Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community Structure of Macroalgae of Lagonoy Gulf, Bicol Region, Philippines

Algal community structure in Lagonoy Gulf, the eastern Philippines, was examined to reveal the influence of monsoon and ecological factors. Twelve sampling sites included 10 intertidal and 2 subtidal sites. Fifty-five species (29 chlorophytes, 10 phaeophytes and 16 rhodophytes) were identified. The number of species collected was high near the mouth of the gulf and low along the coast within the gulf. The presence of species and their abundance as well as their biomass were significantly different between sampling periods that covered northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) monsoons (p 0.04, α = 0.05). Biomass decline could be attributed to senescence of the large phaeophytes that contributed more than 30% to total biomass. Clustering of the intertidal sites using the frequency data showed that they are separated into northern and southern groups with a few exceptions, which are under the influence of SW and NE monsoons, respectively. The Shannon diversity index was high in the sites exposed to strong waves and currents and low in embayment.
Detecting the Seasonal Slaughtering of Domestic Mammals: Inferences from the Detailed Recording of Tooth Eruption and Wear

Abstract It has been proposed that the detailed recording of tooth eruption and wear (following Grant 1982) could shed light on the evaluation of seasonal slaughtering patterns in medieval domestic pig populations (Ervynck 1997). However, justifiable criticisms have been raised against the methodology proposed, necessitating a review of data obtained and an evaluation of possible methodological biases. The present contribution presents an attempt to deal with the problems outlined on a theoretical basis, and uses a number of case studies to elucidate the methodological problems involved. The results of the analysis indicate that the reliability of the Grant method could well differ per species, most probably including fewer inherent problems for domestic pigs than for sheep (and cattle).
The Production, Storage, and Flow of Carbon in Amazonian Forests

The carbon stores and dynamics of tropical forests are the subject of major international scientific and policy attention. Research associated with the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) has generated substantial advances in our understanding of the cycling of carbon at selected forest sites in Brazilian Amazonia and generated new insights into how these processes may vary across the wider Amazonian region. Here we report on aspects of this new understanding. We present, in particular, a comprehensive synthesis of carbon cycling in three focal LBA sites (Manaus, Tapajós, and Caxiuanã), drawing on studies of productivity, litterfall, respiration, physiology, and ecosystem fluxes. These studies are placed in the context of the wider Amazonian region by utilizing the results of the Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR) and other forest plots. We discuss the basin-wide distribution of forest biomass derived by combining these plots and a suite of satellite data, and examine the dynamics of carbon cycling in the context of regional carbon stores in the forest. Particular attention is drawn to the strong relationship between forest productivity and turnover, which suggests that higher levels of forest productivity increase forest dynamism rather than forest biomass. We conclude by discussing what the scientific priorities should be for a synthetic region-wide understanding of the carbon dynamics and stores of Amazonian forests.
WETLAND EVALUATION TECHNIQUE (WET). VOLUME 2. METHODOLOGY. OPERATIONAL DRAFT. FINAL REPORT

The manual outlines a Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET) for the assessment of wetland functions and values. Wetland functions are the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of a wetland. Wetland values are those characteristics that are beneficial to society. WET evaluates the following functions and values: ground water recharge, ground water discharge, floodflow alteration, sediment stabilization, sediment/toxicant retention, nutrient removal/transformation, production export, wildlife diversity/abundance, aquatic diversity/abundance, uniqueness/heritage, and recreation.
Efficient Migration With One-way Operators In the Wavelet Transform Domain

The sparse, efficient and stable representation of the primary propagator is an important aspect of current prestack depth migration techniques. The primary propagator accounts for one-way wave propagation (downward or upward) from one depth level to the next depth level. It does not account for scattering at boundaries. This paper aims at giving a representation of the primary propagator in the wavelet transform domain and at giving a representation of the seismic data in the wavelet domain. An efficient full prestack migration scheme which uses advantageously the structure of the non-standard wavelet transform, will be derived from these representations. Furthermore, it is shown that the wavelet transform enables the user to choose between resolution and efficiency.
Penguin occupation in the Vestfold Hills

Abstract During CHINARE-22 (December 2005–March 2006), we investigated six penguin colonies in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, and collected several penguin ornithogenic sediment cores, samples of fresh guano and modern penguin bone and feather. We selected seven penguin bones and feathers and six sediments from the longest sediment core and performed AMS14C dating. The results indicate that penguins occupied the Vestfold Hills as early as 8500 calibrated years before present (cal. yr bp), following local deglaciation and the formation of the ice free area. This is the first report on the Holocene history of penguins in the Vestfold Hills. As in other areas of Antarctica, penguins occupied this area as soon as local ice retreated and the ice free area formed, and they are very sensitive to climatic and environmental changes. This work provides the foundation for understanding the history of penguins occupation in Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica.
A New Mixed Multiplicative-Additive Model for Seasonal Adjusment

