Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Did the pile driving during the construction of the Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands, impact porpoises?

The Dutch consortium "NoordzeeWind" has built the first offshore wind farm in Dutch North Sea waters, known as "Offshore Wind farm Egmond aan Zee" (OWEZ) Part of the construction works consisted of driving 36 monopiles into the sea floor, during April-June 2006. The noise levels that attended this activity may have been detrimental to marine life forms. Cetaceans in particular are sensitive to very high noise levels and a possible impact on the most abundant cetacean living off the Dutch coast, the harbour porpoise was therefore studied. Direct observations were hard to conduct, given the low (summer) densities of porpoises around the construction site. Pathological observations on stranded specimen failed to produce clear results. Inner ears of freshly stranded porpoises were examined for possible damage, but before necropsies could be conducted the animals had been stored frozen and this had destroyed any visible signs of noise-induced damage to the inner ear. Thus, the spatiotemporal pattern of porpoise strandings was examined. Porpoises did not strand in higher numbers on the coastal stretch directly east of the construction site, or to the north-east of this location (downstream) compared to other parts of the country. Porpoises also did not strand in higher than expected numbers near the construction site, at the time of construction. It was therefore concluded that the construction did not lead to visibly increased mortality of harbour porpoises. In retrospect this might have been expected, given that densities of porpoises are normally very low in summer at the site, that the building process is noisy anyway, scaring porpoises off (to safe distances) before the actual pile driving commences. A ramp-up procedure and usage of a pinger further helped to ward off porpoises from the site, before full-power pile driving started. These factors combined (timing and high before-pile driving noise levels) made it very unlikely that porpoises got in harm’s way during the construction of OWEZ.
Baroclinic instability and submesoscale eddy formation in weakly stratified oceans under cooling

[1] Numerical experiments with a three-dimensional nonhydrostatic model have been performed to investigate baroclinic instability and submesoscale eddy formation in weakly stratified oceans under cooling. Two types of baroclinic instability can exist in a two-layered ocean where the convectively formed deep mixed layer overlies the weakly stratified lower layer. One rapidly develops in the mixed layer with short wavelengths (shallow mode), and the other occupies the whole ocean depth with long wavelengths (deep mode). When a background flow is deep, the shallow mode develops first, but the deep mode replaces it in several days. In contrast, only the shallow mode is excited in the mixed layer overlying the strongly stratified layer. The linear stability analysis explains these results well. Despite active cooling, subsequently formed eddies restratify the mixed layer and modify water density over the whole depth. When a background flow is shallow, baroclinic instability is confined to the mixed layer and produces a dipole of surface-intensified cyclonic eddy and middepth-intensified anticyclonic eddy, both of which are of submesoscale (∼10 km). The anticyclonic eddy consisting of convectively formed but weakly stratified water moves across the front to ventilate the deep layer, where convection does not reach locally. In this way, density modification extends below the mixed layer. Surface cooling as well as baroclinicity enhances restratification of the mixed layer and density modification at depths by activating submesoscale eddy formation. The results can explain the restratification of the deep mixed layer observed during a cooling season and the origins of submesoscale coherent vortices recently detected in polar oceans.
Impacts of the DPP-4 Inhibitor Saxagliptin and SGLT-2 Inhibitor Dapagliflozin on the Gonads of Diabetic Mice

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that can cause systemic problems, including testicular dysfunction. Several diabetes medications have demonstrated potential adverse effects on the male reproductive system; however, the effects of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin have not been sufficiently examined. This investigation studied the impacts of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin treatments on the gonads in a male mouse model of diabetes. Testicular disturbances were assessed by sperm DNA damage, diakinesis-metaphase I chromosome examination, and spermiogram analysis. Our results showed more sperm DNA damage, more spermatocyte chromosome aberrations, lower sperm motility/count, and more sperm morphological anomalies in diabetic mice than in the control mice. Dapagliflozin significantly restored all examined measures to the control values in diabetic mice, unlike saxagliptin, which exacerbated the reduction in sperm count and motility. Both drugs significantly restored the gonadal redox imbalances in diabetic mice by decreasing reactive oxygen species accumulation and increasing glutathione levels. In conclusion, our study presents preliminary evidence for the safety and efficacy of dapagliflozin in alleviating testicular abnormalities induced by diabetes, making it a promising candidate drug for patients with diabetes in their reproductive age. As saxagliptin may have negative effects on fertility, its prescription should be avoided in young male diabetic patients.
Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS) in the Upper Troposphere/Lowermost Stratosphere (UT/LMS) Region: Estimates of Lifetimes and Fluxes

