Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NDEI-BASED MAPPING OF LAND SURFACE CHANGES

Abstract. Topography measurements of land surface elevation changes are essential for geomorphological studies and research on natural hazards. However, conventional topography and remote sensing methods pose several challenges. Fieldwork in remote areas could be insecure or be hard to conduct due to physical barriers. Remote sensing satellite images, in turn, may lack the temporal resolution for monitoring topography changes or be covered by clouds and shadows that reduce their usefulness. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) provide high-resolution imagery from remote areas and may give a greater insight into land surface changes. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of the Normalized Difference Elevation Index (NDEI), derived from UAV surveys, to map changes in topography in different environments, including a quarry zone of sand mines in Colombia, and in the North Pole Ice Cap. As the NDEI is a metric capable to reveal topography disturbances, it could be exploited for rapid assessments of mass movements occurrence. For this research, a fine temporal resolution dataset of monthly NDEI values were used to explore their utility as a mass wasting identification technique. NDEI was used to map changes in the land surface in a quarry zone affected by landslides and mudflows. NDEI values were obtained from the multi-temporal analysis of digital surface models generated from UAV images and processed using Structure from motion (SfM) techniques. Main components of the proposed method are: (i)UAVbased imagery data capture, (ii)data processing using SfM techniques, (iii)NDEI calculation, and (iv)mass movement identification. Results illustrate the feasibility of using UAV-based imagery data to increase the accuracy of land changes information and produce rapid assessments of mass movements occurrence. Results show that the NDEI approach may increase the accuracy of land surface changes assessment and mapping, as well as enable the design of new methodologies to identify natural hazards and risks.
Implication des gènes de Salmonella enterica sérovar Typhi dans les différentes étapes d'infection

Typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by a human restricted pathogen ca lied Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (Typhi). Annually, Typhi infects 21 million individuals and 200 000 of them will die from this infection. Many studies identified virulence factors of Typhi essential for its survival in macrophages, which is a key step in the establishment of typhoid fever. Since Typhi can survive in human macrophages, but cannot survive in murine macrophages, we hypothesized that Typhi differentially regulates its genes within these two hosts. We used a technique called differential fluorescence induction by which we identified genes that were more induced in human than in murine macrophages. From these genes we characterized gene sty0159 and region sty1358-1367, which is unique to Typhi. The mutation of these two regions did not affect the survival of Typhi in macrophages. Then, we noticed that Salmonella's invasion genes (SPI-1) were induced late during infection of macrophages. The mutation of the SPI-1 genes significantly increased the survival of Salmonella in human and murine macrophages, suggesting that the invasion genes might inhibit the expression of the survival associated genes (SPI2). To check this hypothesis, we investigated the expression of SPI-2 genes in the SPI-1 mutant and in the wild-type strains of Typhi. The expression of the survival associated genes showed a similar expression in both strains, demonstrating that SPI-1 genes do not negatively regulate survival genes. In summary, these results give us new insights on the pathogenesis of Typhi.
Measuring ocean surface velocities with the KuROS and KaRADOC airborne near-nadir Doppler radars: a multi-scale analysis in preparation of the SKIM mission

