Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using terrestrial laser scanning to support biomass estimation in densely stocked young tree plantations

The total area of short-rotation tree plantations is increasing globally, one reason being the need to grow sustainable biomass for bio-energy production. Such stands are usually established with a very high stem density, and inventories for biomass estimation require the adaptation of traditional methods. In this study, we tested a novel, efficient, and non-destructive method for biomass estimation relevant to a high-density, short-rotation oak stand of about 16,500 stems ha−1. We used terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in a single-scan design to measure diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees within 2 m-radius sample plots. Allometric models were then used to predict the tree biomass from their diameter. Biomass estimates were compared to the true biomass determined after harvesting of the sample plots. Mean absolute error and mean relative error were 12.9 kg and 16.4%, respectively, and the coefficient of determination of the relationship between traditionally measured and scan-based biomass was r2 = 0.65 (p < 0.001). This TLS-based approach is promising as it considerably reduces fieldwork efforts in dense stands compared with traditional diameter tallying by calipers or tapes.
Social change in the West Sumatran village, 1908-1945

J・ ' ' This is a study of social change in the West Su! aatxan village from the introduction of monetary taxation in l908 to the end of Phe . t Japanese 'occupation in l945. The study begins with the reconstruetion of the pre--Dutch vUZage soc±ql structure, characterized as an entity with a high degree of autonomy and a relatively closed society based on subsistence economy and led by lineage' heads. The nature of the v"lages began to be underrnined after the introduction of monetary ' taxati6n in lgos; the penetrati6n of a monetary economy; the expansion ' of cash crop cultivation; and the emergence of new Islamic and $ecular ' political organizations which challenged the leadership of traditienal /t lineage heads. The deeper penetration oE.Dutch administration also accelerated the erosion of the old village social and economic system. 'i [the great economic crisis at the end of l929 and successitie ' ' wor! d trade depression in the l930s slowed down the process of social change. The economy largely returned te a subsistence one concentrat-' ' ing on rice on lineage land instead of cash crops on individual land. ' ' There was a notable reviVal of the influence of' traditional ieadership tt t group's in the l930s basbd on the increased imtportance of lineage heads for supervising lineage rice fields. However, the development of a nationalist movement after the beginning of the l930s intensified the challenge to traditional ieadership. As' a result the conflict between the traditional leadership and its challengers continued to be heightened towards the end of Dutch rule. Duri,ng the Japanese occupation, the economy was further pushed to subsistence economy and the lineage heads becafue the key figures for increasing rice and delivering it to the Japanese who were trying to accumulate as much rice provisions as possible. This situation allowed lineage heads to retain their influence at the . village level. The potential for social change.was again.reduced during the Japariese occupation. Although the rivalry between traditional leader' ship and it・s challengers did not appear in a violent form under the ' . Japanese military sc.egirne, it erupted violently shortly after. the Japanese ' surrender. ・' ' . '
Association Between Positive Troponin and Fear of Earthquakes: A Retrospective Study

Introduction The association between natural disasters and cardiovascular events has been well-established. However, the impact of earthquakes on cardiac health, and the role of fear in this association, remains unclear. This study aims to examine the association between positive troponin levels, indicating cardiac ischemia, and fear of earthquakes among Emergency Room patients at a referral center in Beirut, Lebanon. Materials and methods This is a retrospective study conducted on patients who presented to the Emergency Room with suspected cardiac symptoms and were ordered a troponin level after the Kahramanmaras earthquake that occurred on the sixth of February 2023 and affected many neighboring countries, including Lebanon. A control group was taken from the same period in 2022 (January-February) and from the period prior to the earthquake (January up to 6 February 2023). Patients were divided into three groups: the first group (group 1) comprised patients who presented during January and February 2022 (period 1). The second group (group 2) included patients who presented from January up to the sixth of February 2023, when the Kahramanmaras earthquake occurred (period 2). The third group (group 3) consisted of patients who presented after the earthquake until the end of February 2023 (period 3). Patients who consented to participate in the study were sent a questionnaire to assess their Fear of Earthquake Scale (FES), chief complaints, date of presentation to the Emergency Room, past medical history, and other socio-demographic data. Results Our study involved 1410 participants, with 782 belonging to group 1, 470 to group 2, and 158 to group 3. The mean age was 62.96 ± 17.87 for the total population and 63.9 ± 18.49 for patients of group 3. The number of positive troponin results was higher during period 3 (62% of participants) in comparison to period 2 and 1 (22.1% and 28.5% of participants respectively) (p<0.001). Positive troponin was significantly more common among patients who are non-smokers (53%, p-value <0.001), with a negative family history of premature cardiac diseases (93.9%, p-value <0.05), previously healthy (46.9%, p-value <0.001) and presenting to the Emergency Room for dyspnea or palpitations (17.3% each, p-value <0.001). In addition, patients who tested positive for troponin had a higher mean FES (27.89 ± 1.23 versus 20.47 ± 6.02) and a higher mean age (71.07 ± 14.33 versus 52.25 ± 18.69) in comparison to those who tested negative for troponin (p-value <0.05). Conclusion This study suggests that fear of earthquakes may be associated with cardiac ischemia, as indicated by positive troponin levels. Healthcare providers should be aware of the potential impact of natural disasters on cardiovascular health and take measures to address patients’ fears and concerns.
Precise orbit determination and gravity field improvement for the ERS satellites

