Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variable Impact of the Subducted Slab on Aleutian Island Arc Magma Sources: Evidence from Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf Isotopes and Trace Element Abundances

Major and trace element compositions and Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf isotope ratios of Aleutian island arc lavas from Kanaga, Roundhead, Seguam, and Shishaldin volcanoes provide constraints on the composition and origin of the material transferred from the subducted slab to the mantle wedge. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating indicates that the lavas erupted mainly during the last � 400 kyr. Along-arc geochemical and isotopic variations are consistent with variable degrees of fluid input to the mantle wedge. Addition of bulk sediment, partially melted sediment, or a combination of sediment and fluid components may also explain the major and trace element and isotopic compositions of some Aleutian lavas. Mass-balance modeling suggests that the fluid is derived from subducted sediment (10–25%) and underlying oceanic crust (75–90%). Hf–Nd isotope data suggest that relative to Nd, little Hf is transferred to the mantle wedge via fluid. Lavas from Seguam Island in the central Aleutian arc have distinctly elevated B/La, U/Th, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, and 207 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios, which probably reflect a large volume of fluid released from serpentinized oceanic crust plus the overlying layer of subducted sediment. We propose that the Amlia Fracture Zone, which was subducted beneath Seguam Island in the past 1 Myr, contains excess sediment and larger quantities of H2O-rich serpentine near the surface of the Pacific plate, and hence more fluid was available for transfer into the wedge in this section of the arc. The degree of partial melting of the mantle, modeled from the incompatible trace element contents of the lavas, correlates with the estimated mass of fluid fluxing of the mantle wedge. Seguam lavas, which show the largest quantity of fluid addition, have compositions that can be matched by a 22% partial melt of a fluid-modified mantle source, whereas Shishaldin and Roundhead lava compositions are consistent with an order of magnitude less partial melting of the mantle wedge.
The OBS noise due to deep ocean currents

Ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) are usually deployed for seismological investigations but these objectives are impaired by noise resulting from ocean environment. We split the OBS recorded seismic noise into three domains, short-period, microseisms and long-period, also known as tilt-noise. We show that the first and third domains are controlled by bottom currents but these are not always a function of the tidal forcing. Instead we suggest that the ocean bottom has a flow regime resulting from two possible contributions, the permanent low frequency bottom current and the tidal current. The 10 recorded noise displays the balance between these two currents along the full tidal cycle, between neap and spring tides. In the short-period noise band the ocean current generates harmonic tremors that corrupt the dataset records. We show that, in the analysed cases, the harmonic tremors result from the interaction between the ocean current and mechanical elements of the OBS that are not essential for sea bottom recording and thus have no geological origin. The data from a new Broadband OBS type, designed and built at Instituto Dom Luiz (University of Lisbon)/CEIIA, hiding no essential components from 15 current flow, shows how utmost of the harmonic noise can be eliminated.
Method of Estimating the Deposition Rate at the Bottom Surface in Ancient Lakes

Sedimentation rate in oceans and lakes is usually determined by the ratio of the core length to the incremental age between two horizons. However, the sedimentation rate determined by the above-mentioned method never represents the true value because the core length used in such an estimation is not corrected for the consolidation effect. In the present paper, the author derives a simple theoretical relationship between the thickness of lacustrine sediments and their ages on the basis of a simple consolidation model and he introduces a rigorous expression for the sedimentation rate at the bottom surface in lakes of the past.
A comparative analysis of the causes of air pollution in three cities of the Danube region: implications for the implementation of the air quality directives

The Danube region includes one of the air pollution “hot spots” in Europe. Supporting the development of a strategy to achieve the standards laid down in the EU legislation requires appropriate diagnosis with the most suitable tools. The Danube Air Nexus (DAN) is among the flagship projects of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). It aims at protecting human health, ecosystems and climate from the impacts of atmospheric pollution. The present study was carried by the EC-JRC in collaboration with local research institutions: the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), the Centre for Energy Research (Hungarian Academy of Sciences), and the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (Croatia). Also N.C. S.R. Demokritos (Greece) contributed to the study. A set of pilot urban areas, representing different situations within the region, waschosen as case study. The detailed analysis of the causes of pollution in the three studied cities (Zagreb, Budapest and Sofia) was then used to propose measures to be implemented in the air quality plans that local, regional and national authorities are requested to put in place to face the exceedances of limit values (Directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC) and to comply with the national emission ceilings (NEC) obligations (Directive 2001/81/EC). The approach adopted in this demonstrative study is suitable to be applied at the local level by regional authorities and could, therefore, be extended to other cities in this and other macro regions.
A numerical study of subgrade stiffening as a mitigation measure for railway induced vibrations

