Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CloudSat shedding new light on high‐reaching tropical deep convection observed with Meteosat

Characteristics of warmer water vapor pixels (WWVPs) defined by brightness temperature difference (ΔTB) between 6.2 μm and 10.8 μm channel of Meteosat‐8 greater than zero were examined using collocated CloudSat data during the period from 15 October to 15 November 2006 over tropical Africa. On the basis of CloudSat we provide a physical interpretation of ΔTB > 0. It is found that WWVPs occur in deep convective areas where cloud tops are in the tropical tropopause layer above 14 km. It is also found that the relationship between 10.8 μm TB and ΔTB is generally linear and WWVPs are frequent with very cold cloud top temperatures lower than the cold‐point tropopause temperature. These findings suggest that WWVPs are explained by the contrast between colder background of 10.8 μm TB associated with overshooting tropical deep convection and warmer water vapor channel temperature due to the emission from water vapor lines in the warmer stratosphere above.
THE INFLUENCE OF REPOSITORY THERMAL LOAD ON MULTIPHASE FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER IN THE UNSATURATED ZONE OF YUCCA MOUNTAIN

This paper investigates the impact of proposed repository thermal-loading on mountain-scale flow and heat transfer in the unsaturated fractured rock of Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In this context, a model has been developed to study the coupled thermal-hydrological (TH) processes at the scale of the entire Yucca Mountain. This mountain-scale TH model implements the current geological framework and hydrogeological conceptual models, and incorporates the latest rock thermal and hydrological properties. The TH model consists of a two-dimensional north-south vertical cross section across the entire unsaturated zone model domain and uses refined meshes near and around the proposed repository block, based on the current repository design, drift layout, thermal loading scenario, and estimated current and future climatic conditions. The model simulations provide insights into thermally affected liquid saturation, gas- and liquid-phase fluxes, and elevated water and rock temperature, which in turn allow modelers to predict the changes in water flux driven by evaporation/condensation processes, and drainage between drifts.
Human Pose Estimation and Activity Recognition From Multi-View Videos: Comparative Explorations of Recent Developments

This paper presents a review and comparative study of recent multi-view approaches for human 3D pose estimation and activity recognition. We discuss the application domain of human pose estimation and activity recognition and the associated requirements, covering: advanced human–computer interaction (HCI), assisted living, gesture-based interactive games, intelligent driver assistance systems, movies, 3D TV and animation, physical therapy, autonomous mental development, smart environments, sport motion analysis, video surveillance, and video annotation. Next, we review and categorize recent approaches which have been proposed to comply with these requirements. We report a comparison of the most promising methods for multi-view human action recognition using two publicly available datasets: the INRIA Xmas Motion Acquisition Sequences (IXMAS) Multi-View Human Action Dataset, and the i3DPost Multi-View Human Action and Interaction Dataset. To compare the proposed methods, we give a qualitative assessment of methods which cannot be compared quantitatively, and analyze some prominent 3D pose estimation techniques for application, where not only the performed action needs to be identified but a more detailed description of the body pose and joint configuration. Finally, we discuss some of the shortcomings of multi-view camera setups and outline our thoughts on future directions of 3D body pose estimation and human action recognition.
Distribution of nephrologists and regional variation in the clinical severity of IgA nephropathy at biopsy diagnosis in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Objectives The clinical severity of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) at the time of biopsy diagnosis differs significantly among cases. One possible determinant of any such difference is the time taken for referral from the primary care physician to a nephrologist, but the definitive cause remains unclear. This study examined the contribution of the number of nephrologists per regional population as a potential social factor influencing the clinical severity at diagnosis among patients with IgAN in Japan, which has an ethnically homogeneous population. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting and participants Patients were registered in the Japan Renal Biopsy Registry (J-RBR), a nationwide multicentre registry, and 6426 patients diagnosed with IgAN were analysed. The facilities registered to the J-RBR were divided into 10 regions and the clinical features of IgAN at biopsy diagnosis, including renal function and level of proteinuria, were examined. Main outcome measures Renal prognosis risk at the time of biopsy diagnosis defined by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guideline 2012. Results Among the regions, there were significant differences in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (67.5–91.4 mL/min/1.73 m2), urinary protein excretion rate (0.93–1.93 g/day) and renal prognosis risk group distribution at diagnosis. The severity of all clinical parameters was inversely correlated with the number of nephrologists per regional population, which showed an up to 2.7-fold difference among regions. A generalised linear mixed model revealed that a low number of nephrologists per regional population were significantly associated with fulfilment of clinical criteria indicating a very-high-risk renal prognosis (β=−0.484, 95% CI −0.959 to −0.010). Conclusions Among Japanese patients with IgAN, significant regional differences were detected in clinical severity at the time of diagnosis. Social factors, such as an uneven distribution of nephrologists across regions, may influence the timing of biopsy and determine such differences.
Geologic Map of the Greenaway Quadrangle (V-24), Venus