The radial orbit error has long been the major error source in ERS-1 altimetry, crippled by having only satellite laser ranging for precise tracking and relying on insufficiently accurate general-purpose gravity field models. Altimeter crossovers are used very effectively as additional tracking data to laser ranging. The ERS Tandem Mission even provides the unique possibility to simultaneously determine orbits of two similar satellites flying the same orbit. Altimeter crossovers between the two satellites then link the two orbits into a common reference frame. Tailoring of the Joint Gravity Model 3 (JGM 3) is another step to reduce orbit errors. This technique is aimed at the reduction of the geographically anticorrelated orbit error (observed in the crossover height differences) through the adjustment of selected gravity field parameters. The resulting Delft Gravity Model (DGM)-E04 has reduced this part of the orbit error by a factor of 2, performs even better with respect to the ESA-provided orbits, and also outperforms the recent Earth Geopotential Model EGM96 in this respect. ERS-1 and ERS-2 orbits for the entire Tandem Mission are computed and studied in detail, and orbit errors due to the gravity field and nonconservative forces are identified. Analyses systematically show that the orbits computed with JGM 3 have a radial root-mean-square orbit accuracy of 7 cm, with DGM-E04 5 cm.
Photogrammetric and Lidar Data Registration Using Linear Features

The enormous increase in the volume of datasets acquired by lidar systems is leading towards their extensive exploitation in a variety of applications, such as, surface reconstruction, city modeling, and generation of perspective views. Though being a fairly new technology, lidar has been influenced by and had a significant impact on photogrammetry. Such an influence or impact can be attributed to the complementary nature of the information provided by the two systems. For example, photogrammetric processing of imagery produces accurate information regarding object space break lines (discontinuities). On the other hand, lidar provides accurate information describing homogeneous physical surfaces. Hence, it proves logical to combine data from the two sensors to arrive at a more robust and complete reconstruction of 3D objects. This paper introduces alternative approaches for the registration of data captured by photogrammetric and lidar systems to a common reference frame. The first approach incorporates lidar features as control for establishing the datum in the photogrammetric bundle adjustment. The second approach starts by manipulating the photogrammetric imagery to produce a 3D model, including a set of linear features along object space discontinuities, relative to an arbitrarily chosen coordinate system. Afterwards, conjugate photogrammetric and lidar straight-line features are used to establish the transformation between the arbitrarily chosen photogrammetric coordinate system and the lidar reference frame. The second approach (bundle adjustment, followed by similarity transformation) is general enough to be applied for the co-registration of multiple three-dimensional datasets regardless of their origin (e.g., adjacent lidar strips, surfaces in GIS databases, and temporal elevation data). The registration procedure would allow for the identification of inconsistencies between the surfaces in question. Such inconsistencies might arise from changes taking place within the object space or inaccurate calibration of the internal characteristics of the lidar and the photogrammetric systems. Therefore, the proposed methodology is useful for change detection and system calibration applications. Experimental results from aerial and terrestrial datasets proved the feasibility of the suggested methodologies.
Dynamics of Kuroshio path variations in a high-resolution general circulation model

[1] A long-lived (2-year) typical large meander (LM) path of the Kuroshio is reproduced in a high-resolution general circulation model (GCM) simulation with realistic topography, and the life cycle (formation, maintenance, and disappearance) of the LM is studied. The formation of the LM is triggered by a pair of upper layer anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies on the Kuroshio, with the cyclonic one on the downstream side. Upon reaching the western side of the Shikoku Basin south of Japan these anomalies induce a lower layer anticyclonic eddy. They enhance each other while they are carried eastward by the Kuroshio. Specifically, the southward flow on the eastern side of the lower anticyclonic eddy carries the upper cold cyclonic eddy offshore, resulting in the southward deflection of the Kuroshio path (large meander). These processes can be understood as a growth of baroclinic instability. A stationary LM is established when the westward tendency, caused by the beta effect owing to the large meridional displacement, counterbalances the eastward tendency, caused by the combination of advection and vortex induction owing to the curvature of the Kuroshio path. Large-scale disturbances from the upstream tend to strengthen the LM through baroclinic energy conversion. In contrast, small-scale disturbances from the upstream grow locally along the meandering Kuroshio front through baroclinic energy conversion. They extract cold waters from the cold cyclonic eddy of the LM as they flow away to the east. The horizontal extent of the cold cyclonic eddy is reduced, and the meander is carried eastward since the advection effect dominates over the beta effect that weakens as a result of the smaller meridional extent.
Four-Arm Log-Periodic Toothed Antenna With Hybrid Reflector Composed of Inhomogeneous Metamatarial Elements for Electronic Support Measures

