Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Three-North Shelterbelt Program and Dynamic Changes in Vegetation Cover

Abstract: The Shelterbelt Forest System Program in northeast, north and northwest China (the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, TNSP) is the largest ecological reforestation program in the world. TNSP vegetation research has important ecological meaning and profound social and economic significance. Here, spatio-temporal variation in vegetation cover under the TNSP was examined using the NDVI average method, major climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation, and linear regression trend analysis from 1982 to 2006. We found that in the past 25 years, NDVI vegetation in the study area has consistently risen at a rate of 0.007 per decade. Vegetation cover, temperature and precipitation are positively correlated. The area of vegetation associated with precipitation is larger than the area related to temperature; precipitation is the key factor affecting vegetation growth across the TNSP. From 1982 to 2006, regions with improved vegetation cover were found in the central and southern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, central part of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern part of the Changbai Mountains, Yanshan Mountians, Western Liaoning Hilly Region, Altai Mountains, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern part of the Qilian Mountains, eastern part of the northwest desert as well as southern part of the Gully Region of the Loess Plateau. However, vegetation cover declined on both sides of the Greater Khingan Mountains, western part of the Hulun Buir Plateau, northern part of the Sanjiang Plain, southern part of Horqin Sandy Land, southern part of the northwest desert and northern part of the Gully Region of the Loess Plateau.
Observations of equatorial spread‐F from Haleakala, Hawaii

Since the 1920s it has been known that the equatorial ionosphere can become highly disturbed in the post‐sunset period. We have placed a new array of instruments on top of the Haleakala Volcano in Hawaii to study these disturbances from midlatitudes. Two airglow imagers provide two‐dimensional snapshots of the development of these disturbances during the night, while two GPS receivers can quantify their severity. Here we report on the spectacular February 16–17, 2002 disturbance, which reached an altitude of 1500 km over the magnetic equator and mapped magnetically to latitudes well north of Hawaii. The signals from every Global Positioning System satellite in the field of view from Maui were severely disturbed whenever the corresponding look direction passed through one of the turbulent features. We also present an example from March 19, 2002 in which the spread‐F activity is not as severe to demonstrate that the instrumentation still provides valuable information.
Estrogen Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Myocardial Infarction

ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE (IHD) HAS a strong genetic component, but the identity of the genetic risk factors is unknown. There is a large ongoing effort to find genes involved in cardiovascular disease. In a large casecontrol study that examined 112 polymorphisms in 71 candidate genes for myocardial infarction, 3 associated gene variants were identified. However, genes involved in the pathways of sex steroids were not considered. Several lines of evidence implicate sex hormones in cardiovascular disease risk, such as the difference in disease risk between men and women. The risk of IHD in women between puberty and menopause is lower than that in agematched men. However, this sex difference diminishes when postmenopausal women and men of similar age are compared. These observations have led to the suggestion that decreasing endogenous estrogen after menopause may be the critical factor in removing the relative protection against IHD that women have in their premenopausal years. Estrogen exerts its effects by binding to the estrogen receptors and that, once activated, regulate the expression of multiple genes. A large body of data implicates the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) in cardiovascular disease. In 1997, Sudhir et al described a man with a null mutation in the ESR1, leading to unresponsiveness to estrogen. This 31-year-old man was reported to have premature atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and endothelial dysfunction despite the presence of high levels of circulating es-
Measurements and model calculations of the solar shortwave fluxes in snow on Summit, Greenland

Abstract Solar shortwave (SW) radiation is a primary energy source for the snow cover. Accurate measurements of the radiation energy balance in snow are not yet available over a broad spectral band. For accurate measurements in snow, sources of errors have to be eliminated such as the temperature dependence of some sensors, investigating a disturbed snow cover or neglecting the variation of the incoming radiation. The objective of our investigation is to measure the spectral SW energy balance in and above snow and to validate a radiation transfer model against the data. In July 2002 up- and down-welling fluxes at several heights in snow were measured on Summit, Greenland, with a spectrometer sensitive in the 340–1050 nm spectral band. Changing incoming solar radiation was accounted for by using two sensor heads. The resulting data are compared to the δ–Eddington model of radiative transfer in combination with Mie single-scattering calculations. Using as input the snow data obtained by weekly snow profiles, a good agreement between measured and modelled radiative fluxes was obtained when increasing the absorption in the snow grains which is justified by snow impurities. In the near-infrared a disagreement between model and measurements is obvious. This is most likely caused by non-sphericity of the snow grains.
Mesoscale Convective Systems over Western Equatorial Africa and Their Relationship to Large-Scale Circulation