Usually, seasonal adjustment is based on time series models which decompose an unadjusted series into the sum or the product of four unobservable components (trendcycle, seasonal, working-day and irregular components). In the case of clearly weatherdependent output in the west German construction industry, traditional considerations lead to an additive model. However, this results in an over-adjustment of calendar effects. An alternative is a multiplicative-additive mixed model, the estimation of which is illustrated using X-12-ARIMA. Finally, the relevance of the new model is shown by analysing selected time series for different countries.
Cardio Vascular Diabetology Open Access Original Investigation

The estimated GFR, but not the stage of diabetic nephropathy graded by the urinary albumin excretion, is associated with the carotid intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study Abstract Background: To study the relationship between the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery and the stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and diabetic nephropathy graded by the urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 338 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The carotid IMT was measured using an ultrasonographic examination. Results: The mean carotid IMT was 1.06 ± 0.27 mm, and 42% of the subjects showed IMT thickening (≥ 1.1 mm). Cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease were frequent in the patients with IMT thickening. The carotid IMT elevated significantly with the stage progression of CKD (0.87 ± 0.19 mm in stage 1, 1.02 ± 0.26 mm in stage 2, 1.11 ± 0.26 mm in stage 3, and 1.11 ± 0.27 mm in stage 4+5). However, the IMT was not significantly different among the various stages of diabetic nephropathy. The IMT was significantly greater in the diabetic patients with hypertension compared to those without hypertension. The IMT positively correlated with the age, the duration of diabetes mellitus, and the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocities (baPWV), and negatively correlated with the eGFR. In a stepwise multivariate regression analysis, the eGFR and the baPWV were independently associated with the carotid IMT. Conclusions: Our study is the first report showing a relationship between the carotid IMT and the renal parameters including eGFR and the stages of diabetic nephropathy with a confirmed association between the IMT and diabetic macroangiopathy. Our study further confirms the importance of intensive examinations for the early detection of atherosclerosis and positive treatments for hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, as well as hyperglycaemia are necessary when a reduced eGFR is found in diabetic patients. Background Diabetic nephropathy is a major manifestation of microangiopathy that plays a significant role in the prognosis of patients with diabetes mellitus. An increased number of individuals with end-stage renal failure caused by diabetic nephropathy present a large social problem.
Use of the moving time-window technique to determine surface albedo from TOMS reflectivity data

The seasonal variation of the surface albedo, due to snow or ice, complicates satellite estimation of the high-latitude surface UV irradiance. The TOMS instrument, that measures the backscattered radiances from the Earth's atmosphere and surface, does not distinguish cloud backscattering from surface backscattering. When the TOMS UV algorithm is used, false interpretation of the measured high reflectivity as thick cloudiness leads to substantial underestimation of the surface UV irradiance. While the largest UV irradiance is usually received during the summer, the spring exposure to UV radiation is the main concern in high-latitudes since the sensitivity of some biological organisms to UV radiation is more pronounced at low temperatures, and snowcover enhances the surface UV irradiance. This paper presents a new method for estimation of the surface reflectivity. The method is based on analysis of the TOMS Lambertian equivalent reflectivity data using the moving time-window technique. The new method treats the measured reflectivity data as samples from a distribution whose lower tail corresponds to surface albedo. The basic method assumes that the distribution is homogeneous, i.e. the surface albedo is constant within the window. Adequate statistics is achieved only by using a wide time-window which, unfortunately, leads to underestimation of the surface albedo during spring and autumn transitions. Therefore, the method was developed further to account for transitions. The feasibility of the new method has been studied globally for high-latitude regions, and it is expected to improve springtime UV irradiance estimates of polar regions.
An evaluation of sea ice deformation and its spatial characteristics from the regional arctic system model

Abstract : The Regional Arctic System Model (RASM) is used to investigate the process and frequency of extreme sea ice shear deformation events resulting in pycnocline upwelling due to Ekman pumping as described in McPhee et al. (2005). RASM is a fully coupled land, atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean model with high spatial and temporal resolution. Time series analysis of the upper ocean temperature structure, basal melt rate, total deformation rate, and ice-ocean stress curl yield the identification of individual events. Shear deformation events generate an upper ocean response given a positive ice-ocean stress curl, i.e., induced by counterclockwise rotation in the ice velocity field relative to the underlying ocean. Spatial and temporal characterization of the total deformation rate indicates that fine spatial and temporal resolution, on a statistical scale, is important for the energy budget of the Arctic. Results demonstrate a power law relationship between the mean deformation rate and length scale. This is hypothesized as being due to RASMs fully coupled system allowing for naturally occurring high frequency noise and the cascade of energy among model components. Simulated events are infrequent and their relative impact on large scale energy exchange remains undetermined, which warrants further research of these phenomena.
The Association between Educational Level and Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases within the EPICOR Study: New Evidence for an Old Inequality Problem

