Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterising and improving the deteriorating trends in soil physical quality under banana

Deterioration in soil physical quality under intensive tillage practices is a norm rather than an exception. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate total porosity (TP) as an indicator parameter to assess the impact of banana cropping on compaction and infiltration in soils, and (ii) assess the effectiveness of different interrow grass-covers in minimising the deteriorating trends. Depth-incremented TP under banana rows and interrows from 4 sites, corresponding forest sites, and from 3 interrow grass-cover treatments were computed from bulk density measurements. The TP results show the compacted depth ranged from 0.35 to 0.45 m in banana rows and from 0.35 to 1.0 m in the interrows. The TP in 0.10 m depth increments decreased in the order: forest > rows > interrows, and was positively correlated with soil organic C (OC) and negatively with wheel traffic stress (WTS). The multiple regression analysis showed that 77% of the variability in TP was accounted for by clay + silt, OC, and WTS. We show that a threshold compaction index (DIt) of 0.81–0.83 can be estimated from TP regardless of the soil type. Depending on the soil type and the cultural practices followed, infiltration decreased from 0.75 mm/s in rainforest to 0.23 mm/s under banana in 1 soil type compared with 2.55 mm/s in forest and 0.85 mm/s under banana in another. After 18 months of interrow grass-covers we found the deterioration in TP was minimum under the indigenous grass-cover but not under the 2 improved species. We conclude the interrow grass-covers were effective in minimising WTS associated compaction and reduction in infiltration.
Species‐specific transpiration responses to intermediate disturbance in a northern hardwood forest

Intermediate disturbances shape forest structure and composition, which may in turn alter carbon, nitrogen, and water cycling. We used a large‐scale experiment in a forest in northern lower Michigan where we prescribed an intermediate disturbance by stem girdling all canopy‐dominant early successional trees to simulate an accelerated age‐related senescence associated with natural succession. Using 3 years of eddy covariance and sap flux measurements in the disturbed area and an adjacent control plot, we analyzed disturbance‐induced changes to plot level and species‐specific transpiration and stomatal conductance. We found transpiration to be ~15% lower in disturbed plots than in unmanipulated control plots. However, species‐specific responses to changes in microclimate varied. While red oak and white pine showed increases in stomatal conductance during postdisturbance (62.5 and 132.2%, respectively), red maple reduced stomatal conductance by 36.8%. We used the hysteresis between sap flux and vapor pressure deficit to quantify diurnal hydraulic stress incurred by each species in both plots. Red oak, a ring porous anisohydric species, demonstrated the largest mean relative hysteresis, while red maple, bigtooth aspen, and paper birch, all diffuse porous species, had the lowest relative hysteresis. We employed the Penman‐Monteith model for LE to demonstrate that these species‐specific responses to disturbance are not well captured using current modeling strategies and that accounting for changes to leaf area index and plot microclimate are insufficient to fully describe the effects of disturbance on transpiration.
Mechanisms of aerosol‐forced AMOC variability in a state of the art climate model

Received 29 October 2012; revised 21 March 2013; accepted 25 March 2013; published 25 April 2013. [1] Mechanisms of sustained multidecadal changes in the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are investigated in a set of simulations with a new state-of-the-art Earth system model. Anthropogenic aerosols have previously been highlighted as a potential mitigator of AMOC weakening. In this study, we explain the oceanic mechanisms behind how anthropogenic aerosols force a strengthening of the AMOC by up to 20% in our state-of-the-art Earth system model. This strengthening is driven via atmospheric circulation changes which subsequently modulate the salinity budget of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. Gradual salinification occurs via increased evaporation and decreased fluxes of ice through the Fram Straits. A component of the salinification is a positive feedback from the AMOC bringing more saline water northwards from the subtropical Atlantic. Salinification of the subpolar gyre results in increased deep convection and a strengthening of the AMOC. Following a reduction in aerosol concentrations, the AMOC rapidly weakens, approximately 3 times faster than in the case where anthropogenic aerosol concentrations had never been increased. Similarities and differences with available observational records and long term reanalysis products are also discussed.
INFLUENCE OF PROFITABILITY ON DIVIDEND PAYOUT IN DEPOSIT-TAKING SAVINGS AND CREDIT CO-OPERATIVES (SACCOS) IN KENYA