Abstract. Surface currents are poorly known over most of the oceans. Satellite-borne Doppler Waves and Current Scatterometers (DWCS) can be used to fill this observation gap. The Sea surface KInematics Multiscale (SKIM) proposal, is the first satellite concept built on a DWCS design at near-nadir angles, and now one of the two candidates to become the 9th mission of the European Space Agency Earth Explorer program. As part of the detailed design and feasibility studies (phase A) funded by ESA, airborne measurements were carried out with both a Ku-Band and a Ka-Band Doppler radars looking at the sea surface at near nadir-incidence in a real-aperture mode, i.e. in a geometry and mode similar to that of SKIM. The airborne radar KuROS was deployed to provide simultaneous measurements of the radar backscatter and Doppler velocity, in a side-looking configuration, with an horizontal resolution of about 5 to 10 m along the line of sight and integrated in the perpendicular direction over the real-aperture 1-way 3-dB footprint diameter (about 580 m). The KaRADOC system has a much narrower beam and footprint that only about 45 m in diameter. The experiment took place in November 2018 off the French Atlantic coast, with sea states representative of the open ocean and a well known tide-dominated current regime. The data set is analyzed to explore the contribution of non-geophysical velocities to the measurement and how the geophysical part of the measured velocity combines wave-resolved and wave-averaged scales. We find that the measured Doppler velocity contains a characteristic wave phase speed, called here C0 that is analogous to the Bragg phase speed of coastal High Frequency radars that use a grazing measurement geometry, with little variations ΔC associated to changes in sea state. The Ka-band measurements at an incidence of 12° are 10 % lower than the theoretical estimate C0 ~ 2.4 m/s for typical oceanic conditions defined by a wind speed of 7 m/s and a significant wave height of 2 m. For Ku-band the measured data is 30 % lower than the theoretical estimate 2.8 m/s. ΔC is of the order of 0.2 m/s for a 1 m change in wave height, and cannot be confused with a 1 m/s change in tidal current. The actual measurement of the current velocity from an aircraft at 4 to 18° incidence angle is, however, made difficult by uncertainties on the measurement geometry, which are much reduced in satellite measurements.
Changes in the Impact of the Autumn Tibetan Plateau Snow Cover on the Winter Temperature Over North America in the mid‐1990s

This study investigates the changes in the impact of the interannual variation of autumn snow cover over the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP; ASCETP) on winter surface air temperature (SAT) over North America (NA) in the mid‐1990s using both observational data and a linear baroclinic numerical model. The index of ASCETP shows an abrupt change with a predominant negative phase before and a predominant positive phase after 1994; thus, the analysis is performed for two subperiods: 1979–1994 (P1) and 1995–2014 (P2). An ASCETP‐related energy budget analysis shows that the ASCETP variation has a more pronounced cooling effect on the above atmosphere in P1 than in P2. The snow‐related anomalous negative geopotential height above the TP is more pronounced and extends farther northeastward in P1 than in P2. Further analysis shows that the relationship between the ASCETP and NA winter SAT is not steady. During P1, associated with an anomalous positive ASCETP, negative geopotential height anomalies emerge over the northeastern TP. These negative anomalies impose an anomalous vorticity perturbation near the East Asian westerly jet core that propagates eastward, forming a wave train‐like pattern. It crosses the North Pacific Ocean and reaches the NA region, leading to positive and negative winter SAT anomalies over western and eastern NA, respectively. In contrast, during P2, the impact of anomalous ASCETP on the variation in the winter SAT over NA is weak, probably due to the relatively weak local cooling effect of the ASCETP and the weak ASCETP‐related vorticity forcing around the East Asian westerly jet.
The Chemokine (C-X3-C Motif) Receptor 1 is a Candidate Prognostic Biomarker after Cardiac Arrest

