of the two results derived previously is established by comparisons in the appropriate limiting cases with classical results available from the literature. It is shown how the solutions—derived for periodic surface profiles—can be generalized to include random wave fields whose average properties are to be specified. Then a number of examples of averaged higher order wave parameters, are.
Winter Gale Day Frequency in Shetland and Faeroes, AD 1866–1905: Links to Sea Ice History and the North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract The paper describes changes in winter gale day frequency that took place in the Shetland and Faeroe Isles between ca. AD 1866–1905. During the early part of this period, winter gale day frequencies reached values that have never been exceeded since. During the later part of this time interval, culminating in the winters of 1903–04 and 1904–05, scarcely any gales occurred. The majority of the time interval between 1866 –1895 was characterized by high-amplitude fluctuations in the sign of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index (extreme positive to extreme negative) and by extreme changes in annual sea ice extent across the Greenland Sea. Between 1866–1894, however, winter gale day frequencies remained consistently high. It is suggested that this unusual relationship may be explained through the important role of sea ice extent across the Greenland Sea affecting the extent of the polar anticyclone and hence the position of the North Atlantic storm track. By contrast, the later part of this time interval (AD 1894–1905) was characterized by very few winter gales and no extremes in the monthly NAO Index.
Seasonal patterns of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration in an alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

We measured the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) in an alpine meadow ecosystem (latitude 37degrees29'-45'N, longitude 101degrees12'-23'E, 3250 m above sea level) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau throughout 2002 by the eddy covariance method to examine the carbon dynamics and budget on this unique plateau. Diurnal changes in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R-e) showed that an afternoon increase of NEE was highly associated with an increase of R-e. Seasonal changes in GPP corresponded well to changes in the leaf area index and daily photosynthetic photon flux density. The ratio of GPP/R-e was high and reached about 2.0 during the peak growing season, which indicates that mainly autotrophic respiration controlled the carbon dynamics of the ecosystem. Seasonal changes in mean GPP and R-e showed compensatory behavior as reported for temperate and Mediterranean ecosystems, but those of GPP(max) and R-emax were poorly synchronized. The alpine ecosystem exhibited lower GPP (575 g C m(-2) y(-1)) than, but net ecosystem production (78.5 g C m(-2) y(-1)) similar to, that of subalpine forest ecosystems. The results suggest that the alpine meadow behaved as a CO2 sink during the 1-year measurement period but apparently sequestered a rather small amount of C in comparison with similar alpine ecosystems.
Holocene variations of Ameghino Glacier, southern Patagonia

This study reports new data concerning the Holocene glaciation of Ameghino Glacier, an eastern outlet of the Southern Patagonia Icefield. The lowest 7 km of the valley occupied by Ameghino Glacier is now ice-free, of which the upper 3.7 km is a moraine-dammed proglacial lake. Many glacial features are present in the Ameghino Valley. Across the valley floor, four terminal moraines have been identified, each representing a Neoglacial advance. Prominent vegetation trimlines are associated with the youngest of these moraines (M IV) which dammed the proglacial lake. Samples for 14C dating collected at the trimlines and from the valley floors indicate that the formation of M IV, the culmination of the recent maximum glaciation, occurred c. AD 1600-1700, and that deposition of the valley train occurred c. AD 1500. Large standing trees which were buried and killed by this period of deposition have subsequently been exhumed by river erosion. The glacier may have remained at the trimline level until around AD 1870-1880, the date obtained by Nichols and Miller (1951) from dendrochronological analyses. The number of Neoglacial advances (4) identified in the Ameghino Valley is the same as that recently identified at two other Patagonian glaciers, Upsala and Tyndall, and the date of the latest glacial episode, the 'Little Ice Age', is found to be synchronous. However, the ages of the earlier three Neoglacial episodes remain unknown.
Numerical investigation of granular material behaviour under rotational shear

This paper presents numerical experimental results with respect to the responses of two-dimensional granular materials under principal stress rotations. The tests were carried out using the discrete element method. A numerical procedure has been developed to apply arbitrary stress or strain paths and to measure the induced strain or stress changes. The procedure is used to investigate the elementary behaviour of granular materials undergoing pure stress rotation. In this kind of test, the mean stress and the shear stress are kept constant while the principal stress direction continuously rotates. Two series of numerical experiments have been conducted, one with varying stress ratios and the other with different initial void ratios. Material dilatancy and non-coaxiality are explained based on the knowledge of the internal structure and its evolution. The material internal structure is mathematically described in terms of a geometrical system, called the void cell system. The internal structure size and mat.
Mobilization of nutrients by fire in a semiarid gorse‐scrubland ecosystem of Southern Spain

