Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of Sieve Tray Efficiency using Computational Fluid Dynamics

High degree of competitiveness associated with petroleum leads to the exhaustive search for new technologies that enable greater efficiency in the related processes. A three-dimensional mathematical homogeneous biphasic model was implemented in the commercial code of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), FLUENT package to predict concentration and temperature distributions on sieve trays of distillation columns and good simulation results are obtained. The tray geometries and operating conditions are based on the experimental works of Indian oil corporation limited (R&D). The dispersed gas phase and continuous liquid phase are modelled in the mixture model for two interpenetrating phases with inter phase momentum, heat and mass transfer. The main objective of this study has been to find the extent to which CFD can be used as a prediction tool for real behaviour, and concentration and temperature distributions of sieve trays. The simulation results are shown that CFD is a powerful tool in tray design, analysis and trouble shooting, and can be considered as a new approach for efficiency calculations.
Multiple Instance Dense Connected Convolution Neural Network for Aerial Image Scene Classification

With the development of deep learning, many state-of-the-art natural image scene classification methods have demonstrated impressive performance. While the current convolution neural network tends to extract global features and global semantic information in a scene, the geo-spatial objects can be located at anywhere in an aerial image scene and their spatial arrangement tends to be more complicated. One possible solution is to preserve more local semantic information and enhance feature propagation. In this paper, an end to end multiple instance dense connected convolution neural network (MIDCCNN) is proposed for aerial image scene classification. First, a 23 layer dense connected convolution neural network (DCCNN) is built and served as a backbone to extract convolution features. It is capable of preserving middle and low level convolution features. Then, an attention based multiple instance pooling is proposed to highlight the local semantics in an aerial image scene. Finally, we minimize the loss between the bag-level predictions and the ground truth labels so that the whole framework can be trained directly. Experiments on three aerial image datasets demonstrate that our proposed methods can outperform current baselines by a large margin.
Burrowing Invasive Species: An Unquantified Erosion Risk at the Aquatic‐Terrestrial Interface

Invasive nonnative species acting as “ecosystem engineers” or “geomorphic agents” can represent a major landscape disturbance. Quantification of their biogeomorphic impacts remains a key knowledge gap, and aquatic‐terrestrial transition zones may be particularly exposed to impacts. We demonstrate how burrowing invasive species represent a potentially significant but unquantified erosion risk at aquatic margins. We reveal a lack of quantitative research on geophysical impacts, despite increasing concerns over threats to waterways and flood defense infrastructure. We explore example animals of global interest, comprising crustaceans, fish, reptiles, and mammals and reveal the global nature of the issue: over 100 countries, states, or territories where at least one example species is established, and over 20 with 3‐6 species present. We present a conceptual model for the impacts of burrows on stability and erosion at aquatic margins using established models of geotechnical, hydrological, and hydraulic drivers. Burrows are hypothesized to (i) alter failure plane position, decrease failure plane length, and increase failure plane angle (thereby decreasing bank shear strength); (ii) modify the spatial distribution of porewater pressure, thereby increasing subsurface flow (seepage), reducing cohesion, and increasing the likelihood of slip failures at the bank face; (iii) increase turbulence and sediment entrainment at burrow entrances; and (iv) alter flow resistance at the bank face. Most effects are expected to increase bank instability/erosion with the exception of (iv) which has the potential to offer protection from fluvial action. We call for further research in these areas to quantify impacts for different environments and different invasive species.
Black bear denning ecology and habitat selection in interior Alaska

To identify conflicts between existing black bear (Ursus americanus) management and human activity on Tanana River Flats, Alaska, we monitored 27 radio-collared black bears from 1988-1991. We compared denning chronology, den characteristics, den-site selection, and habitat selection across sex, age, and female reproductive classes. Mean den entry was 1 October and emergence was 21 April, with females denned earlier and emerging later than males. Marshland and heath meadow habitats were avoided, and willow-alder was selected for den-sites. Eighty-three percent of dens were excavated, 100% contained nests, 18% were previously used, and 29% had flooded. Black bears selected black spruce-tamarack and birch-aspen significantly more, and marshland and heath meadow significantly less than available. Marshland and birch-aspen were used significantly more in spring than autumn. Marshland was used less than available by all bears in all seasons. Special habitat or den-site requirements are not critical for management of Tanana River Flats black bears.
The Summertime Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation Derived from IMERG

The Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) precipitation product derived from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) constellation offers a unique opportunity of observing the diurnal cycle of precipitation in the latitudinal band 60 ° N–S at unprecedented 0.1 ° × 0.1 ° and half-hour resolution. The diurnal cycles of occurrence, intensity and accumulation are determined using four years of data at 2 ° × 2 ° resolution; this study focusses on summertime months when the diurnal cycle shows stronger features. Harmonics are fitted to the diurnal cycle using a non-linear least squares method weighted by random errors. Results suggest that mean-to-peak amplitudes for the diurnal cycles of occurrence and accumulation are greater over land (generally larger than 25% of the diurnal mean), where the diurnal harmonic dominates and peaks at ~16–24 LST, than over ocean (generally smaller than 25%), where the diurnal and semi-diurnal harmonics contribute comparably. Over ocean, the diurnal harmonic peaks at ~0–10 LST (~8–15 LST) over open waters (coastal waters). For intensity, amplitudes of the diurnal and semi-diurnal harmonics are generally comparable everywhere (~15–35%) with the diurnal harmonic peaking at ~20–4 LST (~3–12 LST) over land (ocean), and the semi-diurnal harmonic maximises at ~5–8 LST and 17–20 LST. The diurnal cycle of accumulation is dictated by occurrence as opposed to intensity.
Vision based Interpretation of Natural Sign Languages

This manuscript outlines our current demonstration system for translating visual Sign to written text. The system is based around a broad description of scene activity that naturally generalizes, reducing training requirements and allowing the knowledge base to be explicitly stated. This allows the same system to be used for different sign languages requiring only a change of the knowledge base.
Apparatus for Measuring Pipe-Soil Interaction Behavior Using Shallow ‘Pipe-like’ Penetrometers

Reliable characterization of surficial marine sediments is essential to ensure the safe and economical design of subsea infrastructure for offshore energy facilities (e.g., seabed cables, pipelines, and shallow foundations). Conventional in-situ testing methods (e.g., cone penetrometer test or T-bar) require careful interpretation to account for the effects of shallow embedment, whereas laboratory tests are affected by sampling-induced disturbances, the impact of which can be significant at the low stress levels relevant to the design of subsea infrastructure. This article describes two novel box-core–sized shallow penetrometers—the hemiball and toroid—which mimic the shape of subsea pipelines and have been designed to reliably measure the strength, consolidation, and frictional properties of surficial offshore sediments. The development and specification of the actuator used to operate these probes is also described. Another major benefit of these penetrometers, which are intended to be used offshore for on-deck testing aboard a survey vessel, is their capability to generate effective stress interpretations of the soil behavior, and this is made possible because pore pressure transducers are installed and monitored throughout testing. The results of a first laboratory proof test are presented to illustrate the potential of this novel sensor concept.
CyberResearch on the Ancient Near East and Neighboring Regions

Vector Any representation of a → sign that can be found in a sign list or a dictionary. These are called “abstract” because no sign in its native form would correspond to it 100%. Doğu Kaan Eraslan, 297n54 → features’ vector, Optical Character Recognition, sign Adab Corpus → see General Glossary Adjacency Matrix A matrix whose rows and columns are labeled with the → nodes, and whose cell value represents whether an → edge is present between the node labeled in the row and the node labeled in the column. Doğu Kaan Eraslan, 306n87 It is essentially a table in which the rows and columns are cells from the corpus, and at the intersection of each row and cell, a number is given for how similar the two cells are. M. Willis Monroe, 273 → edge, node Administrative Texts → see General Glossary ai → Artificial Intelligence Akkadian → see General Glossary * Although all words of an expression are capitalized in the list of terms below, when indicated after the “see also” arrow, words are capitalized when the expression has an acronym (for example, Conceptual Reference Model, CRM) but not capitalized when the expression does not have an acronym. There are some exceptions, such as Python, R, and Word2vec, that are applications or tools and thus always capitalized. The “definitions” provided in this glossary are neither exact nor comprehensive; rather, they are informatitve statements extracted from the chapters. In some cases, minor modifications (such as verb tense, or the addition of “it is”) have been made in order for the statement to make sense out of context. When multiple statements are presented for a term, they are listed according to the alphabetical order of their authors’ names. Cross-references point both to entries in this glossary as well as in the General Glossary. © Vanessa Bigot Juloux et al., 2018 | doi 10.1163/9789004375086_016 This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC License.
A Conjoint Analysis on Consumers’ Revealed Preferences for Products from Coconuts in Madurai City India

India per se being leader nation in coconut production, only 2 per cent hardly utilised for value addition. To discern the pull factors causing consumer preference for coconut products, a study was conducted among different income group of consumers from Madurai city of Tamil Nadu. Five coconut value-added products like desiccated coconut, processed tender coconut, skimmed coconut milk, skimmed coconut milk powder and neera were selected for the study. The objective of the study is to evaluate the performance and specific factor influencing the marketing of selected coconut products and to study the market opportunities of the selected coconut product based on the consumer preference. Conjoint analyses, Multi-log linear function, Dummy variable model, ANOVA with two qualitative variable model were used in the study to find the factors influencing the marketing of selected coconut product. The result from all the analysis conclusively showed that income is the main factor influencing the market opportunities of selected coconut products.
The Geometry of an Electron Scale Magnetic Cavity in the Plasma Sheet

