Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model-based Attenuation for Scattered Dispersive Waves

Coherent noise in land seismic data primarily consists of source-generated surface-wave modes. This ground roll consists of surface-wave modes propagating directly from sources to receivers. Near surface heterogeneities and discontinuities diffract the surface waves and generate secondary events, which can heavily contaminate records. The diffracted and converted surface waves are often called scattered noise and can be a severe problem particularly in areas with shallow or outcropping hard lithological formations. Conventional noise attenuation techniques are not effective with scattering: they usually can address the tails and not the apices of the scattered events. Large source and receiver arrays can attenuate scattering, but only in exchange for compromise to signal fidelity and resolution. We present a model based technique for the scattering attenuation, based on the estimation of the surface-wave properties and on the prediction of the surface waves with a complex path involving diffractions. The properties are estimated first, to produce surface consistent volumes of the propagation properties. Then, for all gathers to filter, we integrate the contributions of all possible diffractors, building a scattering model. The estimated scattered wavefield is then subtracted from the data. The method can work in different domains, and cope with aliased surface waves.
Monitoring regional drought using the Vegetation Condition Index

Abstract NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) images generated from NOAA AVHRR GVI data were recently used to monitor large scale drought patterns and their climatic impact on vegetation. The purpose of this study is to use the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) to further separate regional NDVI variation from geographical contributions in order to assess regional drought impacts. Weekly NDVI data for the period of July 1985 to June 1992 were used to produce NDVI and VCI images for the South American continent. NDVI data were smoothed with a median filtering technique for each year. Drought areas were delineated with certain threshold values of the NDVI and VCI. Drought patterns delineated by the NDVI and VCI agreed quite well with rainfall anomalies observed from rainfall maps of Brazil. NDVI values reflected the different geographical conditions quite well. Seasonal and interannual comparisons of drought areas delineated by the VCI provided a useful tool to analyse temporal and spatial evolution .
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157: a survey of dairy cattle in Tripoli, Libya

Zoonotic Escherichia coli O157 pathogen represents a serious threat to human health. To investigate the occurrence and prevalence of E. coli O157 among the dairy cattle of Tripoli, Libya, fecal samples were collected intrarectally from 97 outwardly healthy animals and tested by selective plating (Sorbitol-MacConkey agar), biochemical testing (API20E bacterial identification system), and specific antigen detection (latex agglutination test). E. coli O157 were identified and confirmed in 6% (7/97) of the samples. This is the first isolation report of E. coli 0157 from cattle in Libya. Keywords: E. coli O157, Zoonosis, Libya, Dairy cattle, Pathogen survey (Published: 22 April 2014) Citation: Libyan J Med 2014, 9 : 24409 - http://dx.doi. org/10.3402/ljm.v9. 24409
Gene polymorphisms in association with self-reported stroke in US adults

Purpose Epidemiologic studies suggest that several gene variants increase the risk of stroke, and population-based studies help provide further evidence. We identified polymorphisms associated with the prevalence of self-reported stroke in US populations using a representative sample. Methods Our sample comprised US adults in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES III) DNA bank. We examined nine candidate gene variants within ACE, F2, F5, ITGA2, MTHFR, and NOS3 for associations with self-reported stroke. We used multivariate regression and Cox proportional hazards models to test the association between these variants and history of stroke. Results In regression models, the rs4646994 variant of ACE (I/I and I/D genotypes) was associated with higher prevalence adjusted prevalence odds ratio [APOR] = 2.66 [1.28, 5.55] and 2.23 [1.30, 3.85], respectively) compared with the D/D genotype. The heterozygous genotype of MTHFR rs1801131 (A/C) was associated with lower prevalence of stroke (APOR = 0.48 [0.25, 0.92]) compared with A/A and C/C genotypes. For rs2070744 of NOS3, both the C/T genotype (APOR = 1.91 [1.12, 3.27]) and C/C genotype (APOR = 3.31 [1.66, 6.60]) were associated with higher prevalence of stroke compared with the T/T genotype. Conclusion Our findings suggest an association between the prevalence of self-reported stroke and polymorphisms in ACE, MTHFR, and NOS3 in a population-based sample.
Continent of Hunter-Gatherers: New Perspectives in Australian Prehistory