Background: Early prediction of outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) may influence treatment strategies. Existing biomarkers are of limited value. Therefore, we sought to determine whether analysis of the transcriptome of circulating blood cells may help to predict outcome after CA. Methods: Consecutive comatose patients resuscitated after CA and treated with hypothermia were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were drawn 48 hours after CA for gene expression analyses by microarrays and quantitative PCR. Neurological outcome at 6 months was evaluated using the cerebral performance category (CPC). Patients with CPC 1-2 were considered having favorable neurological outcome, whereas patients with CPC 3-5 were considered as having poor outcome. Results: The initial cohort consisted of 35 patients. Microarrays revealed a biosignature associated with neurological outcome after CA. 582 genes were differentially expressed between patients with favorable neurological outcome (n=21) and patients with poor neurological outcome (n=14). Bioinformatic analyses revealed significant associations between these genes and neuronal damage. Prediction analysis of microarrays identified the chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1 (CX3CR1) as a candidate prognostic biomarker. CX3CR1 was up-regulated in patients with favorable outcome (2-fold, P<0.001) and predicted neurological outcome with an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI [0.83; 1.00]). In a second cohort of 45 patients, CX3CR1 was increased in patients with favorable outcome (1.6- fold, P=0.003) and predicted outcome with an AUC of 0.76 (95% CI [0.60; 0.92]). Multivariate analyses identified CX3CR1, neuron-specific enolase and acute myocardial infarction at the time of CA as significant predictors of survival. These variables had additive value to predict survival (AUC 0.84). Conclusion: We identified CX3CR1 as a new candidate prognostic biomarker after CA. Further studies are required to confirm its predictive value.
Floating Raft Aquaculture Area Automatic Extraction Based on Fully Convolutional Network

ABSTRACT Cui, B. -G. ; Zhong, Y. ; Fei, D. ; Zhang, Y. -H. ; Liu, R. -J.; Chu, J.-L. , and Zhao, J.H. , 2019. Floating raft aquaculture area automatic extraction based on fully convolutional network. In: Ju.
Technical Memorandum: Lewisville Lake Watershed Protection and Management Strategies

With a current population of just over half a million and a 2030 projected population of approximately one million, expansion throughout Denton County shows no sign of slowing down (NCTCOG). Increasingly, freshwater resources are also facing increased pressure from this urban expansion. Effective assessment and management techniques are necessary to protect the diversity of ecosystem services found within fluvial ecosystems and to mitigate current and future conditions of environmental stressor amplified by urban development. The use of various spatial analysis techniques in environmental assessment present more expedient, cost effective, and broader ranging methods of evaluation than traditional field techniques. One such novel evaluation technique is the Water Quality Corridor Management (WQCM) model, developed by the University of North Texas in cooperation with the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD). The WQCM model is a geospatial database that utilizes GIS and remote sensing techniques to assess and prioritize stream reaches according to their overall health and sustainability. This project assessed the viability of the WQCM model in reviewing the status of stream systems, and ultimately, established an accurate mechanism for evaluating the stream corridor and surface water quality draining into Lewisville Lake, a popular recreation site and drinking water source for the urbanizing Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan area.
An Assessment Of Land Title Registration Process In Osun State, Nigeria

PURPOSE: This paper evaluated the land title registration processes in Osun state, Nigeria, with a view to advancing suggestions towards improving the registration of land titles.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY: The study employed a combination of purposive and stratified sampling technique to obtain data from five (5) land officials and five hundred and twenty (520) land title registration applicants in Osun State, Nigeria between 2004 and 2014 time period.FINDINGS: The study found that the registration of land titles follows a 14 stage procedure. However, the requirements vary for each category of land titles. Also, the processes were found to be clumsy and cumbersome.LIMITATIONS: The study only focused on the processes and procedures of land title registration in the study area.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study has implications for land administration practice in the study area.ORIGINALITY: The study extends literature on land title registration activities in emerging African economies.
Nature-enhancing design of scour protection for monopiles in the North Sea

A combination of the growth of the offshore wind energy sector and the decline in both species richness and species abundance in the North Sea has inspired the goal to use the scour protection in wind farms as a means to enhance marine life. Present research has focused on general changes which are to be applied to benefit marine life. However, it lacks practical applications of changes to the design of the scour protection and fails to quantify the expected effects of these changes. In this study the extend to which marine life in the North Sea can be enhanced through improvements to the scour protection design for monopiles in wind farms is researched by comparing the habitat suitability in three situations (North Sea in absence of wind farms, North Sea with wind farms and scour protections as currently designed, and wind farms with enhanced scour protections) for four indicator species (Atlantic cod, European lobster, flat oyster, and the Ross worm). For the third situation (the enhanced scour protections), several habitat enhancements as well as some stock enhancements have been proposed and their expected effects and costs have been studied. The availability of hard substrate and the absence of (seabed disturbing) fisheries is what makes wind farms suitable compared to a sandy sea bed. These habitats can be further improved by using a large and narrow grading to provide shelter and stable attachment material and by placement of additional elements such as piles of rock, (concrete) tubes, and shell filled nets. Species which are not likely to successfully colonize the wind farm, such as the European lobster and flat oyster, are to be introduced by humans through stock enhancements.
Managing crop nutrients to achieve water quality goals

