Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The biology of deep-sea foraminifera; a review of some advances and their applications in paleoceanography

Foraminifera commonly dominate ocean-floor eukaryotic communities. They also are the most abundant benthic organisms to be preserved in the post-Paleozoic deep-sea fossil record. Living faunas contain numerous delicate, soft-bodied agglutinated forms which have virtually no fossilization potential, whereas fossil faunas usually consist of calcareous and more robust agglutinated taxa. Recent observations have emphasized the important, often active role that foraminifera play in the dynamics and structuring of deep-sea benthic ecosystems. Foraminiferal abundances are closely linked to levels of organic matter input, and to dissolved oxygen concentrations in the near-bottom water which, in part, are related inversely to the magnitude of organic fluxes
Density and composition of the lower mantle

The observed density distribution of the lower mantle is compared with density measurements of the (M g,Fe)SiO3 perovskite and (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowtistite highpressure phases as functions of pressure, tem perature and composition. We find that for plausible bounds on the composition of the upper mantle (ratio of magnesium to iron + magnesium components xMg ^ 0.88) and the temperature in the lower mantle ( T ^ 2000 K), the high-pressure mineral assemblage of upper-mantle composition is at least 2 . 6 ( ± 1 ) % less dense than the lower m antle over the depth range 1000-2000 km. Thus, we find that a model of uniform m antle composition is incompatible with the existing mineralogical and geophysical data. Instead, we expect that the mantle is stratified, with the upper and lower m antle convecting separately, and we estimate that the compositional density difference between these regions is about 5 ( + 2) %. The stratification may not be perfect (‘leaky layering’), but significant intermixing and homogenization of the upper and lower m antle over geological timescales are precluded.
Comparison of C-band SAR algorithms to derive surface wind vectors and initial findings in their use in marine search and rescue

This paper presents a comparison of existing algorithms to derive surface winds from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and investigates their use in drift forecasting for search and rescue purposes. Specifically, SAR-derived winds from RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) data at 1.5 km resolution are compared with scatterometer-derived winds. Three approaches were used to retrieve the wind vector from the SAR data, including an optimal inversion method combining SAR data and background numerical weather prediction, the geophysical model function CMOD-IFR2 with an a priori wind direction, and a technique that uses the backscatter values corresponding to two neighboring subimages with slightly different incidence angles. Our comparisons of SAR wind mapping with scatterometer winds from QuikSCAT and ERS-2 produced a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.5 m/s. The optimal inversion method seems very promising and appears to be the best choice for assimilation of SAR-derived winds into operational wind products with respect to the datasets presented here. Additionally, the suitability of SAR imagery for search and rescue operations is reviewed. It is recommended that a method should be explored to automatically assimilate such data into operational search and rescue tools. Use of SAR winds in a search and rescue drift model is shown herein to produce improved drift trajectories on a number of search and rescue targets (e.g., life boat, sail boat, person in water).
Seismic Potential of the Húsavík-Flatey Fault and Kinematics of the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, North Iceland, studied using InSAR and GPS

Iceland is one of the few places on Earth where plate spreading and the creation of new crust can be observed above sea level. Located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland belongs to the North American and the Eurasian plate and is spreading at a rate of nearly 2 cm/yr. The on-shore plate boundary is offset towards the East and links the Reykjanes Ridge in the South to the Kolbeinsey Ridge in the North. This onshore offset consists of the Eastern and Northern Volcanic Zone and is connected to the offshore ridge systems with the left-lateral South Iceland Seismic Zone and the right-lateral Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ) in the North. These two transform zones are the seismically most active regions in Iceland and are capable of generating magnitude 7 earthquakes. Unlike most mid-ocean transforms, the TFZ does not consist of one transform fault, but is a 120 km by 70 km large zone with seismic activity concentrated along two lineaments, the Grímsey Oblique Rift (GOR) and the Húsavík Flatey fault (HFF). The GOR is a set of N-S trending normal and strike-slip faults accompanied by volcanism and is completely offshore. The sub-parallel HFF is located Southwest of the GOR and is a 100 km-long, right-lateral strike-slip fault with a minor extensional component. It is mostly offshore but for a 25 km-long part that enters land just next to the fishing town Húsavík. In historical times, major earthquakes occurred on the HFF in 1755 (M7.0) and in 1872, when two earthquakes ruptured the HFF with estimated magnitudes of M6.5 within one day. It is therefore of high interest to not only estimate the seismic hazard of the HFF but also to constrain the current rift-transform kinematics of the TFZ and thus shed light on how spreading at mid-ocean ridges interacts with transform faults. In this study I use geodetic data (GPS/Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) to measure the interseismic deformation rates in the TFZ and derive a kinematic model of the North Icelandic plate boundary. In 2006/7 we installed ten continuous GPS instruments in the region to complement the existing network of four stations. We also extended the time-series of 44 GPS points that were first measured in 1997 (Jouanne
Low Salinity Flooding: Experimental Evaluation and Numerical Interpretation