SACCOs' dividend payment strategy varies as to what determines the amount of dividend to pay to its shareholders, how? and when? While working in the same market, some Saccos pay more, while others pay less. Therefore, among the aspects of corporate finance, the strategy of dividend payout is not coherent and attracts a lot of debate among Saccos. The study's general objective was to establish the financial determinants for the dividend payout scheme among Saccos in Kenya between 2018 and 2021. The research design adopted for this study was descriptive. All 166 Saccos in Kenya were targeted by the researcher. Taro Yamane was used for sampling 62 DT-Saccos. Secondary data was obtained using a secondary datasheet. Descriptive statistics included the use of mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. Besides, inferential analysis including correlation and linear regression analysis were used. Data was presented on tables and narratively interpreted. The study revealed that profitability and dividend payout had a β= 0.889, t=6.217, and associated p-value of 0.001. The study concluded that profitability had a positive and significant influence on the dividend payout in deposit-taking Saccos in Kenya. The study recommended for measures to be put in place that ensure that profits increases to have a higher payout of dividends in the DT-SACCOs in Kenya such as reduction in the costs of operations and costs of production to increase in profits.
Growth of the lava dome and extrusion rates at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, West Indies: 2005–2008

The third episode of lava dome growth at Soufrière Hills Volcano began 1 August 2005 and ended 20 April 2007. Volumes of the dome and talus produced were measured using a photo‐based method with a calibrated camera for increased accuracy. The total dense rock equivalent (DRE) volume of extruded andesite magma (306 ± 51 Mm3) was similar within error to that produced in the earlier episodes but the average extrusion rate was 5.6 ± 0.9 m3s−1 (DRE), higher than the previous episodes. Extrusion rates varied in a pulsatory manner from <0.5 m3s−1 to ∼20 m3s−1. On 18 May 2006, the lava dome had reached a volume of 85 Mm3 DRE and it was removed in its entirety during a massive dome collapse on 20 May 2006. Extrusion began again almost immediately and built a dome of 170 Mm3 DRE with a summit height 1047 m above sea level by 4 April 2007. There were few moderate‐sized dome collapses (1–10 Mm3) during this extrusive episode in contrast to the first episode of dome growth in 1995–8 when they were numerous. The first and third episodes of dome growth showed a similar pattern of low (<0.5 m3s−1) but increasing magma flux during the early stages, with steady high flux after extrusion of ∼25 Mm3.
Forecasting Aftershock Activities.

日本列島とその周辺に発生する地震の余震活動の予報可能性について検討した。 最初に、大森の公式と Gutenberg and Richter の関係式とから余震発生の危険度関数を導いた。 この危険度関数には4つのパラメータが含まれる。 それらのパラメータの値を、1969-1990年の期間に発生した47個の地震の余震系列についてそれぞれ評価した。 次に、余震系列は非定常 Poisson 過程であると仮定し、パラメータについては47個の地震の余震系列の平均値を用いて、日本列島とその周辺の地震に関する平均的な余震発生確率を計算した。 いくつかの地震について、実際に観測された余震活動と予測値を比較したところ、両者の一致はかなり良いことがわかった。 予報精度を更に高めるためには、余震発生の危険度関数に含まれる4つのパラメータについて、地震のタイプや地域による違いを考慮に入れる必要があろう。
An adaptive energy-efficient MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks

In this paper we describe T-MAC, a contention-based Medium Access Control protocol for wireless sensor networks. Applications for these networks have some characteristics (low message rate, insensitivity to latency) that can be exploited to reduce energy consumption by introducing an activesleep duty cycle. To handle load variations in time and location T-MAC introduces an adaptive duty cycle in a novel way: by dynamically ending the active part of it. This reduces the amount of energy wasted on idle listening, in which nodes wait for potentially incoming messages, while still maintaining a reasonable throughput.We discuss the design of T-MAC, and provide a head-to-head comparison with classic CSMA (no duty cycle) and S-MAC (fixed duty cycle) through extensive simulations. Under homogeneous load, T-MAC and S-MAC achieve similar reductions in energy consumption (up to 98%) compared to CSMA. In a sample scenario with variable load, however, T-MAC outperforms S-MAC by a factor of 5. Preliminary energy-consumption measurements provide insight into the internal workings of the T-MAC protocol.
A history of habitat dynamics: Characterizing 35 years of stand replacing disturbance