A novel method of enhancing radiation performance is demonstrated by applying a hybrid reflector composed of inhomogeneous metamaterial elements to a four-arm log-periodic toothed antenna. The operation of the antennas by various metamaterial cells is observed, and the causes of the radiation performance deterioration and narrow bandwidth are investigated through the field distribution analysis. The metamaterial cells are arranged in suitable positions under the antenna for good radiation performance and wide bandwidth according to AMC and EBG characteristics. In the proposed hybrid reflector, surface wave suppression characteristics are used for impedance stabilization by placing the I-shaped EBG cell under the inactive region of the antenna. The performance of the fabricated antenna with dual linear polarization capability is verified by measuring co- and cross-polarization radiation patterns. The newly proposed hybrid reflector for the four-arm log-periodic toothed antenna represents an over 4 dBi realized gain within an impedance ratio bandwidth of over 11.6:1.
Real-time data processing display platform of imaging laser radar

This paper describes a display platform of imaging laser radar system. A display platform is developed for imaging laser radar system, as well as the design, compose and software flow of display platform is introduced. We use Visual C++ 6.0 to build it in Windows system, and display the intensity and distance image of the target. Farther, display platform realizes the grayscale transformation of the image, and gets the different pictures with the different grayscale transformation of the same image. Display platform also can select the specific distance value of the target before detecting and save the image data. The soft met the need of laser radar imaging through experiment.
Photoionized Herbig–Haro Objects in the Orion Nebula through Deep High Spectral Resolution Spectroscopy. II. HH 204

We analyze the physical conditions, chemical composition, and other properties of the photoionized Herbig–Haro (HH) object HH 204 through Very Large Telescope echelle spectroscopy and Hubble Space Telescope imaging. We kinematically isolate the high-velocity emission of HH 204 from the emission of the background nebula and study the subarcsecond distribution of physical conditions and ionic abundances across the HH object. We find that low- and intermediate-ionization emission arises exclusively from gas at photoionization equilibrium temperatures, whereas the weak high-ionization emission from HH 204 shows a significant contribution from higher-temperature shock-excited gas. We separately derive the ionic abundances of HH 204, the emission of the Orion Nebula, and the fainter diffuse blue layer. In HH 204, the O+ abundance determined from collisional excited lines matches the one based on recombination lines, while the O2+ abundance is very low, so that the oxygen abundance discrepancy is zero. The ionic abundances of Ni and Fe in HH 204 have similar ionization and depletion patterns, with total abundances that are a factor of 3.5 higher than in the rest of the Orion Nebula due to dust destruction in the bow shock. We show that a failure to resolve the kinematic components in our spectra would lead to significant error in the determination of chemical abundances (for instance, a 40% underestimate of O), mainly due to incorrect estimation of the electron density.
Early Telychian changes in graptoloid diversity and sea level

It is suggested that a decrease in graptoloid diversity in the utilis Subzone (early Telychian) resulted from a eustatic fall in sea level induced by the spread of ice sheets from the highlands of central Gondwanaland. Major extinctions occurred within the retiolites and the genera Glyptograptus, Petalolithus, Stimulograptus and Rastrites. The selectivity of the extinction may reflect the degree of environmental tolerance of the various graptoloid taxa, with those exhibiting water mass specificity most seriously affected. Lithological changes, here correlated with the glacial interval, are recognized from the Yangtze Platform of China and from Europe.
Depositional controls on mixed carbonate–siliciclastic cycles and sequences on gently inclined shelf profiles