Electron scale magnetic cavities are electron vortex structures formed in turbulent plasma, while the evolution and electron dynamics of these structures have not been fully understood. Recently, high‐energy, angular, and temporal electron measurements from Magnetospheric Multiscale have enabled the application of an energetic particle sounding technique to these structures. This study analyzes an electron scale magnetic cavity observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale on 7 May 2015 in the plasma sheet. A comprehensive sounding technique is applied to obtain the geometry and propagation velocities of the boundaries. The result shows that the scale size of the structure is ∼90 km, and the leading and trailing boundaries are moving in the same direction but with different speeds (∼11.5 ± 2.2 and ∼18.1 ± 3.4 km/s, respectively). The speed difference suggests a shrinking of the structure that may play a significant role in magnetic energy dissipation and electron energization of electron scale magnetic cavities.
A new global dataset of phase synchronization of temperature and precipitation: Its climatology and contribution to global vegetation productivity

Besides cumulative temperature and precipitation, the phase synchronization of temperature and precipitation also helps to regulate vegetation distribution and productivity across global lands. However, the phase synchronization has been rarely considered in previous studies related to climate and biogeography due to a lack of a robust and quantitative approach. In this study, we proposed a synchronization index of temperature and precipitation (SI‐TaP) and then investigated its global spatial distribution, interannual fluctuation, and long‐term trend derived from a global 60‐year dataset of meteorological forcings. Further investigation was conducted to understand the relationship between SI‐TaP and the annually summed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which could be a proxy of terrestrial vegetation productivity. Results show differences in both spatial patterns and temporal variations between SI‐TaP and air temperature and precipitation, but SI‐TaP may help to explain the distribution and productivity of terrestrial vegetation. About 60% of regions where annually summed NDVI is greater than half of its maximum value overlap regions where SI‐TaP is greater than half of its maximum value. By using SI‐TaP to explain vegetation productivity along with temperature and precipitation, the maximum increase in the coefficient of determination is 0.66 across global lands. Results from this study suggest that the proposed SI‐TaP index is helpful to better understand climate change and its relation to the biota.
Road Drainage System Localisation and Condition Data Capture

Inspection of road networks is time and cost consuming. Over half of the money allocated for road maintenance are spent on this area. Visual inspection is still the most commonly employed way of inspection for most parts of the road network. The sheer amount of lane miles of the road network renders this type of road monitoring a costly process. The ultimate goal of this paper is to reduce the time and cost needed to perform routine drive-by, visual and conditional data capturing. The road inspector devotes effort to visually capture the great number of the road assets as it consists of capturing of both the geometry and condition of multiple road assets. In this paper, we propose a method to capture road drainage covers through images and assess if they could potentially be blocked or not. This proposed novel framework focuses on two main tasks: a) localisation of road drainage b) assessment of drainage condition (if they are clean or not). This solution uses Speeded up Robust Features (SURF) and Scale Invariant Feature Form (SIFT) detector, the Bag of Visual Words (BoVW) enhanced with k-means algorithms for grouping the features, and a Support Vector Machine classifier for classifying the data to their respective categories.
Generation and Propagation of Near-Inertial Waves in a Baroclinic Current on the Tasmanian Shelf

Near-inertial waves (NIWs) are often an energetic component of the internal wave field on windy continental shelves. The effect of baroclinic geostrophic currents, which introduce both relative vorticity and baroclinicity, on NIWs is not well understood. Relative vorticity affects the resonant frequency feff, while both relative vorticity and baroclinicity modify the minimum wave frequency of freely propagating waves ωmin. On a windy and narrow shelf, we observed wind-forced oscillations that generated NIWs where feff was less than the Coriolis frequency f. If everywhere feff > f then NIWs were generated where ωmin < f and feff was smallest. The background current not only affected the location of generation, but also the NIWs’ propagation direction. The estimated NIW energy fluxes show that NIWs propagated predominantly toward the equator because ωmin > f on the continental slope for the entire sample period. In addition to being laterally trapped on the shelf, we observed vertically trapped and intensified NIWs that had a frequency ω within the anomalously low-frequency band (i.e., ωmin < ω < feff), which only exists if the baroclinicity is nonzero. We observed two periods when ωmin < f on the shelf, but the relative vorticity was positive (i.e., feff > f) for one of these periods. The process of NIW propagation remained consistent with the local ωmin, and not feff, emphasizing the importance of baroclinicity on the NIW dynamics. We conclude that windy shelves with baroclinic background currents are likely to have energetic NIWs, but the current and seabed will adjust the spatial distribution and energetics of these NIWs.
The use of solubility parameters and free energy theory for phase behaviour of polymer-modified bitumen: a review

