Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diminishing Sea Ice in the Arctic Presents Challenges and Opportunities

With ice diminishing in the Arctic—and with a nearly ice-free summer Arctic Ocean predicted by 2050 if not sooner—the dramatic and fast-paced changes in the region present significant challenges as well as opportunities, according to experts and politicians at the 5th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Marine Operations, held in Washington, D. C. , on 16–18 July. Among the challenges addressed at the symposium—which was hosted by the U.S. National Ice Center and the U.S. Arctic Research Commission—are preparing for dramatic environmental changes; balancing environmental protection with energy production, mineral extraction, and other industrial uses; meeting an increasing need for scientific research to better understand the region; and dealing with an increasing amount of northern maritime traffic.
The Effects of Age, Access to a Computer, and College Status on Computer Attitudes

This study examined undergraduate college students’ (n=174), attitudes toward computers. Attention was given to the relationship between computer attitudes (anxiety, confidence, liking, and usefulness) and age, access to a home computer, and collegiate classification. Age was not found to be significantly related to computer attitudes on any of the four subscales. The findings showed that subjects with access to a home computer had higher positive attitudes toward learning and working with computers. The findings revealed that there was a small difference between students’ attitudes and their collegiate classification. Senior students significantly expressed more positive attitudes toward computers than sophomore, and junior students.
Sensitivity analysis of a radiation parameterization

An assessment of the forecast sensitivity to model and radiation parameters is critical to validating climate change studies. This paper quantifies forecast first-order sensitivity to the input to the radiation calculations in a numerical weather prediction model. The forecast aspects of interest are the temperature at the surface and near the tropopause. The model used here is a single column model, the AER Local Forecast and Assimilation (ALFA) model, which emulates a grid box of a general circulation model. It includes the NASA Ames rapid model as a broadband radiation parameterization. The sensitivities are calculated for a single time step (tendency) by the adjoint method. They reflect interactions of parameterized physical processes, since they are derived from a single iteration of the forward model and its adjoint. The sensitivities are distinguished by their sign as positive and negative responses to initial perturbation. When the atmosphere is cloudy, the surface temperature tendency shows the highest sensitivity to the single-scattering albedo in the band centered at 0.69 μm (14,492 cm−1) in the visible window region. When the atmosphere is clear, the highest sensitivity is to the water vapor path in the continuum band, but 1 order of magnitude smaller. Also, in the clear case, the temperature tendency just below the tropopause is most sensitive to the water vapor path in the rotational absorption band. Again, this sensitivity is smaller than the sensitivity to a single-scattering albedo in a cloud at the same altitude.
RECHARGE ESTIMATION USING INFILTRATION MODELS

ABSTRACT Different infiltrations models were tested at 50 locations in a basin based on the soil type and land use variations at Neyveli. Infiltration models namely Green Ampt model, Modified Kostiakov model and Horton model were found to be fit to the observed field data to estimate infiltration rates at any given time and their parameters were determined using least square method. The basin is divided into four zones based on location of rain gauge stations. Ground water recharge was estimated using three infiltration models for each zone. Their results were compared with that of the standard SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model developed by the USDA agricultural research service (ARS). Horton model was found to be high correlated with SWAT model when compared to the other two infiltration models. It can be concluded that Horton model is the most appropriate infiltration model for estimating recharge in Neyveli region.
Average concentrations of OH in the troposphere, and the budgets of CH 4, CO, H 2 and CH 3CCl 3

An average tropospheric OH concentration in the Northern Hemisphere of about 3 × 105 cm −3 is not in disagreement with present photokinetic information. This has important implications for the tropospheric budgets of CH 4, CO, H 2 and CH 3CCl 3. Present concentrations of CH 4 and H 2 in the atmosphere may be substantially larger than those prevailing during the pre-industrial era, implying also an increase in H 2O concentrations and a decrease in ozone concentrations in the upper stratosphere. Accepting this estimate of an OH concentration and an important CO sink at the ground (Seiler, 1974), there must be additional sources of CO than considered in presently evaluated budgets.
Water flow and nitrate transport to a groundwater-fed stream in the Belgian-Dutch chalk region