The interplay between carbonate production and siliciclastic input produces mixed systems that typically contain a very high degree of lateral and vertical facies heterogeneity. This heterogeneity complicates the sequence stratigraphic analysis of mixed systems. Outcrop studies facilitate the deciphering of controls and understanding of facies distributions within sedimentary successions. The Picún Leufú Anticline in the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) offers the opportunity to integrate large‐scale depositional architecture with detailed facies descriptions of the shelf to basin successions of the Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous Quintuco – Picún Leufú – Vaca Muerta System. The strata in the system are mixed and range in depositional environments from shallow marine sandstones and limestones to deep basinal shales. These environments are arranged in metre‐scale shallowing upward cycles and cycle sets, with increasing carbonate proportions in regressive hemicycles. Increased input of siliciclastic material from the volcanic arc area occurred during phases of relative sea‐level rise and was controlled by the intensity of along‐shelf currents. The shelf transport was driven by the available accommodation space on the shelf, and therefore was a function of the eustatic sea‐level fluctuations. Within the studied section, a pure carbonate depositional system developed because siliciclastic input was shut down either due to long‐lived highstand settings or a sudden climatic change to more arid conditions. Carbonate–siliciclastic mixing in this setting is a function of siliciclastic dilution of the carbonate sedimentation and differs from the classical reciprocal sedimentation model, which typically includes shut‐off of carbonate production during lowstand periods. In the regional context, the subsurface strata of time‐equivalent reservoirs in the Eastern Neuquén Embayment display strong similarities of architecture, indicating that similar mixing processes occurred along most of the Neuquén Basin.
Bone Collagen Quality Indicators for Palaeodietary and Radiocarbon Measurements

The quality of bone collagen extracts is central to the14C dating and isotope palaeodietary analysis of bone. The intactness and purity of the extracted gelatin (“collagen”) is strongly dependent on the extent of diagenetic degradation, contamination and the type of extraction method. Possible chemical, elemental and isotopic parameters for the assessment of “collagen” quality are discussed. The most important distinction that can be made is the one between contaminated bone (mostly from temperate zones), and bone low in collagen content (mostly from arid and tropical zones). The latter shows more variability in all quality parameters than the former. The natural level of contamination is mostly so low that stable isotopic measurements are not impaired, although14C measurements can be. It is concluded that there is no unequivocal way to detect natural levels of contamination with the discussed parameters, although their use can identify many cases. In low “collagen” bone, the parameters can identify the great majority of problematic samples: although deviations in these parameters do not necessarily mean isotopic alterations, the increased background found in these samples makes most samples unusable.
Extreme wind conditions observed by satellite synthetic aperture radar in the North West Pacific

In this paper some recent results on SAR observation of extreme surface wind conditions are summarized. Particular emphasis is put on the investigation of typhoons occurring in the North West Pacific. The study is based on the use of ENVISAT ASAR wide swath images (400 km×400 km), which allow synoptic measurements of the complete mesoscale system at high resolution (150 m). Surface wind speed for typhoon cases is determined from SAR measurements using the geophysical model function CMOD5. Further structures observed in the image like streaks indicating wind direction and the ring of maximum wind speed are additionally taken into account to reconstruct the typhoon wind field. The influence of heavy rain on the radar cross section is estimated from an existing radiative transfer model and compared to the SAR measurements. A new technique for the estimation of typhoon intensity from SAR data is presented, which makes use of a parametric type model. The main goal of the paper is the improvement of the estimation of maximum typhoon intensity using SAR data.
AMALGAM TINNING OF CHINESE BRONZE ANTIQUITIES

This paper investigates the question whether or not amalgam tinning was used for the plating of bronze objects in pre-Han and Han dynasty China. The relevant literary sources are reviewed and amalgam tinning is characterized experimentally with regard to its micro-structure and residual mercury content using metallography and electron microprobe analysis. Examination of a tinning sample from a Warring States dagger previously assumed to be amalgam tinned demonstrates that this was probably not the case, but that a trace of mercury found in the plating is likely to be the result of contamination.
Molecular mechanics and dynamics characterization of an in silico mutated protein: A stand‐alone lab module or support activity for in vivo and in vitro analyses of targeted proteins

Over the past 20 years, the biological sciences have increasingly incorporated chemistry, physics, computer science, and mathematics to aid in the development and use of mathematical models. Such combined approaches have been used to address problems from protein structure–function relationships to the workings of complex biological systems. Computer simulations of molecular events can now be accomplished quickly and with standard computer technology. Also, simulation software is freely available for most computing platforms, and online support for the novice user is ample. We have therefore created a molecular dynamics laboratory module to enhance undergraduate student understanding of molecular events underlying organismal phenotype. This module builds on a previously described project in which students use site‐directed mutagenesis to investigate functions of conserved sequence features in members of a eukaryotic protein kinase family. In this report, we detail the laboratory activities of a MD module that provide a complement to phenotypic outcomes by providing a hypothesis‐driven and quantifiable measure of predicted structural changes caused by targeted mutations. We also present examples of analyses students may perform. These laboratory activities can be integrated with genetics or biochemistry experiments as described, but could also be used independently in any course that would benefit from a quantitative approach to protein structure–function relationships. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 41(6):402–408, 2013