Introduction: changing perspectives 1. Hunter-gatherer variation in time and space 2. Australian Aboriginal hunter-gatherers 3. Out of Asia: earliest evidence and people 4. The tropical north 5. Arid and semiarid Australia 6. Temperate southern Australia 7. Tasmania 8. Continental changes 9. Interpretations 10. Conclusions.
Divulgación de información contable-financiera en el sitio web de empresas cotizadas de Chile y México: un estudio exploratorio

The purpose of this paper is to examine the communication of financial-accounting information as carried out by a sample of listed companies in Chile and Mexico through their corporate websites. It will also analyse key factors in their communication processes and study the websites' navigability. Key factors are analysed through linear regressions. Results suggest that the analytic perspective that best explains the behaviour of these companies is agency theory, according to which the communication of information is based on the relationship between the agent and the principal. Furthermore, it will establish the existence of a significant and negative relationship between the level of information and the size of the company, measured by its totalassets and its positive relationship to financial results.
A Three-Dimensional Ocean-Seaice-Carbon Cycle Model and its Coupling to a Two-Dimensional Atmospheric Model: Uses in Climate Change Studies

We describe the coupling of a three-dimensional ocean circulation model, with explicit thermodynamic seaice and ocean carbon cycle representations, to a two-dimensional atmospheric/land model. This coupled system has been developed as an efficient and flexible tool with which to investigate future climate change scenarios. The setup is sufficiently fast for large ensemble simulations that address uncertainties in future climate modelling. However, the ocean component is detailed enough to provide a tool for looking at the mechanisms and feedbacks that are essential for understanding the future changes in the ocean system. Here we show results from a single example simulation: a spin-up to pre-industrial steady state, changes to ocean physical and biogeochemical states for the 20th century (where changes in greenhouse gases and aerosol concentrations are taken from observations) and predictions of further changes for the 21st century in response to increased greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions. We plan, in future studies to use this model to investigate processes important to the heat uptake of the oceans, changes to the ocean circulation and mechanisms of carbon uptake and how these will change in future climate scenarios.
On the spatial organization of soil moisture fields

We examine the apparent disorder which seems to characterize the spatial structure of soil moisture by analyzing large-scale experimental data. Specifically, we address the statistical structure of soil moisture fields under different scales of observation and find unexpected results. The variance of soil moisture follows a power law decay as function of the area at which the process is observed. The spatial correlation remains unchanged with the scale of observation and follows a power law decay typical of scaling processes. Soil moisture also shows clear scaling properties on its spatial clustering patterns. A well-defined organization of statistical character is found to exist in soil moisture patterns linking a large range of scales through which the process manifests itself and impacts other processes. We suggest that such scaling properties are crucial to our current understanding and modeling of the dynamics of soil moisture in space and time.
Incorporating uncertainty in hydrological predictions for gauged and ungauged basins in southern Africa

Abstract The increasing demand for water in southern Africa necessitates adequate quantification of current freshwater resources. Watershed models are the standard tool used to generate continuous estimates of streamflow and other hydrological variables. However, the accuracy of the results is often not quantified, and model assessment is hindered by a scarcity of historical observations. Quantifying the uncertainty in hydrological estimates would increase the value and credibility of predictions. A model-independent framework aimed at achieving consistency in incorporating and analysing uncertainty within water resources estimation tools in gauged and ungauged basins is presented. Uncertainty estimation in ungauged basins is achieved via two strategies: a local approach for a priori model parameter estimation from physical catchment characteristics, and a regional approach to regionalize signatures of catchment behaviour that can be used to constrain model outputs. We compare these two sources of information in the data-scarce region of South Africa. The results show that both approaches are capable of uncertainty reduction, but that their relative values vary. Editor D. Koutsoyiannis Citation Kapangaziwiri, E. , Hughes, D.A. , and Wagener, T. , 2012. Incorporating uncertainty in hydrological predictions for gauged and ungauged basins in southern Africa. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (5), 1000–1019.
A mantle flow mechanism for the late Paleozoic subsidence of the Paraná Basin

