Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scrutinizing the impact of policy instruments on adoption of agricultural conservation practices using Bayesian expert models

Policy instruments—such as regulation, financial incentives, and agricultural extension—are commonly applied by governments to promote sustainable agricultural practices and tackle ecosystem degradation. Despite substantial investment, little data are available to gauge the impact of evolving policy mixes. We constructed a Bayesian network model to explore relationships between policy instruments, contextual factors, and adoption. Applying a series of scenarios, we present examples of how different instruments influence adoption and how their effectiveness is shaped by contextual factors. Scenarios highlight that the effect of policy instruments is often modest, and constrained by diverse practice and population characteristics. These findings allow us to reflect on the role of policy instruments, and the conditions necessary to support practice change. For example, our findings raise questions about the role of financial benefits versus financial capacity, and highlight the potential importance of concepts such as mental bandwidth in shaping both motivation and capacity to adopt.
Arctic-boreal lakes of interior Alaska dominated by contemporary carbon

Northern high-latitude lakes are critical sites for carbon processing and serve as potential conduits for the emission of permafrost-derived carbon and greenhouse gases. However, the fate and emission pathways of permafrost carbon in these systems remain uncertain. Here, we used the natural abundance of radiocarbon to identify and trace the predominant sources of methane, carbon dioxide, dissolved inorganic and organic carbon in nine lakes within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in interior Alaska, a discontinuous permafrost region with high landscape heterogeneity and susceptibility to climate, permafrost, and hydrological changes. We find that although Yukon Flats lakes primarily process young carbon (modern to 1290 ± 60 years before present), permafrost-derived carbon is present in some of the sampled lakes and contributes, at most, 30 ± 10% of the dissolved carbon in lake surface waters. Apportionment of young carbon and legacy carbon (carbon with radiocarbon age ⩾5000 years before present) is decoupled among the dissolved inorganic and organic carbon species, with methane showing a stronger legacy signature. Our observations suggest that permafrost-thaw-related transport of carbon through Yukon Flats lacustrine ecosystems and into the atmosphere is small, and likely regulated by surficial sediments, permafrost distribution, wildfire occurrence, or masked by contemporary carbon processes. The heterogeneity of lakes across our study area and northern landscapes more broadly cautions against using any one region (e.g. Yedoma permafrost lakes) to upscale their contribution across the pan-Arctic.
Hydrological Response of Sloping Farmlands with Different Rock Fragment Covers in the Purple Soil Area of China

In the mountainous area of China, the rock fragments in top soils are often removed by farmers because of their side effects on tillage. To understand hydrological processes and to assess the risk of soil erosion in purple soil areas with sloping farmlands, this study investigated the effects of rock fragment cover on surface runoff, infiltration, subsurface runoff, and erosion under field conditions using a portable rainfall simulator. Experimental twin plots (two subplots, 1 m wide by 2 m long, 32% slope) with different rock fragment covers ranging from 0 to 42% were exposed to four rainfall intensities: 45.5 � 1.9 mm=h (I1), 60.3 � 3.6 mm=h (I2), 92.0 � 4.1 mm=h (I3), and 123.9 � 9.4 mm=h (I4). Surface runoff, subsurface runoff, soil moisture, and sediment were measured. The results show that the hydrological response was influenced by the rock fragment cover and rainfall intensity. The rate of surface runoff in bare soils was affected by the rainfall intensity and increased with increasing rainfall intensity. The values of the surface runoff rates in bare soils were lower than 70 mm=h under the I1, I2, and I3 rainfall intensities. As the rock fragment cover increased, the surface runoff rate decreased while the infiltration rate, the subsurface runoff rate and the deep percolation coefficient increased. On the other hand, when the surface runoff rates in the bare soils were higher than 70 mm=h (in rainfall of I4), there were no significant differences in these hydrological variables among soils with different rock fragment covers. The differences in hydrological variables among soils with varying rock fragment covers decreased with increasing rainfall intensity. The rock fragment cover determined the erosive response. As the rock fragment cover increased, the sediment concentration de- creased. The presence of surface rock fragments significantly reduces soil erosion, and the relationship between the soil erosion rate and rock fragment cover can be expressed by an exponential function with a high degree of reliability for different rainfall intensities. However, the effectiveness of the rock fragment cover in reducing soil erosion decreased with increasing rainfall intensity. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE . 1943-5584.0000576. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Runoff; Rainfall; Soil erosion; China; Rocks; Slopes; Agriculture; Hydrologic aspects. Author keywords: Surface runoff; Subsurface runoff; Deep percolation; Rainwater distribution; Soil erosion rate; Simulated rainfall; Field condition.
Production of atmospheric nitrous oxide by combustion