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS or COS) is a ubiquitous trace gas and plays a role in forming stratospheric sulfate aerosol particles, thereby influencing climate. In this study, whole‐air samples containing OCS were collected onboard a passenger aircraft (IAGOS‐CARIBIC) from the upper troposphere/lowermost stratosphere (UT/LMS, 10–12 km) region and analyzed with CryoTrap–GC–AED system in the laboratory. Global OCS mixing ratios are presented and by using the OCS measurements in conjunction with other trace gases, an atmospheric OCS lifetime of 2.1 ± 1.3 years, and lowermost stratospheric OCS lifetime of 47 ± 16 years were determined. A total flux of 137 GgS a−1 of OCS from the troposphere into the stratosphere was estimated, and the stratospheric sink estimate yielded 55 ± 23 GgS a−1 of OCS. The 60% smaller sink can be interpreted as 82 GgS a−1 OCS which is transported back from the stratosphere into the troposphere.
Assessment of pasture degradation in Turkmenistan using remote sensing

Nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock breeding is a significant income for Turkmenistan's economy. Thus, natural vegetation is an important resource for the area. The natural desert pastures of Turkmenistan have limited carrying capacity, and any changes of the fragile balance can lead to the destruction of this valuable resource. Since the 1980's, no research has been carried out concerning the ongoing changes of vegetation cover despite dramatic political and economical changes that took place throughout central Asia. The primary results of this research show the potential of remote sensing in general and specifically Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) for vegetation mapping. The information on vegetation change is important to quantify man-nature relationship. From this information vegetation cover is a useful indicator of the magnitude of change. Landsat TM and ETM+ images were processed, and maps of land use/land cover changes in northern Turkmenistan were produced. From the 1970's about 4000 km2 of natural pastures were transformed into irrigated agricultural land, theoretically increasing the grazing pressure in the remaining areas. By applying SMA based on field end-members signatures, a sub-pixel fraction was obtained for each end-member. Our results indicate that most of the desert experiences vegetation rehabilitation.
Machine failure prediction using joint reserve intelligence with feature selection technique

A model with high accuracy of machine failure prediction is important for any machine life cycle. In this paper, a prediction model based on machine learning methods is proposed. The used method is a combination of machine learning algorithms and techniques. The machine learning algorithm is a data mining technique that has been widely used as a prediction model for classifying problems. Five algorithms have been tested including JRIP, logistic, KStar, Bayes network and decision table machine learning. The evaluation process is done by applying the algorithms on a predictive dataset using different performance measures. In the proposed model, the feature selection and voting techniques are used and applied in the classification process for each classifier. From the comparison of the result, the feature selection shows the best performance result. Paired t-test evaluation measures were considered to confirm our conclusion. The best accuracy result among the five classifiers shows that joint reserve intelligence classifier can be used to predict the failure with an accuracy high as 0.983. Applying classifier subset evaluation using the JRIP classifier can enhance the accuracy result to be 0.985. The finding shows that the proposed model improves the results of the classifiers.
Convective scheme and resolution impacts on seasonal precipitation forecasts