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An Application of Models of Speculative Behaviour to Oil Prices

We estimate three different models of speculative behaviour using oil price data. There are two major results: (i) The three-regime model of Brooks and Katsaris (2005) and a three-regime variant of van Norden and Schaller (2002) fit the oil price data reasonably well; and (ii) Both models show that the probabilities of being in a bubble collapsing state and a bubble expansion state spike in late-2008/early-2009. This provides some support for the claim by Phillips and Yu (2010) and Gilbert (2010) that a bubble in oil prices existed for short period in 2008.
ROSIS - An Advanced Imaging Spectrometer For The Monitoring Of Water Colour And Chlorophyll Fluorescence

The "Reflective Optics System Imaging Spectrometer" (ROSIS) is a compact, programmable imaging spectrometer based on a CCD matrix detector array. The optics of the system is made of reflective components only. The present horizontal resolution is 500 pixels across-track for a one-camera system with 32 selectable channels out of 85 within the spectral range 430 - 850 nm. The spectral mode permits all 85 channels to be read using every third across-track pixel. The instrument has been designed specifically for the monitoring of water colour and of natural chlorophyll fluorescence in order to derive concentrations of phytoplankton chlorophyll and other pigments, suspeded matter and yellow substance, and to map their horizontal distribution in the sea. However, its high spectral resolution (of ≤ 5 nm) and flexibility also permits new applications in the remote sensing of atmospheric parameters such as cloud-top height and vegetation monitoring. An airborne prototype of ROSIS is being jointly developed at present by MBB, GKSS and DFVLR. The instrument concept, the data processing system and the scope of application is discussed.
Seasonal fluctuations in growth/decline and single-leaf gas exchange of C3 turfgrass fields under various light conditions

Seasonal variation in non-assimilatory organ and leaf biomass and necromass, leaf area index (LAI), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), and leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area of managed C3 cool-season turfgrass (Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L.) fields under four light conditions (irradiance levels: 100, 62, 48, 20%) were examined in situ over 2 years. Seasonal fluctuations in light and the temperature dependence of the gas exchange of intact leaves grown under three light conditions (irradiance levels: 100, 48, 20%) were also examined for 1 year. The magnitude of spring growth and summer decline in non-assimilatory organ and leaf biomass depended on the light conditions. Both non-assimilatory organ and leaf biomass were higher in the sunnier plots, as was the ratio of non-assimilatory organs to whole biomass. A step wise acclimatization to low irradiance reduced the allocation to non-assimilatory organs to maintain leaf biomass, limited LMA to maintain the LAI, and limited the latter to retain leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area, depending on the shade level. Kentucky bluegrass growing under lower light conditions had similar single-leaf photosynthetic abilities until early summer, but the normalized maximum carboxylation rate at 25°C [Vcmax25] decreased during the decline of turfgrass in summer, depending on the shade level, which corresponded to the decline in leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area.
Economic performance through time

Economic history is about the performance of economies through time. The objective of research in the field is not only to shed new light on the economic past but also to contribute to economic theory by providing an analytical framework that will enable us to understand economic change. A theory of economic dynamics comparable in precision to general equilibrium theory would be the ideal tool of analysis. In the absence of such a theory we can describe the characteristics of past economies, examine the performance of economies at various times, and engage in comparative static analysis; but missing is an analytical understanding of the way economies evolve through time.
Indirect radiative forcing of the ozone layer during the 21st century