Background A consistent association has been reported between low socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular events (CE), whereas the association between SES and cerebrovascular events (CBVD) is less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SES (measured using education) and CE/CBVD in a cohort study, as well as to investigate lifestyle and clinical risk factors, to help to clarify the mechanisms by which SES influences CE/CBVD. Material and Methods We searched for diagnoses of CE and CBVD in the clinical records of 47,749 members of the EPICOR cohort (average follow-up time: 11 years). SES was determined by the relative index of inequality (RII). Results A total of 1,156 CE and 468 CBVD were found in the clinical records. An increased risk of CE was observed in the crude Cox model for the third tertile of RII compared to the first tertile (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–1.61). The increased risk persisted after adjustment for lifestyle risk factors (HR = 1.19; 95%CI 1.02–1.38), clinical risk factors (HR = 1.35; 95%CI 1.17–1.56), and after full adjustment (HR = 1.17; 95%CI 1.01–1.37). Structural equation model showed that lifestyle rather than clinical risk factors are involved in the mechanisms by which education influences CE. No significant association was found between education and CBVD. A strong relationship was observed between education and diabetes at baseline. Conclusion The most important burden of inequality in CE incidence in Italy is due to lifestyle risk factors.
Single image dehazing based on dark channel prior

Bad weather, such as fog and haze, can dramatically degrade the visibility of a scene. To solve this problem, we exploit the method of dark channel prior to recover a single haze image, which is based on a key observation - most non-sky local patches in haze-free outdoor images contain some pixels with very low intensities in at least one color channel. In this article, the dark channel prior method is implemented to remove haze from a single outdoor image, and the setting up of parameters is discussed and evaluated. The experimental results show the visibility, contrast, and detail of the scene are significantly enhanced comparing with the original ones. In addition, the analysis results of the GMG (Gray Mean Grads), LS (Laplace operator), and BN (Blur Noise) image quality assessment methods present a dramatic rise of image quality.
Big Cities and Migration: Evidence from Egypt

The rapid pace of urbanization in developing countries, and especially the growth of very large cities, is a source of considerable concern for policy makers and is increasingly becoming a topic for economic analysis. Most studies of migration are concerned with rural-urban flows. However, in this paper we are concerned with large cities - a particular type of urban areas. The paper examines the role of large cities in economic development by focusing on the pattern of migration to and from the three largest cities in Egypt, and how migration alters the labor force composition. We explore separately flows between large cities and: a) less dense urban areas, and b) rural areas. The main findings of the paper are as follows. Being educated increases the likelihood of migration from small towns to big cities as much as the likelihood of leaving the big cities to go to smaller towns. In other words, education has symmetric effect on the probability of migration between big cities and other urban areas. However, being educated increases the likelihood of migrating from rural areas to large cities, but not from large cities to rural areas. Second, being young increases the tendency of migration to big cities from all other areas, but not from big cities to other areas. Being older than 35 increases the likelihood of migration out of big cities more than that into big cities. Thus, migration not only alters the skill composition of the labour force, but also the age structure of the labour force in large cities.
Simulation of a supercell storm in clean and dirty atmosphere using weather research and forecast model with spectral bin microphysics

[1] The development of supercell storms was simulated using a 2-km-resolution weather research and forecast (WRF) model with spectral (bin) microphysics (WRF-SBM) and a recent version of the Thompson bulk-parameterization scheme. The simulations were performed in clean, semipolluted, and dirty air under two values of relative humidity, conditionally referred to as low and high humidity. Both SBM and the Thompson scheme simulated the development of supercell storm with storm splitting. Both SBM and the Thompson scheme demonstrated that an increase in relative humidity by ∼10% invigorates convection and increases precipitation by factor of 2, i.e., to much larger extent than can be achieved by variations of the aerosol concentration. At the same time the storms simulated by the schemes are quite different. The maximum updrafts in the Thompson scheme are about 65 m/s, and the left-moving storm prevails. The SBM predicts 35 m/s maximum updrafts, and the right-moving storm prevails in the SBM simulations. While the bulk scheme predicts decrease in precipitation in clean air at both low and high humidity, the SBM indicates decrease precipitation in polluted air under low humidity and increase in precipitation under high humidity. The SBM scheme shows a substantial effect of aerosols on spatial distribution of precipitation, especially in the low-humidity case. The sensitivity of the Thompson scheme to aerosols turns out to be much less than that of SBM. The difference in the results (vertical velocities, microphysical cloud structure, and precipitation) obtained by different schemes is much larger than the changes caused by variation of the aerosol concentration within each scheme. However, the average amount of precipitation in the Thompson scheme in each simulation was about twice that of the corresponding SBM simulation. The possible reasons for such difference are discussed. A scheme for classifying aerosol effects on precipitation from clouds and cloud systems is also discussed.
Soil Profile Arsenic Concentration Distributions in Missouri Soils Having Cambic and Argillic Soil Horizons

