Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction of Ocean Waves with a Soft Bottom

Abstract Soft muddy bottoms have significant effects on properties of water waves which propagate over them. The wave dispersion equation is modified and wave energy is dissipated by the coupling between the waves in water and those induced in the mud layer. These effects are theoretically determined by assuming a viscoelastic mud layer. A boundary-value problem is solved for the water-mud system with sinusoidal waves. The theoretical dissipation rates are compared favorably with field measurements.
Analysis of total cloud amount over China, 1951–1994

Trends in Chinese total cloud amount were analyzed for the period 1951–1994. Cloud data were obtained from a database of 6‐hourly weather observations provided by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) to the U.S. Department of Energy's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) through a bilateral research agreement. Seasonal and annual means of midday (1400 Beijing Time (BT)) and midnight (0200 BT) observations were computed for each of 196 stations and over 8 specific regions of China. Linear regression analysis was used to characterize seasonal and annual trends in total cloud amount from 1951–1994. Decreasing trends in both midday and midnight cloud amount are observed over much of China; most stations in central, eastern, and northeastern China show statistically significant decreases of 1–3% sky cover per decade. These decreases in cloud amount are especially interesting in light of recent temperature trends observed over China. Several studies have shown significant increasing trends in daily minimum temperatures over China since 1951, especially in the northeastern part of the country, precisely where the strongest decreasing trends in total cloud amount are observed. Increases in cloud amount have been offered as a possible explanation for increasing minimum temperatures in other parts of the world; however, in China it seems that some mechanism(s) other than increasing cloud amount must be considered for understanding the observed increase in minimum temperatures.
Factors affecting mechanical and creep properties of silicate-grouted sands

Factors affecting the strength, modulus, stress-strain, and time-to-failure relationships of moist-cured silicate-grouted sands were investigated from short-term and creep tests. Variables included in the short-term tests were curing time, sand gradation and mineralogy, rate of loading, curing time, and confining pressure. Confining pressure was varied up to 550 kPa, and the stress and strain loading rates were varied from 0.05 to 5.0 Pa/min and from 0.01 to 1.0%/min, respectively. The shear strength and failure strain of moist-cured grouted sands were independent of the confining pressure, but they were affected by all other variables investigated. Compressive failure strains for silicate-grouted sands were less than 0.4% and the limitation in improving the compressive strength of sand has been quantified. Grouted limestone sand had the highest strength. The creep behavior of grouted sand was also investigated. Stress-strain and time-to-failure relationships for grouted sands have been developed.
Random Geometric Graphs

1. Introduction 2. Probabilistic ingredients 3. Subgraph and component counts 4. Typical vertex degrees 5. Geometrical ingredients 6. Maximum degree, cliques and colourings 7. Minimum degree: laws of large numbers 8. Minimum degree: convergence in distribution 9. Percolative ingredients 10. Percolation and the largest component 11. The largest component for a binomial process 12. Ordering and partitioning problems 13. Connectivity and the number of components References Index
Density, temperature, and composition of the North American lithosphere—New insights from a joint analysis of seismic, gravity, and mineral physics data: 2. Thermal and compositional model of the upper mantle

Temperature and compositional variations of the North American (NA) lithospheric mantle are estimated using a new inversion technique introduced in Part 1, which allows us to jointly interpret seismic tomography and gravity data, taking into account depletion of the lithospheric mantle beneath the cratonic regions. The technique is tested using two tomography models (NA07 and SL2013sv) and different lithospheric density models. The first density model (Model I) reproduces the typical compositionally stratified lithospheric mantle, which is consistent with xenolith samples from the central Slave craton, while the second one (Model II) is based on the direct inversion of the residual gravity and residual topography. The results obtained, both in terms of temperature and composition, are more strongly influenced by the input models derived from seismic tomography, rather than by the choice of lithospheric density Model I versus Model II. The final temperatures estimated in the Archean lithospheric root are up to 150°C higher than in the initial thermal models obtained using a laterally and vertically uniform “fertile” compositional model and are in agreement with temperatures derived from xenolith data. Therefore, the effect of the compositional variations cannot be neglected when temperatures of the cratonic lithospheric mantle are estimated. Strong negative compositional density anomalies (<−0.03 g/cm3), corresponding to Mg # (100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe)) >92, characterize the lithospheric mantle of the northwestern part of the Superior craton and the central part of the Slave and Churchill craton, according to both tomographic models. The largest discrepancies between the results based on different tomography models are observed in the Proterozoic regions, such as the Trans Hudson Orogen (THO), Rocky Mountains, and Colorado Plateau, which appear weakly depleted (>−0.025 g/cm3 corresponding to Mg # ∼91) when model NA07 is used, or locally characterized by high‐density bodies when model SL2013sv is used. The former results are in agreement with those based on the interpretation of xenolith data. The high‐density bodies might be interpreted as fragments of subducted slabs or of the advection of the lithospheric mantle induced from the eastward‐directed flat slab subduction. The selection of a seismic tomography model plays a significant role when estimating lithospheric density, temperature, and compositional heterogeneity. The consideration of the results of more than one model gives a more complete picture of the possible compositional variations within the NA lithospheric mantle.
Genesis of Turbic Cryosols on north-facing slopes in a dissected, unglaciated landscape, west-central Yukon Territory

