Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The welfare impacts of buffer stock operations in agriculture in Ghana

This paper examines the effect of buffer stock intervention on smallholder farmers' food security in Ghana by means of the nutrient-content household dietary diversity index method. Buffer stock intervention is a price stabilization policy that aids farmers to hedge against price and income losses from their farming activities, especially from cereal production. The nutrient-content household dietary diversity index (NHDDI) is an improvement of the household dietary diversity index that is used to measure food security and nutrient adequacy taking into account the nutrient-content of each food item of households’ diets. Based on a cross-sectional data set, we estimate the NHDDI using Coarsened Exact Matching, Weighted Least Squares, and Weighted Ordered Probit analyses. We find that marital status, gender, education, and income positively impact food security, while household size and the number of children under-five years’ have a negative impact. Our results furthermore show that income and education, which have a direct impact on food security also have a mitigating effect on the negative impact of children under-five years. The most important finding is that participation in the buffer stock operations improves household food security and gives insurance against hunger and malnutrition.
Analysis of journey to work travel patterns in Sydney

The Journey to Work (JTW) data, collected through the Census of Population and Housing every five years in Australia, provides important information on commuting needed for urban transport planning and modelling. This paper analyses JTW travel patterns in the Sydney Statistical Division (SD) using the JTW data derived from the 1981 to 2006 Census collections (1986 omitted), summarising some key transport travel characteristics including mode share, access mode to public transport and trip length. This paper also undertakes analysis of the changes to land use including residential and work location changes. Travel between Statistical Sub-Divisions (SSDs) is also analyed. This investigation is motivated by the Metropolitan Transport Plan (NSW Government, 2010) which aims to connect the City of Cities.
Sortable silt and fine sediment size/composition slicing: Parameters for palaeocurrent speed and palaeoceanography

Fine sediment size (< 63 Ixm) is best measured by a sedimentation technique which records the whole size distribution. Repeated size measurement with intermediate steps of removal of components by dissolution, allows inference of the size distribution of the removed component as well as the residue. In this way, the size of the biogenic and lithogenic (noncarbonate) fractions can be determined. Observations of many size distributions suggest a minimum in grain size frequency curves at 8 to 10 Ixm. The dynamics of sediment erosion, deposition, and aggregate breakup suggest that fine sediment behavior is dominantly cohesive below 10-1xm grain size, . and noncohesive above that size. Thus silt coarser than 10 Ixm displays size sorting in response to hydrodynamlc processes and its properties may be used to infer current speed. Silt that is f'mer than 10 Ixm behaves in the same way as clay (< 2 ! xm). Useful parameters of the distribution are the 10-63 Ixm mean size and the percentage 10-63 Ixm in the fine fraction. We cannot use size distributions to distinguish the nature of the currents. Therefore, to infer water mass advection speeds (i.e., the mean kinetic energy of the flow, Ku), regions of high eddy kinetic energy (KE) must be avoided. At the present, such abyssal regions lie under the high surface K E of major current systems: Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Agulhas, Antarctic Circmpolar Current, and Brazil/Falldand currents in the Argenthe Basin. This is probably a satisfactory guide for the Pleistocene. With regard to the carbonate subfraction of the size spectrum, size modes due to both cocco! iths and foramlnlferal fragments can be recognized and analyzed, with the boundary between them again at about 10 lm. The flux of less than 10 lm carbonate, at pelagic sites above the lysocline, is another candidate for a productivity indicator.
Vertical distributions of cloud condensation nuclei spectra over the springtime Arctic Ocean

More than 23 hours of continuous condensation nuclei (CN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectral data from the Arctic Clouds Experiment are presented and analyzed. These measurements were made at altitudes ranging from 6 km to 30 m in eight flights during May 1998 over the mostly frozen Arctic Ocean at least 500 km north of the Alaskan coast. Concentrations generally increased with altitude with a pronounced deficit in the boundary layer when low stratus clouds were present. The low-level vertical gradient could be demonstrated to be a result of cloud scavenging. Boundary layer concentrations at 0.8% supersaturation averaged 76 cm -3 with low cloud (below the low cloud) and 250 cm -3 when no low cloud was present. The ratio of CCN to CN (total particles) was relatively high, usually exceeding 0.6. The relatively high concentrations at higher altitudes, the high CCN/CN ratio, and the lower CCN spectral slopes are characteristic of an aged aerosol probably due to long-range transport.
of a Short

