Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geospatial tools for landscape character assessment in Cyprus

The development of Landscape Typologies in Europe relies upon advances in geospatial tools and increasing availability of digital datasets. Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is a technique used to classify, describe and understand the combined physical, ecological and cultural characteristics of a landscape. LCA uses a range of data sources to identify and describe areas of common character and can operate at a range of scales i.e.national and regional and local. The paper describes the steps taken to develop an island wide landscape typology for Cyprus, based on the use of GIS and remote sensing tools. The methodology involved integrating physiographical, ecological and cultural information about the Cypriot landscape. Datasets on the cultural attributes (e.g. settlement and field patterns) were not available, so they were created de novo based on information from topographical maps (for settlement dispersion and density) and medium resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth, from which a number of distinctive field patterns could be distinguished. The mapping work is carried out on two levels using a hierarchical approach. The first level at a 1:100, 000 scale has been completed resulting in a map with 17 distinct landscape types. The second level is under way with the view of producing a more detailed landscape typology at 1:50, 000 scale which will incorporate the cultural aspects of the island. This is the first time that such a typology has been produced for Cyprus and it is expected to provide an invaluable tool for landscape planning and management.
kaNSaaS: Combining Deep Learning and Optimization for Practical Overbooking of Network Slices

Cloud-native mobile networks pave the road for Network Slicing as a Service (NSaaS), where slice overbooking is a promising management strategy to maximize the revenues from admitted slices by exploiting the fact they are unlikely to fully utilize their reserved resources concurrently. While seminal works have shown the potential of overbooking for NSaaS in simplistic cases, its realization is challenging in practical scenarios with realistic slice demands, where its actual performance remains to be tested. In this paper, we propose kaNSaaS, a complete solution for NSaaS management with slice overbooking that combines deep learning and classical optimization to jointly solve the key tasks of admission control and resource allocation. Experiments with large-scale measurement data of actual tenant demands show that kaNSaaS increases the network operator profits by 300% with respect to NSaaS management strategies that do not employ overbooking, while outperforming by more than 20% state-of-the-art overbooking-based approaches.
Primary production in Southern Ocean waters

The Southern Ocean forms a link between major ocean basins, is the site of deep and intermediate water ventilation, and is one of the few areas where macronutrients are underutilized by phytoplankton. Paradoxically, prior estimates of annual primary production are insufficient to support the Antarctic food web. Here we present results from a primary production algorithm based upon monthly climatological phytoplankton pigment concentrations from the coastal zone color scanner (CZCS). Phytoplankton production was forced using monthly temperature profiles and a radiative transfer model that computed changes in photosynthetically usable radiation at each CZCS pixel location. Average daily productivity (g C m−2 d−1) and total monthly production (Tg C month−1) were calculated for each of five geographic sectors (defined by longitude) and three ecological provinces (defined by sea ice coverage and bathymetry as the pelagic province, the marginal ice zone, and the shelf). Annual primary production in the Southern Ocean (south of 50°S) was calculated to be 4414 Tg C yr−1, 4–5 times higher than previous estimates made from in situ data. Primary production was greatest in the month of December (816 Tg C month−1) and in the pelagic province (contributing 88.6% of the annual primary production). Because of their small size the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and the shelf contributed only 9.5% and 1.8%, respectively, despite exhibiting higher daily production rates. The Ross Sea was the most productive region, accounting for 28% of annual production. The fourfold increase in the estimate of primary production for the Southern Ocean likely makes the notion of an “Antarctic paradox” (primary production insufficient to support the populations of Southern Ocean grazers, including krill, copepods, microzooplankton, etc.) obsolete.
Absorption cross‐section measurements of water vapour and oxygen at 185 nm. Implications for the calibration of field instruments to measure OH, HO2 and RO2 radicals

