Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydro-Climatological Trends in the Continental United States, 1948-88

Abstract Spatial patterns in trends of four monthly variables: average temperature, precipitation, streamflow, and average of the daily temperature range were examined for the continental United States for the period 1948–88. The data used are a subset of the Historical Climatology Network (1036 stations) and a stream gage network of 1009 stations. Trend significance was determined using the nonparametric seasonal Kendall's test on a monthly and annual basis, and a robust slope estimator was used for determination of trend magnitudes. A bivariate test was used for evaluation of relative changes in the variables, specifically, streamflow relative to precipitation, streamflow relative to temperature, and precipitation relative to temperature. Strong trends were found in all of the variables at many more stations than would be expected due to chance. There is a strong spatial and seasonal structure in the trend results. For instance, although annual temperature increases were found at many stations, mostly i.
Incidence of Bacteriobilia and the Correlation with Antibioticoprophylaxis in Low-Risk Patients Submitted to Elective Videolaparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Cholelithiasis has a major impact on global health and affects an average of 20% of the Western population. The main risk factors are females, age over 40 years, obesity and pregnancy. Most of the time it is asymptomatic, but when there are symptoms, they are generally nonspecific. Bile was considered sterile, but today it is known that it contains a complex bacterial flora, which causes biofilm in the gallbladder and gallstones. Among the main bacteria associated with cholelithiasis are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, species of Enterococcus spp. and Acinetobacter spp. Antibiotic prophylaxis is used in an attempt to reduce postoperative infections, especially at the surgical site. However, some authors found no relationship between the use of antibiotic prophylaxis and a lower risk of surgical site infection. Thus, the aim of this double-blind randomized clinical trial was to compare the existence or not of bacteriobilia in patients at low anesthetic risk who underwent videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy, and its correlation with the use of prophylactic antibiotics. This study included 40 patients between 18 and 65 years old, diagnosed with cholelithiasis, symptomatic or not, with low anesthetic risk classified by the American Society of Anesthesiology in ASA I or ASA II, without complications or previous manipulation of the bile duct, who underwent elective video cholecystectomy, divided into two groups: Experimental Group A (n = 20), which received 2 g of Cephalotin (first-generation Cephalosporin, Keflin®, ABL antibiotics, Cosmópolis, Brazil) during anesthetic induction, and Control Group B (n = 20), where no antibiotics were administered until bile collection. After the procedure, a bile sample was collected and culture and antibiogram were performed. In the sample, 22 (55%) were classified as ASA I and 18 (45%) as ASA II. It was observed that 81.8% of the patients who had a positive culture did not use antibiotics, against 18.2% of those who used prophylaxis. When comparing patients regarding anesthetic risk, ASA I patients had a positive culture in 9.1% of cases, against 90.9% in patients classified as ASA II. It was concluded that patients with higher anesthetic risk (ASA II) have a higher chance of bacteriobilia and benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis when compared to patients with lower anesthetic risk (ASA I).
Statistical analysis of observed and simulated hourly surface wind in the vicinity of the Panama Canal

Surface wind patterns at the Panama Canal vicinity are identified on the basis of 6 years of observed hourly surface wind data and with the use of high‐resolution numerical model simulations. Statistical analysis of the observed wind at various stations in the Panama Canal is presented, together with the analysis of simulated surface wind fields that are obtained from the MM5 mesoscale meteorological model using surface wind assimilation and forced by North American regional reanalysis data. The performance analysis indicates that the 2‐km‐resolution MM5 model surface wind simulations have skill when compared with the observations at the measurement sites. The analysis of the wind fields for the period 2002–2007 shows that the dry season (January to April) is more spatially and temporally coherent than the wet season in the region. The simulated wind shows that the average wind speed reaches up to 7–8 m s−1 and the frequency of exceeding 5 m s−1 reaches up to 0.7–0.8 in Lake Gatun, the entrance/exit of the Canal in the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and at high elevations. The dry season exhibits higher climatological wind speeds and exceedence frequencies than the wet season but the wet season shows greater spatial variability. For both seasons, the morning hours have lower average winds than the evening hours. The analysis underlines the significant influence of convection, sea breeze and local conditions (elevation gradients and land surface cover) in the observed and simulated surface wind patterns.
A new angle on Middle Stone Age hunting technology in South Africa, University of the Witwatersrand, 2008