The Carboniferous-Permian stage in the evolution of the Parana Basin is characterized by the long-wavelength deposition of up to ∼2.5 km of sediment in the continental interior. The tectonics of the region during this time were dominated by convergence and active subduction along the nearby Panthalassan margin of Gondwana. While subsidence in the basin is clearly related to the major tectonic events at the plate margin, there is a distinct delay between the onset of subduction and the initiation of basin deposition. This, and the nature of basin stratigraphy, suggests that the large-scale subsidence may have been the dynamic response of the lithosphere to mantle flow associated with the penetration of accumulated slab material through the phase change at 660 km depth. We present numerical experiments of mantle convection which show that subducting slabs can stagnate at the 660 km depth phase change and intermittently penetrate through. The associated (negative) dynamic topography remains at relatively low amplitudes as the subducting material pools and then increases rapidly to a maximum during the phase of penetrative flow. We find that the predicted delay time between initial descent of the slab and the maximum surface topography corresponds with evidence from the geological record. Several models of sedimentation based on the evolving dynamic topography are presented, and a simulation generated using infill rates independently estimated for the basin provides a close fit to the amplitude and horizontal length scale of material accumulation in the Parana Basin.
Long‐lived orogenic construction along the paleo‐Pacific margin of Gondwana (Deep Freeze Range, North Victoria Land, Antarctica)

The paleo‐Pacific margin of Gondwana records a prolonged history of convergence during the Cambrian–Early Ordovician Ross‐Delamerian and the Middle Ordovician–Early Silurian Lachlan orogenies. This study describes structure, petrology, and geochronology of a set of NW‐SE striking ductile shear zones that crosscut the Ross age, Early Cambrian granitoid rocks of the Wilson Terrane in the Deep Freeze Range (North Victoria Land, Antarctica). The shear zones developed under amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions (650–700°C and 0.5–0.7 GPa) and show a systematic top‐to‐the‐NE sense of shear. The shear zone activity interferes with emplacement of late, subhorizontal leucocratic dikes and combined U‐(Th)‐Pb (zircon and monazite) and 40Ar‐39Ar (biotite and phengite) geochronology constrains the shearing event at ∼470 Ma, with the sheared granite yielding U‐Pb zircon crystallization ages of ∼508 Ma. The reconstructed P‐T path followed by the granite protoliths indicates an anticlockwise trajectory, suggesting the synshearing amphibolite metamorphism was associated with the burial of an early formed, Ross continental crustal section. These new findings are interpreted as evidence of a renewed, Ordovician episode of orogenic construction at the paleo‐Pacific margin of Gondwana that predated the onset of the Lachlan orogeny in the region. A polycyclic reactivation of the Ross age Wilson Terrane of North Victoria Land is suggested, which is used to propose a unitary framework for the space‐time transition from the Ross‐Delamerian to the Lachlan orogeny along the proto‐Pacific active margin of Gondwana.
GIS Analysis of Impacts of TVA Dams on Upstream Residential Property Values in Eastern Tennessee

As cost benefit analyses are conducted by agencies such as the USACE and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), potential decline in upstream property value due to a large dam failure or removal should be addressed. The data used in this research include TVA owned and operated dam structures obtained from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (USACE NID), assessed property GIS parcel data from Blount County, Tennessee, and Median Household Values from the 2010 US Census. Analysis of the Median Household Value and USACE NID data indicate there is not a significant correlation between the lake storage capacity and median household value. Spatial analysis of the county-level land parcel data was conducted to determine impacts of reservoir depletion on upstream residential property values and potential usage within a future cost-benefit analysis for a dam structure’s removal or mitigation. Results show that properties within the studied buffer areas will become greater in distance from the water once a dam removal or failure resulted in depletion of the lake. This increased distance results in decline in overall property value, average property value, and decreased county property tax revenue.
Application of IMM/MHT tracking with spectral features to ground targets