Human activities, such as high fertilizer applications, groundwater abstractions and land use changes, might have a negative impact on drinking water supply, environment and nature reserves of the chalk region in the Dutch–Belgian boundary area. In this area, the groundwater and surface water systems of the Noor experimental catchment have been monitored intensively and modelled to investigate groundwater flow and the transport of nitrate to groundwater-dominated streams. Groundwater flow towards the riparian area, the springs and Noor brook is strongly controlled by long-term variation of the groundwater recharge. Relatively small, but permanent changes in the recharge have a higher impact on spring flow and stream flow than current groundwater abstraction in this chalk catchment. Land use, groundwater flow patterns and the characteristics of the geological formations result in distinctly different groundwater types and associated nitrate concentrations. High concentrations were found under the plateau (median 55 mg · l−1) and extremely low in the riparian area (median 2 mg · l−1). The springs and thereby the Noor brook are mainly fed by groundwater directly coming from the plateau with a low probability of denitrification. This results in median NOconcentrations which are clearly above the drinking water standard of 50 mg · l−1 (i.e. 68 and 58 mg · l−1). Monitoring and modelling show that the north springs have higher NOconcentrations than the south springs due to different probabilities of denitrification. Nitrate in the groundwater-dominated Noor brook is hardly correlated with the discharge, but the major spring shows a clear upward trend in terms of nitrate concentrations, i.e. an increase by about 30 mg · l−1 from 1980 onwards. A policy of reduced nitrogen application will result in lower nitrate concentrations in the surface water system not earlier than in 10 or 20 years, because of the long travel times of water particles in the unsaturated and saturated zone. The north springs will react earlier than the south springs. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geodynamic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula during Mesozoic times and its bearing on Weddell Sea history

Abstract This review of the tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula during Mesozoic times highlights four main events; (1) Late Triassic-Late Jurassic extension, (2) Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous dextral transpression, (3) Early Cretaceous extension and (4) mid-Cretaceous compression. Magmatism was virtually continuous during much of this period with the exception of possible breaks in the known record in Early Jurassic and Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times. The second of these breaks corresponded to the first compressional event. There was no apparent hiatus in the magmatic record during the mid-Cretaceous compressional event, although there was a significant change in the pattern of sedimentation in the Larsen basin on the eastern margin of the Weddell Sea at about that time. The tectonic evolution of the peninsula is compared to, and puts some constraints on, existing Weddell Sea models. The Late Triassic-Late Jurassic arc extension correlates with initial rifting in the Weddell Sea region during sinistral motion between East and West Gondwana. However, there is no known record of large-scale pre-Mid-Jurassic transcurrent deformation in the Antarctic Peninsula that would have been consistent with rotation of West Antarctic crustal blocks in the initial rifting period. The peninsula-wide Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous compressional event may correlate with the major change in Gondwana plate motions from E-W to N-S (African reference frame) separation of East and West Gondwana. This change probably resulted in formation of an ocean-continent boundary along the northern margin of the Weddell Sea embayment and initial seafloor spreading. Geological data do not seem to support subduction of southwestern proto-Weddell Sea oceanic lithosphere beneath the eastern margin of the peninsula at that time. Cretaceous arc extension was coeval with the initial seafloor spreading phase in the Weddell Sea. Mid-Cretaceous arc compression, linked to a global increase in ocean floor spreading rates and a superplume event, correlates with a change from NE-SW to NW-SE spreading in the Weddell Sea.
Upper Carboniferous sedimentary cycles produced by river-dominated, elongate deltas

Coarsening upwards cycles in the upper Carboniferous Bideford Group of north Devon reflect the repeated progradation of riverdominated, elongate deltas. The cycles consist of progradational sequences (large-scale, prodelta to mouth bar coarsening upwards sequences, and major distributary channel sandstones), aggradational sequences (small-scale beach-spit coarsening upwards sequences and fining upwards crevasse channel sequences), and sporadically developed abandonment fades (thin, bioturbated siltstones and a coal horizon). Variations between cycles are governed principally by the location of bar fingers, and axial, lateral and (? ) distal bar finger successions are distinguished.
Classification of land cover from remote sensing fused image based on ICA-SVM and D-S evidence theory

Remote sensing image classification is an important means for quantified remote sensing image analysis, and remote sensing image fusion can effectively improve the accuracy of image classification. This paper proposes a classification algorithm of remote sensing fused images based on independent component analysis (ICA), topographic independent component analysis (TICA), support vector machines (SVMs) and D-S evidence theory. Firstly a novel method of fusing panchromatic and multi-spectral remote sensing images is developed by contourlet transform which can offer a much richer set of directions and shapes than wavelet. As independent component analysis not only can effectively remove the correlation of multi-spectral images, but also can realize sparse coding of images and capture the essential edge structures and textures of images, then using features extracted from the ICA and TICA domain coefficients of the fused images, the SVMs are trained to classify the whole fused images. Finally apply the proposed novel D-S evidence combination scheme to make decision fusion for different classification results with different features obtained by SVMs. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the accuracy of image classification.
SO2 Frost: UV‐visible feflectivity and Io surface coverage