from outside Africa. The results of these studies most particularly the simultaneous arrival of sheep and cattle in southwestern Africa suggest that these species moved into the region as part of an externally induced process, most likely with a migrating human population. The absence of the domesticated dog presents a puzzle: dogs may have been deliberately or accidentally lost from the domesticate package somewhere north of the Cape region, or their absence may simply be a result of insufficiently broad sampling. The establishment of a secure chronology for the spread of food-producing economies is a necessary step in developing an understanding of the processes by which the Neolithic Revolution spread across Africa. As with other worldwide instances of Neolithic spread, demic expansion models appear a suitable fit for the available data.
Time‐dependent dike propagation from joint inversion of seismicity and deformation data

Dike intrusions both deform Earth's surface and induce propagating earthquake swarms. We develop methods to utilize both deformation and seismicity from brittle, volcano‐tectonic earthquakes to image time‐dependent dike propagation. Dieterich's (1994) seismicity‐rate theory is used to relate dike‐induced stress changes to seismicity rate and is combined with elastic Green's functions relating dike opening to deformation. Different space‐time patterns of seismicity develop if earthquakes occur at the same depth as the dike compared to above/below the dike. In the former, seismicity initiates near the dike's leading edges but shuts off as the dike tips pass and seismogenic volumes fall into stress shadows. In the latter, seismicity continues at a decaying rate after the tips pass. We focus on lateral propagation and develop a nonlinear inversion method that estimates dike length and pressure as a function of time. The method is applied to the 2007 Father's Day intrusion in Kilauea Volcano. Seismicity is concentrated at ∼3 km depth, comparable to geodetic estimates of dike depth, and decays rapidly in time. With lateral propagation only and a vertical dike‐tip line, it is difficult to fit both GPS data and the rapid down‐rift jump in seismicity, suggesting significant vertical propagation. For the events to have occurred below the dike requires a very short aftershock decay time, hence unreasonably high background stressing rate. The rapid decay is better explained if the dike extends somewhat below the seismicity. We suggest that joint inversion is useful for studying the diking process and may allow for improved short‐term eruption forecasts.
Monitoring the composition of urban environments based on the vegetation-impervious surface-soil (VIS) model by subpixel analysis techniques

The majority of the world's population now resides in urban environments and information on the internal composition and dynamics of these environments is essential to enable preservation of certain standards of living. Remotely sensed data, especially the global coverage of moderate spatial resolution satellites such as Landsat, Indian Resource Satellite and Système Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT), offer a highly useful data source for mapping the composition of these cities and examining their changes over time. The utility and range of applications for remotely sensed data in urban environments could be improved with a more appropriate conceptual model relating urban environments to the sampling resolutions of imaging sensors and processing routines. Hence, the aim of this work was to take the Vegetation-Impervious surface-Soil (VIS) model of urban composition and match it with the most appropriate image processing methodology to deliver information on VIS composition for urban environments. Several approaches were evaluated for mapping the urban composition of Brisbane city (south-east Queensland, Australia) using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper data and 1:5000 aerial photographs. The methods evaluated were: image classification; interpretation of aerial photographs; and constrained linear mixture analysis. Over 900 reference sample points on four transects were extracted from the aerial photographs and used as a basis to check output of the classification and mixture analysis. Distinctive zonations of VIS related to urban composition were found in the per-pixel classification and aggregated air-photo interpretation; however, significant spectral confusion also resulted between classes. In contrast, the VIS fraction images produced from the mixture analysis enabled distinctive densities of commercial, industrial and residential zones within the city to be clearly defined, based on their relative amount of vegetation cover. The soil fraction image served as an index for areas being (re)developed. The logical match of a low (L)-resolution, spectral mixture analysis approach with the moderate spatial resolution image data, ensured the processing model matched the spectrally heterogeneous nature of the urban environments at the scale of Landsat Thematic Mapper data.
Effect of rice straw application on CH4 emission in continuous and recently converted paddy fields