Absorption cross sections for oxygen and water vapour were measured using a low‐pressure mercury lamp optically filtered to isolate the emission close to 184.9 nm. The cross‐sections were determined for conditions typically used in the calibration of OH, HO2 and RO2 field instruments that employ photolysis of water vapour as a radical source, and O2 absorption as the actinometer for lamp flux. For water vapour, an absorption cross‐section of 7.22 (± 0.22) × 10−20 cm² molecule−1 was determined at 25°C, in excellent agreement with recent studies, but ∼30% higher than the recommended value. The absorption cross‐section for O2 was found to vary with the O2 column and the choice and operating current of the lamp, reinforcing the requirement that practitioners of OH, HO2 and RO2 field measurements who calibrate by this method should measure effective O2 cross‐sections at frequent intervals under their particular field conditions.
Discovery of a 450 km diameter, multi‐ring basin on Mars through analysis of MOLA topographic data

Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topographic data have revealed a previously unknown, 450 km wide, 2 km deep basin centered at 30N, 312W near the Phison Rupes. This basin, as large as and deeper than the obvious Cassini impact basin located 1000 km to the SW, is not apparent in the existing but good quality Viking imagery. Gridded MOLA data show the feature as a closed depression. Based on analysis of slope breaks readily visible in two MOLA profiles, we suggest this Phison Rupes Basin has three topographic rings with diameters approximately 350, 455 and 670 km. These rings outline a region of lower impact crater density and smoother inter‐crater plains. Similar previously unknown features may exist elsewhere on Mars, and MOLA topographic data may be able to locate them.
Automatic detection of hyperbolic signatures in ground-penetrating radar data

This paper addresses the task of automatic detection and characterization of the signatures of solid reflecting targets in ground-penetrating radar data. The images generated by ground-penetrating radar are of a much lower resolution than conventional images, due to the ratio of the wavelength of the radiation and the physical dimensions of the target, and hence do not correspond to the geometrical representation of the targets. For the class of target under consideration, namely localized or extended linear reflecting targets such as land-mines, pipes or cables, the reflections exhibit a broad hyperbolic anomaly in the region of the target. Detection and characterization of these distinctive signatures yields information about the location of the targets as well as the surrounding medium. Edge enhancement and edge processing techniques are developed to trace the envelope of the reflected wavefronts. By fitting hyperbolae to these detected edges, the location of the targets and the relative permittivity of the medium are estimated. This estimate enables the effective elimination of the background clutter that leads to spurious non-hyperbolic reflections. Thus automatic target detection and mapping is achieved without the heavy computational demands of techniques such as synthetic aperture radar processing, enabling on-site data interpretation.
KBRDBN: An Interpretable Deep Belief Network for the Fault Diagnosis of the Trolley Mechanism in Ship-to-Shore Cranes

The fault diagnosis of the trolley mechanism in ship-to-shore cranes (STSCs) plays a critical role in guaranteeing the stability and safety of the container handling at the port. The existing models based on deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved slight success in the fault diagnosis of the trolley mechanism in the STSC system. Nevertheless, due to the black box characteristics of DNNs, these diagnostic models cannot provide a reasonable explanation for their decisions. Based on the predictions made by DNNs, it is yet challenging for experts to make informed and trustworthy decisions. To address this, this article proposes a knowledge-based reverse deep belief network (KBRDBN) to build an efficient neural-symbolic system capable of interpreting feature learning and reasoning of DNNs. In KBRDBN, two types of relational knowledge (i.e., confidence and soft rules) are extracted. Confidence rules can explain how the deep belief network (DBN) works and produce a latent feature for raw vibration signals of the trolley mechanism. Soft rules can denote inherent uncertainty and conduct quantitative reasoning for the diagnostic decisions of the trolley mechanism. The experimental study on a testbed demonstrates the remarkable performance of the proposed approach in interpretability, uncertainty-handling capability, and fault recognition of the trolley mechanism.
The uncertainty cascade in model fusion