This paper studies the efficiency of subgrade stiffening next to the track as a mitigation measure for railway induced vibrations by means of a two-and-a-halfdimensional coupled finite element – boundary element methodology. The pyhsical mechanism is interpreted in the frequency–wavenumber domain, illustrating that the stiffened block of soil next to the track can act as a wave impeding barrier. The existence of a critical frequency from which this mitigation measure starts to be effective, as well as a critical angle delimiting the area where the vibration levels are reduced, is demonstrated in this paper. Two realistic ca se studies are discussed to indicate that the effectiveness of the proposed mitigation measure depends on the stiffness contrast between the soil and the stiffened block of soil. Keywords— Dynamic soil-structure interaction, railway induced vibrations, mitigation measures on the transmissi on path, frequency–wavenumber analysis
Stable isotope investigations on speleothems from different cave systems in Germany.

Seven speleothems from six independent cave systems in Germany were investigated on their suitability as paleoclimatic archives. The caves are located in the Jurassic Limestones of the Swabian/Franconian Alb (southern Germany) and in a small-scale Devonian (reef) complex of the Harz Mountains (northern Germany). Based on the chronological control using 234U/230Th (TIMS) ages, δ18O/δ13C timeseries of the speleothems were established and related to known paleoclimatic events. Results of the present-day assessment of the cave systems demonstrated that the cave temperature responses; the stable isotopic abundances of the dripwater, and present-day cave calcites reflect mean annual surface air temperatures as well as established isotopic equilibrium conditions during cave calcite precipitation. However, existing biases have been monitored but most of them may be deduced to anthropogenic influences like mining operations (Zaininger-Cave, Swabian Alb) or showcave business (Hermann’s- and Baumann’s-Cave, Harz Mountains). Although the scenarios leave partially an imprint on present-day spelean calcites, like the indicated non-equilibrium conditions at the Zaininger-Cave, their temporal imprint is restricted very much to the last couple of decennial years and thus assumed not to influence the paleorecords at all. Since the δ18O compositions of present-day calcite precipitates are primarily controlled by temperature, the sites may thus be suitable for paleoclimatic investigations from a today perspective. Since the paleorecords of the Hermann’s- and Baumann’s-Cave stalagmites (Harz Mountains) display ages, which are not in chronological order, a construction of timeseries was not possible. Past stable isotopic equilibrium conditions of the remaining paleorecords were verified using the single layer ”Hendy-Test” as well as δ18O/δ13C regression analyzes of the subsample profiles. Late Pleistocene growth periods were found in the Paleocave Hunas Stalagmite (79373
Aggregating Causal Judgments ∗

Decision making typically requires judgments about causal relations: we need to know both the causal effects of our actions and the causal relevance of various environmental factors. Judgments about the nature and strength of causal relations often differ, even among experts. How to handle such diversity is the topic of this paper. First, we consider the possibility of aggregating causal judgments via the aggregation of probabilistic ones. The broadly negative outcome of this investigation leads us to look at aggregating causal judgments independently of probabilistic ones. We do so by transcribing causal claims into the formal judgment-aggregation framework and applying some recent results in this field. Finally, we look at the implications for probability aggregation when it is constrained by prior aggregation of qualitative causal judgments.
Analyse de l'évolution temporelle de communautés macrobenthiques à partir des probabilités de présence des espèces

Dans l'etude statistique de l'evolution a long terme des communautes marines, certaines methodes multivariees comme l'Analyse des Correspondances (AFC) sont tres sensibles a la presence d'especes peu abondantes, alors que d'autres methodes comme l'Analyse en Composantes Principales ou le Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) ne prennent en compte que les especes dominantes du peuplement. Les especes rares sont donc a mettre a part, dans le premier cas parce qu'elles nuisent a la stabilite des resultats, dans le deuxieme parce qu'elles creent d'inutiles difficultes d'interpretation. Nous utilisons une methode originale de selection des especes basee sur un schema multinomial, qui conduit a un nouveau codage probabiliste des donnees (presences/absences lissees), generalisant le codage classique. Appliquee a l'etude du peuplement des vases sableuses de la Riviere de Morlaix, notre methode de selection permet de determiner selon un critere objectif les especes rares, intermediaires et dominantes. Le MDS du tableau d'interdistances de Bhattacharrya entre les observations est ensuite effectue sur les especes dominantes du peuplement. Les resultats obtenus sont compares a ceux issus d'AFC realisees a partir de tables de presences/absences (generalisees ou classiques).
Design of a guidance device for minimally invasive hip prosthesis refixation