Measurements of N2O in the effluent gases from the burning of coal and fuel oil show that these are significant anthropogenic sources of atmospheric N2O. We estimate that the present global production of N2O from these sources is 1.6 Mtons N2O(N) per year and is increasing at a rate of ∼ 3.5% per year. Catalytic converters for the reduction of NO emissions also represent a major potential source of atmospheric N2O.
Deep Learning-Based Angular Resolution Improvement in Planar Sensor Array

The high angular resolution, which leads to an accurate direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation, is essential in the radar systems for target detection and localization. Therefore, we propose a generative adversarial network (GAN)-based method that improves the angular resolution in target detection images. In the proposed network, we use the U-Net and the patch discriminator as the generator and the discriminator, respectively. Then, we verify the performance of the proposed method through simulations. The mean-squared error between the image generated by the proposed deep learning network and the ground truth image is 0.004, indicating a high level of similarity. In addition, the peak signal-to-noise ratio of the image with the increased resolution is about 11 dB higher than that of the original low-resolution (LR) image. By enhancing the angular resolution through the proposed method, the accuracy of DOA estimation can be improved in radar systems.
Liver Mass as First-Time Diagnosis of Sarcomatoid Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A Rare Malignancy Presenting at an Unexpected Body Site

Patient: Female, 66-year-old Final Diagnosis: Sarcomatoid anaplastic thyroid carcinoma Symptoms: Abdominal pain • dysphagia • dyspnea • fatigue • hemoptysis • jaundice • lymphadenopathy • neck mass Clinical Procedure: US-guided FNA and core needle biopsy of the liver Specialty: Pathology Objective: Challenging differential diagnosis Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinomas are aggressive malignancies associated with poor clinical outcomes and challenges in diagnosis. While local/regional disease in the neck is the most usual site of biopsy, in some cases, distant metastases may be the site of initial investigation. Case Report: A 66-year-old woman with a clinical concern for diffuse metastatic malignancy of unknown primary presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with jaundice and shortness of breath. Recent laboratory test results revealed an elevated CA 19-9. Urinalysis revealed hematuria, proteinuria, and hyperbilirubinemia. She had a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis revealing diffuse involvement of the liver, lungs, adrenals, kidneys, thyroid, pancreas, gallbladder, and brain, but had not yet had a biopsy for definitive diagnosis. An ultrasound-guided liver biopsy was evaluated for cytological features, histological features, and pattern of immunostaining. The cytomorphological histological features were concerning for a high-grade malignancy. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed that the lesion was positive for CK-AE1/AE3, BRAF, CK7, GATA3, SATB2, PAX8, and TTF-1, but the lesion was not reactive to the following stains: napsin, CK20, CDX2, PCEA, calcitonin, ER and thyroglobulin. The patient was diagnosed with a sarcomatoid anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and died within a few days after diagnosis. Conclusions: This case illustrates that unanticipated specific diagnoses of widely metastatic anaplastic thyroid carcinoma are feasible when integration of patient history, clinical setting, imaging findings, clinical laboratory results, cytomorphology, histomorphology, and results of ancillary immunohistochemical testing are thoughtfully pursued and synthesized.
Radionuclide profiles, sedimentation rates, and bioturbation in modern sediments of the Laurentian Trough, Gulf of St. Lawrence

INTRODUCTION N. SILVERBERG a*, H. V. NGUYEN b, G. DELIBRIAS b, M. KOIDE c, B. SUNDBY b, Y. YOKOYAMA b, R. CHESSELET b a Dept. Océanographie, Université du Québec, Rimouski, P.Q. , G5L3A1, Canada. b Centre des Faibles Radioactivités, CNRS-CEA, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France. c Geological Research Division, Scripps Inst. Oceanography, La Joiia, Ca. 92093, USA. * Present address: Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
Evaluation of the Submaximal Treadmill-Based Fitness Test in Six Brachycephalic Breeds—A Follow-Up Study