Management of rice straw is of environmental concern because it significantly affects methane (CH4) emissions from rice paddies. To evaluate straw-application effects on paddies those have different cultivation histories, we measured CH4 emissions in continuously cultivated rice paddy (CP) and recently converted paddy (RP) (from soybean cultivation) with rice straw treatments (+S). Further, we hypothesized that changes in i) soil Fe (III) reduction and ii) population dynamics of methanogens were responsible for the different responses of CH4 emissions due to straw application between CP and RP. Methane (CH4) emission from CP+S was 2-fold larger than that from RP+S, although relative enhancement was higher in later (492%) than the former (289%) compared with no straw application. Stoichiometric evaluation revealed that applied rice straw acted as an exogenous source of electron donor for CH4 production, especially in CP. Our results showed that the increase in CH4 emissions by straw application was much greater in continuous than short term paddy.
Navigation of Untethered Small-Scale Helical Devices Using Magnetic System Under Ultrasound Guidance

Magnetic actuation of untethered small-scale helical devices (USHDs) shows great potential for targeted drug delivery or as minimally invasive surgical tools in the human body. However, ensuring the success of therapeutic interventions in anatomically challenging regions, such as neck vascular networks with winding pathways and branching, demands the incorporation of precise image feedback and a robust control method. How to construct a control method with precise navigation ability in complex and hard-to-reach body districts is still a challenging work. In this paper, we propose a closed-loop control strategy for the USHD based on a permanent-magnet robotic (PMR) system inside a three-dimensional (3-D) vascular model with blood. First, the 3-D vascular model is reconstructed using 2-D ultrasound images. Second, the point-to-point closed-loop control of the USHD is performed under ultrasound guidance, and the control input is obtained to act on both the PMR system and the ultrasound system. Next, the USHD navigates the different pathways of the 3-D vascular model under the proposed control strategy. Finally, our in vitro experimental results indicate that the maximum mean absolute position error between the target point of each branch and the actual position reached by the USHD (length and diameter of 6 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively) is 6.4±3.8 mm and 4.2±2.8 mm when the blood flow rate is 16.6 mL/min, which corresponds to 28% of the maximum venous flow rate.
Ultrasonics : data, equations, and their practical uses

Oscillatory Motion and Wave Equations. Ultrasonic Horns, Couplers, and Tools. Advanced Designs of Ultrasonic Transducers and Devices. Using Finite Element Analysis. Piezoelectric Materials: Properties and Design Data. Magnetostriction: Materials and Transducers. Pneumatic Transducer Design Data. Properties of Materials. Ultrasonics-Assisted Physical and Chemical Processes. Advances in the Generation and Detection of Ultrasound in the Field of Nondestructive Testing/Evaluation. Medical Ultrasound: Therapeutic and Diagnostic Imaging. Mechanical Effects of Ultrasonic Energy. Criteria for Choosing Ultrasonics. Index.
Numerical simulations of snowfall events: Sensitivity analysis of physical parameterizations