Low Salinity Flooding (LSF) is an emerging technology to improve oil recovery for both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. Extensive laboratory experiments investigating the effect of LSF are available in the literature. To quantify the low salinity effect, spontaneous imbibition and/or tertiary waterflooding experiments have been reported. In only a few published cases, the experimental data was interpreted using numerical simulation to derive relative permeability curves for both low and high salinity water, to be used in field simulation. A critical review of the literature data shows a wide spread in the LSF response in both pressure and recovery. Moreover, most of the flooding experiments reported in the literature are performed at a low flow rate, of ~1 ft/day, which may lead to a significant capillary end effect and, consequently, to a possible overestimation of the LSF effect. The focus of this paper is on: 1- The experimental procedures used for proper evaluation of the LSF effect; 2- Reporting experimental data performed on sandstone samples in both tertiary and secondary mode waterflood; 3-The numerical interpretation of the laboratory data to obtain relative permeability and capillary pressure curves for both high salinity (HS) and low salinity (LS) water, to be used in reservoir simulation to quantify the benefit of LSF on reservoir scale and 4- Investigating whether the tertiary flooding experiments can be used to derive relative permeability curves for both HS and LS waterflooding. The main conclusions of the study are: 1- While spontaneous imbibition (SI) experiments could provide an indication of a potential low salinity effect, they are not sufficient to quantify the effect in flooding experiments; 2- The LSF effect measured during low rate flooding experiments (i.e., field rate) is not representative for the field scale as it is usually dominated by capillary end effect. Therefore, the low rate (raw) coreflood data will suggest a larger LSF benefit than would actually be the case; 3- The tertiary mode experiments cannot be used to derive the LS relative permeability curves as it only spans a narrow saturation range during LSF and 4- Both tertiary and secondary mode corefloods performed using multi-rates are required to obtain relative permeability curves for HS and LS water.
Magma in layering at the Moho of the Basin and Range of Nevada

Layering at the Moho as determined from seismic reflection data is a commonly observed phenomenon in the Basin and Range for which we propose a porous-flow melt model. Analysis of seismic reflection data from the 1986 PASSCAL Nevada experiment indicates that the Moho in the Nevada Basin and Range is layered and has unusually high reflectivity. This reflectivity is difficult to explain in terms of a velocity contrast caused by different rock types, and, in fact, a lower velocity of less than 6.5 km/s suggests the presence of partially molten material at the Moho in a zone containing 20% to 25% of low-velocity layers. To explain the seismic observations, we have developed a viscous, porous-flow model for basaltic melt ascent. Such a model produces systematic variations in volumetric melt flow with depth and close correspondence between seismic interpretation and modeling of partial melt ascent. This suggests that such layering involving viscous, porous flow of partial melt is a plausible explanation of the layering of the Moho in the Basin and Range and may have more general application.
Combustion in tropical biomass fires: a critical review

Despite the publication of a number of recent books, mainly edited compilations, on both fire ecology in general and, more specifically, fire ecology in the tropics, it remains difficult to obtain accessible overviews of many aspects of the subject. This is particularly so with regard to tropical biomass fires. The review presented here attempts to fill this gap with regard to the subjects of ignition and combustion in such fires, focusing on natural and anthropogenic ignition sources, the processes of ignition, the stages of combustion, combustion efficiency, fuel type, fuel flammability, fuel preparation, fuel loading and oxygenation of the environment.
A new method for target detection based on analysis of motion vector field in dynamic video scene

In this paper we propose a new method for target detection based on an analysis of the motion vector field in a dynamic video scene. Our method, which integrates motion vector field analysis and image segmentation, can be used to treat with videos acquired by mobile cameras. It can even be used to detect multiple targets in a scene simultaneously with no advance learning. Using some video materials from a YUV video sequence from Arizona State University, we successfully determined the boundaries of the moving targets by the proposed method. The algorithms detected the targets and enabled us to obtain very satisfactory results.
Estimating the impacts of warming trends on wheat and maize in China from 1980 to 2008 based on county level data

