Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global modeling of irrigation water requirements

Currently, almost 90% of the global water consumption is for irrigation purposes, and more than 40% of the crops are produced under irrigated conditions. In order to assess the future water and food situation, it is therefore necessary to model irrigation water requirements. We present a global model of irrigation requirements, which is based on a new raster map of irrigated areas. With a spatial resolution of 0.5°, the model simulates the cropping patterns, the growing seasons, and the net and gross irrigation requirements, distinguishing two crops, rice and nonrice. Using long time series of monthly climatic variables, the irrigation requirements under present‐day climate conditions are computed, and the impact of climate variability is analyzed. The correspondence between model results and independent estimates of irrigation water use is judged to be good enough for applying the model in global and continental studies.
Unsaturation beneath a water table

The water table is a fundamental concept in hydrogeology. In standard hydrologic and geotechnical practice, it is the elevation to which water will fill a hole if the borehole is drilled into the top of the shallowest water-bearing zone. As Hubbert (1940) has shown, this definition of the water table corresponds to a surface on which fluid pressure is atmospheric, which is a definition that implies nothing about saturation. Many textbooks take note of this but also point out that a zone above a water table may be saturated with water at subatmospheric pressure because of capillarity (e.g., Davis and DeWiest, 1966; Freeze and Cherry, 1979; and Selker et al., 1999). The potential for unsaturation beneath a water table, however, is seldom acknowledged, except for perched conditions. For example, the American Geological Institute's Glossary of Geology defines the water table as “the surface between the saturated zone and unsaturated zone ; that surface of a body of unconfined groundwater at which the pressure is equal to that of the atmosphere,” which implies they are equivalent (Jackson, 1997). In addition, some textbooks have defined the water table as the top of the zone of saturation (e.g., Walton, 1970; Fetter, 1988; and Domenico and Schwartz, 1997), although it should be noted that the definition is corrected in Fetter's fourth edition (Fetter, 2001). The purpose of this paper is to describe a field example that documents the presence of unsaturation beneath a water table under naturally occurring conditions. The primary significance of documenting unsaturation beneath a water table, apart from confirming the need for care in defining the water table, is to indicate the need for caution in the use of seismic refraction surveys to determine depths to water tables. In addition, recognition of the possibility of unsaturation beneath …
Northern East Asian Monsoon Precipitation Revealed by Airmass Variability and Its Prediction

This work provides a new perspective on the major factors controlling the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in July and a promising physical‐statistical forecasting of the EASM ahead of summer. Dominant modes of the EASM are revealed from the variability of large-scale air masses discerned by equivalent potential temperature, and they are found to be dynamically connected with the anomalous sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over the three major oceans of the world and their counterparts of prevailing atmospheric oscillation or teleconnection patterns. Precipitation over northern East Asia (NEA) during July is enhanced by the tropical central Indian Ocean warming and central Pacific El Nino‐related SST warming, the northwestern Pacific cooling off the coast of NEA, and the North Atlantic Ocean warming. Using these factors and data from the preceding spring seasons, the authors build a multiple linear regression model for seasonal forecasting. The cross-validated correlation skill predicted for the period 1994 to 2012 is up to 0.84, which far exceeds the skill level of contemporary climate models.
Improved complex permittivity measurement and data processing technique for soil-water systems

The complex permittivity of soil-water systems is a function of a number of soil properties. By measuring the complex permittivity, one could quantitatively evaluate the soil behavior under existing conditions in the field, as well as identify changes in the environment. This paper describes the improvement of a measurement and data processing technique for the analysis of the complex permittivity of soil. A sample holder described in a previously published study is modified to reduce errors from sample handling and to increase the measurement accuracy and capacity. A modular unit is designed to measure the static conductivity and the complex permittivity of the soil simultaneously. The data processing technique is also presented, including the identification of the frequency for data analysis and extraction of the static conductivity from the measured loss factors. The results of the complex permittivity measurements on a compacted natural clayey till are presented to demonstrate the typical relationships of the soil complex permittivity as they are related to the soil volumetric water content, bulk density, and salinity.
Stray light modelling and analysis for the FY‐2 meteorological satellite

Based on the analysis of the mechanism of stray light of the FY‐2 meteorological satellite, the main component of the stray light, generated from the folding mirror direct reflections, is modelled physically. Through the analysis of the stray light outside of the Earth region as well as extracting the high‐order statistical eigenvalues of the designated areas, the stray light function matrix, A, can be calculated using the total least squares (TLS) method, which is applied to the inside of the Earth region, and the full field‐of‐view (FFOV) stray light estimation can be produced efficiently. It is shown that the mean restoration errors of the stray light outside of the Earth region of the infrared (IR), water vapour (WV) and visible (VIS) channels are less than two scaled units, while the visual images are improved greatly. The images of FY‐2B IR with stray light removed and the FY‐2B raw images are inter‐calibrated with the NOAA‐17 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Ch4 data. The results show that, from 180 to 300 K of the brightness temperature area, the standard deviation of the data with stray light removed is from 1.3 to 3.8 K relative to the NOAA‐17 data, which is improved by 3–10 times in calibration accuracy compared with the raw data inter‐calibration results. The model has been running for testing in the FY‐2B ground operational system and will be applied operationally to the follow‐up satellite system. With the adjustment of a few parameters, the principle of the model can be used for stray light analysis of other instruments on geostationary satellite platform.
CLIM: A cloud imager to provide sounders with agile sighting