Abstract This study examines mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) over western equatorial Africa using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. This region experiences some of the world’s most intense thunderstorms and highest lightning frequency, but has low rainfall relative to other equatorial regions. The analyses of MCS activity include the frequency of occurrence, diurnal and annual cycles, and associated volumetric and convective rainfall. Also evaluated is the lightning activity associated with the MCSs. Emphasis is placed on the diurnal cycle and on the continental-scale motion fields in this region. The diurnal cycle shows a maximum in MCS count around 1500–1800 LT, a morning minimum, and substantial activity during the night; there is little seasonal variation in the diurnal cycle, suggesting stationary influences such as orography. Our analysis shows four maxima in MCS activity, three of which are related to local geography (two orographic and one over Lake Victoria).
The geography of water conflict and cooperation: internal pressures and international manifestations

Studies on transboundary water conflict and cooperation generally consider interstate relations over shared water resources as distinct from intrastate relations. While connections have been made between international water relations and regional relationships in general, it is conceivable that international water conflict and cooperation may also be influenced by domestic water events and vice versa. This paper seeks to investigate the dynamics of water interactions across geographic scale and their relationship to broader international affairs. The research approach involves the creation of an analytical framework for assessing possible linkages between external and internal interactions over freshwater resources. The framework is applied to three case studies - the Middle East, South Asia and Southern Africa - utilizing 'event data'. To validate the findings from the quantitative analyses, the results are compared with conventional qualitative understandings of water and overall relations in the three regions. The comparison demonstrates not only the efficacy of the analytical framework in general, but also highlights, at least in terms of the specific case studies selected, the disparate water dynamics across geographic regions and the importance of considering water events, both national and international, within larger political and historical contexts.
Are we missing the tail (and the tale) of residence time distributions in watersheds?

Residence times provide vital information on hydrological, geochemical, and ecological processes in watersheds. The common perception is that mean residence times in watersheds are very short, on the order of days to years. However, there is growing concern that longer residence times of centuries to millennia are not being captured by traditional surface water age‐dating methods. We hypothesize that if mean residence times are biased short, then weathering rates calculated from mean residence times will be forced unrealistically high to match observed solute concentrations. We test this hypothesis by calculating weathering rates from springs based upon residence times estimated using three different age‐dating methods. Observed solute concentrations require unrealistically large weathering rates if typical short residence times are employed as compared to rates derived from longer residence times. Residence time distributions in watersheds have substantially longer tails than previously thought, with implications for age‐dating methods and their interpretation to infer process behavior.
Regeneration of Inorganic Iodine Species in Loch Etive, a Natural Leaky Incubator

Iodine species concentrations and oxygen concentrations were measured in the isolated bottom waters of a Scottish fjord during two separate periods of isolation, each lasting about a year. The rates of biogeochemical change of the species were estimated by allowing for diffusive fluxes from the bottom water. This shows that iodide concentration increased during the two isolations which occurred in the study period, but that a sustained loss of iodate in the first isolation was followed by a gain during the second. Combined, these changes led to a small and gradual increase in total iodine concentration in both isolations. The iodide production is ascribed to regeneration of material with an I:C ratio of the order of 10−5in the sediment. The iodide oxidation rate is small but significant at about 0·03±0·01 μM year−1.
Heterogeneous rupture on homogenous faults: Three‐dimensional spontaneous rupture simulations with thermal pressurization

To understand role of fluid on earthquake rupture processes, we investigated effects of thermal pressurization on spatial variation of dynamic rupture by computing spontaneous rupture propagation on a rectangular fault. We found thermal pressurization can cause heterogeneity of rupture even on a fault of uniform properties. On drained faults, tractions drop linearly with increasing slip in the same way everywhere. However, by changing the drained condition to an undrained one, the slip‐weakening curves become non‐linear and depend on locations on faults with small shear zone thickness w, and the dynamic frictional stresses vary spatially and temporally. Consequently, the super‐shear transition fault length decreases for small w, and the final slip distribution can have some peaks regardless of w, especially on undrained faults. These effects should be taken into account of determining dynamic rupture parameters and modeling earthquake cycles when the presence of fluid is suggested in the source regions.
Urban Tourism Space Research Methods: Evolution and Patterns

Abstract The author attempts to sum up research on urban tourism space conducted as a part of the tourism geography MA seminar at the University of Łódź. He checks and enhances the definition of tourism space and tests a method of analyzing the contents of guidebooks across time. He also defines the correlation between the range of forms of urban tourism space, changes to it as well as to population, and the past and the present functions of the city.
Analysis of United States Geological Survey spectral library of silicate minerals: implication for remote sensing applications