This study estimated the past warming impacts on wheat and maize from 1980 to 2008 based on data from 2339 counties in China, providing a finer portrait of climatic effects than earlier assessments that often focused on a provincial scale. We detected an overall negative effect of the average temperature (Tavg) and diurnal temperature range (DTR) on wheat and maize yields on a national level, but our results also indicate notable beneficial effects of the Tavg in the northcentral region for wheat and the eastern parts of northeast for maize that, in most previous studies, were overlooked due to the coarseness of provincial data. Because wheat cultivation is highly intense in the north, the positive Tavg effect in the region has offset losses from warming in other areas, improving national production by up to 1.6% relative to the average level over the study period. For maize, unfortunately, approximately 5.8% production was lost due to increases in the Tavg as the dominant adverse effect. Given the reduced DTR in the major producing regions, the past trends of the DTR have boosted wheat production by up to 2.1% and maize by up to 1.4%. As a result, the combined effects of the Tavg and DTR have increased wheat production by up to 3.7%, but decreased maize production by 4.4%, equivalent to approximately 10% of the actual change in Chinese wheat and maize production from 1980 to 2008. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Satellite thermal observations of the Bezymianny lava dome 1993–2008: Precursory activity, large explosions, and dome growth

[1] Fifteen years worth of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data is presented and used to quantitatively assess processes occurring at Bezymianny. This andesitic volcano is one of Kamchatka's most dangerous volcanoes with 16 eruptions in the last decade that have dispersed ash into North Pacific air routes. All known episodes of increased activity for which data were available were detected in band 3 (3.53–3.93 μm) AVHRR thermal data. Twenty-three peaks can be seen in the data; nineteen peaks correspond to known explosions, while the remaining three peaks correspond to known phases of dome growth that were not believed to have been accompanied by explosive activity. Start and end dates of extrusive phases defined by the thermal data are presented. Repose times between phases of extrusion vary from four months to just over two and half years with an average of just less than a year. Using rank-order statistics a ‘maximum’ time interval between consecutive explosions of 1288 ± 170 days is determined; this could serve as a cut-off time for declaring the current dome-growth activity over. The calculated cumulative erupted volume (0.28 km3) and time-averaged extrusion rate (0.6 m3 s−1) from 1993 to 2008 corresponds to values found at Bezymianny from 1956 to 1976, showing that the satellite-based methodology provides a good way of quantitatively assessing dome growth. Three different types of precursors to explosive behavior have been identified at Bezymianny: (1) values that cluster around the mode of the data set prior to explosion, potentially due to endogenous dome growth, (2) upward trends that commence 15–20 days prior to explosion and reach sensor saturation levels are due to significant extrusion, and (3) a gradual upward trend that starts 5 days prior to explosion, probably due to ramping up of extrusion. This work shows that retrospectively analyzing and modeling of a volcano's thermal signal provides increased insight into its characteristic behavior. The methods used in this paper can be used at other dome-building volcanoes around the world. The insights presented here can be used to improve monitoring capabilities to aid in providing early warnings to large explosions at Bezymianny.
Seasonal variations in elemental carbon aerosol, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide: Implications for sources

As part of Maryland Aerosol Research and CHaracterization (MARCH‐Atlantic) study, measurements of 24‐hr average elemental carbon (EC) aerosol concentration were made at Fort Meade, Maryland, USA, a suburban site within the Baltimore‐Washington corridor during July 1999, October 1999, January 2000, April 2000 and July 2000. Carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were also measured nearly continuously over the period. Tight correlation between EC and CO in every month suggests common or proximate sources, likely traffic emissions. The EC versus CO slope varies in different seasons and generally increases with ambient temperature. The temperature dependence of EC/CO ratios suggests that EC source strength peaks in summer. By using the well established emission inventory for CO, and EC/CO ratio found in this study, EC emission over North America is estimated at 0.31±0.12 Tg yr−1, on the low end but in reasonable agreement with prior inventories based on emission factors and fuel consumption.
Photosynthetic capacity and diurnal gas exchange of ‘Brookfield Gala’ apple leaves under three irrigation systems

Abstract Water and nutrient application using three irrigation systems, namely daily drip irrigation, pulsing drip irrigation and micro irrigation were studied with respect to photosynthetic efficiency, water use efficiency and leaf water relations in ‘Brookfield Gala’ apple trees during 2004/5 and 2005/6 in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The amount of water used per irrigation strategy was 5254 m3 ha−1 yr−1 and 5661 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the micro irrigation; 3429 m3 ha−1 yr−1 and 39260 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the daily drip and 3429 m3 ha−1 yr−1 and 4047 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the pulsing drip for 2004/5 and 2005/6 seasons respectively. Trees were budded on either M793 or M7 root-stocks and planted in blocks using a split-plot experimental design with irrigation as the main effect and root-stock as the sub-plot. Maximum light-saturated net CO2 assimilation rate (Amax) was consistently higher under pulsing drip irrigation (this system applies water several times during the day creating an even shorter frequency cycle than the normal daily drip) compared to micro irrigation (applies water once to twice a week and uses sprinklers that spray water in a circle resulting in wetting a continuous strip within the drip row) but, occasionally, significantly higher than daily drip irrigation (applies water on a daily basis creating a shorter cycle compared to micro sprinkler system). The maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax) showed similar trends to Amax during 2004/5, but not during 2005/6. Amax peaked during midmorning (10h00) with a steady decline thereafter in all treatments, but with significantly lower rates under micro irrigation. Stomatal conductance (gs) declined steadily throughout the morning, with higher gs under the drip based systems compared to the micro system. The implications are that, irrigation application should be given early in the morning to sustain stomatal conductance and maximise CO2 assimilation rates during the period between 08h00 to 12h00. Results indicate higher photosynthetic capacity and water use efficiency under both drip-based irrigation systems compared to micro irrigation. Differences in photosynthetic capacity were related to both stomatal and non-stomatal responses.
Neural Informed RRT*: Learning-based Path Planning with Point Cloud State Representations under Admissible Ellipsoidal Constraints