The CLIM (Cloud Imager) infrared camera, currently being defined, has same channels as AVHRR and has been designed to assist sounders by spotting areas of clear sky from a satellite. The article outlines a simulation of CLIM, based on real data, and presents its estimated performances for different spectral band configurations associated with a cloud detection algorithm. The study shows that up to 40% more cloud-free zones can be explored by a sounder supported by such an imager, compared with the same sounder pointing fixedly at the nadir.
Deploying QoS-assured service function chains with stochastic prediction models on VNF latency

Current Network Function Virtualization (NFV) with Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) running as virtual machines on commodity servers enables flexibility to Service Function Chaining (SFC). Specific applications may require Quality of Service (QoS) on end-to-end latency. However, the processing delay and the queuing delay of VNFs varies with virtual resource configurations (vCPU and vMemory), as well as physical usage (traffic amount, CPU utilization). Moreover, packet delays are randomly distributed, instead of a fixed value. To accurately model the latency distribution of one VNF, a prediction method using random-forest regression is proposed. Evaluation results show that our method can predict the latency distribution of the two sample VNFs with only 10% errors. On the basis of the model, a QoS-assured SFC deployment algorithm is also presented to guarantee end-to-end latency and bandwidth consumption of users. Experiments show that our algorithm enables high degree of scalability with polynomial runtime, and meanwhile maximizes user acceptance rates with 6% difference from the optimal solution from the mixed integer programming.
P‐29: Variability in Susceptibility to the Color Flash Effect in Field Sequential Color Displays

We report on a study to develop population statistics on susceptibility to the “color flash effect” (CFE) a visual artifact observed, to varying degrees, by viewers of field sequential color (FSC) displays. Subjects made saccades across a vertical bright line generated by a simulated Philips “scrolling color” FSC display, judged to be representative in this regard to conventional FSC displays. Pre‐analyzed test data from 32 young adults show that contrast ratio thresholds and luminance thresholds for CFE detection vary over (wide) ranges of log 1.2 (15.9:1) and log 1.07 (11.8:1), respectively. A statistically significant though moderate (0.40) correlation exists between the two thresholds. The results of less rigorous testing of 26 old‐than‐40 year adult indicate that CFE susceptibility is not age‐dependent. The well‐researched perceptual mislocalization of signals flashed during a saccade is identified as the primary cause of CFE.
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF THE FULA SUB‐BASIN, MUGLAD BASIN, SUDAN

The Fula sub‐basin is a fault‐bounded depression located in the NE of the Muglad Basin, Sudan, and covers an area of about 3560 km2. Eleven oilfields and oil‐bearing structures have been discovered in the sub‐basin. The Lower Cretaceous Abu Gabra shales (Barremian – Aptian), deposited in a deep‐water lacustrine environment, are major source rocks. Reservoir targets include interbedded sandstones within the Abu Gabra Formation and sandstones in the overlying Bentiu and Aradeiba Formations (Albian – Cenomanian and Turonian, respectively).
Using Indicators to Assess Climate Change Vulnerabilities: Are There Lessons to Learn for Emerging Loss and Damage Debates?