Insufficient physical activity (PA) and poor physical fitness are risks for several non-communicable diseases among working-aged men. PA programs have been launched to increase activity levels in the population but working-aged men have been underrepresented in these programs. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to evaluate validity of a short scale for psychosocial factors among Finnish working-aged men who participated in a PA campaign. The study examined also the associations between psychosocial factors and phase of PA change across fitness groups. Physical fitness was assessed with a body fitness index (BFI) constructed on the basis of a hand grip test, the Polar OwnIndex Test, and body composition analysis (Inbody 720). The men were classified into low (n=162), moderate (n=358) and high (n=320) BFI groups. Psychosocial factors and self-reported phase of PA change were assessed with a questionnaire. Psychometric properties of the scale were assessed with confirmatory factor analysis and differences between phases of PA change were examined with One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The evaluated scale included factors for self-efficacy, goal setting, skills and social support. Good physical fitness was related to better perceived self-efficacy and ability to manage one’s physical activity environment. Goal setting was critical for PA change at all fitness levels. Better understanding of the interactions between psychosocial factors and PA change could help in targeting PA programs to low-fit men. Further study should examine the validity of the improved psychosocial measure.
TOPEX/POSEIDON microwave radiometer performance and in‐flight calibration

Results of the in-flight calibration and performance evaluation campaign for the TOPEX/POSEIDON microwave radiometer (TMR) are presented. Intercomparisons are made between TMR and various sources of ground truth, including ground-based microwave water vapor radiometers, radiosondes, global climatological models, special sensor microwave imager data over the Amazon rain forest, and models of clear, calm, subpolar ocean regions. After correcting for preflight errors in the processing of thermal/vacuum data, relative channel offsets in the open ocean TMR brightness temperatures were noted at the ≈1 K level for the three TMR frequencies. Larger absolute offsets of 6–9 K over the rain forest indicated a ≈5% gain error in the three channel calibrations. This was corrected by adjusting the antenna pattern correction (APC) algorithm. A 10% scale error in the TMR path delay estimates, relative to coincident radiosondes, was corrected in part by the APC adjustment and in part by a 5% modification to the value assumed for the 22.235 GHz water vapor line strength in the path delay retrieval algorithm. After all in-flight corrections to the calibration, TMR global retrieval accuracy for the wet tropospheric range correction is estimated at 1.1 cm RMS with consistent performance under clear, cloudy, and windy conditions.
SURFACE at Syracuse University SURFACE at Syracuse University

While advocates argue that gentrification changes the neighborhood food environment critical to children’s diet and health, we have little evidence documenting such changes or the consequences for their health outcomes. Using rich longitudinal, individual-level data on nearly 115,000 New York City children, including egocentric measures of their food environment and BMI, we examine the link between neighborhood demographic change (“gentrification”), children’s access to restaurants and supermarkets, and their weight outcomes. We find that children in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods see increased access to fast food and wait-service restaurants and reduced access to corner stores and supermarkets compared to those in non-gentrifying areas. Boys and girls have higher BMI following gentrification
Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Host-Rock Alterations Associated with the Shea Creek Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits (Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada). Part 1. Spatial Variation of Illite Properties

Unconformity-related uranium deposits, which represent a significant high-grade uranium resource, are systematically surrounded by a host-rock alteration halo enriched in clay minerals. Illite is often the major clay mineral component of the halo and it displays a variable crystal structure. New data are provided on the crystal structure and the chemistry of illite encountered within and outside of the alteration halo surrounding the Shea Creek deposit. Two illite populations were distinguished using textural and structural criteria: samples rich in the tv-1M polytype display thin (sub-micrometer) and ‘hairy’ shapes, while samples richer in the cv-1M polytype contain illites with rigid lath-like shapes several micrometers wide. In barren ‘regional’ sandstone, the trends with depth of the textural and microstructural properties of illite particles are: (1) an increase of particle size, (2) an evolution to a more isometric form, and (3) a dominance of the cv-1M polytype over the tv-1M polytype. These trends record diagenetic processes under conditions of deep burial and differ from those observed in altered sandstone around the uranium mineralization. The altered sandstone is characterized by enrichment in the tv-1M polytype near the unconformity and/or brittle structural features. This tv-1M illitization took place in response to structurally-controlled infiltration of basement rocks by diagenetic brines which were further recycled after interaction into the overlying basin. Variations of the illite structural and textural properties may result from nucleation/growth kinetics and may be indicative of a change in the flow regime, and/or a change of saturation state of the fluid vs. illite. The tv-1M illite may be favored in environments characterized by a high fluid/rock ratio and a high supersaturation state of the fluids in proximity to mineralization.
Effect of lipid-enriched diet associated with bovine recombinant somatotropin on superovulation response and embryo recovery in heifers