An investigation is carried out to assess the role of different convective schemes and resolutions in seasonal quantitative forecasts of precipitation. The model performances are evaluated by changing convective schemes and the resolution impacts are examined by increasing the model horizontal resolution from T63 to T170 and finally T255. The predicted rainfall amounts are compared against the TRMM satellite estimate. Every forecast captures prominent rainfall features reasonably well. However, there are pros and cons in each of the forecasts. Predicted seasonal rainfall patterns and intensities from changing convective schemes exhibit larger variability and higher impact on predictability than those from increasing resolution. The impact of higher resolution with any currently implemented cumulus parameterization turns out to be smaller in seasonal precipitation forecasts than in short‐ to medium‐range forecasts.
Muscovite 40Ar/39Ar ages help reveal the Neogene tectonic evolution of the southern Annapurna Range, central Nepal

Abstract We present new muscovite 40Ar/39Ar ages from thirteen Greater Himalayan rocks and one Lesser Himalayan rock collected from four north-trending transects across the southern Annapurna Range. Combining the new data with previously published ages leads to the following new insight into the tectonic development of the southern Annapurna. Muscovite cooling ages from Greater Himalayan rocks are c. 16–10 Ma in the western Annapurna and c. 6–2 Ma in the eastern Annapurna, revealing a decrease of 4–14 Ma from west to east. Similarly, the muscovite cooling age from one Lesser Himalayan rock in the west is c. 7 Ma and ages from several samples in the east are c. 5–2 Ma, indicating a decline of 2–5 Ma towards the east. Earlier cooling in the western Annapurna can be explained by along-strike differences in the geometry of the frontal ramp on the underlying thrust that carries these Greater and Lesser Himalayan rocks and/or by a NE-striking fault that cut these rocks. In Greater Himalayan rocks from the Modi river valley, one sample yielded muscovite 40Ar/39Ar ages of 18.0±0.7 and 16.2±0.5 Ma for grain sizes of approximately 750 and 200 µm, respectively. In contrast, a sample collected 200 m structurally lower produced ages of 12.6±0.2 and 9.9±0.1 Ma for these two grain sizes. The north-dipping Bhanuwa fault has been proposed between these samples, with different authors arguing for normal or thrust-sense motion. Our newfound pattern of an older muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age pair in the hanging wall supports arguments for the existence of the Bhanuwa fault and suggests normal sense motion. Supplementary material: Analytical methods, thin section observations, data tables, and plots of argon data for each sample are available at http://www.geolsoc. org.uk/SUP18774
Gravity measurements on the moon

The late Lucien J. B. LaCoste (1908–1995) successfully designed gravity meters for nearly every environment on earth—from marine to airborne, from land to underwater to the borehole. This made him an obvious choice for the ultimate challenge in the 1970s, designing a gravity meter for the moon. This is the story of the lunar gravity meter and how a simple error caused it to fail.
Using Air Temperature to Quantitatively Predict the MODIS Fractional Snow Cover Retrieval Errors over the Continental United States

AbstractUnderstanding and quantifying satellite-based, remotely sensed snow cover uncertainty are critical for its successful utilization. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow cover errors have been previously recognized to be associated with factors such as cloud contamination, snowpack grain sizes, vegetation cover, and topography; however, the quantitative relationship between the retrieval errors and these factors remains elusive. Joint analysis of the MODIS fractional snow cover (FSC) from Collection 6 (C6) and in situ air temperature and snow water equivalent measurements provides a unique look at the error structure of the MODIS C6 FSC products. Analysis of the MODIS FSC dataset over the period from 2000 to 2005 was undertaken over the continental United States (CONUS) with an extensive observational network. When compared to MODIS Collection 5 (C5) snow cover area, the MODIS C6 FSC product demonstrates a substantial improvement in detecting the presence of snow cover in N.
Geomorphic Controls of Spatial Pattern and Process at Alpine Treeline*