Abstract There are increasing demands in assessing the impacts of change on environmental systems to couple different model components together in a cascade, the outputs from one component providing the inputs to another with or without feedbacks in the coupling. Each model component will necessarily involve some uncertainty in its specification and simulations that can be conditioned using some observational data. Taking account of this uncertainty should result in more robust decision making and may change the nature of the decision made. The difficulty in environmental decision making is in making proper estimates of uncertainties when so many of the sources of uncertainty result from lack of knowledge (epistemic uncertainties) rather than uncertainty that can be treated as random variability (aleatory uncertainty). This is particularly the case for problems that involve cascades of model components. Examples are the use of UKCP09 climate scenarios in impact studies, flood risk assessment involving models of runoff generation and their impact on hydraulic models of flood plains, and integrated catchment management involving upstream to downstream surface and subsurface routing of water quality variables. The uncertainties are such that, even for relatively simple problems, they can result in wide ranges of potential outputs. This poses the questions that will be considered in this paper: how to take account of knowledge uncertainties in cascades of model components; and how to constrain the potential uncertainties for use in making decisions. In particular we highlight the difficulties of defining statistical likelihood functions that properly reflect the non-stationary uncertainty characteristics expected of epistemic sources of uncertainty.
Geomorphic setting and stratigraphy of Cotiga Mound, Mingo County, West Virginia

Cotiga Mound, a 2100-year-old Woodland burial mound, was constructed on a mid-Holocene terrace along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River. The terrace is the only stable, level landscape in the area. The intact nature of the terrace soil horizons indicated that little if any of the mound materials were taken from the terrace surface in the immediate vicinity of the mound. The mound was constructed of silty material and contained basket-loading macrofabric and a rock ring of sandstone fragments. Seismic fan refraction indirectly indicated the center of the rock ring, while ground-penetrating radar (GPR) did not detect the rock ring. A stratigraphic cross section, based on particle-size analysis, indicates that the mound consisted of 10 lithologic layers. The uppermost layer resulted from faunal disturbance. The remaining nine layers represented construction episodes; the upper four extending across large expanses of the mound in caplike fashion, and the lower five representing more specific inner-mound localized construction. Particle-size analysis quantitatively substantiates field observations of mound stratigraphy and highlights subtle changes in materials used for construction. This approach provides a basis for quantitative comparisons with other mounds and earthworks by delineating stratigraphic details associated with episodes of construction and the ceremonial implications of the episodes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Museum DNA reveals a new, potentially extinct species of rinkhals (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hemachatus) from the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe

Genetic information plays a pivotal role in species recognition and delimitation, but rare or extinct animals can be difficult to obtain genetic samples from. While natural history wet collections have proven invaluable in the description of novel species, the use of these historical samples in genetic studies has been greatly impeded by DNA degradation, especially because of formalin-fixation prior to preservation. Here, we use recently developed museum genomics approaches to determine the status of an isolated population of the elapid snake genus Hemachatus from Zimbabwe. We used multiple digestion phases followed by single strand sequencing library construction and hybridisation capture to obtain 12S and 16S rDNA sequences from a poorly preserved tissue sample of this population. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses in an integrated taxonomic framework demonstrate that the Zimbabwean rinkhals population represents an old and highly distinct lineage, which we describe as a new species, Hemachatus nyangensis sp. nov. Our phylogenetic dating analysis is compatible with venom spitting having evolved in response to the threat posed by early hominins, although more data are required for a robust test of this hypothesis. This description demonstrates the power of museum genomics in revealing rare or even extinct species: Hemachatus from Zimbabwe are only known from a small area of the Eastern Highlands known for high endemism. No living specimens have been seen since the 1980s, most likely due to dramatic land-use changes in the Eastern Highlands, suggesting that the species could be extinct. In view of its recognition as a highly distinct lineage, urgent action is required to determine whether any populations survive, and to safeguard remaining habitat.
Full-waveform Inversion of Crosshole Georadar Data