Hyperspectral imaging is broadly used in the identification of hydroxylated and hydrated silicate minerals, especially at the wavelengths of 1.0 to 2.5 µm. The vibrations of the hydroxyl (OH) molecule, water molecule ( H − O − H ), and metal − OH bonds, or their combinations, produce prominent absorption features at ∼ 1.40 , ∼ 1.91 , and 2.20 to 2.40 μm wavelengths. In remote sensing applications, minerals showing one or two of these absorption features are usually categorized as hydroxylated and/or hydrated, and minerals showing all three absorption features are usually categorized as hydrated phyllosilicates. We examine the USGS spectral library of common silicate minerals and find that some showing these absorption features are not hydroxylated and/or hydrated but with slight alteration or impurities. This implies that the identification of hydroxylated and/or hydrated silicate minerals may not be merely based on these absorption features. Rather, incorporation of geological and environmental background is also important. We further calculate the absorption depths and silicate mineral ratios in these absorption features as references for discrimination. This study provides a cautionary perspective on the identification of hydrated phyllosilicate minerals with respect to mineralogical interpretations of Mars and other planets.
The changing relationship between ENSO variability and moisture balance in the continental United States

The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system orchestrates a well‐documented suite of climate anomalies worldwide. The details of ENSO's extratropical influence vary among events, but this variability has not been described or diagnosed beyond the past few decades, and previous descriptions have looked at inter‐event differences rather than decadal patterns. We use a new tree‐ring based drought reconstruction for the continental U.S. and instrumental ENSO indices to document systematic decadal changes in the U.S. drought‐ENSO relationship since the late 19th century. Significant ENSO‐drought correlation occurs consistently in the southwest U.S., but the strength of penetration of moisture anomalies into the continent varies substantially. The most striking change over the past 130 years is the initiation of a “bipolar” ENSO‐drought signature around 1920, producing opposite‐sign moisture anomalies in the southwest and mid‐Atlantic states. Shifts in teleconnection patterns coincide with variations in the strength of ENSO and in a North Pacific mode.
Source Water Effects on Runoff Amount and Phosphorus Concentration under Simulated Rainfall

Frequently, well water is used instead of rainwater to perform rainfall simulations to study P and soil loss in cropping systems. This study was conducted to determine whether the source water used in simulated rainfall studies affects runoff amount and P and sediment concentrations. Rainfall simulation and natural runoff studies were conducted in a corn (Zea mays L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) field on a Tama silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudoll) in spring and fall 2004. No significant differences in runoff composition were found between the well and deionized (DI) source waters in the spring rainfall simulation study in corn. The fall rain simulation in alfalfa showed significantly higher runoff volumes and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations with DI water than with well water. Soil water-extractable P (WEP) measurements showed that rain and DI water extracted similar amounts of P, while well water extracted less P. Using the same source waters in WEP procedures and in rainfall simulations yielded good relationships (r 2 = 0.73) between simulated rain runoff DRP and soil WEP concentrations. Natural runoff DRP concentrations measured in the same field treatments as those used in the simulated rainfall studies were much greater than those found in simulated rainfall runoff, but the relative field treatment effects on runoff P concentrations were the same. These results emphasize that simulated rainfall data can provide a relative comparison of treatment effects on runoff composition, but results from simulated rainfall experiments are not likely to duplicate natural runoff composition, regardless of the source water used.
Vendian Hiemalora from Arctic Siberia reinterpreted as holdfasts of benthic organisms

Abstract Hiemalora Fedonkin, 1982 is based on cosmopolitan fossils of the late Vendian (Ediacaran) Neoproterozoic sequences. There is no consensus on the nature and systematic position of these organisms. Taphonomic and morphological observations of extensive collections of Hiemalora pleiomorphus from Khatyspyt Formation (Arctic Siberia) indicate that this fossil is just a part of an unknown organism. Most probably Hiemalora represents a form with a thick-walled body, possessing a cone-like attachment bearing radial processes that resemble sponge root offshoots or algal rhizoids. Originally these structures penetrated the soft sediment and served as anchors as well as a source of symbiotic nutrition. Various imprints of Hiemalora could represent different sections of conic-shaped bodies. Probably, there were several organisms referred to as Hiemalora that had a similar substrate attachment organ.
Two-dimensional aperture synthesis in lunar radar astronomy