The discovery of SO2 gas in Io's atmosphere and possible frost on Io's surface prompted us to measure the spectral reflectance of laboratory SO2 frost in the range 0.24 - 0.85 µm. The frost samples were grown in suitable vacuum at 130°K and bi-directional reflectance spectra were obtained by illuminating at 20° and observing at 60° from the sample normal. The spectrum of typical SO2 frost has very low reflectivity (2 - 5%) at 0.30 µm, a steep absorption edge rising at 0.32 µm, maximum reflectivity (75 - 80%) at 0.4 µm, and uniformly high reflectance throughout the visible and near infrared. These results, when compared with Io's full-disk, Earth-based reflectance spectrum, suggest that SO2 frost is not the dominant component of Io's optical surface layer. Various calculated UV-visible spectra for mixtures of SO2 frost with other plausible surface components (sulfur allotropes and sodium sulfide) provide a good match to Io's spectrum and limit optically thick SO2 frost coverage to less than about 20% of Io's average projected surface area; this limit varies from a high of ∼ 25% on the leading hemisphere to a low of ∼ 10% on the sub-Jupiter hemisphere.
Discrimination between ophiolitic metabasalts, north d’urville island, New Zealand

Whole-rock minor and trace element abundances, relict clinopyroxene compositions and petrographic features discriminate between 2 metabasalt units within the Patuki Volcanic complex, north D'Urville Island, New Zealand. The majority of the Patuki metabasalts show P, Zr, Nb, and light rare earth element (LREE) depletion and exhibit tholeiitic differentiation characteristics. They show close similarities to many abyssal tholeiites produced at modern spreading ridges (Ntype ocean ridge basalts). Pristine relict clinopyroxene preserves Ti-poor endiopside and endiopsidic augite compositions somewhat enriched in Cr, and shows systematic iron enrichment. A smaller proportion of the metabasalts are enriched in Nb, LREE, and related hygromagmatophile elements, but retain phenocryst assemblages and some trace element abundances similar to ocean-floor basalts. They contain Ca- and AI-rich titaniferous salites. These metabasalts are atypical of ophiolitic metabasalts and of metabasalts formed at normal ridge segments and show closest similarity to largeion- lithophile element enriched, ocean-floor tholeiites (E-type mid-ocean ridge basalts). At north D’Urville Island, the N-type metabasalts form an upper unit composed of massive and more rarely pillowed flows, and the group of E-type metabasalts form a lower unit composed of pillow lava and rare tabular bodies of ophitic spilite, associated with volcanic breccia. Interbedded marine sediments include sandstone, argillite, mudstone and minor tuffs, and ophiolitic breccia The trace element data indicate that the 2 suites of Patuki metabasalts at north D’Urville Island are derived from geochemically distinct mantle sources, similar to sources from which N- and E-type midocean ridge basalts originate. The data imply mantle heterogeneity beneath a poorly evolved Middle Permian seafloor.
Intensity of prehistoric tropical cyclones

Prediction of future tropical cyclone climate scenarios requires identification of quasi-periodicities at a variety of temporal scales. Extension of records to identify trends at century and millennial scales is important, but to date the emerging field of paleotempestology has been hindered by the lack of a suitable methodology to discern the intensity of prehistoric storms. Here a technique to quantify the central pressure of prehistoric tropical cyclones is presented in detail and demonstrated for the tropical southwest Pacific region. The importance of extending records to century time scales is highlighted for northeast Australia, where a virtual absence of category 5 cyclones during the 20th century stands in contrast to an active period of severe cyclogenesis during the previous century. Several land crossing storms during the 19th century achieved central pressures lower than that ever recorded historically and close to the theoretical thermodynamic limit of storms for the region. This technique can be applied to all tropical and subtropical regions globally and will assist in obtaining more realistic predictions for future storm scenarios with implications for insurance premiums, urban and infrastructural design, and emergency planning.
PHYLLODES TUMOUR OF THE BREAST: A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN GARHWAL REGION

Background: Phyllodes tumour is a rare fibroepithelial tumour which comprises of less than 1% of all breast tumours. This tumour has been divided into benign, borderline and malignant variants based on the histological features. Aim: The study was undertaken with the aim to analyze and interpret the clinicopathological features of phyllodes tumour which presented in our hospital in this hilly region. Also there has been very little study, if any, carried out on phyllodes tumour in our region. Material And Methods: A retrospective study, over a period of 10-years, was carried out on the material, which included the histopathological slides and tissue blocks of phyllodes tumour. The relevant clinical data related to these was obtained from the archives of department of Pathology. Results: In this retrospective study, a total of 22 cases of phyllodes tumour were found, out of which 18(81.8%) were benign, 2(9.1%) were borderline and 2(9.1%) were malignant. It was seen in a wide age group ranging from 19 to 70 years and the mean size of tumour at presentation was 6.22 cms. Benign phyllodes tumour was the most common variant seen in our study. Conclusion: Phyllodes tumor shows a wide spectrum of histomorphology. Though there are no clearly distinct boundaries between the three histological grades of phyllodes tumour yet the grading system is the best guide for treatment protocol and clinical outcome.
Annual cycle of polychlorinated biphenyls and organohalogen pesticides in air in southern Ontario. 1. Air concentration data