We present a full-waveform inversion scheme for crosshole georadar data based on a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solution of Maxwell’s equations and test it on pertinent synthetic data. Existing tomographic inversion techniques for crosshole georadar data are based on geometric ray theory. Such techniques only consider limited aspects of the recorded data, only account for firstorder wave propagation effects, and hence only resolve large-scale components of the subsurface. In contrast, FDTD-based waveform inversions of crosshole georadar account for all relevant wave propagation effects. The corresponding results demonstrate that our waveform inversion approach is capable of adequately resolving both the geometry and the parameter distribution of anomalies whose spatial extent is considerably smaller than a dominant wavelength.
Foregrounding a teaching philosophy statement in scaffolding reflective practice and professional development of higher education teachers in Lesotho

Abstract At some point in the teaching career, educators are expected to develop a teaching philosophy statement (TPS). This could be during the initial teacher training programme; when applying for a teaching post or when seeking promotion. It could also be a component of a continuous professional development programme that teachers undergo or a component of a teaching portfolio they have to submit for a specified purpose. This paper explored the extent to which articulating a teaching philosophy statement promotes reflective practice and also advance the professional development of higher education teachers. Narrativism was employed as the over-arching paradigm for this study. A qualitative approach was adopted, and data was collected through an online qualitative or open ended questionnaire, in which the participants were requested to narrate their teaching philosophy statements. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data. The findings revealed that writing a TPS does, to a large extent, enable a reflective practice. Furthermore, the exercise promotes professional development by allowing teachers to rethink their practices.
Architecting Data Quality for Continuous Student Behaviour Management

Data capture and use is vital for the continuous improvement of both student learning and behavior management. Previous studies on data use in the education sector have highlighted a number of problems associated with data quality and its subsequent use. These include the accuracy, consistency, completeness, and timeliness of data. Engagement issues with data have centred on the interpretation and application of the knowledge that data can provide. No study to date has investigated the link between IS design and the production of quality data that captures student progression and outcomes in either the learning or behavior management environments. This study reports on the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a novel artefact facilitating quality data for one classroom based education service: pastoral care. This study, using design science research methods, shows that Information Systems Design is a major barrier to teacher adoption and use of classroom based Information Systems.
Observations of temperature microstructure in NATRE

Abstract A new autonomous instrument collected 76 profiles of temperature microstructure over a ten-day period in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic as part of the North Atlantic Tracer Release Experiment. The data between 200-m and 350-m depth was used to determine the mean rate of temperature variance dissipation 〈χ〉. The estimated diapycnal diffusivity is Ky = 1.4×10−5 m2 s−1. The distribution of χ is approximately lognormal, suggesting that the 95% confidence limits on 〈χ〉 are ±4%. This uncertainty is less than that caused by the imperfectly known probe response, possible noise spikes on the probes, and variability in the degree of microstructure anisotropy; the latter two effects were estimated from a pair of closely spaced probes. Each of these uncertainties is about ±15%. Statistically significant low-frequency variability of χ is observed with 〈χ〉 decreasing by a factor of 2 between the first and second half of the observation. This low-frequency variability is likely the largest cause of erro.
A 1200-km-long Eocene metamorphic-plutonic belt in the northwestern Cordillera: Evidence from southwest Yukon

Distinctive regional Eocene metamorphic-plutonic units of the Coast Belt in southwestern Yukon match similar units in southeastern Alaska and British Columbia, and possibly in the eastern Alaska Range, and together form a belt originally >1200 km long. The final high-grade metamorphic event in the Aishihik and Kluane assemblages between the Ruby Range batholith and the Denali fault zone occurred in latest Paleocene to early Eocene time. Structural, petrologic, and geochronologic evidence indicates that metamorphism occurred during a major period of west-southwest-vergent deformation and metamorphism. The final phase of consumption of the Kula plate at ∼43 Ma may be linked to the culmination of metamorphism, intrusion, and deformation along the early Cenozoic Cordilleran margin.
Non‐silica aerogels as hypervelocity particle capture materials