: The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of soybean oil supplementation associated with the administration of bovine recombinant somatotropin (rBST) on the population of ovarian follicles, standardization of both the superovulation response and embryo recovery in heifers. We used 40 Holstein heifers submitted to a 2 × 2 factorial, forming the experimental groups: DC-SL (control diet plus saline solution application); OL-SL (diet with soybean oil plus saline application); DC-rBST (control diet plus application of 320 mg rBST) and OL-rBST (diet with soybean oil plus the application of 320 mg rBST). The animals received two applications of 500 mg of PGF2α for estrus synchronization and were superovulated with 400 IU of FSH in decreasing daily doses for four consecutive days. On the day before the start of superovulation, the two largest follicles were punctured to quantify the intrafollicular concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Embryo collection took place seven days after the first insemination. There were no differences between the treatments adopted regarding follicular activity, P4 concentration, and superovulation response. The OL-rBST’s corpus luteum (CL) area and HDL intrafollicular (4.67 ± 0.67 cm 2 , 53.67 ± 10.35 mg/dL, respectively) were significantly higher than the OL-SL treatment. Soybean oil supplementation in the diet associated with the administration of rBST did not provide uniformity in the superovulation response and the embryonic recovery of heifers.
Influence of storm surges and sea level on shallow tidal basin erosive processes

[1] The finite-element model WWTM is applied to a system of lagoons at the Virginia Coast Reserve, USA. The model solves the shallow water equations to compute tidal fluxes, and is equipped with a wave propagation module to calculate wave height during local wind events. The model is validated using measured water elevations, wave heights, and periods at five locations within the lagoon system. Scenarios with different wind conditions, storm surges, and relative sea level are simulated. Results are analyzed in terms of bottom shear stresses on the tidal flats, a measure of sediment resuspension potential, and total wave energy impacting the marsh boundaries, which is the chief process driving lateral marsh erosion. Results indicate that wave energy at the marsh boundaries is more sensitive to wind direction than are bottom shear stresses. Wave energy on marsh boundaries and bottom shear stresses on the tidal flats increase with sea level elevation, with the former increasing almost ten times more than the latter. Both positive and negative feedbacks between wave energy at the boundaries and bottom shear stresses are predicted, depending on the fate of the sediments eroded from the salt marsh boundaries.
Sea surface temperature trends in the waters adjacent to Taiwan from 1982 to 2003

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important parameter for the study of oceanic environment. In this study we used the SST data derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series satellites to study the SST trends in the waters adjacent to Taiwan from 1982 to 2003. The Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method was employed to retrieve the trend. Results show that the SST in the waters adjacent to Taiwan had a warming trend of about 0.50° C/decade and 0.47° C/decade in the Taiwan Strait and in the Kuroshio region east of Taiwan, respectively. The warming trend in winter is much higher than that in summer. This could be the reason why the people who live in Taiwan felt warm winter in recent years. The waters adjacent to Taiwan are also located at the high warming trend areas in the world. They are much higher than the mean trend of global ocean. Not only the waters around Taiwan are in the high warming areas, but also the oceans around China are. The high warming areas in the China oceans seem to be related to the distribution of atmospheric aerosols in the western Pacific Ocean.
Trends in Land Evapotranspiration over Canada for the Period 1960–2000 Based on In Situ Climate Observations and a Land Surface Model

Abstract An assessment of annual trends in actual evapotranspiration (AET) and associated meteorological inputs is performed at 101 locations across Canada with available long-term hourly surface climate observations to determine if AET in Canada is increasing in relation to observed increases in air temperature. AET was estimated for the dominant land cover class, with representative soil and leaf area index conditions, within a 50 km × 50 km window around each location for the period 1960–2000. The Ecological Assimilation of Land and Climate Observations (EALCO) land surface model, which simulates coupled carbon, energy, and water cycles, was applied to estimate AET on a half-hourly basis at each location using in situ meteorological measurements and ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Increases in annual AET, of up to 0.73% yr−1, were identified at 81 locations, and decreases, of up to 0.25% yr−1, were found at the remaining 20 stations. Statistically significant increasing trends were detected in .
Gravitational field maps and navigational errors

It has been proposed to use gravitational field maps to correct navigational errors inherent in some navigational systems presently in use on unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and that such a technology might form the basis for a new UUV navigational system. However, the accuracy and usefulness of the navigational solution depends, among other things, on the accuracy of the gravitational field maps. Since gravitational fields are generally sparsely and irregularly sampled, mapping algorithms must be used to construct the field maps. To assess the impact of field maps computed from sparse sets of data on the accuracy of the navigational solution, the kriging algorithm is used to compute field maps with various grid spacings from both simulated and measured field data. Then position and bearing errors are simulated and the various field maps are used to obtain corrected navigational fixes. To assess the impact of the density of the field data on the accuracy of the navigational fix, the simulated data are sub-sampled and the process is repeated. Numerical results are shown that demonstrate some of the effects of grid spacing and data density on the accuracy of the navigational fix and that gravitational field maps may be used to provide a very accurate navigational fix.
Numerical modeling of a historic storm: Simulating the Blizzard of 1888