It is shown that when a distant object such as the Moon or a planet is observed by a continuous wave (c. w.) radar employing a single aerial, components of the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the target’s radar brightness distribution may be obtained by computing the autocorrelation function of the complex amplitude of the returned signals. When the motion of the radar relative to the target is suitable, sufficient components may be measured to allow the two-dimensional radar brightness distribution to be recovered. This process has been carried out for the Moon. Observations have been made with a radar operating at a wavelength of 73 cm transmitting circularly polarized signals and receiving the orthogonal polarization. Reduction of the data has enabled an unambiguous two-dimensional map of the lunar radar brightness distribution to be constructed with an angular resolution of 3'.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV ( DPP-IV ) Inhibitory Activity , Antioxidant Property and Phytochemical Composition Studies of Herbal Constituents of Thai Folk Anti-Diabetes Remedy

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patient numbers have dramatically increased by almost 10 times within the past 10 years. Several groups of drugs have been developed to treat T2DM, including dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor. The Krom Luang Chomphon folk recipe was used as alternative antidiabetes recipe; however, no scientific data on the DPP-IV inhibitory activities of this recipe has been evaluated. In the present study, 14 selected medicinal herb extracts from this recipe were prepared and investigated for their DPP-IV inhibitory activity, antioxidant property, and phytochemical compositions. The results demonstrated that all extracts exhibited DPP-IV inhibitory activity, but at different levels. The highest inhibitory activities, at 50 μg/mL, were detected in Lagerstroemia speciose (L.) Pers. (71.07±0.07 %) and Terminalia catappa L. (69.89±0.43 %), while diprotin A (standard) gave 90.07±0.39 % inhibition. All extracts displayed antioxidant activity at varying levels. The lowest IC50 in the DPPH assay was found in the ethanolic extract from leaves of T.catappa (4.39±0.12 μg/mL), comparable to that of ascorbic acid (IC50 = 4.28±0.01μg/mL) and BHT (IC50 = 4.82±0.01μg/mL). Phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin compounds were detected in the extracts, alkaloids were detected in 10 extracts, and terpenoids were detected in 11 extracts. Their phytochemical compositions were evaluated for their relationship with DPP-IV inhibitory and antioxidant activities. The results revealed that DPP-IV inhibitory activity was significantly related with phenolic content (p < 0.05, r = 0.560) while antioxidant activity (DPPH) was related with phenolic content (p < 0.05, r = 0.500). Therefore, the DPP-IV inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of each herb extract may vary, depending on the content of terpenoid and phenolic compounds. All selected herbs, especially the leaves of T. catappa and L. speciose, showed the ability to be used as DPP-IV inhibitors and antioxidants for T2DM treatment. Furthermore, our results are the first reported of DPP-IV inhibitory activity in the 14 herb extracts which are the main ingredients in the Krom Luang Chomphon folk recipe. These findings also support the potential use of this recipe as an alternative treatment for diabetes through a new mechanism.
Correlation and multifractality in climatological time series

Climate can be described by statistical analysis of mean values of atmospheric variables over a period. It is possible to detect correlations in climatological time series and to classify its behavior. In this work the Hurst exponent, which can characterize correlation and persistence in time series, is obtained by using the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) method. Data series of temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, maximum squall, atmospheric pressure and randomic series are studied. Furthermore, the multifractality of such series is analized applying the Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA) method. The results indicate presence of correlation (persistent character) in all climatological series and multifractality as well. A larger set of data, and longer, could provide better results indicating the universality of the exponents.
Etude expérimentale du glissement liquide-solide sur surfaces lisses et texturées

Les experiences realisees au cours de cette these portent sur l'etude du glissement d'un liquide simple sur une paroi solide. Les trois elements principaux de la methode originale de mesure de vitesses, de resolution spatiale inferieure au micron, developpee pendant ce travail sont le controle microfluidique d'un ecoulement, une selection optique du plan de mesure par un objectif de microscope de forte ouverture numerique, et l'adaptation de la velocimetrie par images de particules au dispositif. La longueur de glissement intrinseque de l'eau est mesuree sur des substrats lisses hydrophiles et hydrophobes. Nos resultats sont en accord avec une valeur inferieure a 100 nanometres, la resolution de la mesure. Une possible amplification du phenomene par une modulation spatiale de la condition limite hydrodynamique est exposee: des substrats hydrophobes rugueux presentant sous certaines conditions un mouillage composite sont a l'origine des heterogeneites. Le gaz piege a l'interface liquide---solide modifie la structure de l'ecoulement, et induit un glissement effectif. Nous realisons deux series d'experiences mettant en evidence les caracteristiques hydrodynamiques de telles surfaces. Sur des substrats microtextures par des bandes nous mesurons une modification en volume du champ de vitesse, sensible au detail de la geometrie; des surfaces super-hydrophobes constituees de plots micrometriques amenent a un glissement effectif de l'ordre de 500~nanometres.