Climate change is one of the most pressing global issues. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is committed to supporting adaptation in developing countries but identifying priority needs depends on an assessment of vulnerability. Indicators and indices are one common method for vulnerability assessments. A variety of vulnerability indicators and indices have been created for global level, cross-country comparison within regions and also at sub-national level, and as a result of these indicators, a variety of methodological critiques have arisen. This paper reviews vulnerability science and the evolution of indicators for vulnerability assessment and then assesses whether there is utility in using indicators for assessing the risk of loss and damage – one of the latest thrusts of the international policy negotiations.
Safety and efficacy of high dose etanercept in treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate safety and efficacy of high dose etanercept (> 0.8 mg/kg, maximum 25 mg subcutaneously twice weekly) (Enbrel) in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and inadequate prior response to standard dose etanercept. METHODS Retrospective chart review of 8 children (6 girls, 2 boys, mean age 8.4 yrs, range 5-16 yrs). Five children had systemic onset, polyarticular course JRA; 2 had polyarticular onset; and one had pauciarticular onset, polyarticular course JRA. All children had failed at least 3 mo (mean 9 mo) treatment with standard dose etanercept (0.4 mg/kg SC twice a week). All 8 children had increase in the etanercept dose to at least 0.8 mg/kg (mean 1.1 mg/kg, maximum 25 mg SC twice weekly) for a mean of 7 mo (range 3-10 mo). Efficacy of high dose etanercept was evaluated by changes in joint count, laboratory data, and ability to decrease concomitant medication. RESULTS Improvements in the joint count and laboratory findings (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin and platelet count) were observed in 2 of 8 (25%) children. In these 2, concomitant prednisone was reduced or discontinued. In contrast, no changes in disease activity or laboratory findings were observed in the other 6 children. Overall, high dose etanercept was well tolerated. No laboratory abnormalities were detected and no child withdrew because of adverse events. CONCLUSION High dose etanercept is safe and well tolerated in children, but efficacy seems limited. In children with unsatisfactory response to standard dose etanercept, an increased dose or treatment prolongation may not offer any additional benefit.
Aeration Characteristics of Ski Jump Jets

Scour downstream of ski jumps may be avoided by jet deflection to an area where the energy dissipation is accomplished. The main purpose of this experimental study was the analysis of the jet air entrainment downstream of a ski jump, both for pure water and preaerated approach flow conditions. A systematic variation of the Froude number and the flow depth in the approach flow channel resulted in a range of discharge characteristics, whereas the geometry of the ski jump was maintained for all tests. The air concentration profile was measured at different locations downstream from the ski jump to evaluate the: (1) jet air concentration distribution; (2) location of minimum air concentration along the mixture flow jet and development of the minimum and the cross-sectional average air concentrations; (3) jet trajectories; and (4) process of air entrainment characteristics and jet disintegration. The results demonstrate the significant effect of the approach flow Froude number, the approach flow depth, and of preaeration on jet disintegration.
Fusion of airborne SAR image and color aerial image for land use classification

The fusion of multi-source data is one of the most promising techniques for improved classification of remote sensing images. This paper utilized the images by fusing the high-resolution optical and SAR images for land use classification. The high-resolution optical and SAR images present the land features for many aspects and supplement information to each other because of their different imaging modes and wavebands, so classical methods such as Hue - Intensity -Saturation(HIS) transform based, Brovey(color normalized),Principal Component Substitution(PCS) approaches and wavelet-based method are used in fusing process, then the fused results been evaluated through the calculation of some quantitative index(Mean grey value, Standard error, Entropy, Definition). The wavelet-based fused image shows better effect than others. A MLC(maximum likelihood classification) method was employed to the wavelet-based fused image ,Classification accuracy was assessed using high-resolution aerial orthophotos. The overall accuracy for six classes(Settlement, River, Agricultural field, Country road, Tree nurseries, Bare land) was found to be 94.36% with kappa coefficient of 0.92.
Synthetic seismograms in a spherical Earth using exact flattening transformation

In a layered spherical earth, we take inhomogeneity in each shell such that the solutions of equation of motion are obtained in terms of exponential functions. In this case, the propagator matrix becomes similar to that in a flat earth. We call such transformation as ‘exact flattening transformation’. This transformation allows us to study wave propagation using the rich algorithms of a flat earth and to achieve similar accuracy and efficiency as in a flat earth. Here we generate synthetic seismograms in a spherical earth through exact flattening transformation using the corresponding computer code of a flat layered earth. Comparison of vertical, radial and transverse components of waveforms with approximate flattening transformation has been made for epicentral distances between 20 deg and 60 deg; comparisons show that the body waves fairly agree in both transformations but disagree mainly in Rayleigh wave part; the disagreement increases with the increase of epicentral distance.
Interannual variability versus seasonal variability in the Tropical Atlantic

Monthly fields of sea surface temperature and wind stress for the tropical Atlantic are constructed for January 1964 to December 1979. Inside the Gulf of Guinea the amplitude of the seasonal variability of SST ranges between 2.5 and 4 times greater than the interannual variability. In the remainder of the equatorial Atlantic this measure is less than 2. Standard deviations of wind stress anomalies indicate that, except near the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the magnitude of interannual fluctuations are greater than seasonal ones. The joint analyses of these SST and wind stress fields indicate the largest positive SST anomaly in the Gulf of Guinea (July, 1968) was immediately preceded by the only reversal of the trade winds west along the equator.
Identification of Potential Antimicrobial Targets of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms through a Novel Screening Approach