This paper considers the problem of tracking dim unresolved ground targets and helicopters in heavy clutter with a ground based sensor. To detect dim targets the threshold must be set low which result in a large number of false alarms. The tracker typically uses the target dynamics to prevent the false tracks. The interesting aspect of this problem is that the targets may be or may become stationary. The tracks of stationary targets are difficult to discriminate from tracks formed by persistent false alarms.
Trophic state of Albanian water ecosystem based on phytoplakton photo-synthetic pigments

En Data on the trophic state of some Albanian water bodies (the Adriatic lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain,Patog,Karavasta and Narta,and the ecosystem of Ohrid-Prespa)are resented.Evaluation of trophic state is based on chlorophyll acontent in water and distribution of photosynthetic pigments,monitored from March to October.The lagoons of the Adriatic coast have different trophic states.The lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain and Patok are oligotrophic,but the Karavasta and Narta lagoons are characterized by a higher trophic state,estimated as mesotrophic.Lake Ohrid is oligotrophic,whereas Lake Prespa is mesotrophic.Vertical profiles of Chl a content demonstrated different distribution in the Ohrid and Prespa lakes.
the phase evolution of Young Sea Ice

Sea ice forms as a porous matrix consisting of pure ice crystals in equilibrium with brine. We present an experimental and theoretical study that reveals that the brine expelled by growing sea ice initially remains trapped within the crystalline interstices but that drainage into the underlying water is ultimately triggered abruptly due to the onset of buoyancy‐driven convection. The onset is quantified by a critical porous‐medium Rayleigh number, and we present an empirical marginal stability diagram that defines the transition.
Analytical aspects of ultrawideband sea scatter

In this work the problem of developing a theory of sea scatter for ultrawideband electromagnetic waves is examined. The motivation for this work derives from previous work of Wetzel, who formulated a scalar, time-domain model of sea clutter and showed that the local curvature properties of the rough surface are an important factor in determining the sources of the scattered return. Here, Wetzel's result is extended to the electromagnetic problem and then extended further to obtain some polarization effects consistent with the small perturbation method.
Carrington as a benchmark: comparisons of the September 1859 storm using newly digitised data for London

In September 1859, scientists observed what has gone down in history as the first ever Space Weather event, and which is also thought to be the greatest magnetic storm on record. At this time the development of magnetic observatory networks was in its infancy with few in existence and methods to continuously record the magnetic field variations were rare. Two competing London observatories, Greenwich and Kew were an exception and both recorded the Carrington storm on photographic paper. These magnetograms provide continuous measurements, from one or other of these two London observatories, for the entire Carrington storm. Over the past year, we have been running a project to glean time-series data from digital traces of these plots, as well as of fourteen other of the most powerful geomagnetic storms prior to the digital recording era. This has resulted in a new trove of data for studying these events. In this poster, we briefly describe the process of digitally-tracing, scaling and interpolation used to derive this data supply. We then go on to compare the results with other available data or the Carrington storm, including samples in observatory yearbooks. The results are also discussed in relation to the Dst results of Tsurutani et al (2003). Comparisons with other digitised storms are also made. Finally, we describe our efforts to derive dB/dt values from the analogue records, which are relevant for estimating Space Weather effects on technology.
Brunhes‐Matuyama Boundary: 790 k.y. date consistent with ODP Leg 130 oxygen isotope records based on fit to Milankovitch Template