All around the world countries’ populations are aging and with this increase of expected lifetimes there is additional need for medical interventions such as hip replacements. With many people outliving the lifetime of these implanted parts, revisions are sometimes necessary. In some hip prostheses, layers of fibrous tissue can grow and decrease the stability of the implant and cause a great deal of pain. Since open surgery is not an option for elderly patients, a minimally invasive approach is needed to remove the tissue and refixate the prosthesis. A guidance device was designed particularly for this procedure because removing the tissue before cementing is a novel approach to the current method of only cementing. Several concepts were created and evaluated resulting in an arc-shaped design being chosen. The designed guidance arc opens up the next step in hip refixation procedures. With the ability to guide new tools to remove the fibrous tissue and cement the area, the lifespan of the prosthesis and the quality of life of the patient will increase.
Pre-Buffering Scheme for Seamless Relay Handover in Relay Based Cellular Systems

Relay based cellular system, which includes Relay Nodes(RNs) to relay transmitters' signal to receivers for coverage extension and capacity improvement, has been recently emerging as one of the candidates for next generation mobile commu- nication system. However, Mobile Stations(MSs) in relay based cellular system suffer a problem of data loss when they move out of the coverage of the serving RN and perform handover to Base Station(BS) or other RNs. To prevent this behavior, this paper proposes a pre-buffering scheme that BS performs multicast transmission to the handover candidate RNs. After the MS detects a nearby RN and regards it as a candidate for the handover target, the MS requests BS to multicast the MS's traffic to the serving and the candidate RN. The numerical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme brings performance improvement in view of data loss and handover interruption time.
Lithological Controls on Mechanical Anisotropy in Shales to Predict In Situ Stress Magnitudes and Potential for Shearing of Laminations During Fracturing

Accurate and repeatable assessments of in situ stress magnitudes and orientation in unconventional reservoirs can be complicated by the heterogeneous, inelastic, and/or anisotropic mechanical properties of these rocks. The associated vertical and lateral variation in pore pressure and stress through the target zones and bounding intervals can further complicate this effort. For these reasons, some additional factors need to be considered beyond the typical workflow of determining stress state from mini-frac type data and using this data to calibrate log derived stress profiles. We present some case study examples from hydrocarbon-producing shales where a more rigorous analysis of the injection test data and of the shale mechanical properties has allowed a more accurate and repeatable assessment of in situ stress and potential for lamination shearing. Horizontal fracture growth through shear activation of bedding-parallel fabric can be a preferred fracture propagation mechanism in these shales and this behavior can be diagnosed by this improved workflow. In one case study example, in the tight gas Montney siltstone of Western Canada, shear strength anisotropy is shown to be very significant, with bedding parallel shear cohesion less than 10% of the bulk rock cohesion. It is shown through theory and through pressure transient analysis of case study minifrac injection data that shearing of laminations can be predicted, diagnosed and minimised during hydraulic fracturing stimulation. This shear fracturing mechanism is also stress dependent and its understanding requires assessment of all in situ stress magnitudes, not just minimum horizontal stress. An improved method of determining these stress magnitudes is described through multi-component acoustic measurements in core samples. In this way, a petrophysical relationship can be established between anisotropy parameters and rock properties.
Fabric: a Retrospective on Evolving Sdn

MPLS was an attempt to simplify network hardware while improving the flexibility of network control. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) was designed to make further progress along both of these dimensions. While a significant step forward in some respects, it was a step backwards in others. In this paper we discuss SDN's shortcomings and propose how they can be overcome by adopting the insight underlying MPLS. We believe this hybrid approach will enable an era of simple hardware and flexible control.
Adaptive color marker for SAR environments

This paper explores how passive colored markers used for blob-tracking can be advanced to improve their operation in spatial augmented reality environments. We have created an adaptive marker that captures the color of environmental light, and then changes its own appearance in order to optimize tracking performance. We have provided implementation details and proof of concept for an active marker that supports interactive operations and visual feedback. We compared the performance of both the passive and adaptive color marker in varying lighting conditions. Our results show a significant improvement in four scenarios where a passive marker is known to have poor tracking quality.
Population and community responses to anthropogenic environmental changes