Abstract This study examines the role of surface geomorphic features in tree establishment at the alpine treeline in Glacier National Park, Montana, through the presentation of a multiscale, conceptual model of biogeomorphic relationships at alpine treeline. Empirical observations gathered through a multiscale field methodology over three summers serve as a base for the model. The model highlights the importance of surface geomorphic features, specifically boulders and terrace risers, in creating favorable local site conditions, largely by protecting seedlings from wind. The sheltering effect of surface features enables initial seedling establishment, and in some cases survival, above current treeline locations, thereby initiating a positive feedback effect that encourages subsequent tree establishment. Geomorphic features are therefore important in linking scales of pattern and process at the alpine treeline ecotone.
Retrieval of biomass combustion rates and totals from fire radiative power observations: Application to southern Africa using geostationary SEVIRI imagery

[1] Southern African wildfires are a globally significant source of trace gases and aerosols. Estimates of southern African wildfire fuel consumption have varied from hundreds to thousands of teragrams (Tg), and better-constrained estimates are required to properly assess the effects of the pollutant emissions. A new approach for providing such estimates is via remote sensing observations of fire radiative power (FRP), a variable proportional to the rate of fuel consumption. The launch of the SEVIRI radiometer onboard the geostationary Meteosat-8 platform presents a unique opportunity to monitor FRP at 15-min intervals, allowing analysis of the complete diurnal cycle of biomass burning and calculation of the total fire radiative energy. Here we present the first FRP retrievals from SEVIRI and compare them to those derived from near-coincident MODIS overpasses. Strong agreement is achieved on a per-fire basis (r2 = 0.83, n = 139, p < 0.0001), although at the regional scale SEVIRI typically underestimates FRP with respect to MODIS due primarily to its inability to confidently detect fire pixels with FRP < ∼100 MW. Using relationships developed during ground-based experiments, SEVIRI-derived FRP measures are converted into estimates of the rate and total quantity of biomass combusted in southern Africa. During a 4.5 day monitoring period, and based on only the observed FRP recorded by SEVIRI, we infer that as a minimum estimate, peak combustion rates reached 50 tons/s and a total of 3.2 Tg of fuel was burnt in southern Africa. While provisional, we calculate that these figures maybe potentially increased upward by a factor of ∼3 to account for atmospheric absorption of the upwelling radiation and for fires that were potentially cloud covered or too weakly emitting to be detected by the geostationary imager. The new tool of SEVIRI-derived FRP provides an insight into biomass burning on the African continent at a hitherto unobtainable temporal frequency, highly suited to the linking of pollutant emissions estimates to models of atmospheric transport.
Drifter‐derived maps of lateral diffusivity in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in relation to surface circulation patterns

[1] Maps of apparent lateral diffusivity K derived from surface drifters in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are analyzed together with mean surface circulation patterns. A remarkable feature of the diffusivity map in the Atlantic was proven to be trans-ocean belts of enhanced K in the thirties latitudes. It was shown that the North Atlantic belt is caused by the meandering and eddy-producing Azores Current, while its counterpart in the South Atlantic results from northwestward and westward drift of warm eddies produced by the Agulhas Retroflection. A puzzling feature of the diffusivity map in the Pacific was a zonally elongated tongue of high K at the center of a subtropical gyre in the Southern Hemisphere beginning from the western boundary. A similar tongue observed at the center of a subtropical gyre of the North Pacific is known to result from baroclinic instability in the seasonal North Subtropical Countercurrent (NSTCC). Both tongues were characterized by a strong and identical seasonal cycle of the eddy kinetic energy (EKE), which persuaded us to suggest an identity for the formation mechanisms that would imply the existence of southern counterpart of NSTCC: the would-be South Subtropical Countercurrent (SSTCC). A seasonal-latitudinal dependence of the mean zonal current and EKE as well as maps of the mean zonal velocity were derived from drifters that provided some evidence in favor of the existence of this SSTCC.
Solid-Phase Microextraction Techniques and Application in Food and Horticultural Crops