Advances related to the use of solubility parameters and free energy theory for the phase behaviour study of polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) are reviewed in this paper. The origin and effects of PMB phase behaviour are criticised with a focus on PMB storage stability, morphology and swelling ratio. An overview of the solubility approach for studying PMB is given regarding the historical and future developments. Free energy expressions for PMB systems are analysed, including the free energy of mixing, elastic free energy and gradient energy. The kinetic aspects are discussed with respect to the diffusion and flow processes. It is indicated that the solubility bodies in the three-dimensional Hansen space and their degree of intersection can be useful for analysing the PMB thermodynamic equilibrium and thus storage stability. But they give no indication by themselves on the PMB morphology. With solubility parameters linked to the PMB free energy, however, an integrated thermodynamic approach can assist in understanding both PMB storage stability and morphology comprehensively. Due to the chemical complexity of bitumen and certain modifiers, the solubility body centres and radiuses should be both considered for a proper expression of the polymer-bitumen interaction in PMB. A hypothetical dilution process can simplify this process, but with limitations. The introduction of elastic free energy may lead to a new and more realistic expression of free energy for PMB system. With this overview, it is expected that a preliminary foundation is established towards a comprehensive and realistic thermodynamic framework for interpreting and predicting PMB phase behaviour.
Magmatic sulphides in high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic and
alkaline rocks

Abstract. We investigate in both mineralised and barren systems the occurrence and chemistry of magmatic sulphides and their chalcophile metal cargo behaviour during evolution of compositionally different magmas in diverse geodynamic settings. The investigated areas are: (a) the Miocene Konya magmatic province (hosting the Doganbey Cu-Mo and Inlice Au-epithermal deposits) (Post-Subduction) and (b) the Miocene Usak basin (Elmadag, Itecektepe and Beydagi volcanoes, the latter associated with the Kisladag Au porphyry) in Western Turkey (Post-Subduction). For comparison we also investigate (c) the barren Plio-Quaternary Kula volcanic field, west of Usak (Intraplate) and finally we discuss and compare all the above areas with the already studied (d) Quaternary Ecuadorian volcanic arc (host to the Miocene Llurimagua Cu-Mo and Cascabel Cu-Au porphyry deposits) (Subduction). The volcanism of the studied areas displays a wide range of SiO2 spanning from basalts to andesites/dacites and from high K-calc-alkaline to shoshonitic series. Multiphase magmatic sulphides occur in different amounts in all investigated areas and based on textural and compositional differences, they can be classified in different types, which crystallised at different times (early versus late saturation). A decrease in the sulphide Ni/Cu (proxy for mss-monosulphide solid solution/iss-intermediate solid solution) ratio is noted with magmatic evolution. Starting with an early stage, saturating Ni-richer/Cu-poorer sulphides hosted by early crystallising minerals e.g. olivine/pyroxene, leading up to a later stage, producing Cu-richer sulphides hosted by magnetite. The most common sulphide type resulting from an early saturating stage is composed of a Cu-poor/Ni-rich (pyrrhotite/mss) and one/two Cu-rich (cubanite, chalcopyrite/iss) phases making up 84 and 16 area % of the sulphide, respectively. Our results suggest that independently of the magma composition, geodynamic setting and whether or not the system has generated an ore deposit on the surface, sulphide saturation occurred in variable degrees in all studied areas and magmatic systems and is characterised by a similar initial metal content of the magmas. However not all studied areas present all sulphide types and the sulphide composition is dependent on the nature of the host mineral. In particular sulphides, resulting from the late stage, consisting of Cu-rich phases (chalcopyrite ,bornite, digenite/iss) are hosted exclusively by magnetite and are found only in magmatic provinces associated with porphyry Cu (Konya and Ecuador) and porphyry Au (Beydagi) deposits.
Urbanisation, climate change and its impact on water quality and economic risks in a water scarce and rapidly urbanising catchment: case study of the Berg River Catchment

By 2050 it is predicted that 67% of the world population is expected to be living in urban areas, with the most rapid levels of urbanisation taking place in developing countries. Urbanisation is often directly linked to the degradation of environmental quality, including quality of water, air and noise. Concurrently, the climate is changing. Together, the negative impacts of climate change and urbanisation pose significant challenges, especially in developing countries where resources to mitigate these impacts are limited. Focusing on the Berg River Catchment in South Africa, which is experiencing increasing levels of urbanisation, the impacts of climate change, the ‘wicked problem’ of service delivery to the historically disadvantaged within a developing country, persistent infrastructure backlogs, and where high unemployment is prevalent, this paper explores the increasing water quality risks due to climate change and rapid urban development and the likely direct and indirect economic impacts that this will have on the agriculture sector, which is a key contributor to the regional and national economy. The results give support to the need to invest in risk mitigation measures including the provision of basic services, the upgrading and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants and investing in ecological infrastructure.