Landscape change, specifically habitat loss and modification, is thought to have an impact on the health, productivity, distribution, and survival of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos L.). Although grizzly bears may preferentially seek out areas of anthropogenic disturbances for foraging opportunities, research has found that grizzly bears experience greater mortality in these areas as a result of increased human access. Additional insights on the location and rates of anthropogenic-driven landscape change are required to better understand related impacts upon grizzly bears. In this study, a time series of 14 Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM+ images were used to retrospectively document and quantify the rate of landscape change over a 35-year period from 1973 to 2008 in a 13507km2 analysis area in western Alberta, Canada. The study area is located within a larger region that contains the highest density of grizzly bears in Alberta and has experienced increasingly intensive forest harvesting and oil and gas exploration activities during this period. To accommodate the differing spectral channels from MSS to TM/ETM+ sensors, the arctangent of the angle of the Tasseled Cap greenness-to-brightness components was computed for each image year, with sequential image pairs differenced and a threshold applied to identify stand-replacing disturbance events. Results indicated that 11% of the analysis area experienced some form of stand-replacing disturbance (e.g., cutblocks, roads, oil and gas well sites, seismic lines, power lines, pipelines, blowdown) between 1973 and 2008. The greatest proportion of this change (by area) occurred between 2004 and 2006 (24%), while the lowest proportion occurred between 2000 and 2001 (2%). Although the number of change events has fluctuated over time, with a minimum of 2888 change events between 1976 and 1978 (2%) and a maximum of 36623 change events between 2004 and 2006 (29%), the mean size of change events has decreased over time: prior to 1995, mean event size was greater than 1.5ha; after 1995, it was less than 1.5ha. The annual rate of change was greatest between 2004 and 2006 (−1.25%), and lowest between 1981 and 1990 (−0.04%). Consideration of changes within the context of units relevant to grizzly bear management (i.e., grizzly bear watershed units and core or secondary habitat areas) indicate that the amount and rate of change was not spatially or temporally uniform across the study area. While the average change event size has decreased over time, the increasing number of change events has resulted in a larger aggregate area of change in more recent years. Landsat imagery provided a large-area, synoptic, and consistent characterization of 35years of stand-replacing disturbance in our study area, providing information that enables an improved understanding of the complex interactions between grizzly bear distribution, abundance, health, survival, and habitat.
Dead or alive? Investigating long-distance transport of live fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity

The extent to which breeding populations of fallow deer were established in Roman Europe has been obscured by the possibility that the skeletal remains of the species, in particular Dama foot bones and antlers, were traded over long distances as objects in their own right. This paper sets out to refine our understanding of the evidence for the transportation of living and dead fallow deer in Iron Age and Roman Europe. To achieve this, museum archives containing purportedly early examples of Dama antler were searched, with available specimens sampled for carbon, nitrogen and strontium isotope analyses, and compared with data for archaeological fallow deer from across Europe. Importantly, the resulting isotope values can be interpreted in light of new modern baseline data for fallow deer presented here. Together these multi-isotope results for modern and archaeological fallow deer provide a more critical perspective on the transportation of fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity.
Total and fractionation metal contents obtained with sequential extraction procedures in a sediment core from Terra Nova Bay, West Antarctica

Abstract A suite of 21 elements, namely Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, V and Zn, was investigated in a sediment core from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. The experimental results were treated by chemometric techniques. The elemental composition of core H2 was found to be mainly dominated by terrigenous elements, but it is also influenced by biological factors, such as the presence of corals. No evidence of anthropogenic contamination was observed, even in the top layer of the sediment. Furthermore, the modified Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) three-step sequential extraction procedure was applied to evaluate metal mobility and availability. The results confirmed the separation between higher and lower sections of the core and showed the presence of Fe as amorphous and crystalline oxide and of Mn mostly as nodules. The high percentages of metals extracted into the fourth fraction indicate their strong binding with the sediment matrix. Finally, BCR procedure was compared to Tessier's protocol which made it possible to distinguish between mobile and mobilizable fraction. Therefore, in general partitioning procedure must be chosen taking into account the nature of the sample and the aim of the research.
Three-dimensional multispectral stochastic image segmentation

Current methods of lesion localization and quantification from magnetic resonance imaging, and other methods of computed tomography fall short of what is needed by clinicians to accurately diagnose pathology and predict clinical outcome. We investigate a method of lesion aild tissue segmentation which uses stochastic relaxation techniques in three dimensions, using images from multiple image spectra, to assign partial tissue classification to individual voxels. The algorithm is an extension of the concept of Iterated Conditional Modes first used to restore noisy and corrupted images. Our algorithm requires a minimal learning phase and may incorporate prior organ models to aid in the segmentatioll. The algorithm is based on local neighbourhoods and can therefore be implemented in parallel to enhance its performance. Parallelism is achieved through the use of a datafiow image processing development package which allows multiple servers to execute in parallel.
An Operational Framework for Battle in Network Space

Abstract : Presentation Outline: (1) Principals of warfare for net space; (2) Mapping IO to network battlespace; (3) A main defensive battle in net space; (4) A vision for computer network operations; (5) Some useful analogies? CDD imagery - Air tasking order - Combat logistics.
Deformation process and kinematics of mélange in the Early Cretaceous accretionary complex of the Mino‐Tamba Belt, eastern southwest Japan