Ecologists are currently faced with the challenge of understanding ecological patterns in the context of a rapidly changing planet. Meeting this challenge may ultimately enable ecologists to predict the consequences of global change, as well as find ways to mitigate human impacts on species and communities. In this dissertation I use classic ecological theory, original conceptual models, and a novel analytical tool to explore the effects of anthropogenic environmental changes on grassland plants and North American birds. Humans continue to increase the amount of nutrients in the environment. Nutrient enrichment directly alters plant communities by increasing productivity, often at the expense of diversity. In tallgrass prairies, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) also mediate diversity because plant species differ in the degree to which they rely on AMF for nutrient acquisition. In Chapter 1, I investigate whether soil nutrient levels alter the effects that AMF have on plant communities. By manipulating phosphorus and AMF in experimental mesocosms containing native prairie grass communities, I show that the influence of AMF on plant community diversity and productivity depends on soil nutrient levels. Thus, nutrient enrichment imposes environmental constraints on plant soil-mutualisms that may have ecosystemand community-level consequences. Habitat fragmentation is thought to be the leading cause of contemporary species extinctions. In Chapter 2, I use long-term data from a landscape-scale experiment to explore the effects of habitat patch size on rates and patterns of earlysuccessional plant species declines. I quantify declines with a new metric, the Rank Occupancy-Abundance Profile (ROAP), which depicts shifts in both local abundance and occupancy. Patch size influenced the rate and spatial pattern of local extinction in fragmented grasslands; however, the patch size on which declines were most rapid varied among species. I suggest that persistence on a particular patch size may be linked with a species’ life history traits. In Chapter 3, I use ROAPs to assess the magnitude and patterns of decline in North American breeding birds. I show that 20% of 209 sampled birds have declined significantly since 1970, including both rare and common species. Patterns of declines varied according to the initial regional abundance of the bird species: rare species experienced proportionally higher losses in regional abundance due to local extinctions than did abundant species. I also propose a conceptual model for a general pattern of decline species experience as they approach extinction. Overall, results from this dissertation confirm that humans are dramatically altering the relative abundance of species—at local, landscape, and continental scales. Early detection of declines—and the factors driving them—may help preserve biodiversity in the face of enduring anthropogenic environmental changes.
A High-Efficiency Resonant Switched Capacitor Converter With Continuous Conversion Ratio

A resonant switched capacitor converter with high efficiency over a wide and continuous conversion ratio range is introduced. The efficiency of the topology depends primarily on the conduction losses and is decoupled, to a large extent, from the voltage conversion ratio. This is an advantage over classical switched capacitor converters, for which the efficiency is strongly related to the conversion ratio. The operation principle applies three zero current switching states to charge, discharge, and balance the remaining charge of the flying capacitor. This results in a gyrator, i.e., a voltage-dependent current source, with a wide range of voltage conversion ratios (smaller as well as greater than unity) as well as bidirectional power flow capabilities. The analytical expressions for the conversion ratio and expected efficiency are provided and validated through simulations and experiments. The experimental verifications of the converter demonstrate peak efficiency of 96% and above 90% efficiency over a wide range of voltage gains and loading conditions. In addition, the system was found to be highly efficient at the extreme cases of both light and heavy loads.
Quality-of-Service Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we develop new algorithms to find the optimal, energy preserving, paths from Source Node (SN) to the Base Station (BS) in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Optimality is defined in a constrained sense, in which the minimal energy route is sought (to maximize the lifespan of WSNs) under reliability constraint, meaning that each packet must reach the BS with a given probability. Energy efficiency is going to be achieved by selecting nodes for multi-hop packet forwarding under information, which yields the most evenly distributed energy state over the network after the packet has reached the BS. The new algorithm gave good results with any BS positioning in sensor networks. The simulation results will demonstrate that our algorithm is more efficient than the other routing protocols proposed before. There are many efficient protocols which increase the lifetime of sensor network such as LEACH, PEGASIS, PEDAP and PEDAP-PA, but they failed to provide energy ba-lancing under reliability constraints. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm under name HQRA (High Quality of service Routing Algorithm), which is able to find near-optimal paths in WSNs by minimizing the energy but guaranteeing a given level of reliability, as well.
The Authenticator Pattern

A server system acting as a repository of objects available to a variety of unrelated distributed clients is likely to require a means to restrict access based on the identity of the requesting client. Identification and authentication protocols are often missing from currently available distributed object systems. The Authenticator pattern describes a general mechanism for providing identification and authentication to a server from a client. It has the added feature of allowing protocol negotiation to take place using the same procedures. The pattern operates by offering an authentication negotiation object which then provides the protected object only after authentication is successful.