Managing agricultural nutrients to achieve water quality goals involves complexities best organized around source and transport processes, as captured in site assessment tools used for nutrient management decision support. Source is governed by nutrient use efficiency (NUE) by crops and land management, while transport is governed by landscape and hydrologic controls. These concepts are useful for strategic and operational decisions around nutrient management in the field. However, experience shows us that nutrient management outcomes are influenced by several factors across many scales, most uncontrollable, which must be considered when transferring science into policy and when establishing realistic public expectations. Key factors influencing these nutrient management concepts, complexities, inherent tradeoffs, and outcomes are summarized in table 1 and are discussed in more detail in this article. Nutrient use efficiency for both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) has increased steadily over the last two decades, with advances in crop breeding, soil and crop tissue testing, variable rate application of fertilizer, precise fertilizer applications, and precision conservation. The increase in NUE and adoption of nutrient management and conservation practices (CPs) has led to a reduction in nutrient loss. While adoption of these practices to address so-called “low hanging fruit” can be relatively easy…
Heterotrophic Kinetic Study and Nitrogen Removal of a Membrane Bioreactor System Treating Real Urban Wastewater under a Pharmaceutical Compounds Shock: Effect of the Operative Variables

Numerous studies have analyzed the viability of the biodegradation and removal of different compounds of emerging concern in biological systems for wastewater treatment. However, the effect on the heterotrophic biomass of organic matter removal is sometimes missed. The aim of the present research was to study the effect of the addition of a mix of three pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, and ibuprofen) on the behavior of the biomass in two different membrane-based biological systems treating urban wastewater. The present research studied a membrane bioreactor (MBR) pilot plant operating at a similar mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration (about 5.5 g/L). This system works as an MBR and is combined with a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR-MBR) to treat real urban wastewater at 6 and 10 h of hydraulic retention time (HRT) under three different shocks of pharmaceuticals with increasing concentrations. In all cases, the organic matter removal was, in average terms, higher than about 92% of biochemical oxygen demand on the fifth day (BOD5), 79% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 85% of total organic carbon (TOC). Nevertheless, the removal is higher in the MBBR-MBR technology under the same HRT and the MLSS is similar. Moreover, the removal increased during the shock of pharmaceutical compounds, especially in the MBR technology. From a kinetic perspective, MBBR-MBR is more suitable for low HRT (6 h) and MBR is more effective for high HRT (10 h). This could be due to the fact that biofilm systems are less sensitive to hostile environments than the MBR systems. The removal of N-NH4+ decreased considerably when the pharmaceutical compounds mix was introduced into the system until no removal was detected in cycle 1, even when biofilm was present.
Simplified probabilistic evaluation of the seismic performance of three pile-supported bridges affected by liquefaction.

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Livelihood strategies of tiger shrimp post larvae collectors in backkhali river estuary, cox’s bazar of Bangladesh

This study aim was to understand the livelihoods of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon, Fabricius, 1798) post larvae collectors in the Backkhali river estuary areas under Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh during November 2010 to April 2011 where shrimp fry are caught. There are about 130-140 families and about 1000 people are living in the adjacent area. Most of the fry collectors have no land or house. They build house on Government (khas) land near the coast, the housing is mainly with earthen/bamboo or polythen. It was found that per month income of 30% of fry collector 5000-6000 taka and 48.3% have no toilet. Also it was found that 43.3% respondents had 2 meals per day only. The main occupations of this community are shrimp post larvae collecting, small treading, day labor, hilsha fishing, fishing labor, fish drying, salt production and farming.
Effect and Reconstruction of Attenuation in Acoustic FWI - Method and Field Data Application