The characteristics and landscape distribution of Histic Dystric Turbic Cryosols were examined on a steep (>30%) northerly slope in the unglaciated Klondike Plateau, near Dawson City, Yukon Territory. Based on texture, major element geochemistry, and clay mineralogy, the mineral parent materials were crudely stratified, with a silty material of likely aeolian origin overlying sandy gravelly colluvium. Discontinuous organic matter-enriched horizons occurred 50 cm or more below the active layer, and contained abundant partially decomposed plant detritus. Eight accelerator radiocarbon dates, ranging from 350 ± 40 to 3680 ± 40 14C years BP, suggested that incorporation of organic materials within and below the active layer was geologically recent, and had likely occurred by a combination of cryoturbation and slope processes. The widespread and rapid initiation of mass movements on slopes containing permafrost that followed forest fires in 2004 on the Klondike Plateau may be an analogue for the processes that .
Crop rotation and soil amendments: impacts on cotton and maize production in a cotton-based system in western Burkina Faso.

Crop production in the semi arid zone is limited by nutrients availability. Farmers in the area are unable to afford chemical fertilizers because of their low financial conditions. The design of cropping system with low inputs is therefore of importance for farmers. A crop rotation and soil amendment techniques study was carried out from 2000 to 2005 in Farako-Ba research centre, western Burkina Faso to observe effects on maize and cotton seed yields. The treatments included six crop rotation systems and four soil amendments. The results showed a significant impact of crop rotation on both maize grain and cotton seed yields when a legume was included in the rotation. The yields were low when the rotation included only cereals and cotton. Soil amendment techniques including farmyard manure and phosphate rock generated the highest impact on crops yields while they were lowest when the straight fertilizers (urea, KCl, phosphate rock) were used. No significant interactions were found between crop rotation and soil amendment techniques. This suggests the possibility to save on fertilizers for maize while a minimum input is essential to support good cotton seed production. A crop rotation including a legume combined with organic manures is suitable to ensure a sustainable crop production in the semi arid zone of Burkina Faso. International Journal of Biological & Chemical Sciences Vol. 1 (2) 2007: pp. 143-150
Organic carbon accumulation in the Holocene sapropel of the Black Sea

The modern laminated coccolith marl (unit 1) of the Black Sea containing 2–6 wt% organic carbon overlies a finely laminated sapropel (unit 2) containing 5–20 wt% organic carbon. However, the accumulation rate of organic carbon in the sapropel is not significantly different from that in unit 1. In contrast, the accumulation rates of either CaCO 3 or lithogenous matter (clay) are significantly lower in the sapropel compared with unit 1. Thus, the sapropel has very high organic carbon contents because of lesser dilution of the organic fraction by the other bulk components. Because the accumulation rate of organic carbon in the sapropel is similar to that in unit 1, which is not significantly different from accumulation rates in oxygenated environments in similar settings, the Black Sea sapropel is not necessarily characteristic of anoxic basins.
A Knowledge-Based System for the Diagnosis and Prediction of Short-Term Climatic Changes in the North Atlantic

Abstract Understanding and predicting climate change is the key problem in climatology. The most well-accepted current approach to this problem involves the development of general circulation models(GCMs). This approach is based on modeling fundamental physical principles in large computer programs. At the same time, however, an increasingly large proportion of the available information regarding the climate system exists in the form of heuristics, or empirical rules of thumb. The objective of the CESNA (Climatic Expert System For the North Atlantic) project is to develop a practical system that can manipulate this qualitative information in such a way as to facilitate insights into observed and anticipated climate changes. The methods used to reach this objective are based on concepts and techniques derived artificial intelligence research on representing and reasoning with uncertain knowledge. A recently completed evaluation of the prototype CESNA measured how well it could predict the sea temperature of.
The impact of nonmethane hydrocarbon compounds on tropospheric photochemistry

Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) play an important role in global scale tropospheric photochemistry. The representation of NMHC chemistry in three-dimensional tropospheric chemistry transport models requires a highly parameterized description of only the most important processes, as the number of reactions and compounds involved is very large. In this paper a chemical scheme is presented, based on the Carbon Bond Mechanism 4 (CBM-4), modified for use in the global Tracer Model 3 (TM3). The original scheme has been extended with reactions important under background conditions, and reaction rates and product distributions have been updated. Box model tests show that the modified CBM-4 and a detailed reference mechanism agree well for a broad range of chemical conditions. Results of TM3 runs with and without NMHC chemistry are compared with observations, illustrating the effects of NMHC on key compounds of tropospheric photochemistry, such as ozone, the hydroxyl radical, carbon monoxide, and NOx. In particular, the simulation of ozone over polluted regions improves when NMHC chemistry is accounted for. Globally, the contribution of NMHC to net photochemical ozone production is estimated at about 40%, leading to a 17% increase of the tropospheric ozone column. OH is depleted over the continents owing to reactions with NMHC, which is most evident in regions with strong biogenic emissions. Although NMHC significantly influence the global OH distribution, their effect on its total tropospheric content appears to be marginal. Results of sensitivity runs with and without organic peroxy nitrates show that this N reservoir may significantly change the global NOx distribution, leading to a NOx increase over the oceans of the order of 50%. This increase improves the agreement between simulated and observed nitrate levels at remote stations, although large discrepancies remain. In general, the present treatment of NMHC reproduces the main features of tropospheric chemistry.
Deriving quantitative dust measurements related to iron ore handling from airborne hyperspectral data

Abstract Dust derived from mining and handling of ore has been identified as a major concern for the mining industry in Australia and may be critical to the future viability of some resource industries. Operational techniques to derive accurate measurements of anthropogenic dust on vegetation and infrastructure are necessary for the long-term management and monitoring of the environment surrounding mining operations. Airborne hyperspectral VNIR-SWIR systems can potentially provide these monitoring data. This paper outlines a method developed for deriving quantitative measurements of dust quantity on mangroves using remotely-sensed airborne hyperspectral data. The results show that it is possible to detect and quantitatively map iron oxide dust distribution using properly calibrated airborne visible to short wave infrared (VNIR-SWIR) data.
Spatial and temporal characterization of annual extreme droughts in Catalonia (northeast Spain)

Several characteristics of annual extreme drought episodes for Catalonia (northeast Spain) are investigated from different points of view. Firstly, possible temporal trends on the length of these episodes are analysed, by means of Student's t test and a Monte Carlo procedure, for each complete pluviometric series. Secondly, the spatial distribution of the seasonal predominance of the annual extreme droughts is analysed, showing the influence of the orographic factors. Thirdly, most of the annual extreme episodes are modelled correctly by the Gumbel distribution of extremes, and the expected lengths for return periods of 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years are computed. Nevertheless, some discordances were detected between this theoretical distribution and the empirical extremes. Thus, the return periods for some gauges were computed by means of the more general Jenkinson model. Finally, the set of pluviometric stations are characterized by the extreme drought lengths of the different return periods, and they are classified according to the average linkage algorithm into clusters of homogeneous gauges. In short, the results obtained suggest that most of the country is characterized by a typical Mediterranean behaviour. However, some differences can be established between littoral areas, some parts of the Central Basin and the pre-Pyrenean and Pyrenean ranges. © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society.
Ocean color variability in the southern Atlantic and southeastern Pacific

The chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) of surface waters is commonly retrieved from space using an empirical polynomial function of the maximum band ratio (MBR), i.e., the maximum ratio of remote sensing reflectance in selected spectral bands in the visible. Recent studies have revealed significant deviations in the relation between MBR and Chla across the oceans. The present work aims at accessing the main sources of MBR variability across the Southern Atlantic and South-east Pacific, using in situ data. The data was collected at 19 bio-optical CTD stations and 40 flowthrough stations during a cruise onboard the R/V Melville, from South Africa to Chile (February-March, 2011). The MBR was derived from modeled remote sensing reflectance using absorption and backscattering measurements. The second order MBR variations (MBR*) were obtained after subtraction of a global polynomial fit for CChla and Chla biases. Multivariate analyses were used to explain the variations with bio-optical properties and phytoplankton pigments. Chla overestimations were associated to high specific phytoplankton absorption (0.73), specific particle backscattering coefficient (0.42) and colored dissolved and particle organic matter (CDM) absorption normalized by non-water absorption (0.38), and vice-versa. The overestimations occurred at stations with dominance of small picoplankton, high concentration of bacteria, and high CDM, while underestimations were in microplankton dominated waters and low CDM. The results reveal important relations of the MBR* with the specific coefficient and associated phytoplankton community structure.
Haline circulation induced by formation and melting of sea ice

