Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Turbidity modeling based on the concentration of total suspended solids for stormwater runoff from construction and development sites

Stormwater discharges from construction sites carry large sediment loads resulting in highly turbid water. Thus, to reduce sediment concentration in construction site runoff, a standard is currently being established in the United States, using turbidity as a surrogate measure of sediment concentration. Since current models predict concentration of total suspended solids (TSS), a relationship between turbidity and TSS would allow these models to predict turbidity of the runoff. This research has been shown to develop turbidity – TSS relationship for primary particle classes of Cecil and Pacolet soils. A linear regression model was developed to correlate turbidity and TSS for each primary particle class. This model predicts turbidity based on sediment concentrations for each of the primary particles which allows prediction of turbidity for a soil composed of any combination of these particle classes. Further, it allows prediction of turbidity for combination of different soils and the impact of stormwater BMPs on turbidity.
The design of diaphragm-type boundary total stress cells

The compliance of boundary total stress cells is normally the primary criterion governing their design. It is widely believed that they will not under-read the pressures applied to them by soil if the ratio of the diameter of the cell diaphragm to the displacement at its centre is not smaller than some threshold value (typically 2000). This Paper reports the results of experimental and finite element studies which show that this approach is unsound, and that boundary total stress cells are more properly designed by taking into account the relative stiffness of the diaphragm with respect to the soil. Care must be taken in the design of calibration experiments, and soil stiffness must be measured locally and at small strains. There is then good agreement between observed cell action factors and predictions made using finite element analyses. Charts are presented which may be used for the design of field and laboratory instrumentation.
Additive Manufacturing of a Uniaxial Anisotropic Dielectric Material for Antenna Applications

⎯ In this paper, we propose a procedure to design a uniaxial anisotropic dielectric material by additive manufacturing of ceramics. Such materials may find interesting applications in the design of dielectric resonators. As an example, a single-fed circularly polarized dielectric resonator antenna exploiting dielectric anisotropy is detailed. We propose a unit cell that constitutes the required uniaxial anisotropic material. Simulation results based on the antenna performances using an ideal anisotropic material and a periodic structure of several unit cells are also compared, showing a good agreement.
The Hollyford Gabbronorite — A calcalkaline cumulate

Abstract Gabbroic rocks crop out over an area of at least 50 km2 in the Darran Mountains of southern New Zealand. Work in the southern part of this body shows the predominant rock type to be leucocratic gabbronorite. The rocks become less basic from east to west — olivine is found only in the eastern part, and pyroxene Fe:Mg increases westward. Whole-rock analyses show high Al2O3 contents and fractionated REE patterns which are depleted relative to other basaltic rocks. It is suggested that these features are the result of crystal accumulation in a calcalkaline magma.
Some Placement Techniques of Test Components Inspired by Fog Computing Approaches

In this work we are interested in placing test components for Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities. Our work is inspired by similar works aiming the placement of application components in Fog computational nodes. First we give an overview about the decision variables to consider. Then, we deﬁne several types of constraints that may be included in the placement problem. Moreover, We list a set of possible Objectives Functions to maximize or minimize. Finally, we propose some algorithms and techniques to solve the considered Test Component Placement Problem (TCPP) taken from the literature.
The natural gamma-ray flux; in-situ analysis

A fully portable transistorized gamma-ray spectrometer has been constructed, and used to investigate the nature of the gamma ray activity at the surface of rock outcrops. Gamma-ray photopeaks of K 40 and members of the U and Th series have been identified, along with strong fallout activity dominated by the 0.75 Mev activity of Zr 95 . A method has been devised for measuring, in situ, the K, U, and Th contents of rocks. Calibration accounts for the interference between the radioelements, and for background radiation. The following estimates of accuracy and sensitivity are for five-minute counting intervals: 5 percent plus 0.1 percent K, 10 percent plus 0.2 ppm U, 10 percent plus 0.5 ppm Th. The main advantages of the method are its speed and versatility, and the very large sample analyzed. A number of surveys have been performed to demonstrate some of the applications of the instrument. The major project of this series is the detailed mapping of the K, U, and Th distribution in the Preissac granite of northwestern Quebec. In addition to its use as a petrologic tool, the technique is eminently suited to prospecting for U and Th, and the quantitative evaluations of occurrence of these elements.
Statistical Prediction of Seasonal Mean Southern Hemisphere 500-hPa Geopotential Heights