Accurate estimation of snowfall episodes several hours or even days in advance is essential to minimize risks to transport and other human activities. Every year, these episodes cause severe traffic problems on the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. In order to analyze the influence of different parameterization schemes, 15 snowfall days were analyzed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, defining three nested domains with resolutions of 27, 9, and 3 km. We implemented four microphysical parameterizations (WRF Single‐Moment 6‐class scheme, Goddard, Thompson, and Morrison) and two planetary boundary layer schemes (Yonsei University and Mellor‐Yamada‐Janjic), yielding eight distinct combinations. To validate model estimates, a network of 97 precipitation gauges was used, together with dichotomous data of snowfall presence/absence from snowplow requests to the emergency service of Spain and observatories of the Spanish Meteorological Agency. The results indicate that the most accurate setting of WRF for the study area was that using the Thompson microphysical parameterization and Mellor‐Yamada‐Janjic scheme, although the Thompson and Yonsei University combination had greater accuracy in determining the temporal distribution of precipitation over 1 day. Combining the eight deterministic members in an ensemble average improved results considerably. Further, the root mean square difference decreased markedly using a multiple linear regression as postprocessing. In addition, our method was able to provide mean ensemble precipitation and maximum expected precipitation,which can be very useful in the management of water resources. Finally, we developed an application that allows determination of the risk of snowfall above a certain threshold.
Politicas y concepciones en discapacidad. Un binomio por explorar

Es un estudio sobre la normatividad producida en Colombia, relacionada con la poblacion infantil. Se pregunta por cuales son los conceptos nucleares que inspiraron esa realidad y concluye que las concepciones politicas colombianas tienen unas claras tendencias que distorsionar, ignoran, invisibilizan algunos conceptos claves para la construccion de una politica.
Palynofacies, palaeoenvironments and petroleum

During the past decade, transmitted light microscopy of dispersed organic particles has become an important tool for assessing the petroleum potential of sedimentary basins. The main components of palynofacies and the colours of the microfossils preserved therein are widely used in the oil industry to aid the determination of organic maturation level and source rock potential for hydrocarbons. Less well known is the technique of integrating palynofacies and sedimentological data to facilitate the identification of depositional environments. While not a new development in the field of palynology, the subject has recently come of age. Selected palynofacies from the English Wealden (Lower Cretaceous) and elsewhere are briefly described and illustrated in order to emphasise the value of palynofacies studies to both palynologists and petroleum geologists.
Tools and techniques for efficient system-level design space exploration

Mark Thompson deed onderzoek naar ontwerpmethodes voor embedded computersystemen zoals die worden gebruikt in streaming-mediatoepassingen zoals televisies, telefoons en camera’s. De trend is dat deze apparaten aan steeds hogere eisen moeten voldoen en steeds meer (software-)applicaties tegelijkertijd draaien op complexe hardware. Thompson onderzocht een aantal technieken om dit soort systemen te modelleren en simuleren. Hij introduceert nieuwe technieken om zulke simulatiemodellen nauwkeurig te maken terwijl de simulatietijd toch kort blijft. Ook stelt Thompson voor om het ontwerpproces (deels) te automatiseren. Hierbij wordt het ontwerpprobleem gerepresenteerd als een zoekruimte van alle mogelijke ontwerpbeslissingen. Door het gebruik van een speciaal voor dit doel aangepaste variant op genetische algoritmes (een heuristische zoekmethode gebaseerd op biologische processen) kan de zoekruimte worden doorlopen en kunnen de beste ontwerpen (en ontwerpbeslissingen) worden gevonden.
Understanding intersatellite biases of microwave humidity sounders using global simultaneous nadir overpasses

[1] Simultaneous nadir overpasses (SNOs) of polar-orbiting satellites are most frequent in polar areas but can occur at any latitude when the equatorial crossing times of the satellites become close owing to orbital drift. We use global SNOs of polar orbiting satellites to evaluate the intercalibration of microwave humidity sounders from the more frequent high-latitude SNOs. We have found based on sensitivity analyses that optimal distance and time thresholds for defining collocations are pixel centers less than 5 km apart and time differences less than 300 s. These stringent collocation criteria reduce the impact of highly variable surface or atmospheric conditions on the estimated biases. Uncertainties in the estimated biases are dominated by the combined radiometric noise of the instrument pair. The effects of frequency changes between different versions of the humidity sounders depend on the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. There are significant scene radiance and thus latitude dependencies in the estimated biases and this has to taken into account while intercalibrating microwave humidity sounders. Therefore the results obtained using polar SNOs will not be representative for moist regions, necessitating the use of global collocations for reliable intercalibration.
A meridional 14C and 39Ar section in northeast Atlantic deep water