The age of the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary, until recently taken as 730 k.y. in standard time scales for the Quaternary (e.g., Imbrie et al., 1984; Prell et al., 1986) and in Ocean Drilling Program results (Kroenke et al., 1991; Shackleton et al., 1992) has been revised to between 780 k.y. and 790 k.y. , based on both orbital tuning of oxygen isotope data (e.g., Shackleton et al., 1990) and on new 40Ar-39Ar dates on volcanic rocks (e.g., Baksi et al., 1992). We apply the revised chronology to an oxygen isotope record for Ontong Java Plateau (ODP Leg 130, western equatorial Pacific). Using this time scale, we find excellent agreement between the record and a template based on orbital forcing. The equation for the template is where the change in ice-mass is given as the difference between constant ice growth (IGR) and variable amounts of melting. Melting depends on summer insolation at 65°N (INS), the current ice-mass present (ICE), and the average ice-mass (MEM) over a given time interval (L). The memory base L and the exponents are adjusted for best fit. The fit to the relevant portion of the record yields an age of 790±6 k.y. for the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary. The age assignment is robust relative to substantial changes in parameter settings.
Applications of 3D Body Scanning Technology to Human Anthropometry: Body Surface Area and Body Volume Measurements in the Fields of Health and Sports Sciences

In the fields of sports and health sciences, changes in body shape are one of the most important parameters in order to evaluate the effects of physical training and /or routine workout performed. Until now, these parameters were typically measured under manually skilled techniques in anthropometry. In recent years, Whole body measurement system for humans (that is called “Bodyline Scanner”, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Japan) which has functions such as a high speed measurement and high resolutions are required by many industrial and academic areas such as apparel and digital technology. The purposes of present study were to develop 3D anthropometry by optical triangle method using laser beam system and to determine feasibility of the measurements such as lengths, circumferences, body surface area (BSA) and body/segment volumes with comparing to other conventional methods. Newly developed Bodyline scanner (BLS) as shown in Fig.1 was capable of digitizing whole body shape as three dimensional coordinates in the order of 2.5mm intervals in space (normal adult body shape put in ~500,000 points). The principle of the measuring method was optical triangle measurement, in which light source was using a laser diode. The color information was used to detect the position of land mark seals which was pasted on the skin according to the anatomical basis in human anthropometry. Six moving scanner heads and intelligent vision camera systems were enable to reduce the area which can not measure those positions such armpit and crotch, and to reduce whole body scanning time up to ten seconds. Measuring height was as much as 2300 mm which enable to scan whole body from children to such one as Olympic basketball athletes. 3D polygon data reconstructed after digitizing each point was used for the measurement of anthropometry such as lengths and circumferences of each limb or trunk, body surface area (BSA) and each segment volumes or whole body volume. Sixty seven males and females aged from 9 to 21yrs were tested in both BLS and manually conventional tape measure methods (TAPE). Differences of lengths and circumferences of the limbs between BLS and TAPE were within 4%. BSA data was almost identical to those estimated from the equation based on body height and weight ( Du Bois, 1916). Whole body volume data obtained from BLS were precisely consistent with those obtained from air displacement methods. Anthropometric data as well as body surface area and body volume measured by using 3D body scanning technologies might be widely prospective for evaluating the differences or changes in body shape in such fields as health and sports sciences.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Global contraction/expansion and polar lithospheric thinning on Titan from patterns of tectonism

We investigate the underlying physical processes that govern the formation and evolution of Titan’s tectonic features. This is done by mapping mountain chains and hills using Cassini RADAR data obtained during Titan ﬂybys T3 to T69. Our mapping of mountain chains and hills reveals a global pattern: east-west orientations within 30 ∘ of the equator and north-south between 60 ∘ latitude and the poles. This result makes Titan one of the few solar system bodies where global processes, rather than regional processes, dominate tectonism. After comparison with ﬁve global stress models showing theoretical mountain chain orientations, we suggest that either global contraction coupled with spin-up or global expansion coupled with despinning could explain our observations if coupled with a lithosphere thinner in Titan’s polar regions.