The response of a coupled two‐dimensional radiative‐chemical‐dynamical model to possible 21st century changes of the greenhouse gasses (GHGs) carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are explored using a range of IPCC marker scenarios of GHG emissions. The changes to the ozone layer caused by these GHGs are found to be relatively large (e.g., up to 5% global mean column ozone changes and 30% local changes for CO2 using the IPCC A2 scenario between 2000 and 2100) and the mechanisms for these changes are discussed. The ozone changes are compared to the recovery of ozone due to expected decreases in chlorine containing compounds. Since carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane affect ozone they induce an indirect radiative forcing in addition to their direct radiative forcing. These indirect radiative forcings are computed using a combination of accurate line‐by‐line and band radiative transfer models and are compared to the radiative forcing of ozone during the 1979–2000 time period. Although the changes in ozone are large at some altitudes over the 2000–2100 time horizon, the range of associated future indirect radiative forcings from ozone over the range of IPCC scenarios are found to be −0.1 to 0.1 W m−2, which is small compared with the corresponding range of total direct radiative forcing of 2.2 to 6.2 W m−2 for these GHGs over this time horizon.
2D and 3D seismic measurements to evaluate thecollapse risk of an important prehistoric cave insoft carbonate rock

Abstract The southern part of the Apulia region (theSalento peninsula) has been the site of at least fifteen collapseevents due to sinkholes in the last twenty years. Themajority of these occurred in "soft" carbonate rocks (calcarenites). Man–made and/or natural cavities are sometimesassets of historical and archaeological significance.This paper provides a methodology for the evaluation ofsinkhole hazard in "soft" carbonate rocks, combining seismicand mine engineering methods.Acase study of a naturalcavity which is called Grotta delle Veneri is illustrated.For this example the approach was: i) 2D and 3D seismicmethods to study the physical-mechanical characteristicsof the rock mass that constitutes the roof of the cave; andii) scaled span empirical analysis in order to evaluate theinstability of the crown pillar’s caves.
Spectral absorption properties of aerosol particles from 350–2500nm

The aerosol spectral absorption efficiency (αa in m2/g) is measured over an extended wavelength range (350–2500 nm) using an improved calibrated and validated reflectance technique and applied to urban aerosol samples from Sao Paulo, Brazil and from a site in Virginia, Eastern US, that experiences transported urban/industrial aerosol. The average αa values (∼3m2/g at 550 nm) for Sao Paulo samples are 10 times larger than αa values obtained for aerosols in Virginia. Sao Paulo aerosols also show evidence of enhanced UV absorption in selected samples, probably associated with organic aerosol components. This extra UV absorption can double the absorption efficiency observed from black carbon alone, therefore reducing by up to 50% the surface UV fluxes, with important implications for climate, UV photolysis rates, and remote sensing from space.
Surface‐wave tomography from ambient seismic noise of accelerograph networks in southern Korea

An efficient and robust cross‐correlation technique for estimation of surface wave Green's function between two locations is applied to a set of ambient noise data recorded by accelerograph networks in the southern Korea. We have estimated 1843 group velocities of Rayleigh waves in the period band of 2–4 seconds from correlation pairs of 91 accelerograph stations. Relatively dense and uniform coverage of the pairs provides us with high‐resolution tomographic image of surface‐wave group velocities in the region. The resulting group‐velocity distribution correlates well with the characteristic features of geological map of the region, displaying low velocities for the sedimentary basins and regions of volcanic and metasedimentary rocks, and high velocities for the regions where granitoid basement rocks outcrop. The short‐period information from the accelerograph network can enhance resolution of the subsurface structures at depths within a few kilometers, which may be predominantly responsible for simulation results of strong ground motions.
Equatorial Kelvin wave influences may reach the Bering Sea during 2002 to 2005

The time‐history of sea surface height (SSH) anomaly data from the TOPEX and Jason‐1 altimeters is examined along the equator and northward following the west coast of the Americas. Along‐track TOPEX and Jason‐1 altimeter data are put into an alongshore–offshore coordinate system and then smoothed. This procedure increases the degrees of freedom in individual estimates of long‐wavelength coastally trapped waves (CTWs) during times when both satellites are available (2002–2005). Equatorially trapped Kelvin waves are detected during the 2002–2003 El Niño. These Kelvin waves excite CTWs that travel northward along the west coast of the Americas. While CTWs associated with the 2002–2003 equatorial Kelvin waves are not always discernible along the entire coast, correlations of the coastal and equatorial SSH over the entire period of TOPEX and Jason‐1 overlap show a clear phase progression. This phase progression implies remote influence of equatorial Kelvin waves that may reach as far north as the Bering Sea during the weak to moderate El Niño events that occurred from 2002 to 2005.
Ice crystal number concentration versus temperature for climate studies