14C, 39Ar, and complementary hydrographic and nutrient data are presented for deep water below 2500 m depth, from stations along a meridional section (8°S to 45°N) through the Romanche Trench and along the deep northeast Atlantic basins (F/S Meteor, cruise 56, leg 5). The large-scale 14C distribution along the section is resolved at the 14C data precision of ±2‰. Bottom water Δ14C decreases by 6‰ from the equator to 45°N, and farther up there is a weak Δ14C minimum (−123‰) over much of the section. The 14C data are interpreted as giving a turnover time of about 30 years for the waters below the depth of the 14C minimum (∼4250 m). It is found that water of 1.50±0.05°C potential temperature enters the East Atlantic from the west through the Romanche Trench (sill depth about 4000 m), and a preliminary value for the inflow rate of 3.6×106 m3/s is deduced. This rate greatly exceeds estimated deep inflow rates through the Vema fracture zone or across the northern boundary of the East Atlantic. 39Ar data that cover an entire deep-ocean circulation system are presented for the first time. The observed 14C and 39Ar distributions are mutually consistent. Transit times from the source regions to the equator for water from northern and southern deepwater sources are estimated to be about 170 and 105 years, respectively, and the 39Ar concentration of young Antarctic Bottom Water is deduced as 60±7% modern. The 39Ar-14C correlation in the ocean appears to be affected by mixing of waters of different age and by more efficient raising of 39Ar in the deepwater formation processes.
Divergence of hydraulic traits among tropical forest trees across topographic and vertical environment gradients in Borneo

Summary Fine‐scale topographic–edaphic gradients are common in tropical forests and drive species spatial turnover and marked changes in forest structure and function. We evaluate how hydraulic traits of tropical tree species relate to vertical and horizontal spatial niche specialization along such a gradient. Along a topographic–edaphic gradient with uniform climate in Borneo, we measured six key hydraulic traits in 156 individuals of differing heights in 13 species of Dipterocarpaceae. We investigated how hydraulic traits relate to habitat, tree height and their interaction on this gradient. Embolism resistance increased in trees on sandy soils but did not vary with tree height. By contrast, water transport capacity increased on sandier soils and with increasing tree height. Habitat and height only interact for hydraulic efficiency, with slope for height changing from positive to negative from the clay‐rich to the sandier soil. Habitat type influenced trait–trait relationships for all traits except wood density. Our data reveal that variation in the hydraulic traits of dipterocarps is driven by a combination of topographic–edaphic conditions, tree height and taxonomic identity. Our work indicates that hydraulic traits play a significant role in shaping forest structure across topographic–edaphic and vertical gradients and may contribute to niche specialization among dipterocarp species.
Mapping urban land uses in the United States by census zone using nationally available data

Accurate identification of urban land use is essential for many applications. However, as physical surfaces of land-cover types are not necessarily related to their use and economic function, differentiating among thematically detailed urban land uses (single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) using remotely sensed imagery is a challenging task, particularly over large areas. Few thematically detailed urban land-use mapping products have successfully been created via automated means at regional scales, and no such product currently exists for the entire United States. This study demonstrates an approach that uses US census block groups (BGs) as the basic unit of geography and predicts the percentages of 10 urban land uses for each BG. Predictors are based on a number of national-scale and publicly available data sources, including census data, point locations of land-use features, and historical land cover. Results indicate the importance of accounting for contextual/proximity effects when identifying land uses. The method, demonstrated over a four-county area surrounding the city of Boston, provides a potential model for broad-scale urban land-use mapping.