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) performed in areas with known attenuation can yield distorted velocities when viscous effects are not taken into account. Monoparameter (velocity-only) visco-acoustic FWI using a crude attenuation ( Q p ) model can improve the estimated velocity. However, joint inversion to update both velocity and attenuation is ideal, as the obtained Q p can be used for migrating the data. We invert the pressure component of ocean bottom cable (OBC) data acquired in the Valhall ﬁeld for P-wave vertical velocity V P 0 and attenuation Q p . A data subsampling strategy is employed to ensure efﬁcient use of computational resources. Simultaneous inversion of V P 0 and Q p results in velocities larger than when the medium is considered acoustic. However, the difference in the velocities obtained from joint inversion and monoparameter visco-acoustic inversion is not signiﬁcant.
Accuracy of Estimating Soil Properties with Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy: Implications of Different Chemometric Approaches and Software Packages Related to Calibration Sample Size

Different algorithms exist in various software programs for the estimation of soil properties using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, with recommendations varying between different studies regarding which algorithm should be used. Objectives were to compare the performance of the commercial OPUS Quant 2 software, which uses partial least squares regression (PLSR) and a selection of spectral ranges, with the R software and to study the accuracy of different algorithms as a function of the information provided in the calibration. Contents of soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen, and texture for surface soils of an arable field were determined, and MIR were spectra recorded. Partial least squares regression used with either software was useful (ratio of performance to interquartile distance in the validation sample [RPIQV] >1.89) for an estimation of SOC, clay, and N contents but not for sand and silt. The wavenumber region selection concept used in OPUS was also implemented in R, and it proved useful for SOC (all algorithms) and total nitrogen (artificial neural networks, support vector machine regression [SVMR]) in the validation. Support vector machine regression generally slightly outperformed the other approaches and resulted in a successful estimation of sand content. The usefulness of SVMR over PLSR generally decreased with decreasing sample size used for the calibration (thus decreasing the information provided), and PLSR partly outperformed SVMR in the validation. Overall, this study indicates that there is no general superiority of a chemometric algorithm over PLSR independent of the information provided in the calibration sample.
On the Efficiency of Baroclinic Eddy Growth and How It Reduces the North Pacific Storm-Track Intensity in Midwinter

This study investigates the efficiency of baroclinic eddy growth in an effort to better understand the suppression of the North Pacific storm-track intensity in winter. The efficiency of baroclinic eddy growth depends on the magnitude and orientation of the vertical tilt of the eddy geopotential isolines. The eddy efficiency is maximized if the orientation of the vertical tilt creates an eddy heat flux that aligns with the mean baroclinicity (defined as minus the temperature gradient divided by a stratification parameter) and if the magnitude of the vertical tilt is neither too strong nor too weak. The eddy efficiency is, in contrast to most other eddy measures, independent of the eddy amplitude and thus useful for improving our mechanistic understanding of the effective eddy growth. During the midwinter suppression, the eddy efficiency is reduced north of 40°N over a region upstream of the main storm track, and baroclinic growth is reduced despite a maximum in baroclinicity. Eulerian diagnostics and feature tracking suggest that the reduction in eddy efficiency is due to a stronger poleward tilt with height of eddies entering the Pacific through the northern seeding branch, which results in a more eastward-oriented eddy heat flux and a reduced alignment with the baroclinicity. The stronger poleward tilt with height is constrained by the eddy propagation direction, which is more equatorward when the subtropical jet moves equatorward in winter. In addition, the westward tilt with height is too strong. South of 40°N, the eddy efficiency increases during midwinter but in a region far away from the main storm track.