Ice crystal number concentration (Ni) is an important parameter, having a strong influence on the calculation of cloud optical and microphysical parameters. Cloud and precipitation parameterizations within climate and weather forecasting models, affecting the heat and moisture budget of the atmosphere, cannot be determined accurately if Ni is not estimated correctly. Previous studies of ice crystal number concentration versus temperature (T) have shown that Ni–T relationships are not unique. The present study uses observations made in the glaciated regions of stratiform clouds from two Arctic and two mid‐latitude field projects to study the Ni versus temperature relationship. Scatter plots of Ni versus T at the ice particle measurement level do not show a good correlation with T for ice crystals at sizes less than 1000 µm. For a given temperature, the variation in Ni is found to be up to two to three orders of magnitude for ice crystals with sizes larger than approximately 100 µm. A significant Ni–T relationship is found for precipitation sized particles with sizes greater than 1000 µm. The ice particle concentration for sizes between 100 and 1000 µm varied from 0.1 to 100 L−1, independent of geographic location where the measurements were made. Based on this work, it is concluded that modelling studies should be tested for the possible variations in Ni versus T. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society
Diurnal Variations of Precipitation, Deep Convection, and Lightning over and East of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Diurnal cycles of total rainfall, precipitation features, mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), deep convection, precipitation vertical structure, and lightning over the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) and eastward through China are investigated using 11 yr of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) measurements. Diurnal cycles of rainfall and precipitation features present apparent phase propagation eastward from the eastern TP for about 1000 km. The phase propagation is most evident during the pre-mei-yu and mei-yu seasons. However, it weakens with the northward progress of the East Asian monsoon and ceases in midsummer. During the pre-mei-yu season, diurnal cycles of storm population, total rainfall, deep convection, and lightning over the central and eastern TP foothills are in phase, peaking during the early morning. Another striking feature of the pre-mei-yu season is that nocturnal rainfall and MCSs prevail over the southeastern TP foothills following the deep convection and lightning maxim.
Full resolution focusing of Seasat SAR images in the frequency-wave number domain

Abstract Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data focusing has been traditionally performed using matched filter techniques. However, downward continuation techniques can produce, with a great computational efficiency, results that only the most sophisticated conventional techniques can achieve. The basic idea is to decompose the measured field into monochromatic plane waves of appropriate amplitudes, wave lengths and propagation directions. The backpropagation of these plane waves, and their recombination at the time when the sounding pulse was emitted, can produce a map of the backscattered electromagnetic field. In order to obtain correct focusing of synthetic aperture radar raw data, both the geometrical and the transmission parameters of the system should be known as precisely as possible. The transmission parameters are generally known very precisely, whereas the geometrical ones (i.e. sensor-target relative position, satellite velocity and attitude, etc.) can be derived from the ephemerides of the satel.
Analysis of snow cover variability and change in Québec, 1948–2005

The spatial and temporal characteristics of annual maximum snow water equivalent (SWEmax) and fall and spring snow cover duration (SCD) were analysed over Québec and adjacent area for snow seasons 1948/1949–2004/2005 using reconstructed daily snow depth and SWE. Snow cover variability in Québec was found to be significantly correlated with most of the major atmospheric circulation patterns affecting the climate of eastern North America but the influence was characterized by strong multidecadal‐scale variability. The strongest and most consistent relationship was observed between the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and fall SCD variability over western Québec. El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was found to have a limited impact on Québec snow cover. Evidence was found for a shift in circulation over the study region around 1980 associated with an abrupt increase in sea level pressure (SLP) and decreases in winter precipitation, snow depth and SWE over much of southern Québec, as well as changes in the atmospheric patterns with significant links to snow cover variability. Trend analysis of the reconstructed snow cover over 1948–2005 provided evidence of a clear north–south gradient in SWEmax and spring SCD with significant local decreases over southern Québec and significant local increases over north‐central Québec. The increase in SWEmax over northern Québec is consistent with proxy data (lake levels, tree growth forms, permafrost temperatures), with hemispheric‐wide trends of increasing precipitation over higher latitudes, and with projections of global climate models (GCMs). Copyright © 2010 Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons. Ltd