From July 1988 to September 1989, 143 air samples, obtained at Egbert, ON, Canada, were analyzed for vapor-phase polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organohalogen pesticides. This data set is believed to be the first high temporal resolution PCB data set obtained over an annual cycle in North America and has obvious use for determining processes of deposition, transport, and atmospheric transformation of these important chemicals. Concentrations of the sum of 91 PCB congeners (ΣPCB) of IUPAC No. 16 or higher ranged from a subpicogram per cubic meter detection level to over 2 ng m -3
Depth migration in TI media by nonstationary phase shift

Wave field extrapolation by nonstationary phase shift (NSPS) can be formulated to allow velocity variation with both wavenumber and position, and so can accommodate anisotropic effects in highly inhomogeneous media. A simple subset of the more general case of anisotropy is transverse isotropy (TI), which we use to demonstrate the utility of NSPS. Part of the significance of this method lies in the fact that wavefield extrapolation proceeds using only phase velocity.
Variations of stratospheric water vapor over the past three decades

We examine variations in water vapor in air entering the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) over the past three decades in satellite data and in a trajectory model. Most of the variance can be explained by three processes that affect the TTL: the quasi‐biennial oscillation, the strength of the Brewer‐Dobson circulation, and the temperature of the tropical troposphere. When these factors act in phase, significant variations in water entering the stratosphere are possible. We also find that volcanic eruptions, which inject aerosol into the TTL, affect the amount of water entering the stratosphere. While there is clear decadal variability in the data and models, we find little evidence for a long‐term trend in water entering the stratosphere through the TTL over the past 3 decades.
Tide Gage Response to Tsunamis. Part II: Other Oceans and Smaller Seas

Abstract Extending previous work in the North Pacific, tsunami response was examined in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and in three smaller seas, with the objective of exploring scale effects. Energy diffusing from the Chilean tsunami of 22 May 1960 was tracked through windows around Antarctica into all three oceans, simultaneously reaching maximum intensity about 39 h after quake time. In smaller seas, spectral response was, again, characteristically an exacerbation of normal background, with principal energy in the fundamental pumping mode of the local coastal shelf. Subsequent to diffusion, isotropic energy decay was uniformly exponential, except that the diffusion and decay (e-folidng) times were different in each sea. An ad hoc, energy-flux decay model, with a constant, linear friction coefficient, suffices to explain the observed decay times in terms of basin geometries. The model has several spinoffs: it accounts for about half the observed coastwise variation in tsunami intensity; it may possibly.
Ratios of Mg2+/Na+ in snowpack and an ice core at Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard, as an indicator of seasonal melting

Snowpack and ice-core samples were collected from the dome of Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard, in the spring of both 1998 and 1999. The samples were analyzed for anions, cations, pH, liquid electrical conductivity and oxygen isotopes. Concentrations of chemical components in snowpack with a history of melting were much lower than those in unmelted snowpack. There was a clear difference between Mg 2+ /Na + ratios previously in melted snowpack (0.011 ± 0.02) and in unmelted snowpack (0.11 ± 0.02). We propose that the Mg 2+ /Na + ratio can be used as an indicator of whether or not firn or bubbly ice in the Austfonna ice core has experienced melt percolation. The Mg 2+ /Na + ratio indicates that firn or bubbly ice prior to AD 1920 was much less affected by melt percolation than firn or bubbly ice formed after 1920.
Target confirmation and relocation using the correlation filter in mean shift tracking

The accurate locating for the target is critical for robust visual tracking methods. This paper addresses the target position confirmation and relocation in mean shift tracking, and proposes a novel method to integrate a MOSSE based correlation filter into the mean shift tracker to obtain its ability of accurate locating. To confirm whether the estimated location of the target is accurate, four measures are evaluated. If the proposed conditions for relocating the target are satisfied, the estimated target position will be adjusted to be more accurate. When the target is occluded, a relocating approach is developed using the correlation filter to find the target after occlusion. The target model and the filter template are updated in each frame according to the evaluation results of the estimated target. Experimental results show the integration of the correlation filter can help the mean shift tracker locate and relocate the target well.