Sampling-based planning algorithms like Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) are versatile in solving path planning problems. RRT* offers asymptotic optimality but requires growing the tree uniformly over the free space, which leaves room for efficiency improvement. To accelerate convergence, rule-based informed approaches sample states in an admissible ellipsoidal subset of the space determined by the current path cost. Learning-based alternatives model the topology of the free space and infer the states close to the optimal path to guide planning. We propose Neural Informed RRT* to combine the strengths from both sides. We define point cloud representations of free states. We perform Neural Focus, which constrains the point cloud within the admissible ellipsoidal subset from Informed RRT*, and feeds into PointNet++ for refined guidance state inference. In addition, we introduce Neural Connect to build connectivity of the guidance state set and further boost performance in challenging planning problems. Our method surpasses previous works in path planning benchmarks while preserving probabilistic completeness and asymptotic optimality. We deploy our method on a mobile robot and demonstrate real world navigation around static obstacles and dynamic humans. Code is available at https://github.com/tedhuang96/nirrt_star.
Cross-Camera Human Motion Transfer by Time Series Analysis

—Along with advances in optical sensors is the increasingly common practice of building an imaging system with heterogeneous cameras. While high- resolution (HR) video acquisition and analysis benefit from hybrid sensors, the intrinsic characteristics of multiple cameras lead to a challenging motion transfer problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm using time series analysis for motion transfer among multiple cameras. Specifically, we first identify seasonality in the motion data, and then build an additive time series model to extract patterns that could be trans- ferred across different cameras. Our approach has a complete and clear mathematical formulation, and the algorithm is also efficient and interpretable. Through the experiment on real-world data, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. Furthermore, our motion transfer algorithm could combine with and facilitate downstream tasks, e.g. , enhancing pose estimation on low-resolution (LR) videos with inherent patterns extracted from HR ones.
Geo-spatial Service and Application based on National E-government Network Platform and Cloud

Abstract. With the acceleration of China’s informatization process, our party and government take a substantive stride in advancing development and application of digital technology, which promotes the evolution of e-government and its informatization. Meanwhile, as a service mode based on innovative resources, cloud computing may connect huge pools together to provide a variety of IT services, and has become one relatively mature technical pattern with further studies and massive practical applications. Based on cloud computing technology and national e-government network platform, "National Natural Resources and Geospatial Database (NRGD)" project integrated and transformed natural resources and geospatial information dispersed in various sectors and regions, established logically unified and physically dispersed fundamental database and developed national integrated information database system supporting main e-government applications. Cross-sector e-government applications and services are realized to provide long-term, stable and standardized natural resources and geospatial fundamental information products and services for national egovernment and public users.
Barotropic instability in the upper atmosphere of Venus

Using a barotropic model, the upper atmosphere of Venus is examined for stability to small perturbations of a mean zonal wind. Several assumed mean zonal wind profiles, compatible with Mariner 10 UV observations, are examined with the result that some are stable, while others are unstable. At least one of the unstable profiles exhibits a maximum in the growth rate for wave-number 3, in agreement with some UV observations of the clouds of Venus. The barotropic model should be useful for performing instability analyses using Pioneer Venus data in 1979.
Organic productivity of an Atoll

The production of organic matter by phytoplankton in the waters in and around the northern Marshall Islands is extremely low. The amount of plankton swept across the reefs of these islands by the wind-driven currents is grossly inadequate to support the animals living on the reefs. The reef community, consisting of attached algae and animals, is self-supporting; all the algae produce at least as much organic matter as all the animals consume. The rate of production of organic matter by an atoll as a whole - water, reef, and bottom - is several times as high as that of the surrounding sea, and permits maintenance of a marine population considerably denser than that of the ocean. The maximum possible rate of growth of the reef is found to be 1.4 cm per year.