The effect of fire on ash deposition, litter ignition, and short‐term changes in soil nutrient availability and erosion losses was studied after prescribed burning of a semiarid, gorse‐scrubland ecosystem of SE Spain. Ash deposition added important amounts of P and cations but negligible amounts of N to the soil. The water‐soluble fraction was only 3% for P added in ash but represented 20–60% for cations (Ca, K, Na). On a weight per area basis, 63% of the litter mass and 43% of the litter total N pool were lost by ignition during the fire. However, no significant changes were found for litter P and cations. Litter C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios significantly decreased. A sharp increase in the concentrations of labile P fractions and exchangeable cations was found in surface soils immediately after the fire. However, this fertilization effect lasted only a few weeks at most. Soil total and mineral N showed no significant differences immediately after the fire. Following the first important rain, nitrate concentr.
Genome-wide transcriptional analyses of Clarireedia jacksonii isolates associated with multi-drug resistance

Emerging multidrug resistance (MDR) in Clarireedia spp. is a huge challenge to the management of dollar spot (DS) disease on turfgrass. Insight into the molecular basis of resistance mechanisms may help identify key molecular targets for developing novel effective chemicals. Previously, a MDR isolate (LT586) of C. jacksonii with significantly reduced sensitivities to propiconazole, boscalid, and iprodione, and a fungicide-sensitive isolate (LT15) of the same species were isolated from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). The present study aimed to further explore the molecular mechanisms of resistance by using genome-wide transcriptional analyses of the two isolates. A total of 619 and 475 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly down and upregulated in the MDR isolate LT586, compared with the sensitive isolate LT15 without fungicide treatment. Three hundreds and six and 153 DEGs showed significantly lower and higher expression in the MDR isolate LT586 than those in the sensitive isolate LT15, which were commonly induced by the three fungicides. Most of the 153 upregulated DEGs were xenobiotic detoxification-related genes and genes with transcriptional functions. Fifty and 17 upregulated DEGs were also commonly observed in HRI11 (a MDR isolate of the C. jacksonii) compared with the HRS10 (a fungicide-sensitive isolate of same species) from a previous study without and with the treatment of propiconazole, respectively. The reliability of RNA-seq data was further verified by qRT-PCR method using a few select potentially MDR-related genes. Results of this study indicated that there were multiple uncharacterized genes, possibly responsible for MDR phenotypes in Clarireedia spp. , which may have important implications in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying MDR resistance.
Self-adaptive evolutionary algorithm for multispectral remote sensing image clustering

In this paper, a self-adaptive evolutionary clustering algorithm is presented. This algorithm uses the evolutionary programming (EP) to search the optimal clustering and bases on the principles of the K-means algorithm. The proposed self-adaptive evolutionary (SAEP) clustering algorithm self-adapts the vector of the step size appropriate for each parent. This is different from other genetic-based algorithms. The algorithm can minimize the degeneracy in the evolutionary process. The experimental results show that the KSAE clustering algorithm is efficient in the unsupervised classification of the multispectral remote sensing image.
Estimation of Intelligence Quotient in Healthy Individuals using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Systematic Review

The intelligence quotient (IQ) is typically used to reflect human intelligence. Conventional IQ tests are commonly used to assess an individual’s level of intelligence. However, the reliability of these conventional methods remains controversial as they are vulnerable to bias and often yield inconsistent results. Interestingly, emerging evidence suggested that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be an alternative method to estimate a person’s level of intelligence, as IQ is closely linked with the brain's structure. In this article, we systematically reviewed published studies on the estimation of IQ in healthy individuals using MRI. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search was performed in the PubMed database. The literature search focused on studies reporting on brain structures associated with IQ in healthy individuals and the effects of brain structural changes on IQ. 22 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Key brain regions associated with IQ are grey matter (GM), white matter (WM), caudate nucleus, left hemisphere, limbic system, frontoparietal (FP) cortices, and default-mode network (DMN). The critical effect of ageing on brain changes and its impact on IQ were also discussed. Overall, the findings suggested that brain structures play a significant role in IQ levels in healthy individuals. This systematic review highlights the potential use of MRI in estimating IQ by examining brain structures. Nonetheless, available MRI studies were limited by methodological issues. Future MRI investigations should include well-characterized groups of females and matched male healthy individuals while considering confounding factors such as types of IQ tests.