Abstract A recently developed variance decomposition approach is applied to predict seasonal mean 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies in the Southern Hemisphere. In terms of predictability of both the winter and summer height fields, the Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode are identified as the first and second most important factors affecting the variability. Based on this study, a statistical prediction scheme has been developed. The linear trend in the leading empirical orthogonal function of the height field, the November Southern Annular Mode index, the austral spring Nino-3 index, and the November Coral Sea index are identified as the main predictors for the summer height field, while the March–May Southern Annular Mode index, the May Nino-4 index, and the austral autumn central Indian Ocean index are the main predictors for the winter height field. The predictive skill in forecasts of National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research and Europea.
Development of the K-stiffness method for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls constructed with c-ϕ soils

In this paper the K-stiffness method is extended to the case of c-ϕ soils using data obtained from a total of nine new case studies – six from Japan and three from the USA. A common feature in this new data set is that the walls were all constructed with a vertical face using backfill soils with a range of fines content. The walls varied widely with respect to facing type. This new data set together with previously published data for vertical walls is now used to isolate the effect of soil cohesion on reinforcement loads within the framework of the original K-stiffness method. The new data set is used to calibrate a modified K-stiffness method equation that includes a cohesion influence factor. The modified K-stiffness method is demonstrated to quantitatively improve the estimate of the magnitude and distribution of reinforcement loads for internal stability design of vertical-faced geosynthetic reinforced soil walls with c-ϕ soil backfills when compared to the current American Association of State Highwa.
An Improved Liberal Cloud-Mask for Addressing Snow/Cloud Confusion with MODIS

Abstract The utility of the daily MODIS snow products depends on the ability of the MODIS cloud-masking algorithm to differentiate between snow- and cloud-cover. Although few studies have explored the issue, snow/cloud confusion is a key issue limiting the accuracy of the MODIS snow products. Recent studies from the Southern Hemisphere suggested that snow/cloud confusion limited the utility of the MODIS snow products there. In this study, MODIS snow/cloud confusion over Australia was investigated using an improved liberal cloud-mask in conjunction with a snow-detection algorithm. The performance of the proposed cloud-mask was assessed using high-resolution ASTER imagery and in situ observations. Results indicated that the improved liberal cloud-masking algorithm reduced snow/ cloud confusion, successfully identifying snow-covered pixels that were previously identified as cloudy. The analysis further suggested that scale-related differences in imagery used in the standard MODIS cloud-masking workflow might be the source of some snow/cloud confusion previously reported.
Functional outcomes by age after inpatient stroke rehabilitation in saudi Arabia