A three-dimensional, coupled ice-ocean model is developed, and basic numerical experiments for examining effects of freshwater budget associated with formation and melting of sea ice on the thermohaline circulation are performed. Motion of sea ice affects the freshwater budget in two ways. First, it horizontally transports freshwater in the form of sea ice. Second, it alters the conditions of sea ice, which influence heat budget at the sea surface and thus the rate of formation and melting. To separate such effects of ice motion, two experiments are designed. In one case, ice motion is removed, and in the other case it is included. There appear significant differences in the thermohaline circulation between the two cases. These differences are due to the difference in horizontal distribution of salinity, which is maintained by the cycle of formation, transport, and melting of sea ice and the corresponding freshwater budget. Experiments for investigating dependence of the thermohaline circulation on the distribution of winds and consequent ice motion are also carried out. It is demonstrated that wind-induced ice motion has major influences on how saline water produced by sea ice formation at high latitudes extends.
The Impact of EU Privacy Legislation on Biometric System Deployment : Protecting citizens but constraining applications

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Research on long-term autonomous orbit determination for navigation constellation using inter-satellite orientation observation information

Long-term autonomous orbit determination is one of the key techniques of autonomous navigation for navigation constellation. Based only on cross-link range observation, which is not able to overcome the defect of entire constellation rotation and translation relative to inertial reference frame, the accuracy of autonomous orbit determination is reduced with time. In order to solve this problem, the approach of using inter-satellite orientation observation is put forward to estimate the constellation rotation and translation with the benefit of absolute position information provided by stars. In view of the fact that most navigation satellites moving in near circular orbits, and also in order to reduce the calculation burden of onboard computer, nonsingular orbital elements are chosen as state variables and analytical method is used to calculate the transition matrix in this paper. In addition, the extended Kalman filter is designed to fuse information of satellite dynamic model, cross-link range observation and inter-satellite orientation observation to determine the orbit. The simulation results based on the IGS Final Products of GPS constellation indicate that, at the certain error condition of range and orientation measurement, the URE of constellation is better than 2 meters within 120 days.
On-road evaluation of an automobile emission test program

In January 1995, the State of Colorado superseded an annual decentralized idle test program with an EPA recom mended biennial centralized IM240 test program in the six-county metro Denver area. Odd model year 1982−1994 vehicles and any vehicles that entered the counties or changed ownership required testing in 1995. Even model year vehicles were to be tested in 1996. Five days of on-road remote sensing exhaust measurements in winter 1995−1996 provided 26 255 identified, unique, gasoline-fueled vehicle emission measurements to independently evaluate the marginal benefit of the 1-year-old inspection and maintenance program. Eligible, untested even model years form the control group to compare to tested odd model years. Benefits were significant for CO (between 4% ± 2% and 7% ± 2%). Benefits for HC and NO were not detectable. Error bars are obtained using each day as an independent analysis. An effect not observable by other methods shows odd model year cars outside the program jurisdiction with significantl.
Smelter dust in humus around Rouyn-Noranda, Québec

Microbeam analyses can be used to determine the morphology, texture, size and abundance of smelter dust trapped in humus. The geographic distribution of dust correlates with the geographic distribution of the geochemical signature of anthropogenic input to humus. Results of the study indicate that the observed dust may be classified into two morphotypes and five classes on the basis of differences in morphology, texture, size and chemistry. Dust observed at sizes larger than the maximum allowable emission size of modern electostatic precipitators suggests that part of the dust accumulation is historical. Most of the observed particles represent a resistant slag component whereas labile dust, often observed in emissions, is rarely present. A mass balance calculated for Fe indicates that smelter dust contributes a small fraction of the Fe in the humus compared to values determined by geochemical methods. Although emission of smelter-derived dust is probably the primary mechanism for delivery of metal to humus, the preserved particles are not the current primary residence site of metal in the humus. This suggests that, soon after deposition, weathering processes have released metals and other elements from the dust to the humus.
Variance estimation for two-class and multi-class ROC analysis using operating point averaging

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis enables fine-tuning of a trained classifier to a desired performance trade-off situation. ROC estimated from a finite test set is, however, insufficient for the sake of classifier comparison as it neglects performance variances. This research presents a practical algorithm for variance estimation at individual operating points of ROC curves or surfaces. It generalizes the threshold averaging of Fawcett et.al. to arbitrary operating point definition including the weighting-based formulation used in multi-class ROC analysis. The statistical test comparing performance differences between operating points of the same curve is illustrated for two-class and multi-class ROC.