Simple Summary The application of a standardised submaximal fitness test on a treadmill has shown promising feasibility and efficacy in identifying clinical signs of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome in Pugs. Although early diagnosis of this disease is necessary and exercise testing combined with functional assessment has been shown to be useful, there is no evaluation of the different brachycephalic breeds. In this study, 79 dogs of different brachycephalic breeds were included to complete the fitness test under standardised conditions. Most of the examined dogs quickly adapted to running on a treadmill, so they were well monitored and consistently exercised during the test. The trotting speed can be adjusted individually, so the test also showed good applicability with other breeds. The breathing noises that occurred partially worsened over time, and some dogs only showed clinical signs of being affected until the test duration progressed. Thus, this fitness test opens the possibility of identifying affected dogs of other breeds, even if the clinical signs are only shown under exercise. Abstract Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in dogs challenges veterinary surgeons both with a complex clinical picture as well as wide-ranging ways to diagnose the disease, often not easily implemented nor standardised in clinical practice. The assessment of a combination of exercise testing, the occurrence of breathing noises, recovery time, and respiratory effort proved to be an appropriate method to identify Pugs with BOAS. The purpose of this study was to apply an established standardised, submaximal, treadmill-based fitness test for Pugs to other brachycephalic dog breeds. A total of 79 participants, belonging to 6 different brachycephalic breeds, trotted 15 min with an individual comfort speed of 3–7 km/h on a treadmill. Additionally, functional BOAS grading based on respiratory clinical signs before and after exercise was applied. The test was passed if the dogs presented with a BOAS grade of 0 or 1 and their vital parameters recovered to baseline within 15 min after exercise. A total of 68% showed a BOAS grade of 0 or 1 and passed the fitness test. Of the failed participants, 65% failed due to BOAS affectedness, 9% were categorised as not affected by BOAS and failed due to not passing the fitness test only, and 26% showed both failure criteria. The fitness test can be a useful method to identify BOAS-affected dogs in other brachycephalic breeds and to diagnose BOAS in dogs that only show clinical signs under exercise.
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors to Treat Municipal Wastewater at Ambient Temperatures

ANAEROBIC MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS TO TREAT MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES Matthew D. Seib Marquette University, 2015 Anaerobic biotechnology is viewed as a sustainable alternative to aerobic biotechnology for municipal wastewater recovery. However, anaerobic processes have not been successful in cold climates. Past examples have not been able to meet low organic effluent concentrations, or have failed due to biomass washout resulting from low temperature operation and short hydraulic residence time. Recently, the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) has been shown to achieve low effluent organic concentrations and maintain stable anaerobic biomass. However, shortcomings have included high energy demands for membrane operation and poor understanding of microbial community structures within AnMBRs. This dissertation describes efforts to improve AnMBRs by developing a low energy membrane operation strategy and describes the microbial relationships responsible for organic removal. Two different AnMBR configurations were operated at both 10 and 25C. The AnMBRs achieved over 94% organic removal with average permeate five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) concentrations remaining at 10 mg/L or less while treating synthetic or real primary effluent municipal wastewater. The AnMBRs utilized either ceramic or polymeric external tubular membranes that were operated at crossflow velocities (CFV) ranging from 0.018 to 0.3 m/s, which is below the typical CVF range of 2 to 5 m/s. Use of fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) within the membranes at very low CFV extended membrane run time between cleanings by 55 to 120% and resulted in energy demands of 0.07 to 0.15 kWh/m, which represents a 98% energy savings compared to historical energy requirements. Additionally, Illumina sequencing and statistical techniques were used to characterize the microbial consortia within each AnMBR. Results indicated a large portion of the microbial communities were composed of only 5 out of over 700 uniquely identified operational taxonomic units. Unique microbial community structures were observed in each bioreactor during synthetic wastewater operation, ostensibly due to selective pressures including bioreactor configuration and temperature. A significant shift in all AnMBR microbial populations was observed when switching from synthetic to real wastewater, suggesting that continual bioreactor seeding with influent wastewater microbiota impacts bioreactor community composition. Sequencing and results of activity assays also indicated that hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis emerged as the dominant pathway in each AnMBR.
Why Do University Students From Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina Play Drinking Games? A Mixed-Method Cross-Country Study

Qualitative work suggests that young people’s motives for playing drinking games (DGs) extend beyond those assessed in the Motives for Playing Drinking Games (MPDG) measure. Using a mixed-methods approach, we tested whether the 7-factor model of the MPDG would emerge among university students from Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, and whether their open-ended responses regarding their reasons for playing would map onto the MPDG subscales. Students (N = 895; ages = 18–30 yrs) completed the MPDG-33 measure and an open-ended-question regarding their reasons for playing DGs. We found support for the 7-factor model of the MPDG among students across sites. Open-ended responses revealed that students were motivated to play for a variety of reasons, some of which overlapped with the MPDG subscales while others did not. We present a conceptual model that considers motives specific to alcohol consumption in the context of a DG and reasons/possible motives for playing a DG given its specific features.
Estimation of Solar Radiation Use Efficiency in Paddy and Cassava Fields

The estimation of solar radiation use efficiency in rice and cassava fields was studied in Sukhothai and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces, during November 2004 to January 2006. Crop growth was divided into three periods of cultivation: early vegetative, actively growing and before harvesting. The objectives of the study were to: 1) compare the radiation use efficiency (RUE) between rice and cassava; and 2) study the relationship between biomass and absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (PARa). The results of the experiment may be used as basic data for studying the energy balance of other watershed areas with different land uses. The comparison of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) between cassava and rice revealed that PARa in cassava was higher than in rice. In a cassava crop, the greatest value (10.99 MJm -2 ) of daily PARa was obtained during the actively growing period, with an average PARa of 8.98 MJ m -2 and a radiation use efficiency (RUE) of 1.09–4.42 g MJ -1 . Similarly, in a rice crop, the greatest value (9.53 MJ m -2 ) of daily PARa was observed during the actively growing period, with an average PARa of 6.41 MJ m -2 and an RUE of 0.58–0.66 g MJ -1 . PARa in the cassava crop, however, was higher than in the paddy field. The relationships between total biomass and PARa in the paddy and cassava crops were linear with R 2 values of 0.97 and 0.89, respectively.
Recent variations in surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet

Over the period 1972-98 the height of the snow surface at eight Antarctic sites in Palmer Land and on Alexander Island has been measured with respect to fixed points on local nunataks. From these data an empirical relation between height changes over a given period and three key variables has been derived. These variables are (i) the local mean annual surface air temperature, (ii) a regional estimate of energy available for melt over the period (derived from the nearby Rothera air-temperature record) and (iii) a regional estimate of accumulation over the period (derived from the nearby Gomez Nunatak ice-core accumulation record). Using this relation, the contribution of the Antarctic Peninsula to sea-level rise for warming from climatic conditions (averaged over the last 30 years) is estimated to be -0.006 +/- 0.002 mm a(-1) K-1. If recent warm conditions persist, however, and meltwater can run off to the sea, the contribution to sea-level rise from ablation is calculated to be 0.07 +/- 0.02 mm a(-1) K-1.
Upper Layer Modification at Ocean Station Papa: Observations and Simulation

Abstract Time-series observations of the upper mixed layer of the ocean are presented for a six-week period at Ocean Station Papa in the northeast Pacific Ocean. These observations indicate the rate and extent of the wind-induced deepening of the mixed layer during the passage of several weather disturbances. The formation of the shallow layer of warm water that occurs under conditions of low winds and intense solar heating is also evident. A numerical model, developed by Denman, accurately predicts the behavior of the upper ocean during a 12-day period for which observed values of wind speed, solar radiation, and back radiation are used as input. To obtain realistic results, a value of 0.0012 for the ratio of the potential energy increase of the water column to the downward transfer rate of turbulent energy by the wind stress is used. This value is in agreement with that obtained from previous laboratory experiments (0.0015) indicating that the results obtained from such experiments are transferable to o.
Spatiotemporal evolution of water storage changes in India from the updated GRACE‐derived gravity records

Investigating changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) is important for understanding response of the hydrological cycle to recent climate variability worldwide. This is particularly critical in India where the current economic development and food security greatly depend on its water resources. We use 129 monthly gravity solutions from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites for the period of January 2003 to May 2014 to characterize spatiotemporal variations of TWS and groundwater storage (GWS). The spatiotemporal evolution of GRACE data reflects consistent patterns with that of several hydroclimatic variables and also shows that most of the water loss has occurred in the northern parts of India. Substantial GWS depletion at the rate of 1.25 and 2.1 cm yr−1 has taken place, respectively in the Ganges Basin and Punjab state, which are known as the India's grain bowl. Of particular concern is the Ganges Basin's storage loss in drought years, primarily due to anthropogenic groundwater withdrawals that sustain rice and wheat cultivation. We estimate these losses to be approximately 41, 44, and 42 km3 in 2004, 2009, and 2012, respectively. The GWS depletions that constitute about 90% of the observed TWS loss are also influenced by a marked rise in temperatures since 2008. A high degree of correspondence between GRACE‐derived GWS and in situ groundwater levels from observation well validates the results. This validation increases confidence level in the application of GRACE observations in monitoring large‐scale storage changes in intensely irrigated areas in India and other regions around the world.
Positive Parenting and Sociodemographic Factors Related to the Development of Chilean Children Born to Adolescent Mothers

The lack of economic resources has a negative effect on the maternal role of younger mothers. In Chile, the majority of adolescent pregnancies occur in socially and economically vulnerable contexts. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between demographic variables within the family context and parenting behaviors among Chilean adolescent mothers (including affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching). These factors were correlated with communication, problem-solving abilities, and personal–social development in typically developing infants. The study included a sample of 79 Chilean adolescent mother–child dyads with children aged 10 to 24 months. Communication, problem-solving, and personal–social development were assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3, along with a demographic information questionnaire. The parenting behaviors mentioned above were observed using the Spanish version of Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes. The findings indicated that mothers in employment and those who had not dropped out of school had children with better problem-solving skills. Additionally, children residing with their fathers and female children performed better in communication, problem-solving, and personal–social development. Maternal responsiveness was associated with communication and problem-solving, while maternal encouragement was linked to improved problem-solving skills. Maternal teaching was connected to communication, problem-solving, and personal–social development. The study emphasized the significance of parenting and sociodemographic factors among adolescent mothers and their influence on their children’s development.