Background: Among various risk factors, age has been identified as a nonmodifiable risk factor for stroke that influences functional outcomes after inpatient stroke rehabilitation in the developed world as well as in Saudi Arabia (SA). The demand for inpatient stroke rehabilitation services increases with population aging and stroke incidence; however, these services are limited in SA. Objective: To examine functional outcomes by age after inpatient stroke rehabilitation in SA. Patients and methods: Data from 418 patients with stroke who underwent inpatient stroke rehabilitation at the King Fahad Medical City-Rehabilitation Hospital, Riyadh, SA, between November 2008 and December 2014 were collected from electronic medical records. According to the patients’ age, we classified participants into two groups: adults, aged , 65 years (n = 255), and older adults, aged $ 65 years (n = 163). All patients’ functional statuses at admission and discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation were assessed using the functional independence measure (FIM) scale. Results: The mean age was 59.9 years (SD = 9.4). Older adults had significantly smaller changes in functional outcome from admission to discharge on both the total FIM (23 [SD = 15.9]) and the motor FIM (21 [SD = 15.4]), and they were significantly less independent (36%) compared to adults. In the adjusted models, older adults had significantly lower scores than adults, by 11 points ( p , 0.0001) for the total FIM score and by 10 points ( p , 0.0001) for the motor FIM subscale score. There was no significant change with age in the cognitive FIM subscale score. Conclusion: After inpatient stroke rehabilitation, older adults had limited functional outcomes or were less independent than adults. However, the clinical relevance of this finding is question-able, so there is currently no justification to deny patients access to intensive stroke rehabilitation solely because of advanced age. Future large-scale research is needed to confirm rehabilitation outcomes by including confounders such as social support, socioeconomics, comorbidities, and the patient’s opinion after rehabilitation.
PRIVACY PROTECTION OF SMART METER USERS BASED ON RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES AND SOLAR PANELS

In smart grid, smart meter (SM) samples the energy consumption of users at high frequency. By analyzing measurement data, users' behavior patterns can be identified, which threatens consumers' privacy. This paper studies the protection of SM privacy by solar power generation system and rechargeable battery (RB). Solar energy provides alternative power other than power grids for users. RB provides energy storage. Under the constraints of RB physical conditions and solar radiation, a "privacy-cost dual optimization model" is proposed to minimize the weighted sum of privacy leakage and power consumption costs. In order to solve the optimization problem, we propose a new optimization algorithm. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the algorithm. The effects of different target curves on privacy protection are studied.
Decadal timescale links between Antarctic Peninsula ice-core oxygen-18, deuterium and temperature

The Antarctic Peninsula region has exprienced a long-term warming trend over the twentieth century, with the 1971-90 mean at Faraday being 1.9°C warmer than the mean over 1903-41 based on expedition reports. For the period prior to 1900, there is conflicting evidence from different data sources. An initial interpretation of isotopic data from ice cores suggests that the nineteenth century was warmer than the twentieth century. In contrast, snow accumulation rate data for the nineteenth century from the same ice cores suggest lower temperatures. Here we investigate these facts by studying the links between atmospheric temperature over the Antarctic Peninsula, circulation parameters and isotopic data over the period of instrumental records. We show that the relationships between these variables are complex and highly spatially variable. In particular, the correlations between temperature and δ 18O and δD are generally of the order r = 0.5 or less on timescales of one to five years. Conflicts between evidence from accumulation rate and isotopic data appear to reflect the influence of source-region effects on the isotope records. To unravel the complex isotopic records available for the Peninsula region better; additional cores must be analysed for both δ 18O and 8D at the same site.
Green for the Right reasons? How government ideology shapes preferences over climate change negotiations in the Global South

Research on the drivers of foreign policy regarding climate change negotiations has extensively delved into the effects of risks and mitigation costs, as well as the relevance of interest groups such as civil society organizations or carbon-intensive industries. However, the role of governments’ ideological orientation has been neglected in most quantitative studies. Building upon an original dataset consisting of 1194 statements at the Conference of the Parties within multilateral climate change negotiations from 2010 to 2018, this paper addresses the impact of government ideology on the negotiating position of developing countries. Despite previous academic work that assert that left-wing governments are more likely to adopt pro-environment stances, I argue that this is only the case in developed countries. Results suggest that the effect of ideology is different in the Global South, where right-wing pluralist governments are more likely to adopt ambitious positions in climate change negotiations than left-wing executives as well as populist leaders.
to the

The Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Program (SALSA) is a multi-agency, multi-national research effort that seeks to evaluate the consequences of natural and human-induced environmental change in semi-arid regions. The ultimate goal of SALSA is to advance scientiﬁc understanding of the semi-arid portion of the hydrosphere–biosphere interface in order to provide reliable information for environmental decision making. SALSA approaches this goal through a program of long-term, integratedobservations,processresearch,modeling,assessment,andinformationmanagementthatissustainedbycooperation amongscientistsandinformationusers.InthisprefacetotheSALSAspecialissue,generalprogrambackgroundinformation andthecriticalnatureofsemi-aridregionsispresented.AbriefdescriptionoftheUpperSanPedroRiverBasin,theinitialloca-tionforfocusedSALSAresearchfollows.Severaloverarchingresearchobjectivesunderwhichmuchoftheinterdisciplinary researchcontainedinthespecialissuewasundertakenarediscussed.Principalmethods,primaryresearchsitesanddatacol-lectionusedbynumerousinvestigatorsduring1997–1999arethenpresented.Scientistsfromabout20US,ﬁveEuropean(four FrenchandoneDutch),andthreeMexicanagenciesandinstitutionshavecollaboratedcloselytomaketheresearchleading tothisspecialissueareality.TheSALSAProgramhasservedasamodelofinteragencycooperationbybreakingnewground intheapproachtolargescaleinterdisciplinarysciencewithrelativelylimitedresources.PublishedbyElsevierScienceB. V.
Phylogeography of the Bigeye Chub Phylogeography of the Bigeye Chub Hybopsis amblops (Teleostei: (Teleostei: Cypriniformes): Early Pleistocene Diversification and Post ‐ Glacial Cypriniformes): Early Pleistocene Diversification and Post Glacial Range Expansion Range Expansion

The bigeye chub, Hybopsis amblops , is a member of the Central Highlands ichthyofauna of eastern North America. Phylogenetic analyses of the H. amblops species group based on a 1059 bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene did not recover a monophyletic group. The inclusion of Hybopsis hypsinotus in the species complex is questionable. Within H. amblops , five strongly supported clades were identified; two clades containing haplotypes from the Ozark Highlands and three clades containing haplotypes from the Eastern Highlands and previously glaciated regions of the Ohio and Wabash River drainages. Estimates of the timing of divergence indicated that prior to the onset of glaciation, vicariant events separated populations east and west of the Mississippi River. East of the Mississippi River glacial cycles associated with the blocking and rerouting of the Teays River system caused populations to be pushed southward into refugia of the upper Ohio River. Following the most recent Wisconsinan glaciation, populations expanded northward into previously glaciated regions and southward into the Cumberland River drainage. In the Ozarks, west of the Mississippi River, isolation of clades appears to be maintained by the lack of stream capture events between the upper Arkansas and the White River systems and a barrier formed by the Arkansas River.
Preliminary assessment of climatic change during Late Wisconsin time, southern Great Basin and vicinity, Arizona, California, and Nevada

Concentration and relative abundance of plant macrofossils illustrate compositional variations in samples from the Eleana Range-2 packrat midden. Nine macrofossil assemblages spanning 6500 radiocarbon years record local vegetational changes in the southern Great Basin of Nevada during the last one-half of the late Wisconsin glacial age. The vegetation of the Eleana Range-2 site, on a south-facing slope at 1810 meters altitude, was characterized by limber pine and steppe shrubs, from before 17,100 radiocarbon years before present to shortly after 13,200 radiocarbon years before present. Changes toward a more xerophytic plant association at the site began by 16,000 radiocarbon years before present, culminating in a major change to pinyon-juniper woodland between 13,200 and 11,700 radiocarbon years before present. The climatic reconstruction for the late full glacial episode (17,000 to 15,000 radiocarbon years before present) that is proposed to account for limber pine-shrub vegetation in the Eleana Range is characterized by increased winter precipitation, and very little summer rainfall. A major warming trend occurred between about 16,000 and 12,000 radiocarbon years before present and was largely concordant with major dessication of closed lakes in the southern Great Basin. A period of wetter conditions in the southern Great Basin during the latest Wisconsin more » may have incorporated increased precipitation during both the summer and winter, and lower temperatures during the winter, relative to the present. 93 references, 5 figures, 6 tables. « less
Increasing Well Yield with Hybrid Wells