The Kanayama unit of the Mesozoic Mino‐Tamba accretionary complex in eastern southwest Japan is a thick mélange unit composed mainly of abundant muddy matrix and variously sized clasts of chert, hemipelagic siliceous mudstone, and sandstone. Two episodes of deformation formed the mélange fabrics: the first involved fragmentation of sandstone layers in response to mud injections; the second involved layer‐parallel, noncoaxial shear that resulted in the mixing of pelagic to terrigenous clasts and the formation of S‐C‐like asymmetric fabrics with scaly foliation. The S‐C fabrics exhibit a predominantly sinistral shear sense in plan view. After fold and tilt corrections, the restored slip motion inferred from the S‐C fabrics indicates a bulk top‐to‐the‐south shear. Combining the unit's terminal fossil age and radiometric age with a regional plate reconstruction model, these data suggest that the Kanayama mélange formed along a décollement during oblique subduction of the Izanagi plate in the Early Cretaceous.
A comparison of nutrient availability indices along an ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient in Minnesota Wetlands

Despite the importance of nutrient availability in determining ecosystem structure and function, it is difficult to quantify in an absolute sense because of the complexity of nutrient cycles and methodological limitations. Others have compared nutrient availability indices for upland soils, but few comparative studies have been done in organic soils. Objectives of this study were, (i) to determine if N and P availability change in a predictable manner across an ombrotrophicminerotrophic gradient in 16 wetlands in northern Minnesota, and (ii) to compare various laboratory and field indices of soil nutrient availability in a diverse group of organic soils. Ombrotrophic wetlands receive only atmospheric inputs of ions, while minerotrophic wetlands also receive groundwater or overland water inputs. We compared the following nutrient availability indices: 2- and 59-wk laboratory mineralization potentials, labile P and N pools determined from a kinetic mineralization model, total and extractable soil N and P pools, plant N and P concentrations, and H-OH and HCO 3 - charged resins. Most indices indicated that N availability increases along the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, and correlations among indices were generally good, suggesting that they can be used somewhat interchangeably. Resins indicated a predominance of NO 3 -N availability during the growing season and NH 4 -N availability during the winter, and most indices indicated an increasing importance of nitrification in more minerotrophic wetlands. In contrast, P indices gave contrasting results across the gradient and were generally poorly correlated; however, the majority of the methods suggested that P availability is higher in minerotrophic swamp forests or beaver meadows, and that P availability is low in bogs and fens. We suggest that current methods of determining P availability may be inadequate in highly diverse organic soils. Plant nutrient concentrations did not show clear relationships with soil nutrient indices, particularly for N, which probably reflects the complicated relationship between soil nutrient availability and plant response in natural wetlands.
Investigation of the Azraq sedimentary basin, Jordan using integrated geoelectrical and electromagnetic techniques

The Eastern Mediterranean has been used as a passageway for human migration from Africa to the Middle East, the Balkans and Europe. The Azraq basin in the eastern desert of Jordan has been a major spot for human settlements since the middle Pleistocene. The former lake in the basin centre has developed to a hyper-saline alluvial mudflat, the Qa’ Al Azraq. In the mudflat thick sequences of alluvial sediments are deposited. Such sediment successions are promising archives used for reconstructing a paleoclimate. In order to identify geological structures and to derive suitable borehole locations in the area for a paleoclimatical reconstruction, the Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) and the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) methods were utilized. Two transects were investigated from the edge of the basin to the basin centre, crossing three geological formations. The data sets of both methods are interpreted by 1D and 2D inversion algorithms and appraised by inversion statistics. Previously uncertain geological boundaries are determined from geoelectrical models along both transects. Furthermore, a transition zone from fresh to saline groundwater is clearly detected.
The EPICA challenge to the Earth system modeling community

One of our major aims as Earth systems scientists is to predict how the Earth will behave in the future, particularly in the face of changes imposed upon it as a result of human activities. These predictions are made using models and concepts that are in part derived from observation of how the system has behaved in the past. However, these observations, which come from paleo-records, are also one important tool for validating the models. The imminent appearance of a new ice core data set presents a unique opportunity for a test of our understanding, particularly of the climate/carbon system. Members of the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) and others here present a challenge to the modeling communities and other interested parties. The Vostok ice core record has become an iconic data set. It presents the climate of the last 420 kyr, showing the rise and fall of Antarctic temperature through four complete glacial/interglacial cycles. The most striking finding is that CO2 and CH4, the two most significant greenhouse gases (after water vapor), also rise and fall, in a remarkably similar fashion. When Antarctic temperature is calculated including a correction for the climate of the water vapor source region, the correlation between CO2 and Antarctic temperature over the last 150 kyr has an r2 of 0.89!