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a sample preparation technique which utilizes small amounts of an extraction phase for the extraction of target analytes from investigated sample matrices. Its simplicity of use, relatively short sample processing time, and fiber reusability have made SPME an attractive choice for many analytical applications. SPME has been widely applied to the sampling and analysis of environmental, food, aromatic, metallic, forensic, and pharmaceutical samples. Solid phase microextraction is used in horticultural crops, for example, to determine water and soil contaminants (pesticides, alcohols, phenols, amines, herbicides, etc.). SPME is also used in the food industry to separate biologically active substances in food products for various purposes, for example, disease prevention, determining the smell of food products, and analyzing tastes. SPME has been applied to forensic analysis to determine the alcohol concentration in blood and that of sugar in urine. This method has also been widely used in pharmaceutical analysis. It is a solvent-free sample preparation technique that integrates sampling, isolation, and concentration. This review focuses on recent work on the use of SPME techniques in the analysis of food and horticultural crops.
NONHYDROSTATIC AND MESH-FREE COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS MODEL COMPARISONS OF SURF ZONE HYDRODYNAMICS BY PLUNGING IRREGULAR WAVES

Wave breaking over steep bathymetry often generates plunging waves where the free surface overturns and violent water motion is triggered. Simulating these complex surf zone processes poses significant challenges for conventional mesh-based hydrodynamic models, due to the rapidly-deforming nature of the free surface and underlying turbulent flows. Yet accurate prediction of these hydrodynamics is essential to characterize the wide range of nearshore processes driven by wave breaking. In this study we rigorously compare the ability of two different classes of phase-resolving wave-flow models to predict a wide range of hydrodynamic processes driven by irregular wave breaking over a fringing reef using data from Buckley et al. (2015). These two models were: 1) the mesh-based nonhydrostatic wave-flow model SWASH, having vertical resolution but only providing a single-value representation of the free-surface; and 2) the mesh-free, Lagrangian particle-based approach Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) using DualSPHysics (DSPH), which directly resolves the overturning free surface. Both models were applied in 2DV mode.
Reservoir Characteristics for Khasib Formation in selected wells of East Baghdad Oil field, Iraq

Four subsurface sections and electrical, porosity logs, and gamma-ray logs of the Khasib Formation (age Late Turonian-Lower Coniacian) were studied to identify reservoir characteristics and to evaluate the reservoir properties of the Khasib reservoir units in the East Baghdad oilfield. The lithology of the formation is limestone throughout the whole sequence in all studied wells EB-83, EB-87, EB-92, and EB94. It is bounded conformably from the top by Tanuma Formation and has a conformable lower contact with Kifl Formation. The lower and upper boundaries of the formation were determined using well log analysis, and the formation was divided into three main rock units (Kh1, Kh2, and Kh3), depending on the porosity logs. The porosity was calculated using acoustic or sonic, neutron, and density logs. The effective porosity (average 0.0 - 0.32 %) is the predominant porosity in the formation and to less extent; the secondary porosity. The volume of shale is very low (average 0.0 - 0.13 %), indicating limestone is the main rock of the Khasib Formation. The study of the reservoir water (average 0.11- 1.0%) and hydrocarbon saturations (average 0.0 - 0.88 %) showed that the formation contains varying proportions and quantities of water and hydrocarbons suspended in the wall void, and hydrocarbons capable of being produced. The lithological study reflected that the predominant lithic formation is limestone. It was found that Kh 2 unit is the best oil reservoir unit in all selected wells in terms of porosity, water saturation, diagenesis processes, and microfacies analysis.
Least-squares Reverse-time Migration

Migration attempts to produce an image of the subsurface by reversing the propagation effects in seismic data. Although in principle this requires the inverse of a modelling operator, in practice the adjoint of the modelling operator is used instead. In cases where the data are subject to significant aliasing, truncation, noise, or are incomplete, the adjoint of a modelling operator is not a good approximation to the inverse, and this degrades the resolution of the final migrated image. An improved approximation to the inverse operator can be obtained using a least-squares approach. In this work we present a least-squares formulation of reverse-time migration scheme that is based on an explicit matrix representation of generalised diffraction-stack migration. Our implementation uses a modified source wavelet to perform the forward and inverse steps at each iteration, and is regularised using a roughness penalty constraint. The results show increased resolution compared to conventional reverse-time migration.