Hybrid wells (a type of collector well) offer a method of increasing the specific capacity of a deep well. A regular deep well is combined with a gallery constructed similar to the qanats, a labor-intensive technology found in the Middle East. Qanats, tunnels that tap ground water for water supplies, are described. The author explains: (1) the method of constructing hybrid wells, (2) some theoretical considerations using the nonequilibrium equation for pumping tests and the Donnan equation for drain design, and (3) the economic gains from hybrid wells.
Holocene East Asian monsoon variability: Links to solar and tropical Pacific forcing

Sedimentary geochemical records from subalpine Retreat Lake, subtropical Taiwan, document the unstable East Asian monsoon (EAM) climate over the past ∼10,300 years, with a weak EAM between ∼10.3 and 8.6 ky B.P., EAM intensity peaks between 8.6 and 7.7 ky B.P., and then gradually decrease in response to summer insolation, heat and moisture transport. Our proxy record reveals several weak monsoon intervals that correlate to low sea surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific and cold events in the North Atlantic, linking the tropical Pacific, North Atlantic, and Polar climates because weak EAM events at ∼8.2, 5.4 and 4.5–2.1 ky B.P. also correspond to low values of atmospheric methane and periods of reduced North Atlantic Deep Water formation. We therefore suggest that centennial to millennial scale monsoon variability during the Holocene in the northern subtropics is globally‐mediated via a sun‐ocean‐monsoon‐North Atlantic linkage.
A possible positive feedback of reduction of precipitation and increase in aerosols over eastern central China

In this study, observed precipitation, MODIS data and meteorological sounding data over eastern central China were analyzed. The result shows that the precipitation in this region is significantly reduced during the last 40 years and this reduction of precipitation is strongly correlated to the high concentrations of aerosols. Meteorological sounding data indicates that the atmospheric stability in the troposphere has been increasing during the last 17 years. It is speculated that the aerosol layer in the lower troposphere affects the radiative processes, which lead to changes in atmospheric stability. The enhancement in the atmospheric stability tends to depress upward motion and precipitation in this region. Because precipitation plays a major role for the sink for aerosol particles through washout process, less precipitation will lead to an increase in aerosol particles. This possible positive feed back cycle (more aerosols → less precipitation → more aerosols) will induce an acceleration process for the reduction of precipitation in eastern central China.
Proof assistants for undergraduate mathematics education: elements of an a priori analysis

This paper presents an a priori analysis of the use of six different interactive proof assistants for education, based on the resolution of a typical undergraduate exercise on abstract functions. It proposes to analyze these tools according to three main categories of aspects: language and interaction mode, automation and user assistance, and proof structure and visualization. We argue that this analysis may help formulate and clarify further research questions on the possible impact of such tools on the development of reasoning and proving skills
Monte Carlo simulation of two‐dimensional domain structures in magnetite

A Monte Carlo method was applied for micromagnetic studies of two-dimensional domain structures of a 1-μm magnetite cube in zero field. By using this method we could incorporate the effect of thermal agitation into micromagnetic modeling. Starting from an initial single-domain structure (a saturated state), we obtained a closure domain structure with three body and four closure domains. This structure is quite different from the checkerboard-like structure obtained by a conjugate gradient method, and it gives a much lower energy and saturation remanence ratio. An initial lamellar two-domain structure evolved into a vortex structure, which was also reached from an initial quasi-vortex structure. Although such a vortex structure has a lower energy than the closure domain structure, it was not attainable from an initial single-domain structure at room temperature. The Monte Carlo method is effective in finding a path to escape from unstable local energy minima and reach a stable local energy minimum, although not necessarily a global minimum, at a given temperature. The structure corresponding to such a stable local minimum should represent a realistic domain structure, comparable to what would be attained in nature with the aid of thermal fluctuations of spins.