Understanding of the pedogenic pathways associated with arsenic (As) transformations in soil is important to understanding arsenic soil chemistry and discriminating between natural background and anthropogenic arsenic (As). Twenty-one soil series, some with multiple pedons, were assessed to determine if the As distributions in soil profiles exhibit discrete maxima that correspond to the presence of agrillic horizons. The majority of pedons exhibiting argillic horizon expression show a Fe-oxyhydroxide and As maxima corresponding precisely with the argillic horizon. Pearson correlation coefficients verify the close correspondence of Fe and As. Soil profiles having cambic horizons, and lacking argillic horizons, may also show As and Fe accumulations at soil depths. Some coarse-textured, well-drained to moderately well-drained Entisols and Inceptisols have Fe-oxyhydroxide accumulation in their cambic horizons, promoting As accumulation. Conversely, silty-textured and poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained Entisols and Inceptisols have C and Cg horizons that show somewhat uniform Fe and As concentrations throughout their soil profiles. Analysis of selected pedons having well-drained to moderately well-drained soil profiles demonstrates that clay fraction Fe and As concentrations are closely correlated and that the As and Fe concentrations are greater than those from the corresponding whole soil. The somewhat poorly drained Crowley pedon exhibited cohesive masses of Fe and Mn accumulation (sand separate) that had greater arsenic concentrations than those of the clay and silt separates. These pedogenic nodules with enhanced arsenic concentrations reveal alternative pathways involving arsenic transformation.
Developing a GIS Program at a Tribal College

Abstract Programs in geographic information systems (GIS) and related areas (e.g., GPS, remote sensing) have become important additions to the curriculum at colleges and universities of all sizes and types, including tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) such as Haskell Indian Nations University. This article discusses the recent development of a GIS program at Haskell that has been built around three major components: (1) courses; (2) outreach activities; and (3) projects. Key lessons learned from the experience include the importance of developing diversified goals and activities to promote student success, pursuing external funding, expanding GIS within the university through collaborations with other departments and disciplines, and ensuring that basic geographic principles remain a vital part of the GIS curriculum. The development of the GIS program at Haskell may serve as a model for other small colleges and universities, particularly tribal and other minority-serving institutions, that seek to add GIS to the curriculum.
An evaluation of evapotranspiration in tropical central Africa

Abstract The evapotranspiration and evaporation components of the water budget for several drainage basins and a swamp in the central African tropics were evaluated by the Penman, Thornthwaite and Morton methods and by a water balance method. Hydrometeorological data from the Chambeshi and Kafue basins of Zambia were used for the purpose. The study revealed that on an annual basis areal evapotranspiration estimates based on the Morton method compare favourably with those derived by the water balance method. Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration estimates also provide acceptable values of the evapotranspiration component on an annual basis. The Penman method was found to be the most reliable for evaporation from swamps (Lukanga swamps) in the central African tropics.
Fuzzy-cluster representation of time-frequency signatures as a means for classification of targets buried underground

We study the backscattered echoes from selected targets that are extracted by an impulse radar system playing the role of a ground penetrating radar (GPR). The targets are metal and non-metal objects buried in dry sand to a selected depth. These echoes are studied in the joint time-frequency domain using a pseudo-Wigner distribution (PWD), which, in particular, makes it possible to analyze how each one of each target's signature features evolves in time. These distributions are viewed as the target signatures, and they are then used as templates for target classification. To be useful for target identification purposes, a signature representation should display a 'sufficient' amount of distinguishing features, yet be robust enough to suppress the interference of noise contained in the received signals. Multiple scattering between a target and the surface of the ground is another obstacle for successful target recognition that time-frequency distributions could counteract by unveiling the time progression of the returned target information. A classification method based on a fuzzy cluster estimation technique (the fuzzy C-means algorithm) is then used to reduce the number and kind of features in the templates. We put the classification algorithm to a test against validation data taken from an additional set of returned echoes. The same targets are used but they are illuminated with the GPR antennas at different positions. Class membership of a target is then decided using a simple metric. The results of our investigation serve to assess the possibility of identifying subsurface targets using a GPR.