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) is used to explore the feasibility of high‐resolution simulation of a historic extratropical cyclone event: The New England Blizzard of 1888. Using the 20CR as initial and lateral boundary conditions for the Weather Research and Forecasting model, a reasonable depiction of the cyclone is obtained, albeit displaced significantly to the north of the observed cyclone during the later stages of the event. Despite the position error, the simulated storm produces heavy snowfall over parts of New England and intense offshore cyclogenesis.
Modeling salinity distributions in the Indian Ocean

A 4½-layer model with active thermodynamics and mixed-layer physics is used to isolate effects on salinity distributions in the Indian Ocean that result from various forcing mechanisms. These forcings include evaporation (e) and precipitation (P) through the ocean surface and inflows across basin boundaries by river runoff in the Bay of Bengal, the Indonesian Throughflow, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea. A suite of solutions is obtained in which each forcing is added sequentially. In the solution forced only by P−e, salinity patterns in the upper three layers agree qualitatively with the observations, but values tend to be higher throughout most of the basin. When river inflow into the Bay of Bengal is included, salinity values are significantly improved in the upper three layers, especially in the northern Bay and along the east and west coasts of India. In addition, solutions suggest that during the Northeast Monsoon part of the river water flows out of the Bay in the shallow channel between Sri Lanka and India: Only when this channel is opened in the upper layer do solutions develop a strong, across-shelf salinity gradient along the west Indian coast, consistent with the observations. When the Indonesian Throughflow is added, salinities are lowered in all four layers, especially in the southern tropical ocean. Most of the Throughflow eventually flows out of the Indian Ocean along the western boundary and near Madagascar, but some is advected across the equator by the East African Coastal Current, where it is carried eastward and northward into the central Arabian Sea. Saltier Persian Gulf Water is introduced into the model in layer 3. Some of it subsequently entrains into the surface mixed layer, increasing sea surface salinity by 0.1–0.2 practical salinity units (psu) in a broad region of the Arabian Sea. Saltier Red Sea Water enters the basin in layer 4. It increases layer 4 salinity values throughout much of the Indian Ocean, particularly in the Somali Basin, the interior Arabian Sea, and the central and western equatorial ocean.
Interpretation example of marine CSEM data

This paper discusses how seabed logging (SBL)—a special CSEM technique developed by Statoil—can be interpreted on a standalone basis and integrated with seismic data. We go through interpretation techniques in which geologic reference areas are compared to the target area and introduce a depth-conversion technique that can be used in the initial phase of interpretation. We also explain how depth migration can estimate lateral extent and depth to resistors. Finally we suggest a classification system for SBL anomalies.
Phosphorus and potassium fertilization in no till southern Brazilian soils

Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels in southern Brazilian (Rio Grande do Sul, RS) soils are largely below the critical concentrations more than four decades after implementation of the officially recommended system. This study aims to evaluate the increase in P and K levels in 0-10 and 0-20 cm deep samples from no-till soils using the Mehlich-1 (M1) and Mehlich-3 (M3) extractants as well as resin methods and to estimate the amount of P2O5 and K2O fertilizers necessary to increase the P and K soil levels by 1 mg·kg-1. The study was conducted in fields cultivated using a no-till system (direct planting) to grow soybeans, wheat, maize, pasture, and cover crops and fertilized with P2O5 and K2O. Soil samples were collected from the 0-10 and 0-20 cm soil layers and analyzed by the M1, M3, and resin methods. The results demonstrated that the P and K levels increased in the 0-10 and 0-20 cm layers. However, the amount of these levels increased depending on the source of phosphate fertilization and on the P and K extraction methods used. The amount of P2O5 fertilization needed to raise the P level by 1 mg·kg-1 was greater in the 0-20 cm layer than in the 0-10 cm layer, and the amount of K2O fertilization needed to raise the K level by 1 mg·kg-1 was higher in the 0-10 cm layer than in the 0-20 cm layer.
Zinc and cadmium in benthic foraminifera as tracers of ocean paleochemistry

Abstract : Benthic foraminiferal delta 13-C, Cd/Ca, and Ba/Ca are important tools for reconstructing nutrient distributions, and thus ocean circulation, on glacial-interglacial timescales. However, each tracer has its own "artifacts" that can complicate paleoceanographic interpretations. It is therefore advantageous to measure multiple nutrient proxies with the aim of separating the various complicating effects. Zn/Ca is introduced as an important aid toward this goal. Benthic (Hoeglundina elegans) Cd/Ca ratios from the Bahama Banks indicate that the North Atlantic subtropical gyre was greatly depleted in nutrients during the last glacial maximum (LGM). A high-resolution Cd/Ca record from 965 m water depth suggests that Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water formation was strong during the LGM, weakened during the deglaciation, and strengthened again during the Younger Dryas cold period. Comparison of Cd/Ca and delta C-13 data reveals apparent short-term changes in carbon isotopic air-sea signatures.