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen of high medical importance and is one of the main pathogens responsible for the mortality of patients with cystic fibrosis. In addition to inherited antibiotic resistance, P. aeruginosa can form biofilms, defined as communities of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances adhering to each other and/or to a surface. ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen of considerable medical importance, owing to its pronounced antibiotic tolerance and association with cystic fibrosis and other life-threatening diseases. The aim of this study was to highlight the genes responsible for P. aeruginosa biofilm tolerance to antibiotics and thereby identify potential new targets for the development of drugs against biofilm-related infections. By developing a novel screening approach and utilizing a public P. aeruginosa transposon insertion library, several biofilm-relevant genes were identified. The Pf phage gene (PA0720) and flagellin gene (fliC) conferred biofilm-specific tolerance to gentamicin. Compared with the reference biofilms, the biofilms formed by PA0720 and fliC mutants were completely eliminated with a 4-fold-lower gentamicin concentration. Furthermore, the mreC, pprB, coxC, and PA3785 genes were demonstrated to play major roles in enhancing biofilm tolerance to gentamicin. The analysis of biofilm-relevant genes performed in this study provides important novel insights into the understanding of P. aeruginosa antibiotic tolerance, which will facilitate the detection of antibiotic resistance and the development of antibiofilm strategies against P. aeruginosa. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen of high medical importance and is one of the main pathogens responsible for the mortality of patients with cystic fibrosis. In addition to inherited antibiotic resistance, P. aeruginosa can form biofilms, defined as communities of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances adhering to each other and/or to a surface. Biofilms protect bacteria from antibiotic treatments and represent a major reason for antibiotic failure in the treatment of chronic infections caused by cystic fibrosis. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new therapeutic strategies aimed at specifically eradicating biofilms. The aim of this study was to generalize a novel screening method for biofilm research and to identify the possible genes involved in P. aeruginosa biofilm tolerance to antibiotics, both of which could improve the understanding of biofilm-related infections and allow for the identification of relevant therapeutic targets for drug development.
Estimation of Continuous Streamflow in Ontario Ungauged Basins: Comparison of Regionalization Methods

Regionalization, a process of transferring hydrological information [i.e., parameters of a conceptual rainfall-runoff model, namely, the McMaster University-Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning (MAC-HBV)] from gauged to ungauged basins, was applied to estimate continuous flows in ungauged basins across Ontario, Canada. To identify appropriate regionalization methods, different regionalization methods were applied, including the spatial proximity [i.e., kriging, inverse distance weighted (IDW), and mean parameters], physical similarity, and regression-based approaches. Furthermore, an approach coupling the spatial-proximity (IDW) method and the physical similarity approach is proposed. The analysis results show that the coupled regionalization approach as well as the IDW and kriging produce better model performances than the remaining three. Further investigations show that the coupled-regionalization approach provides slightly better performances than the other two spatial proximity methods. In addit.
The joint use of IHS transform and redundant wavelet decomposition for fusing multispectral and panchromatic images

Intensity hue saturation (IHS) and wavelet decomposition are two distinct fusion methods used for enhancing the spatial resolution of multispectral images by exploiting a high-resolution panchromatic image. In this paper, a combination of the IHS transform and redundant wavelet decomposition is proposed as a general method for fusing multisensor images. The principle consists of transforming low-resolution multispectral images into IHS independent components. The low-resolution intensity component is fused with the high-resolution panchromatic image in the redundant wavelet domain through an appropriate model. Subsequently, the high-resolution intensity produced is substituted to the low-resolution intensity. High spatial resolution multispectral images are then obtained through an inverse IHS transformation. SPOT images are used to illustrate the superiority of this approach over the IHS fuser in terms of preservation of spectral properties.
Coastal palaeoenvironmental record of the last 7 kyr BP in NW France: Sub-millennial climatic and anthropic Holocene signals

To date, Holocene palaeoecological signatures on the Northwestern coast of France have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, environmental changes related to both climate processes and human disturbances were reconstructed over the last 7000 cal. yr BP, based on pollen and chironomid assemblages from four coastal cores retrieved in Western Brittany (Porsmilin beach, NW France). Pollen and chironomid records show an environmental response to both millennial- and centennial-scale climate changes. During the mid-Holocene (until around 4200 cal. yr BP), when human impact was low, Porsmilin’s landscape was characterized by a mixed oak forest dominated by Corylus trees. Comparison of our data with other palynological data from the NW French Atlantic coast shows that this dominance may be related to more humid conditions prevailing at Porsmilin. Furthermore, over the mid-Holocene, Corylus and Quercus patterns appear anti-correlated, with Quercus declines appearing synchronous with major storms revealed by data recently compiled for the Holocene in Brittany, suggesting that cold conditions probably caused the Quercus contractions, which in turn favoured the rise of the heliophile taxon Corylus. Regarding chironomids over this period, our results show variations in lotic–lentic taxa related to hydrological conditions, more specifically changes in river run off strength. Over the Late Holocene, the Porsmilin palynological record shows progressive vegetation changes mainly related to human settlement and development of agricultural activities.