Abstract– The Stardust sample return mission to the comet Wild 2 used silica aerogel as the principal cometary and interstellar particle capture and return medium. However, since both cometary dust and interstellar grains are composed largely of silica, using a silica collector complicates the science that can be accomplished with these particles. The use of non‐silica aerogel in future extra‐terrestrial particle capture and return missions would expand the scientific value of these missions. Alumina, titania, germania, zirconia, tin oxide, and resorcinol/formaldehyde aerogels were produced and impact tested with 20, 50, and 100 μm glass microspheres to determine the suitability of different non‐silica aerogels as hypervelocity particle capture mediums. It was found that non‐silica aerogels do perform as efficient hypervelocity capture mediums, with alumina, zirconia, and resorcinol/formaldehyde aerogels proving to be the best of the materials tested.
Hydrogel-matrix encapsulated Nitinol actuation with self-cooling mechanism

Shape-memory Nitinol holds burgeoning promise as smart actuators due to its effective resilience, high energy density, and scalability for a myriad of mesoscale machines and robotic applications. However, the higher actuation temperature and prolonged cooling time for a cyclic response make Nitinol precarious and less appealing for commercial use. On the contrary, hydrogels belong to the three dimensional (3D) polymer family where the bulk of the matrix encapsulates water (≈80–90 wt%) constituting a compelling heat-trapping medium. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel self-cooling mechanism comprising a Hydrogel-matrix Encapsulated Nitinol Actuator (HENA) where the heat emitted due to the high temperature (200–400 °C) of Nitinol is trapped in the hydrogel-matrix, maintaining a surface temperature of 20–22 °C. For quantitative analysis, we performed control tests with the state-of-the-art Silicone Elastomer Nitinol Actuator (SENA) which maintained a three times or higher temperature profile (65–90 °C) than its HENA counterpart. HENA is able to entrap 85% heat for actuation of 200 cycles while SENA dissipates the same amount in the first cycle. For impending biomedical applications, HENA with a single Nitinol wire shows a bending displacement up to 45% of its length for trans-oral navigation purposes. A HENA soft robotic gripper with two Nitinol wires can carry delicate, low-melting-point food items (e.g. cheese, chocolate, tofu etc.) with different morphologies that weigh up to 450% of its own weight.
A Comparative analysis of standardised and unstandardised Principal Component Analysis in remote sensing

Abstract In this study Principal Components have been calculated using covariance and correlation matrices for Tour data sets: Monthly NOAA-NDVI maximum-value composites, NOAA-LAC data, Landsat-TM data, and SPOT multi-spectral data. An analysis of the results shows consistent improvements in the signal to noise ratio (SNR) using the correlation matrix in comparison to the covariance matrix in the principal components analysis for all the data sets
The Impact of Enso on Extratropical Low Frequency Noise in Seasonal Forecasts

Abstract This study examines the variability in forecasts of the January–February–March (JFM) mean extratropical circulation and how that variability is modulated by the El Nino–Southern Oscillation. The analysis is based on ensembles of seasonal simulations made with an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) forced with sea surface temperatures observed during the 1983 El Nino and 1989 La Nina events. The AGCM produces pronounced interannual differences in the magnitude of the extratropical seasonal mean noise (intraensemble JFM variability). The North Pacific, in particular, shows extensive regions in which the 1989 seasonal mean noise kinetic energy (SKE), which is dominated by a “Pacific–North American (PNA)–like” spatial structure, is more than 2 times that of the 1983 forecasts. The larger SKE in 1989 is associated with a larger-than-normal barotropic conversion of kinetic energy from the mean Pacific jet to the seasonal mean noise. The generation of SKE by submonthly transients also shows sub.